Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:RE: Response to Boulder Pools denial via Revdex.com [redacted] ***November 5, 2015I am rejecting Boulder Pools response because of the following:Cracking and Shifting GroundOne issue that we keep bringing up is that a large crack has formed in a place that was repaired by Boulder PoolsWe can understand that other cracks could form in other places, but this crack reappeared in the same place about four to five months after the remodelThe plaster company (Centex) has verified this saying that their pictures taken before and during the work done to repair the cracks show that this area was one of the areas that had cracked before the remodelBoulder Pools’ fix for this crack appears to have not held.Boulder Pools has claimed that the ground shifting has caused this issue and they take no responsibility even though the main reason we hired them was to specifically address the cracking inside our poolHowever, the ground shifting theory is only one possible explanationBoulder Pools did not take measurements before, during, or after the pool/deck remodelI do not believe that the structural engineer that owner [redacted] recommended and brought in took measurements either as I was present during his entire assessmentIf he did, I would like to view those and obtain the letter that Boulder Pools claims to have seen as we did not receive a copy of this information for some reasonIt seems to us that just because Boulder Pools claims that this is the absolute truth, there are many other possible explanations, including material failure for one.Boulder Pools has implied that it is very difficult to keep clay soils from causing a pool to shift and crackWe were under the impression after talking to owner [redacted] multiple times prior to the remodel that his company would perform work that would help mitigate thisNow they are claiming that the pool was built incorrectly (which they did not mention before or during construction) and that our land shifts too muchOwner [redacted] saw the previous cracking deck, saw numerous cracks inside the pool (even if he did not see them all due to the cloudy water), and even saw our cracking driveway, and still took the job claiming that he could fix the existing issuesHe even went as far as saying that we would never have the kind of issues that we were seeing in our previous deck in our new deck.To quote Boulder Pools’ last reply:“Pools are successfully built in clay soils, but there are construction methods that can mitigate this situationIt can be deduced that perhaps these methods were not used when the pool was built and/or the extreme drought that has been plaguing this area caused a situation that resulted in the cracks.” If the pool was built incorrectly, why didn’t Boulder Pools tell us this during the remodel? How is it that Boulder Pools could not diagnose this with the information that they had prior to or during the remodel? They dug up a couple feet of dirt on the outside wall of the poolThey cut a hole out of the gunite at the bottom of the poolThey saw indicators of the problems in both the cracks inside the pool and the deterioration of the previous deckYet, they went through with the project and now at this later date claim all these issues were due to something that they were not able to identify at the time.If the answer to these questions is that we didn’t pay them to determine the condition of the pool, deck, and the ground below before the remodel, I would say that it would be difficult to propose a solution to the problem without an assessment of the problem itselfIf the answer is that they were trying to keep costs down to ***efit us, I can say without a doubt that my wife and I would have gladly paid extra money to save the heartache and have the job done correctly.Sand Stains / EquipmentBoulder Pools says that we should have checked our own equipment to make sure that there wasn’t a broken lateral that would shoot sand into the poolThat seems like a job for a pool professional/expertIt is true that Boulder Pools suggested at the very beginning of the process that we replace our equipment because it was oldHowever, they never once mentioned the consequences of improperly functioning filtering equipmentAdditionally, Boulder Pools neither offered to check the equipment nor suggested that we pay either their company or another to check the filtering equipment prior to filling the poolPerhaps this is incorrect thinking, but I assume if you hire a reputable company for work, you are paying for their expertise as well as the work performedIf we had been fully apprised of the situation before it was too late, we would have gone ahead and replaced the filter, bypassing the issue altogether.The fact is that the equipment seemed to be working fine before the remodelI’m not sure where Boulder Pools gathered that I was “confident” about this as I am not a pool expert nor do I work on pool equipmentPrior to the remodel, the pool filter was keeping the water clear and not blowing sand into the poolWe did not touch the pool equipment at all during the remodelWhen everything was put back together, the filter was then blowing sand into the pool, staining the brand new white plaster.Boulder Pools states:“Before Boulder Pools was engaged to replace the old equipment, NONE of the work my crew did had any impact on Mr [redacted] ' existing filter, heater or pump.”I’m not sure how Boulder Pools can positively claim this as several small things were done incorrectly during the full job they performed, including problems with our sprinkler lines and leaks in different areas to name a fewAfter a brief Internet search, it appears that many things can cause a broken lateral, including moving a filter, which could definitely happen while trying to attach new pool lines to said filterWe are not accusing anyone of anything, but it is clear that in a project this size, mistakes can happenThere is no way that Boulder Pools can state without a doubt that they did not cause thisRegarding the “brackish” water, all Boulder Pools had to do was ask us to clean up the water before work was to begin so that they could get a good estimate of the issues, including the equipmentThey did not do thisAgain, we are not pool expertsWe paid Boulder Pools to provide their expertise, but several things that should have been ironed out before the remodel did not happen.Finally, Boulder Pools states that a pumice stone may have removed the sand stainingWe tried several of the recommendations in an attempt to remedy this issue but were unable to remove the staining.City of Austin Code Compliance“I am willing to go to Mr [redacted] ' home with a meter, take the covers off the equipment and show him that it is properly grounded and discuss any other “code compliance” issues that might come under the scope of work in either of our contracts.”With all due respect, the only person that can prove that all of Boulder Pools’ work is up to City of Austin building code is a code compliance person from the CityIf at that time, Boulder Pools is still willing to stand behind their work and correct anything that might get flagged by the city as incorrect or insufficient, then we would welcome the offerHowever, we remain skeptical regarding promises made by Boulder Pools as they have not followed through on their most recent offers, including fixing a poorly done paint retouch and sanding concrete stains from the pool bottom (see attached email) Regards, [redacted]
