To Whom It May Concern: In response to the most recent retort to complaint ID# [redacted] : If “the issue is not the availability of staff to make repairs, the issue is that it should not have broken in the first place,” as stated by “***,” then we suggest that the complainant should have filed against the manufacturers of said product that has failed and not against North Eastern We do not think it is an unreasonable expectation to have equipment work and that if the equipment were to fail, it be serviced in a reasonable timeframe, meeting all manufacture’s warranties We do think it is unreasonable to expect that equipment never, ever failWe carry and install top name brands within our industry but that does not mean the products are failsafeIt is the very reason for warrantiesAgain, we suggest the complainant should contact the manufacturers of the products she is displeased with, since now it appears it is not an issue with our service but with the product We will continue to give full, detailed explanations regarding this entire matterThank You,Talia H General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa
I am writing to address the consumer’s rejection to complaint assigned ID [redacted] originally submitted by “***.” To address her latest response, I would like to start with, “the response supplied by Northeastern focuses exclusively on the cleaning and maintenance services provided and conveniently ignores the crux of my complaint, which is that the pool components repeatedly failed.” Yes, I did include a full history on her pool, including the maintenance we provided her but the majority of our response focuses in detail on each instance in which her equipment failed and explains at length how our company answered each situationIn fact, the only time I discussed her cleaning and maintenance services without it pertaining directly to another issue was in paragraphs 3, and of my original responseThe remainder of my lengthy reply was detailed accounts of her component issues and how we addressed each individual situation To go further into why I included information regarding maintenances, “***” stated that, “once the pool has been opened, it cannot simply be closed but must be continuously maintained until closed for the season in the Fall, so I did in fact have to pay to maintain it after it was opened.” In paragraph (one of the instances I discuss her maintenance services) I included that, “her complaint stated that since her opening she had been continually paying for maintenance and heating of the poolIn actuality, there were full weeks between her opening and her first scheduled maintenance.” Since part of her complaint is that she consistently pays for maintenance and was out the money for maintaining her pool after opening so early for Easter, I felt it pertinent to show that she did not, in fact, contract North Eastern to provide maintenance for her pool immediately after it was open in March To address the statement that, “the pool also did not work over Memorial Day weekend I purchased a heated pool with a filtration system and spa from Northeastern, and that is not what I have had on those occasions when the heater, timer and pump have failed.” We acknowledge that there were issues with the equipmentWe acknowledge the timing of the incidents were unfortunateBut we also addressed each situation as fast as we were able toWe back up our product and will do anything we can to help a customer out, especially during holiday times when we know ALL of our customers are looking to have their pools in tip top shapeThat being said, we are still a small businessWe value the fact that we have employees who are willing to work 65-hours leading up to holidays so that our customers can have their backyards in working orderAnd furthermore, we are not in the practice of requiring our employees to be available during certain holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day, because we feel as though it is important to let them have a few days off throughout their summer, as wellSometimes our employees will go above and beyond and let us know they are staying in town or otherwise have no plans and would be available for emergencies, but sadly, this passed Memorial Day there was no one available to service “***’s” pool "***" writes that, “when my pool broke in March, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Easter because it was their "slow season" so I would have to wait several days before the pool could be repaired.” No, “***” was told – by me – that my technician, who brought the issue to her attention as she did not even know there was a problem, did not have the proper parts to fix the issue with her heater on FRIDAY AFTERNOON and because he already had a prior engagement for that Saturday, the best we would be able to do was to take the parts off another unopened heater from stock (so she did not have to wait for parts to come in from our vendor) and come back on Monday to finish the serviceAnd again, as I stated in my original response, my technician even went back that Friday evening with the part in an attempt to get her heater operational for Easter, because we try to do our best for our customers She then goes on to say that, “in May, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Memorial Day because it was their "busy season.’” Again, not the case“***” called on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, and was told that due to the holiday we were unable to get someone there because we did not have any technicians available that Sunday or Monday over the holiday weekendAs I mentioned before, we do not require that our technicians be on call over the holiday because we feel they deserve a break here and there, as well“***” stated that, “rather than finding someone to fix my new pool on these occasions, or at least offering some free cleanings or other compensation, I was essentially told that I must just be unlucky and was then told to "go ahead and sue.’” To reiterate what I have already said several times, the first occasion in was addressed the same day the call was placed on a SaturdayThe second occasion in March was attempted to be addressed the same day THAT WE BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO HER ATTENTIONAnd the third occasion over Memorial Day we would have gladly sent someone that same day if we had someone available! As far as compensation for each of these inconveniences, we were not able to get to a point in which we could discuss that with her because her dramatic actions surrounding the third occasion left North Eastern unwilling to work with her any further Her complaint ends with, “rather than apologizing, Northeastern seems to take the position that I am somehow being unreasonable in expecting my pool heater and filtration system to work.” We in no way think that “***” is being unreasonable with her expectations that her pool be operationalWe do find her to be unreasonable with her reactions to our responsesHer first issue in was addressed the same day she called in on a weekendHer second issue in March was brought to her attention when my technician happened to notice the issue while he was on site for a last minute maintenance service that I was able to squeeze into his