Duke Swimming Pool Service Incorporated

Review: I ordered a pool safety cover from Duke Pool and Spa Center. When they could not use the old cover as a template, they sent a technician out to measure the pool AND the placement/spacing of the in-concrete anchors that would hold the new cover in place. The cover arrived and the grommets used to attach bungee cords to the anchors were badly out of place, as if the supplier had ignored the measurements regarding where they should be replaced. Not only did Duke refuse to replace the cover with one that was grommeted properly, the woman who handles the phone for them (she may well be the owner since I cannot believe any business would keep an employee who could be so rude and abusive to a customer) insisted on disavowing any responsibility for the poor attachment points of the cover, snickered and mockingly laughed at me while I tried to get my points across, told me I was being sarcastic when I pointed out the untenability of what she was saying, accused me of talking over her because I didn't want to here what she was saying (she had a point there, she was telling me that they would come and redrill my deck to match the anchors to the grommets (instead of the other way around)) and that even though it was not my fault that they did not get the grommets right, I would be charged me for altering my pool deck to match to faulty grommet placement. (This is like ordering curtains and when they don't fit right, the solution is to replace the window.) I can only say that I have never ever encountered a nastier, more snide and unresponsive business representative in my life. The things she said, the arrogant and condescending attitude, the nasty, mocking laughter were utterly unbelievable. No customer should be subjected to that, even if the customer is being unreasonable. There is no excuse for a customer to be treated so disrespectfully and unprofessionally.Desired Settlement: Redo the cover and get the grommets right. I understand that they may not be perfectly placed. But simple geometry shows that they could not be more wrong than the current configuration. The woman's attitude, arrogance, courseness, and downright ugliness of her approach to a customer problem, cannot be taken back nor fixed. (If she's a n employee she should be fired, no one should keep someone like that who puts such a nasty on their customer service interface.

In any case, others should be forewarned about what happens when something goes wrong. Prepare to be berated, insulted, laughed at, mocked, and not helped, and to be charged for the fix-up.

Business

Response:

September 13, 2013

Dear **. [redacted]:

Since we seem unable to adequately communicate via telephone, I am forwarding the following correspondence.

The swimming pool cover that was purchased from our firm this year was a duplicate of your original cover purchased in 2002. Unfortunately your original cover was presented to us in such tatters that it could not be used as a template. This was unfortunate since that is the only way the factory can, with any accuracy, place the grommets (eyelet holes) in the same configuration as the original. We explained this to you and at our own expense came to re-measure your pool.

You called our office on September 4, 2013 stating that, although the cover was correct, there was an issue regarding the placement of the grommets. We sent a technician to investigate the next day September 5, 2013. He photographed the areas in question and we forwarded our findings to the factory.

I tried to resolve the problem with you on September 9, 2013 via telephone amidst a barrage of derogatory comments.

[redacted] of [redacted], Indiana one of the oldest and foremost swimming pool cover manufacturers in the country with whom we have been associated for over 35 years will attest that we are in no way at fault in this matter.

Lastly, as I attempted to explain to you, there is a way to resolve this issue without having to send the cover back to [redacted] or drilling any additional anchors into your concrete walkway. The cost would be approximately two hundred dollars and the offer is still open. Please forward a check if you wish to proceed.

Very truly yours,