Anthony & Sylvan Pools

We hired Anthony & Sylvan to install an inground pool. Construction began in March of 2019. Things were bad right from the beginning. After excavation the steel rebar was left to sit and the sides of the pool collapsed causing it to fail the county inspection. I was told by James that they knew it would fail (I sent him pictures prior to county inspection) but sometimes the inspectors pass it anyway. The rebar had to be removed and reinstalled. There was debris left all over the yard. When I complained they came out and picked up the debris and shoved it in between the gunite and the ground. After they get your money they are in no hurry to get anything done. Appointments were scheduled and numerous times no one from Anthony Sylvan showed up. Plaster was done incorrectly, there were cracks and dents and large clumps of plaster all around the bottom and sides of the pool as well as staining which began forming the day after they put the water in the pool. The plaster job was so bad it had to be redone. They sent the same plaster crew out to redo the plaster. They broke tiles and did not mention it, had no intentions of fixing it until I again complained about the broken tiles. For the second plaster job they had their plaster "expert" on site. Once plaster was finished the water trucks came to fill the pool as the pool was filling we noticed they filled in the return jets with plaster. The plaster "expert" did not notice this until we told him. As the pool was already more than halfway filled we had to scramble to get the plaster out of the returns. After the pool was filled the staining to the plaster started again. We have been consistently contacting them to correct the staining. Last October they did what they called a light acid wash. They came out and turned off the filter, put a pump in the deep end and poured chemicals into the pool. They were supposed to be back in a week or so to check the staining, bring the water chemistry back up, take their pump out of the deep end. One of their employees (Jeff) came out to our house, did not look at anything or even go near the pool. Instead he came to the gate said he didn't have any chemicals and left. The process was never completed by them and their pump is still in my yard as we had to take it out of the pool ourselves. Our plaster has consistently gotten worse, it has cracks, dents and the entire pool is stained. The lights they installed are faulty, if left on more than an hour they begin flashing and blinking as do the lights in my kitchen since they installed the electrical for the pool. The electrician came out last summer and replaced what he called a faulty part Anthony Sylvan uses in their light installation. He refused to check his work/wiring and instead said it had to be my home's wiring even though there was never a problem until the electric for the pool was installed. We also have air bubbles coming out of the drain in the bottom of the deep end. We were told multiple different reasons for this, some employees say its not a good thing some say its not a problem. In June of 2019 after the second plaster job we started seeing holes in the tile grout. At that time Alex the project manager came out and looked at the holes in the grout and said it needs to be fixed asap. Next month will be one year since he told us that and although we constantly emailed them about it, nothing was ever done. Last night someone came out to look at the staining and the tile grout. Same story as last June, the holes need to be corrected asap and we would receive a phone call from Neil, the manager last night. Well, we didn't receive a phone call, as usual. So here we are with a $58,000 pool that looks like crap and Anthony Sylvan does not do what is necessary to correct it. This company has terrible reviews on the BBB website, terrible reviews on social media and on their own Facebook page, although when you post a complain or negative comment they remove it. Stay away from this company, they are awful.

We have contact the customer and are working with them to find a positive resolution

After receiving this feedback, we contacted the customer to better understand their concernsAfter speaking with them, we were able to identify and agree upon next stepsThose actions are currently scheduled to be completed on 10/19/and 10/20/

Anthony & Sylvan built our pool and this summer it’ll be years oldThis last time was the second or third time that we have it renovated over the years, and it was greatWe had different kinds of tile and coping put on this timeIt gave a whole new look to the pool, and we’ve had a lot of very complimentary comments about itThe guy who came out initially discussed everything, and was very professionalHe’s been in this business for a long time, and knew what he was talking aboutHe was very helpful in having helped us make decisions as to what we really wantedWe got it jackhammered, re-plastered, new tile, and new copingThen of course pumping the pool out and getting water deliveredIt was quite extensive, and was a time-consuming kind of a dealI knew darn well that a lot of coordination goes in with this, because there’s so many different playersGood thing there was this girl who was very helpful as the process was going alongWe’ve bad weather that messes up the schedule, but she put me at ease and took overShe said to relax, and made phone calls, then handled a lot of the stuffI told my wife I can’t believe how easy this was to be done this timeIt was just well worth it and we’re so happyHighly recommended!

