Optimum pool saga continues need help
- Thread starter BosKat
- Start date
I ran into this same issue & we put lime in the hole. It will dry it up fast, then you’ll have some mixed under the pool to help keep it dry in the future.
Thanks for your message. Yes, I've been thinking there must be a solution like this that the installer could use (lime, gravel, something else) to dry up the mud rather than waiting 7-10 days for Mother Nature to dry up the hole but the pool seller and installer won't tell me if they can do this when I ask - they just keep telling me to "be patient."
I've tried to find another installer but have been told so far by other companies that they will only install the pools they sell. The original pool company sent me a defensive response to my questions yesterday - now I've probably been bumped to the bottom of their install list (if I wasn't there already). Having paid the money I guess I'm at their mercy.
Yikes. I'm sorry that's happening to you. The seller might not know if the quicklime will interfere with their work, and may not be able to guarantee their work if you use it. It's starting to warm up now, and 7 to 10 days isn't really that long. At this point, you might just want to let them handle it their way. I think it might have been dug too soon in the season, since, as I said, my neighbor said the start of the season has been delayed for him because of all the wet weather. (He's working today!) So, either way, you'd have had to wait. Your guys might be scrambling to catch up right now because they've also been so delayed and everyone is asking when their pool will be built. I just think your seller should be able to answer your questions with more than, "be patient." I get where they are coming from with that, but a bit more professionalism would be nice, eh? Maybe the person you get on the phone is just the "office" end and truly doesn't know the first thing about building pools but they know their sales script so well, they sound like they know more than they do? I don't know about you, but I much prefer the honest, "I don't know" answer to the "why are you bothering us?" types of answers. I'm sure if they would just TALK to you, you'd feel a lot better about having to wait. I'm hoping for you that the unprofessional attitude is not an indication of unprofessional work. I'm wondering if you can't find an independant pool contractor, it might be because of laws and regulations where you are that don't allow for it.
That's really what this all comes down to - lack of professionalism and customer service. Good customer service means setting realistic expectations from the beginning. I’m self-employed and if I knew that there was a chance of something causing a delay in my providing services to a client I would tell them that upfront. For example, when I contract with a client for a case study and they ask when I can deliver it I always set expectations upfront that the turnaround time will be dependent upon the approval process of the company profiled in the case study, because based on 20 years of experience, I know this can hold up the process. With this knowledge I would never say, “your case study is going to be fully completed and approved by X date.” Although it would likely lead to securing more work upfront by promising to deliver projects based on an unrealistic deadlines, I would have gone out of business years ago due to lack of trust among my clients.
Same with this pool situation, I’ve never had a pool installed – which I told both the company that sold me the pool and the installer upfront - so they knew I had no experience with any of this. I obviously had no idea that some water or mud in the hole in my backyard would significantly delay the installation. Not knowing this, I lined up a series of home improvement projects directly related to the timing of the pool installation (a deck build, shed delivery) - now all of this has been delayed as well.
If the pool company and installer had told me upfront in February when I first reached out to them about the pool, sometime in March when we were planning the specifics, or sometime in April when I was paying them the balance of the pool cost and for the heat pump, that rainy weather might significantly delay my pool project than I could have planned accordingly. I know they can’t predict the weather, but as experienced pool sellers/installers they have obviously encountered rainy weather before and know the impact of it on installations.
As my boyfriend has been saying, they weren’t asking me to “be patient” with this project when they were taking my money.
Same with this pool situation, I’ve never had a pool installed – which I told both the company that sold me the pool and the installer upfront - so they knew I had no experience with any of this. I obviously had no idea that some water or mud in the hole in my backyard would significantly delay the installation. Not knowing this, I lined up a series of home improvement projects directly related to the timing of the pool installation (a deck build, shed delivery) - now all of this has been delayed as well.
If the pool company and installer had told me upfront in February when I first reached out to them about the pool, sometime in March when we were planning the specifics, or sometime in April when I was paying them the balance of the pool cost and for the heat pump, that rainy weather might significantly delay my pool project than I could have planned accordingly. I know they can’t predict the weather, but as experienced pool sellers/installers they have obviously encountered rainy weather before and know the impact of it on installations.
As my boyfriend has been saying, they weren’t asking me to “be patient” with this project when they were taking my money.
