Pennywise and pound foolish

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jeffchap

jeffchap

Bronze Supporter
TFP Guide
Jun 26, 2012
2,387
Edmond OK
Pool Size
27500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
It never ceases to amaze me that people won't hesitate to spend hundreds of dollars at the pool store for the latest quick fix snake oil, yet balk at spending $70 on a test kit that will allow them to maintain their pool in the best condition possible with a $3.25 jug of bleach.

SMDH...
 
jeffchap said:
It never ceases to amaze me that people won't hesitate to spend hundreds of dollars at the pool store for the latest quick fix snake oil, yet balk at spending $70 on a test kit that will allow them to maintain their pool in the best condition possible with a $3.25 jug of bleach.

SMDH...
Click to expand...

That could have easily been me...but there are far too many of you so I jumped in, no pun intended. Now?....even a caveman can do it!

Mike
 
In contrast to that, I'm always amazed that people will willingly fork money over "because the internet said so". I don't blame them for being hesitant about spending that much on something that defies everything they've been told up till now about their pool. In most situations, I'd call it common sense.

That being said I love my tf100 and my trouble free pool.
 
It's easier to believe the human standing in front of you, who genuinely sound convincing when they tell you that X and Y are needed to fix your pool for only $100 or a monthly fee of $150. It's human nature. The desperation comes when you add X and Y to the pool and it doesn't fix the problem.

Sometimes I do think back at some of the posters that come here looking for answers to their problems and the first thing we tell them is go spend another $70 on a test kit instead of using your $5 test strips. Maybe they do "foolishly" spend another $70 because they are desperate and what they did before didn't work so they are willing to try anything.

But in reality they are still taking a leap of faith that some Joe on the Internet knows more than the "professional" pool store guy. We know we're correct but they still have to take that leap of faith and assume that we know what we are talking about. We still are not a human face and as they say "don't always believe what you read on the Internet"

It's not until they realize that they need to educate themselves and use that fancy new test kit. Then their problems get resolved.
 
Fingaling said:
In contrast to that, I'm always amazed that people will willingly fork money over "because the internet said so".
Click to expand...
True, but when all else has failed and you arrive here and see thousands of pages of successfully cleared green pools it becomes far less of a "just do it because we said so" situation.

I once stumbled upon a computer help forum, they had 2 rules. Download a program and post the list of running programs it gives you, and if that list contains any torrent software the thread is locked. The list the program spit out was then used to diagnose the problems. There is no difference here, we need data to diagnose the problem and help the user. Unfortunately this can't be done with a free program, so we need physical test kits. We also need accuracy and reliability. I would LOVE to be able to dip a strip in to water and get accurate and reliable results! I would love even more if it could be done by some WiFi enabled floating sensor and I could read the data remotely. Either of these would make my life so much easier, especially the latter! But it isn't happening and no matter how much people argue that we should give them advice based on unreliable results ("Let's pretend these are accurate, what would I do then?" is one time I let the guy have it) that is not how things work.

The worst part is, IMO, that sure we might be happy if TFT gets a few dollars selling a kit, or a donation is made to the site. But we aren't trying to help ourselves by asking them to get a proper kit. We are trying to help them get to a place where they control their pool. Each one of us regulars started knowing bupkiss about pool care. We know what it means to have that data and knowledge available, and are only trying to help others discover that too.

Well this turned in to far more than I expected it to. Perhaps the wine talking :)
 
The amazing ones to me are the members that have just built a $50k+ pool and then will not fork out <$100 to take control of it.

Where it is tricky are the members with the temporary <5000 gallon pools. Just today a member joined with a new small Intex-type pool in Canada trying to get control. I guarantee that the K-2006 (which is all they can buy) costs more than the entire pool setup. Those cases are much easier to understand why they are hesitant.
 

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What's funny and embarrassing, I found this site right after I bought my house (inheriting the pool in 9/16 and bought a Taylor test kit). Then I proceeded to sink $160 into a pool guy (2 months) followed by $300 into Leslies (not including 3K in equipment) and another $300 in chemicals on amazon and walmart (I thought saving money from Leslies) fought algae for 2 months in the process with the internet and pool store(s) with a CYA around 200 (that I didn't know at the time) won by sheer luck. Finally following a pump failure and conversion to SWG I started posting and slowly listening to replies on this site in 5/17 and then used my test kit for the 1st time in June 6/17. Now totally a TFP believer my chemicals for the next year + already purchased for well under $100.

I was really intimidated by the Taylor kit, manual, and I guess lazy. So it's not just a money thing...
 
What I read many times on this site is. ...go purchase 1 of 2 recommended test kits before we give advise and that's pretty much it.

I spent a lot of time behind the scenes, following newbie threads that came on here for the first time needing help. As I started to read about the results these people had, I purchased the TF100 and have had only one problem since then (due to neglecting to test regularly over a period of two weeks).

So I'm not sure these people are foolish. I'm sure most of them are fed up, do a Google search which leads them to post up the problem they have and the first, and often the only response is, go buy a test kit that's affiliated with what we do here.

I don't post too often based on my work schedule but try to jump in here and there. I will say I appreciate all the regulars who guide people to a better place that ultimately saves them $$$.
 
I too was a pool store junkie and probably personally paid 1 employees salary for several years. Always fought algea several times a year and even had to drain a few times. I finally said there has to be a better way. Found this site. Was hesitant about forking out the $$ for a proper test kit (That money could buy me a lot of "magic potions"). Took the leap of faith last season, out of desperation and frustration, and the kit has paid for itself a few times since then. It was the most wonderful thing in the world to find an internet site that TRULY has my best interests in mind. I constantly tell people that swim in or see my pool water that it's so simple with the right tools (proper test kit). Add they should at least check out here and read some testimonials, pool school, and not to be overwhelmed. Thanks to all here for my TFP!!!
 
The things I've learned at TFP have given me far more free time to enjoy my pool and everything else. I bill that free time at a far higher rate than I am paid at my "real" job. I figure I'm making so much money off TFP that it's time to go Gold Supporter status!
 
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