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response If you wish, you may update it before sending it.] Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Our concerns have been addressed and we are waiting resolution on one matter at this time Regards, [redacted] ***

We recently went with Anthony and Sylvan to put in a heated in-ground gunite pool with raised spa/hot tubThey did a great job! The pool is amazing and we couldn't be happierJobs like these are not easy to do - a lot can go wrong - and making sure you pick the right company is the biggest key to successThe team and Anthony and Sylvan really know what they're doing - the price was reasonable and everyone was very professionalGlad we chose A&S to do our pool

Good morning – after receiving a customer satisfaction survey from The [redacted] ’s suggesting they were not satisfied with their pool finish, as the Northeast Construction Manager, I personal visited the site to review the finishI found that the finish was installed properly and with the agreed upon material – [redacted] Select OnyxWe reviewed our findings and pictures with the client as well as other pools with their selection (Onyx) to give them piece of mind that the correct material was installedAs with all “onyx” pools, we installed our dark drain covers, dark cleaner fitting, and dark eyeballsThe skimmers are outside of the pool shell and are white and our rope cup sockets, which are a safety feature to distinguish the shallow end from the deep end are whiteAgain, this is a safety feature to differentiate shallow water from deep waterIn closing, the pool was constructed well within industry standards and with the selections the client had agreed to by virtue of their contractIn the spirit of customer relations, we did offer the client a free winterization of the poolThank you, Corey C [redacted] , CBP

We have refunded the McKights the money they have requested and have came to a agreement of resolution to the issues in question

My wife and I contracted with Anthony & Sylvan Pools and are disappointed in trying to resolve a problem with a storm water drainThroughout the building process there were issues, too many to list hereThe biggest and recurring problem was the continued miscommunications between the Project Manager, Schedulers and Sub-ContractorsBecause there was no pre-construction meeting with our municipal zoning officer (as required), there was a complete misunderstanding by Anthony & Sylvan of what was required for storm water managementAs a result of the misunderstanding we have an ugly inch drain on the side of our pool that is too lowTo keep the pool working properly we had to plug the drainPlug courtesy of Anthony & Sylvan at our IndoctrinationThe drain should have been out the backside of the skimmers in the overflow portIf the drain would be unplugged, the water level would be too low for the skimmer and pump to function properlyTo date, we do not have an approved occupancy permit because the drain is pluggedThe drain must remain open in order to meet the required code Because of the delay now the township has added a requirement to install a pit for the storm water managementWe have tried to explain that the drain is too low to the Project Manager and Construction ManagerCurrently they have offered a cover with holes similar to a shower drainThis would be placed over the inch holeThis will still allow the water to drain to the level where the skimmer and pump will not function properlyThey have not replied to our repeated explanation that the water level will be too lowSince we have had problems throughout our build, we have withheld the final $payment until the job is completed and we have an approved occupancy permitAnthony & Sylvan's Construction Manager has held off on allowing the installation of our pool cover because of the outstanding balanceHe also threatened to send us to a collection agency and suspend our warrantyWe hope that they work with us and resolve the issue soon

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response If you wish, you may update it before sending it.] Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] I was contacted and we are going to meet sometime next week to discuss the problems, and to hopefully come to some type of resolution Thank you for your support in trying to help us resolve the problems Regards, [redacted]

Anthony and sylvan pools has reached out to me and are trying to correct the problemsThe pool issues are not resolved, but they are making a attempt to correct them Regards, [redacted]

[redacted] [redacted] [redacted] I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution should be satisfactory to me I have submitted a receipt for a Lighting replacement and have not yet received the payment as promised Hopefully it will arrive shortly We made a date to do the repairs in September, after the Pool is closed If they keep their word I will be satisfied [redacted]

We have been working with the [redacted] to resolve their issues and are happy to say they are now satisfied

We have reached out to the customer and are trying to work with them to resolve their issues

The home was stuck by lightning, this act of god is not covered under warrantyWe have given Mr [redacted] a cost to repair

My wife and I built our new home 1.5 years ago and we wanted to get a pool installed for our family to enjoy. Anthony and Sylvan Pools seemed like a truly professional company throughout the sales process, however little did we know, all of the professionalism and customer service went out the window as soon as they have your money and a signed contract.