I know my guy next door pays attention to the projected forecast for the season and it was predicted to be rainier than usual. And all of this is another reason why he doesn't get rich with his job. He doesn't over book himself, wet weather or not. He much prefers a happy customer to a 70 inch TV. Interestingly, he doesn't have a pool. But, I guess it's like working at a Pizza place, you don't want to come home from work and eat pizza. LOL. He's been out working every day this week, so I hope that translates to New England from Western NYS.
Out of curiosity, do you have a Wet/Dry Vac?
Out of curiosity, do you have a Wet/Dry Vac?
I ended up purchasing a “Waterbug” submersible pump - it worked great to pump the rainwater out of the tarp until things started falling from the trees and now it gets clogged up while pumping.
I feel your pain. We had the same issue with rain during our install in 2017. Pool was bought April 1st, hole started April 20th but pool didn't get put up till June! At the time it was very frustrating but now it's just a memory. Good call on buying the pump. I hope your ordeal is over soon and on it's way to being a distant memory!
Well instead of rehashing everything I will send you what I have documented and sent to the Better Business Bureau - at least the parts since I last posted.
Week of May 13, 2019
At this point, with no indication of a new installation date, I reached out to a number of other local pool companies to see if anyone else was installing pools given the weather conditions, and if so, I could potentially find a new installer given my dissatisfaction with with installer. I could not find another company who would install a pool that I had not purchased from them.
May 28, 2019
I followed up with the installer again and they gave me a new installation date – the end of the first week of June.
June 3, 2019
I reached out to the installer again and they said the pool would be installed on Saturday, June 8.
June 4, 2019
I reached out to the installer again, stating:
I see that there is rain in the forecast for tomorrow night and later on Friday so I am covering up the hole with the tarp again. If you plan on canceling the pool installation scheduled for Saturday please let me know as soon as you know so I can adjust my plans accordingly. I planned on going to Vermont for a family reunion on Saturday-Sunday but I will cancel that trip if the pool will be installed on Saturday. Thank you.
His response was:
we are going to try to get you done tomorrow before the rain.
We will be out between 11&1 (meaning Wednesday June 5)
June 5, 2019
The installer came out, poured gravel in the hole and compacted it. He told me he could not install the pool because the ground was too wet. He told me to send him photos of the hole in the coming days.
June 6, 2019
I sent a photo of the hole with the following email to the installer
We seem to have dodged that rainstorm and the dirt is drier than it was previously. Do you want me to send you an update tomorrow at the end of the day since it is going to be sunny and hot all day again?
There was no response.
June 8, 2019
I sent another email with another photo, stating:
Hi XXXX,
Here is another photo of the hole as of this morning. It seems pretty dry to me – I’m walking around on it and it’s certainly not muddy and squishy like it was when you were here last.
Looks like we have rain coming in on Monday so not sure what you want or can do at this point. Just please keep the communication open so I can plan accordingly.
Thank you,
Kara
No response.
So I left for my family party in Vermont that morning, which I told the installer about in my June 4 email. When I arrived in Vermont his’s wife called me and said he was at my house to install the pool. I explained I wasn't there and asked why they hadn’t responded to my emails over the past two day – and why they hadn’t told me they were going to install the pool that day? She apologized and said she forgot to call me. I gave her permission for him to do the installation in my absence, and paid over the phone for the water delivery required for the pool.
June 9, 2019
I arrived home from Vermont – the pool was assembled with water in it, and around it a large trench.
I sent this message to the installer and pool company.
Hello -
I just returned from Vermont. What are the next steps on the pool?
Installer - when will you be back to use some of that dirt to backfill against the pool? Are you arranging for the concrete delivery?
Pool Company - when will your team be out to install the filter and heat pump? Should I contact the electrician?
Thank you,
Kara
The installer’s response was:
Hi Kara,
He will be getting a Concrete truck out there ASAP. As soon as we have a time frame I will call you.
The pool company will need to get the pump, filter and heater out there for the electrician to hook those up and bond them when he does the pool
we will back fill after that
June 12, 2019
I was on a business trip in Philadelphia. My mom was at my house watching the kids. I received this message from the installer.
Hello Kara
We will be there between 330 and 430 today to pour the cement collar around the pool.
When I came back from my trip on June 13, I saw there was concrete around the pool.
June 15, 2019
Having heard nothing further from the installer I sent this message:
Hi,
What are the next steps on the pool? Will you be having more concrete poured? If so, when do you think that will occur?