Tell us why here...In response to Mr [redacted] ' last letter, my response is below.I will forward the letter from the engineer directly to Mr [redacted] ' emailThe engineer stated that “there was not much that could be done to repair the pool.” He also stated that “any repairs done at that time would most likely only reappear when the soils became wet again.” He also mentioned during our meeting with him that “the pool had moved and would continue to move.” The pool was constructed on clay soils without any buffer between the pool and the soilsWe add 6” of washed rock between the pool shell and the dirt in every new pool that we buildThe cost of doing something like that to an old pool would be prohibitive and no guarantee could be given that it would work because of other unknown factors like rebar reinforcement and placement and gunite application.I will not warrant any repairs made on the cracks because the repair does not solve the problem of a pool that movesAs the engineer stated in his letter “we felt the soils conditions would not allow a permanent repair solution.” Boulder Pools made a recommendation that the filter be replaced, Mr [redacted] chose not to replace itI do not try to coerce or scare people into doing additional work on their poolTo check the pool equipment, we would have had to dismantle the valve and plumbing to the filter, remove all of the sand media, inspect the laterals and replace the sandIf Mr [redacted] had contracted this additional work with us it would have been doneWe did absolutely no work that would have caused the lateral failureIt was a very old piece of equipmentAn analogy: a man takes a car to a shop for repair workThey put on a new headlight and the brakes fail after the owner picks up the carWould the mechanic be responsible for the brakes?I suggested a fix (recommended by the plaster company) for the sand in the pool at the time it happened by having an acid wash doneThe cost was $and I even offered to pay half to help defray the costMr [redacted] chose not to pursue this avenueI have now spent more money than that on a lawyer defending his complaintsThis is not my company's fault and I will not warranty it.The offer is still open for me to meet Mr [redacted] and discuss the code compliance issuesPlease understand that I will only warrant the work we actually didI will not warrant any other items
Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:RE: Response to Boulder Pools denial via Revdex.com [redacted] ***November 5, 2015I am rejecting Boulder Pools response because of the following:Cracking and Shifting GroundOne issue that we keep bringing up is that a large crack has formed in a place that was repaired by Boulder PoolsWe can understand that other cracks could form in other places, but this crack reappeared in the same place about four to five months after the remodelThe plaster company (Centex) has verified this saying that their pictures taken before and during the work done to repair the cracks show that this area was one of the areas that had cracked before the remodelBoulder Pools’ fix for this crack appears to have not held.Boulder Pools has claimed that the ground shifting has caused this issue and they take no responsibility even though the main reason we hired them was to specifically address the cracking inside our poolHowever, the ground shifting theory is only one possible explanationBoulder Pools did not take measurements before, during, or after the pool/deck remodelI do not believe that the structural engineer that owner [redacted] recommended and brought in took measurements either as I was present during his entire assessmentIf he did, I would like to view those and obtain the letter that Boulder Pools claims to have seen as we did not receive a copy of this information for some reasonIt seems to us that just because Boulder Pools claims that this is the absolute truth, there are many other possible explanations, including material failure for one.Boulder Pools has implied that it is very difficult to keep clay soils from causing a pool to shift and crackWe were under the impression after talking to owner [redacted] multiple times prior to the remodel that his company would perform work that would help mitigate thisNow they are claiming that the pool was built incorrectly (which they did not mention before or during construction) and that our land shifts too muchOwner [redacted] saw the previous cracking deck, saw numerous cracks inside the pool (even if he did not see them all due to the cloudy water), and even saw our cracking driveway, and still took the job claiming that he could fix the existing issuesHe even went as far as saying that we would never have the kind of issues that we were seeing in our previous deck in our new deck.To quote Boulder Pools’ last reply:“Pools are successfully built in clay soils, but there are construction methods that can mitigate this situationIt can be deduced that perhaps these methods were not used when the pool was built and/or the extreme drought that has been plaguing this area caused a situation that resulted in the cracks.” If the pool was built incorrectly, why didn’t Boulder Pools tell us this during the remodel? How is it that Boulder Pools could not diagnose this with the information that they had prior to or during the remodel? They dug up a couple feet of dirt on the outside wall of the poolThey cut a hole out of the gunite at the bottom of the poolThey saw indicators of the problems in both the cracks inside the pool and the deterioration of the previous deckYet, they went through with the project and now at this later date claim all these issues were due to