After living in our home for the first year we decided we were ready to move forward with the pool and that we would be using Anthony and Sylvan (based on their nationwide reputation, warranty, claims of exceptional customer service, etc). Our salesman (Pete Cierski) was very great at his job and seemed to know his stuff very well, so when he told us typical gunite pool construction in the fall is between 4-6 weeks, pending weather delays, we had no reason to not believe him. We're told 5 months later in the spring by our project manager that that company shuts down in the winter.

After signing our contract with Pete on October 2nd 2018 things seemed to slow down and we no longer felt like we were receiving any customer service. We had our "Meet and Greet" with Pete and the Project Manager (Randy Brewer) on October 30th. After this it seemed as if we slipped to the very back of their priority list. We would call Pete or our Project Manager (Randy Brewer) and it would go to voicemail, or we would email them and never receive a response. We were told the "Pro Edge Build" website would allow us to track our important dates for the construction process so we know when to be home from work for the trades to do their work, however nobody ever updates this information (just prepopulated dates that don't matter) and when you ask anyone for a timeline or tentative dates scheduled they cannot give you an answer.

After excavation, a ton of gravel was dumped and scattered at the end of our driveway leading into the back yard, no silt fence was installed (resulting in clay spreading throughout our back yard with each rain over this 8 month period), and no follow up conducted to keep us informed of the upcoming important dates. Throughout this process we would never hear anything and when we would be leaving for work someone would show up and say they were scheduled to perform their work, so we would then have to rearrange our child care/transportation and work schedules last minute to accommodate Anthony and Sylvan. This happened almost every time any trade work was to be completed, except for the gunite due to the fact they called us the day prior to ensure we made our payment before they showed up the next day. As happy as we were at this point to be making progress on our pool, it was already well beyond the estimated 4-6 week period.

We finally got our gunite shell on December 14th, 10 weeks and 3 days (73 days) after signing our contract. Although things had been moving slow up to this point, we were told the excavation, gunite prep, and gunite were the most lengthy parts of the entire process so we were hopeful they could make up for some time throughout the winter and have our pool done in AT LEAST 6 MONTHS and just in time to enjoy it in the Spring. BOY WERE WE WRONG!

At this point Anthony and Sylvan already had 95% of the money for the pool due to their convenient payment schedule (40% due prior to excavation, 55% due prior to gunite) and therefore had no need to provide us with any customer service, professionalism, or communication throughout the remainder of the process.

By Spring 2019 (what we were assured would be a "No Later Than" timeline for completion by A&S) we had NO further progress made on our pool. On top of this, the back yard looking like trash was starting to get to us (after 6 months it's difficult to ignore). The yard was, and continues to be, a mud pit which inconveniences us further in regards to our dogs. When they're let out and back in multiple times a day, there is a paw cleaning process. However, no matter how much we clean, or whatever gadgets we use, Virginia Clay gets tracked into our house/carpet. Piles of dirt everywhere from the excavation, trash from gunite crew, trash from short stub crew, safety fence blown down and in the pool after the day it was put up, plastic "winterization cover" for the shell ripped and blown/flapping all around, clay from excavated dirt spreading throughout back yard, etc. We had to pick up parts of the safety fence or plastic floating around our back yard on numerous occasions throughout this process. When we couldn't stand the mess any more we had to contact Anthony and Sylvan (again, us having to reach out to them to get anything done) to do something about the trash. A couple weeks later the PM stopped by to "clean up" the jobsite, but left all the plastic piled up behind our pool so it would be more out of sight and assured us he would have someone pick it up and haul it off. To this day this pile of plastic is still sitting behind our pool getting blown around with every gust of wind that comes by.