Since I have a pool full of water but no filter is there anything I should be doing to maintain its current state? Chemicals?
Thank you,
Kara
June 16, 2019
I received this response from the installer
Kara,
Thank you for all of your questions.
If you could please pay for the concrete and stone as we paid the Concrete truck as you were not home. We had to put Stone-down to prep the site we sent you a invoice # 257 for the concrete and the balance for invoice #246 for the install of the pool you can pay those on line. Also when will you be home for us to come out and finish the backfill / dig trench so that we can also get paid for trench. We could possibly finish our end today, but we need to see those invoices paid first.
Thank you
Obviously I had no choice but to pay the balance before the work was completed – otherwise he wouldn't come back to finish the job. So I paid the bills online via credit card. He arrived around 11 a.m. to backfill the pool area and dig a trench for the electrical.
When he was done he asked me to come outside. He proceeded to verbally attack me while my children (ages 11 and 8) watched and listened from the window. Telling me how he knew I had looked for a new installer back in May and how that “left a bad taste in his mouth.” I responded by saying he did not set appropriate expectations from the beginning – having given me an April 24 installation and not telling me the pool installation could be delayed due to weather. I also said his communication had been poor over the past 50+ days while I waited for the installation happen/be completed. He got even more angry and said he warned me up front that the installation could be delayed due to weather and that was in the contract (it was not). I told him that I was not going to argue with him any further and asked him to leave.
Week of May 13, 2019
At this point, with no indication of a new installation date, I reached out to a number of other local pool companies to see if anyone else was installing pools given the weather conditions, and if so, I could potentially find a new installer given my dissatisfaction with with installer. I could not find another company who would install a pool that I had not purchased from them.
May 28, 2019
I followed up with the installer again and they gave me a new installation date – the end of the first week of June.
June 3, 2019
I reached out to the installer again and they said the pool would be installed on Saturday, June 8.
June 4, 2019
I reached out to the installer again, stating:
I see that there is rain in the forecast for tomorrow night and later on Friday so I am covering up the hole with the tarp again. If you plan on canceling the pool installation scheduled for Saturday please let me know as soon as you know so I can adjust my plans accordingly. I planned on going to Vermont for a family reunion on Saturday-Sunday but I will cancel that trip if the pool will be installed on Saturday. Thank you.
His response was:
we are going to try to get you done tomorrow before the rain.
We will be out between 11&1 (meaning Wednesday June 5)
June 5, 2019
The installer came out, poured gravel in the hole and compacted it. He told me he could not install the pool because the ground was too wet. He told me to send him photos of the hole in the coming days.
June 6, 2019
I sent a photo of the hole with the following email to the installer
We seem to have dodged that rainstorm and the dirt is drier than it was previously. Do you want me to send you an update tomorrow at the end of the day since it is going to be sunny and hot all day again?
There was no response.
June 8, 2019
I sent another email with another photo, stating:
Hi XXXX,
Here is another photo of the hole as of this morning. It seems pretty dry to me – I’m walking around on it and it’s certainly not muddy and squishy like it was when you were here last.
Looks like we have rain coming in on Monday so not sure what you want or can do at this point. Just please keep the communication open so I can plan accordingly.
Thank you,
Kara
No response.
So I left for my family party in Vermont that morning, which I told the installer about in my June 4 email. When I arrived in Vermont his’s wife called me and said he was at my house to install the pool. I explained I wasn't there and asked why they hadn’t responded to my emails over the past two day – and why they hadn’t told me they were going to install the pool that day? She apologized and said she forgot to call me. I gave her permission for him to do the installation in my absence, and paid over the phone for the water delivery required for the pool.
June 9, 2019
I arrived home from Vermont – the pool was assembled with water in it, and around it a large trench.
I sent this message to the installer and pool company.
Hello -
I just returned from Vermont. What are the next steps on the pool?
Installer - when will you be back to use some of that dirt to backfill against the pool? Are you arranging for the concrete delivery?
Pool Company - when will your team be out to install the filter and heat pump? Should I contact the electrician?
Thank you,
Kara
The installer’s response was:
Hi Kara,
He will be getting a Concrete truck out there ASAP. As soon as we have a time frame I will call you.