something that they were not able to identify at the time.If the answer to these questions is that we didn’t pay them to determine the condition of the pool, deck, and the ground below before the remodel, I would say that it would be difficult to propose a solution to the problem without an assessment of the problem itselfIf the answer is that they were trying to keep costs down to ***efit us, I can say without a doubt that my wife and I would have gladly paid extra money to save the heartache and have the job done correctly.Sand Stains / EquipmentBoulder Pools says that we should have checked our own equipment to make sure that there wasn’t a broken lateral that would shoot sand into the poolThat seems like a job for a pool professional/expertIt is true that Boulder Pools suggested at the very beginning of the process that we replace our equipment because it was oldHowever, they never once mentioned the consequences of improperly functioning filtering equipmentAdditionally, Boulder Pools neither offered to check the equipment nor suggested that we pay either their company or another to check the filtering equipment prior to filling the poolPerhaps this is incorrect thinking, but I assume if you hire a reputable company for work, you are paying for their expertise as well as the work performedIf we had been fully apprised of the situation before it was too late, we would have gone ahead and replaced the filter, bypassing the issue altogether.The fact is that the equipment seemed to be working fine before the remodelI’m not sure where Boulder Pools gathered that I was “confident” about this as I am not a pool expert nor do I work on pool equipmentPrior to the remodel, the pool filter was keeping the water clear and not blowing sand into the poolWe did not touch the pool equipment at all during the remodelWhen everything was put back together, the filter was then blowing sand into the pool, staining the brand new white plaster.Boulder Pools states:“Before Boulder Pools was engaged to replace the old equipment, NONE of the work my crew did had any impact on Mr [redacted] ' existing filter, heater or pump.”I’m not sure how Boulder Pools can positively claim this as several small things were done incorrectly during the full job they performed, including problems with our sprinkler lines and leaks in different areas to name a fewAfter a brief Internet search, it appears that many things can cause a broken lateral, including moving a filter, which could definitely happen while trying to attach new pool lines to said filterWe are not accusing anyone of anything, but it is clear that in a project this size, mistakes can happenThere is no way that Boulder Pools can state without a doubt that they did not cause thisRegarding the “brackish” water, all Boulder Pools had to do was ask us to clean up the water before work was to begin so that they could get a good estimate of the issues, including the equipmentThey did not do thisAgain, we are not pool expertsWe paid Boulder Pools to provide their expertise, but several things that should have been ironed out before the remodel did not happen.Finally, Boulder Pools states that a pumice stone may have removed the sand stainingWe tried several of the recommendations in an attempt to remedy this issue but were unable to remove the staining.City of Austin Code Compliance“I am willing to go to Mr [redacted] ' home with a meter, take the covers off the equipment and show him that it is properly grounded and discuss any other “code compliance” issues that might come under the scope of work in either of our contracts.”With all due respect, the only person that can prove that all of Boulder Pools’ work is up to City of Austin building code is a code compliance person from the CityIf at that time, Boulder Pools is still willing to stand behind their work and correct anything that might get flagged by the city as incorrect or insufficient, then we would welcome the offerHowever, we remain skeptical regarding promises made by Boulder Pools as they have not followed through on their most recent offers, including fixing a poorly done paint retouch and sanding concrete stains from the pool bottom (see attached email) Regards, [redacted]
Tell us why here...In response to Mr [redacted] ' last letter, my response is below.I will forward the letter from the engineer directly to Mr [redacted] ' emailThe engineer stated that “there was not much that could be done to repair the pool.” He also stated that “any repairs done at that time would most likely only reappear when the soils became wet again.” He also mentioned during our meeting with him that “the pool had moved and would continue to move.” The pool was constructed on clay soils without any buffer between the pool and the soilsWe add 6” of washed rock between the pool shell and the dirt in every new pool that we buildThe cost of doing something like that to an old pool would be prohibitive and no guarantee could be given that it would work because of other unknown factors like rebar reinforcement and placement and gunite application.I will not warrant any repairs made on the cracks because the repair does not solve the problem of a pool that movesAs the engineer stated in his letter “we felt the soils conditions would not allow a permanent repair solution.” Boulder Pools made a recommendation that the filter be replaced, Mr [redacted] chose not to replace itI do not try to coerce or scare people into doing additional work on their poolTo check the pool equipment, we would have had to dismantle the valve and plumbing to the filter, remove all of the sand media, inspect the laterals and replace the sandIf Mr [redacted] had contracted this additional work with us it would have been doneWe did absolutely no work that would have caused the lateral failureIt was a very old piece of equipmentAn analogy: a man takes a car to a shop for repair workThey put on a new headlight and the brakes fail after the owner picks up the carWould the mechanic be responsible for the brakes?I suggested a fix (recommended by the plaster company) for the sand in the pool at the time it happened by having an acid wash doneThe cost was $and I even offered to pay half to help defray the costMr [redacted] chose not to pursue this avenueI have now spent more money than that on a lawyer defending his complaintsThis is not my company's fault and I will not warranty it.The offer is still open for me to meet Mr [redacted] and discuss the code compliance issuesPlease understand that I will only warrant the work we actually didI will not warrant any other items