Wisconsin Residents beware of Allied Pools & Spas

[Rhino_I_am]

Hello, I thought I would give Wisconsin residents a heads up on my experience with Allied Pools & Spas and their installation company, Mainstream Inc. I bought a 30' ABG an aqualeader Escape with installation. I found what I thought was a good deal at State Fair during Spa days this was April 2005. The problems began almost immediately. The company insisted on delivering the pool asap. I had incorrect info given regarding ciy of Milwaukee requirements for a pool permit, fyi you need an electrical permit before they issue a pool permit. This caused the pool from being installed early June to late August. The delivery which I paid for had items missing which Allied refused to deliver and I was required to drive to their Racine location to pickup even though it was their fault. The installation company, Mainstream Inc, had one of their installers do a site survey at which time I showed him where the previous owner had a pool. The site had a slope and I informed him that the city inspector stated that the earth needed to be 4' from the pool wall or I needed a fence. The installer stated no problem charged me an extra $600 and said he could dig back 4' around the pool. I was required to buy traffic bond which he spread on the site. He than added sand and just raked it smooth. The pool was erected and filled with water while I was gone, from my garden hoses. I came home saw 2-3 dozen folds, creases, and wrinkles some of which were 4' or longer with 1" of material folded on itself. The company refused to correct saying that it happens sometimes and they won't fix. I made numerous calls to Allied and they insisted it isn't their problem that I need to deal with the installers. The installers were their installation company! I never recieved call backs and went to the store on 108th St demanding a manager and that is when I ran into Mainstream's owner, Phil Swaine. He was setting up a demo on their floor. I told him abut the problem and he said he will fix next spring and to just close the pool. In June after numerous calls Phil sent out another crew, my installer no longer worked for him. They removed the old liner installed a new one but the same outcome but with more folds some 6' long. The installer said it was a drainage issue and I needed to fix with drain tile before he would fix this install and install the skimmer/ water return. Mainstream dug out the pool and 4' around which later I found created a moat around the pool up to 2' deep.

 

[Rhino_I_am]

I tried repeatedly to get Allied to resolve and they still maintained it is an installation problem and deal with Mainstream. Did I mention Mainstream's office is in Allied's Warehouse! Mainstream refused to correct the drainage so I spent the summer digging around the pool and installing drain tile and later aded a sump pump due to the amount of water, by the way I knew nothing about excavating or landscaping. I finished the best I could called back and was told it is too late this season they will correct in early 2007. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and couldn;t believe Allied's responses. They tried to put the blame on me stating it's my ground issues, I picked the location, I couldn't accept that ABG pools have wrinkles sometimes. They stated the pool is usable in its current set condition but I choose not to use it. They never installed the skimmer or water return so no way to hook up the filter or pump! I finally got Phil Swaine to agree to replace the stained liner (I have alot of trees and w/o the vaccum couldn't get all the leaves out.) He came out June 2007 to attempt to fix and install a new liner but demanded a release signed first. It stated I will write the BBB saying my complaint is satisfied, that I acknowledge this is the last liner install and repair allied will do no matter how the pool turned out, and that I am Satisfied with my installation. Once again before he would do any work! I said no way and he left leaving the pool as is and Allied & Mainstream wahed their hands of it. I filed a complaint with Wisconsin Consumer Protection Agency and Allied again repeated the pool is usable. Dave Murray (Allied's owner) wrote " I do not know why he believes his pool is unuseable. The wall and vertical posts are straight, the pool is level. What is the current condition that he speaks of that makes it unuseable." This is the owner. The state said my word against theirs and it is now in Circuit Court.

 

[Rhino_I_am]

I know this is long but 4yrs of this. I have concluded the best thing I could do was make others aware of my experience and let them decide if these are companies they want to do business with. I also am in the process of a web site and it has alot more photos and will have some of their amazing comments on how this is a usable pool and put the blame on my shoulders. If you have had a negative experience with these companies I would also like to hear about it. I do thankyou for letting me vent a little. :blah:

 

[Rhino_I_am]

I almost forgot the web site is in the process but I do have pictures with comments posted www.avoidaheadache.com :grrrr:

 

[Frank R]

Send them a letter giving them 30 days to resolve the problems or you will have it fixed and sue them for the costs. Your law suit will accompany a media blitz .Then have the thing pulled apart and bring in 20 yards of clean fill dirt and start over.If you don't do every thing you can to protect the pool from rusting it will be your rust bucket. Sump pumps are not the answer. After you have it fixed the take them to court with the bill in your hand.

 

[launboy]

All I can say is, WWOOWW!

It's bad enough they couldn't get the liner right, but on top of that they didn't even leave you a pump and filter?

