Pump Warranty Claim & Assigned Repair Question

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G

GKH73

Member
May 19, 2022
17
Orlando, FL
Pool Size
24000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hello,

I filed a warranty claim for my one-month-old Pentair VSP because it stopped working. After finally getting through to a customer service rep, they assigned a local company to repair the pump.
My question is - the company that called to book the service asked for a credit card number to be on file ahead of time in case the repair needed isn't covered by the warranty.

I gave the guy my number and now wonder if I shouldn't have. Would you have considered this a red flag, or just standard operating procedure.

Thanks!
 
Ask the installer to replace it with a new pump.

Or, ask Pentair to send you a new drive unit or a new pump.

The problem with waiting until mid June is that they will come out and say “Yep, it needs a new drive. We’ll get one on order and it will get here in a few weeks. We’ll call you when it arrives”

Unacceptable.
 
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You got to start making enough noise to bother enough people until they fix the problem, don't stop calling them until they fix it
 

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GKH73 said:
Hello,

I filed a warranty claim for my one-month-old Pentair VSP because it stopped working. After finally getting through to a customer service rep, they assigned a local company to repair the pump.
My question is - the company that called to book the service asked for a credit card number to be on file ahead of time in case the repair needed isn't covered by the warranty.

I gave the guy my number and now wonder if I shouldn't have. Would you have considered this a red flag, or just standard operating procedure.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Probably varies by service outfit. The outfit that Pentair referred my claim to didn't require anything. My panel was dead, no lights, nothing. 6 months old. Guy came out today and installed new motor unit. I had reported outage on Monday. Great job, took him about 30 minutes. They had pointed out that anything that was on me was billable. Seemed concerned that it might be lack of power to the motor, I had already verified that. Surprised me that they couldn't replace the electronics unit.
 
JamesW said:
Ask the installer to replace it with a new pump.

Or, ask Pentair to send you a new drive unit or a new pump.

The problem with waiting until mid June is that they will come out and say “Yep, it needs a new drive. We’ll get one on order and it will get here in a few weeks. We’ll call you when it arrives”

Unacceptable.
Click to expand...
That's a great point. I'll be sure to call them this coming week to ensure they don't drag this process out. It's very unacceptable and frustrating!
 
A few thoughts/tips.
- My Pentair service guy did not ask for a credit card number. If that is "standard," it's the repairman's standard, not Pentair's.
- When I called Pentair for service, I let them know that the "local guy" (who destroyed my pool in an unrelated incident) would not be allowed on my property. Pentair sent the service request to the next, closest pool guy. They do have discretion on who gets the work. So if it is the assigned repair guy stalling until June, you might ask (demand) of Pentair that they get someone else to your pool sooner.
- And my go-to: when a company's service rep does not give me the answer I want, instead of the ol' "Let me speak to your manager," routine, I hang up, and call back, in hopes of getting some other service rep. This works a surprising number of times. Many companies allow their service reps discretion, and that means it's up to the individual one, and their mood that day, on how you're going to get taken care of. Keep calling until you find one that wants to help you.
- You can buy a sump pump from Amazon for $50-100, that will keep your water circulating well enough to distribute and maintain your FC. You won't get filtering, so the water might get a little cloudy, but it doesn't take much to keep the FC up and algae at bay. That's the enemy. It's an unfortunate expense, but you pack it away when you're all fixed up for the next time you might need a spare pump. You can even circulate chlorine well enough with a boat paddle (walking around and around with it) or with your pool brush (just go back and forth with it for a while). If the water's warm enough, toss in some chlorine, wait 15 minutes, then toss in some kids. Let them do their thing and they'll mix up the pool just by doin' what they do.
 
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Dirk said:
A few thoughts/tips.
- My Pentair service guy did not ask for a credit card number. If that is "standard," it's the repairman's standard, not Pentair's.
- When I called Pentair for service, I let them know that the "local guy" (who destroyed my pool in an unrelated incident) would not be allowed on my property. Pentair sent the service request to the next, closest pool guy. They do have discretion on who gets the work. So if it is the assigned repair guy stalling until June, you might ask (demand) of Pentair that they get someone else to your pool sooner.
- And my go-to: when a company's service rep does not give me the answer I want, instead of the ol' "Let me speak to your manager," routine, I hang up, and call back, in hopes of getting some other service rep. This works a surprising number of times. Many companies allow their service reps discretion, and that means it's up to the individual one, and their mood that day, on how you're going to get taken care of. Keep calling until you find one that wants to help you.
- You can buy a sump pump from Amazon for $50-100, that will keep your water circulating well enough to distribute and maintain your FC. You won't get filtering, so the water might get a little cloudy, but it doesn't take much to keep the FC up and algae at bay. That's the enemy. It's an unfortunate expense, but you pack it away when you're all fixed up for the next time you might need a spare pump. You can even circulate chlorine well enough with a boat paddle (walking around and around with it) or with your pool brush (just go back and forth with it for a while). If the water's warm enough, toss in some chlorine, wait 15 minutes, then toss in some kids. Let them do their thing and they'll mix up the pool just by doin' what they do.
Click to expand...
I have a utility pump I use just for pool circulation when needed. It's used every spring from when the water reaches 60 degrees until time, temp, and circumstances allow me an "opening day." I just do a complete set of tests, add chlorine to the semi-hot level (7.5-8 ppm) at 30 CYA. It uses only 2.5 amps and is plenty of flow to do the job. Run 8 hrs. a day, it costs less than $.60/day. Nope, it doesn't filter, but it's a great algae arrestor!

Hope your repair happens quickly, but if not, these little pumps are around $55-60 now. I think I paid around $45 three years ago.

Good luck!
 
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ghall6292 said:
I have a utility pump
Click to expand...
Can you share the brand and model? Especially the HP? I've been trying to follow my own advice, proactively. I've been shopping for a small pump, just to have "in case," just for a scenario like the OP's, but I always get bogged down on Amazon with all the various brands, types, and HP/flow rates.
 
Cool, I'll check that out. Thanks. I've been looking at 1/3 HP models but that sounded so wimpy. @Newdude told me that was plenty, and now you're saying 1/6 HP is doing the job. So I guess I've been underestimating the little guys.
 

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