Throughout this winter/spring we continually reached out to Anthony and Sylvan representatives, working our way up the chain of management until we finally reached someone who made it sound as if he would be able to help move construction along and compensate us for what he agreed was poor customer service and unreasonable delays. The General Manager, Mid Atlantic Division (Thatcher Butcher) agreed that our experience had been unreasonable and assured us he would make it right by ensuring we were satisfied by the end of the project. Although this initially put us at ease, this also became a process of not delivering on their promises. Thatcher told us (end of April 25th) that his goal was to have us swimming in our pool in approximately 3 weeks and reached out to his scheduler with details. This has now been over 5 weeks ago and we still do not even have the patio formed. They moved along with getting the tile and coping crew on site, finally got the electricians, plumbers, and gas trades to show up throughout this timeframe, however we have yet to receive anything from the decking crew to even get a tentative scheduled date for our patio form and pour. This is even after the scheduler (Patrick Burton) reached out to them about contacting us ASAP to arrange a date.

After ALL of this, we finally decided we should be compensated for this mess of a project and the unnecessary delays to our given timeline. After reaching out to find out how they would "make it right", we were insulted by an unreasonable discount (1% of total project cost) offered to us off of our final payment prior to the plaster. When we laid out our expectation of a 10% discount, we were told that 10% of the project is a lot of money. $68,500 is a lot of money. Money that was paid in good faith that the promises that were made, would be fulfilled.

Now they are telling us the only other ways they can "add value" for us to our project is to spend additional money on other accessories/services in order to receive a small "savings", however with how poor the service and timeliness has been thus far I can't see any "value" in anything they could offer us other than money back on a botched project. I totally get they don't want to lose money on any project, however as a contractor if you totally screw something up you should give your customers compensation for your mistakes. I wouldn't think 10% off is an unreasonable amount for any failed project (typically marked up 30%), and if this is how you do business then your mistakes and poor judgment SHOULD put a dent in your bottom line and affect how much money the company makes or loses on a project to keep those same issues from happening again and again. I don't care, nor should I have to, about losing personnel, delays you face, or whether or not the company makes a profit on my project. I care about getting my swimming pool in a reasonable amount of time (based on your projections) and being appropriately compensated for any issues or unsatisfactory results throughout the process.

Based on our experience, I cannot and will not recommend anyone to build a pool with Anthony and Sylvan (unless they make up for their shortfalls with us). 8 months later and we still just have a wrecked back yard and the pool is still a MINIMUM of a month away from being able to swim in (assuming they were to increase their rate of progress all of a sudden). Due to their shortfalls we have already missed out on over a month of prime swimming weather and AT LEAST 2 months of it by the time our pool may finally be completed, not to mention the birthday parties we planned on hosting at our pool based on the assumption that it would be done by Spring 2019 at the absolute latest. This is completely unacceptable and we are just ready to get it over with. Just to put things into perspective, we purchased, cleared, built, and moved into our new 3 level home in less time than it has taken Anthony and Sylvan to build this pool, and our builder had outstanding customer service and ensured if anything was an issue it would be taken care of immediately or somehow compensated appropriately.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me After talking to *** (gm for state of Texas) I agree to close this case as long as he fixes the problem

We contacted the customer and worked with her to
resolve her issues

We have reached out to the customer and are working to resolve their issue

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively
Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
They were at the property today, suddenly they say there is no leak!!! How did we go from loosing gallons of water in a hour period to no leak, if no repairs were made? These people must think were stupid They had there own employee come out on Tuesday July 29th, he spoke to my wife and said there was a leak in the bottom drainsHe isolated that section of pipe and installed a plug to stop the leakWe were told a crew was coming out today to locate the leak within that plumbing that was identified on the 29thAfter the exact location of the leak was identified we would proceed with a pipe repairToday a different company came out and said the pool is not leakingI received a email from Anthony s*** stating the pool is not leakingThat section of pipe that was determined to be leaking by Anthony s*** still has a plug in it!!!! How can you tell me there are no pool leaks if the pipes have plugs in them to prevent a leakEnough games please, remove the plugs and guess what the pipes will leak In sending them a email asking them to remove the plugs I will then mark the water level and see if it dropsThis is what I was doing weeks agoWe're back to square one There needs to be some recourse for there actions.
In regards to the diving board jig being installed incorrectly They have agreed to make the repair as I wantThey will remove a 8'x5'x4" block they will replace it with a 8'x5'x6" block per diving board manufactures guidelinesThey will finish the top in pavers to avoid the new concrete not matching the existing concrete
Regards,
*** ***