What ever happens, I would DEFINITELY want a WHOLE NEW POOL put in, because having the steel sit under water like that will cause it to rust prematurely.

P.S. I don't consider that pool usable, even the duck wouldn't swim. :lol: He just sits on the top rail.

Good luck in court,
Adam

 

[DaHole]

Ouch. I hope Allied is watching this issue here at TFP. I am going to take my money to Baker instead of Allied in Appleton.

Rhino lots of people jumping on your side here and places like facebook can all but force them to fix it. Good luck.

 

[mickey4paws]

The state said my word against theirs and it is now in Circuit Court.

Wow, I really feel for you. That is just horrible. How is your case coming along in court?

 

[waste]

Thanks for the heads up - even though I doubt I'll ever be in the market for an AG pool in Wisconsin

The job was certainly inferior quality

Here in Ct. Richard Bloomenthal is our Attorney General and often personally handles issues like this (of course he has political ambitions ) - can you call your Attorney General's office and see if they won't do something?


Almost skipped it but, welcome to TFP!!

 

[Rhino_I_am]

I thought I would give an update to my pool issues with Allied Pools and Mainstream Inc. I had my court ordered mediation today and it was the first time I ever saw Dave Murray, Allied's owner. The funny thing is he still wouldn't speak with me just via his attorney! I had tried numerous times to speak with him regarding this before it went this far but he only accepts emails (which I have to assume he just deletes). His commercials make him sound likeable and fair but I can't agree with that. He seems to go out of his way to avoid customers and dealing with problems. Well, the mediation went like I thought it would. Dave Murray doesn't believe this to be Allied's responsiblity and seems to be set on a court trail. He did offer to let me keep the pool "as is" and give me $750! I can't even replace a liner with that. You have to love a company that stands by their product and service. I still am waiting to see his argument on how this should be placed on me since I paid Allied for everything. I even asked him direct questions regarding the pool in my complaints ie. how can I use a 30' pool with no way to circulate and filter water? His reply is "it is usable". He has yet to address any of the complaints I brought forth with real answers. I guess he will have a hard time in court avoiding answering direct questions. I will be working on completing my website "avoidaheadache.com" and will post some of his responses. I thought that the pool itself and the surrounding moat would be clear evidence that they did not hold up their end of the contract, yet it seems Allied feels they did and I am just too demanding of a customer! I would hate to see what they could do if they got into the sunroom business . If you are in the Milwaukee area and wish to see their work first hand I would be more than willing to give the tour. I believe the size of this company makes them feel as if they are untouchable. I hope to prove them wrong!

 

[gkruske]

Good Lord. A good word for this is non-plussed.

You have done EXACTLY what you should be doing. Documenting the snot out of this, with loads of pictures. I have just finished up with a fraud investigation, headed by the AG of MO. Started with a BBB complaint, finds out the guy was a fraud in many different ways, throws him in jail. And because of jail, I get no money! It was a roofing deal, but nonetheless, people who don't stand behind their product and give the consumer the runaround deserve this.

Good luck to you, and I enjoyed your website. Let's hope you get a new pool in 2010, and plus some. Don't forget to throw in pain and suffering, unnessecary mental duress, etc. Walk with a cane into court and tell them you fell in the moat.

 

[Rhino_I_am]

Another update, I learned how professional Allied Pools is as a company. It has nothing to do with their sales staff, products, or service. It has to do with their ability to work our legal system. I found out that after my mediation hearing in which Allied's final offer was I keep the mess they created and they give me $750 that they filed a motion to bar my pool expert from testifying. I couldn't understand at the time of the mediation why Dave Murray (Alllied's owner) was so arrogant requesting a seperate room and the offer being nothing short of causing this to go to trial. My attorney had failed to file my expert witness statement in time and Allied used this as a basic to bar him from testifying. They knew what he would be testifying to and we had months before a trail date could be set. They could have allowed the expert, we could have gone to trial, and this mess could have been resolved. Yet, now they were right the expert wasn't filed in time so they employed their strategy of forcing me to trial with no expert to confront their blatant lies and horrible workmanship or have this case dismissed and start over from the beginning. I had no choice and the case was dismissed and is in the process of being refiled with all the same informaton and witnesses. Nothing has changed other than me losing over a year while this proceeded through the court system. I am stuck with a pool that needs to be removed yet can't while this is pending in court. I will have more time to stare at this mess instead of working on and enjoying my yard. I have finished my website "avoidaheadache.com" and posted documents which not only prove my version of this mess but shows how Allied even cut off all communication with the Better Business Bureau until their status was threatened. It outlines the blatant lies using Dave Murray's own statements. Be advised I had to learn how to create this site and it is still a work in progress.