The pool company will need to get the pump, filter and heater out there for the electrician to hook those up and bond them when he does the pool
we will back fill after that
June 12, 2019
I was on a business trip in Philadelphia. My mom was at my house watching the kids. I received this message from the installer.
Hello Kara
We will be there between 330 and 430 today to pour the cement collar around the pool.
When I came back from my trip on June 13, I saw there was concrete around the pool.
June 15, 2019
Having heard nothing further from the installer I sent this message:
Hi,
What are the next steps on the pool? Will you be having more concrete poured? If so, when do you think that will occur?
Since I have a pool full of water but no filter is there anything I should be doing to maintain its current state? Chemicals?
Thank you,
Kara
June 16, 2019
I received this response from the installer
Kara,
Thank you for all of your questions.
If you could please pay for the concrete and stone as we paid the Concrete truck as you were not home. We had to put Stone-down to prep the site we sent you a invoice # 257 for the concrete and the balance for invoice #246 for the install of the pool you can pay those on line. Also when will you be home for us to come out and finish the backfill / dig trench so that we can also get paid for trench. We could possibly finish our end today, but we need to see those invoices paid first.
Thank you
Obviously I had no choice but to pay the balance before the work was completed – otherwise he wouldn't come back to finish the job. So I paid the bills online via credit card. He arrived around 11 a.m. to backfill the pool area and dig a trench for the electrical.
When he was done he asked me to come outside. He proceeded to verbally attack me while my children (ages 11 and 8) watched and listened from the window. Telling me how he knew I had looked for a new installer back in May and how that “left a bad taste in his mouth.” I responded by saying he did not set appropriate expectations from the beginning – having given me an April 24 installation and not telling me the pool installation could be delayed due to weather. I also said his communication had been poor over the past 50+ days while I waited for the installation happen/be completed. He got even more angry and said he warned me up front that the installation could be delayed due to weather and that was in the contract (it was not). I told him that I was not going to argue with him any further and asked him to leave.
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So, do you have a finished pool at least? What an Not nice person, pardon my language. Instead of getting offended, Rick, take it as "I need to get my Darn together and do better for my customers. This is an opportunity for me to LEARN from. If I want a good review and word of mouth recommendations, I should probably now make up for my lack of professionalism and do a better than expected job." Jeez, he acted like you committed Treason!
NO WAY!! He was deflecting his HORRIBLE behavior back on to you! HOW DARE he!!! GURRR that is unreal!!
I still don’t have a finished pool. I was going to use the installer’s electrician to run the electrical for the filter and heat pump but based on what happened I have decided not to. I reached out to the company who sold me the pool for an electrician - Who I reached out to yesterday but he has not responded. The trouble is that I moved down here recently and don’t have a network of trusted professionals . So now I’m trying to find a different electrician.
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Yeah it was pretty bad. I’ve been self-employed for 13 years and one of the reasons I have stayed in business is that I respect my clients - their referrals have been my only source of additional business. I can’t imagine that this guy will stay in business very long if he treats all of his customers this way.
My friends tell me that I should post a bunch of bad reviews about this guy on Yelp and other places but I just don’t have the energy to do it. I did submit a complaint to the Better Business Bureau though.
LOL, I'm just realizing that TFP "corrected" all of my not-so-ladylike language. Some people just don't understand how far, "I'm sorry" goes to satisfy an unhappy customer.
TRP is VERY G-rated so................
Thanks for understanding!
For me the "I'm sorry" needs to be REAL and not just words to get me to be quiet. There needs to be action behind the words.
Does your area have "NextDoor" or such? How about a Facebook group for your area?
Kim
Thanks for understanding!For me the "I'm sorry" needs to be REAL and not just words to get me to be quiet. There needs to be action behind the words.
Does your area have "NextDoor" or such? How about a Facebook group for your area?
Kim
Update - so the pool company is here now to install the filter and heat pump but told they can't do it because of the way the excavator/installer left the ground (all uneven). They said the excavator/installer would have to come back - I said no freaking way. Thankfully I have a different company here today removing the extra dirt and they have agreed to level out that area. I should send the original excavator/installer the bill...
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Yes when this is all done I really should go online and post some reviews detailing this nightmare.TRP is VERY G-rated so................
For me the "I'm sorry" needs to be REAL and not just words to get me to be quiet. There needs to be action behind the words.
Does your area have "NextDoor" or such? How about a Facebook group for your area?
Kim