schedule, again in an attempt to go above and beyond for our customerThe issue over Memorial Day weekend was the straw that broke the camel’s back for both parties as it is our view that North Eastern had done all we could at each instance prior to this one, but “***” still called up being rude and demandingIf we had a technician available, they would have been sent to her pool, as well as others that had called with last minute emergenciesWe did not deny her service and then help othersAlthough she was clearly very frustrated, she made no attempt to be reasonable and understand our positionInstead she chose to excessively vent her frustrations to a variety of our staff members by speaking rudely, being demanding and threatening our staff with law suits and defamation of our companyIt is our position that this customer lost her right to an apology when she chose to be ill-mannered and demeaning to our staff and disregard anything that we as a company had done for her in the past Overall, it is our company’s view that these few instances in which “***” experienced issues with her equipment are unfortunate but were handled the best way that we could for each instanceThere was no reason to discuss any type of compensation after the first, or even second instanceEquipment failed, we addressed it in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranties and moved on, as is how it works with any manufacturer’s warrantyWe feel as though had she been a bit more rational with us after the Memorial Day situation, we would have gladly issued some store credit or offered a free week of maintenance, but sadly we were not given the opportunity to rectify the situation before multiple staff were insulted, spoken inappropriately to and threatened To end as I did originally, it is North Eastern’s position that, although we would have preferred to work through these issues with our customer, this is an instance of someone having unreasonable expectations of our company and abusing their status as a legal professional to throw weight around in an attempt to get what they wantThis is absolutely not the way our company would like to end with any customer but in this case, her conduct has left us no choice Thank You, Talia H [redacted] General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The response supplied by Northeastern focuses exclusively on the cleaning and maintenance services provided and conveniently ignores the crux of my complaint, which is that the pool components repeatedly failed I have never had any complaints about Northeastern's cleaning services; in fact, I have been uniformly pleased with them I did, as Northeastern points out, even ask for assistance in putting my pool cover away As it turns out, I was able to do it myself, but I have no doubt that the friendly and polite Northeastern employees would have assisted me if necessary They have consistently done a great job of caring for my pool Unfortunately, having a clean and chemically balanced pool is of no use when the pool does not heat (and in March, this is a deal-breaker since we obviously would only have used the hot tub portion of the pool at that time) Once the pool has been opened, it cannot simply be closed but must be continuously maintained until closed for the season in the Fall, so I did in fact have to pay to maintain it after it was opened I felt that it would be worth the cost of maintenance to have use of the hot tub over Easter break, but thanks to a broken heater, I didn't The pool also did not work over Memorial Day weekend, and with no heat and no filtration, the hot tub was completely unusable and the pool, which was about degrees and full of pollen and bugs, was also unusable I purchased a heated pool with a filtration system and spa from Northeastern, and that is not what I have had on those occasions when the heater, timer and pump have failed When my pool broke in March, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Easter because it was their "slow season" so I would have to wait several days before the pool could be repaired In May, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Memorial Day because it was their "busy season." Either way, I had paid to open and maintain my pool but was unable to use it When I asked why my pool kept breaking, instead of trying to appease me, I was told repeatedly that I just had "bad luck." It was at that point that I suggested that I would have to take legal action because Northeastern offered me no other recourse Rather than finding someone to fix my new pool on these occasions, or at least offering some free cleanings or other compensation, I was essentially told that I must just be unlucky and was then told to "go ahead and sue." Rather than apologizing, Northeastern seems to take the position that I am somehow being unreasonable in expecting my pool heater and filtration system to work. Regards, *** ***
To Whom It May Concern: In response to the most recent retort to complaint ID# [redacted]: 1. If “the issue is not the availability of staff to make repairs, the issue is that it should not have broken in the first place,” as stated by “[redacted],” then we suggest that the complainant should have filed against the manufacturers of said product that has failed and not against North Eastern. 2. We do not think it is an unreasonable expectation to have equipment work and that if the equipment were to fail, it be serviced in a reasonable timeframe, meeting all manufacture’s warranties.3. We do think it is unreasonable to expect that equipment never, ever fail. We carry and install top name brands within our industry but that does not mean the products are failsafe. It is the very reason for warranties. Again, we suggest the complainant should contact the manufacturers of the products she is displeased with, since now it appears it is not an issue with our service but with the product. 4. We will continue to give full, detailed explanations regarding this entire matter. Thank You,Talia H General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The business did not make any offer. The business instead offers a painfully long and detailed explanation about employee hours and vacation schedules, which does not change the fact that my brand new, $50,000 pool has repeatedly broken down. The issue is not the availability of staff to make repairs, the issue is that it should not have broken in the first place. I should be able to take for granted that my pool, which has been regularly serviced and maintained by Northeastern, would be usable, but Northeastern seems to feel that that is an unreasonable expectation. Regards, [redacted]
I am writing to address the consumer’s rejection to complaint assigned ID [redacted] originally submitted by “[redacted].” To address her latest response, I would like to start with, “the response supplied by Northeastern focuses exclusively on the cleaning and maintenance services provided and conveniently ignores the crux of my complaint, which is that the pool components repeatedly failed.” Yes, I did include a full history on her pool, including the maintenance we provided her but the majority of our response focuses in detail on each instance in which her equipment failed and explains at length how our company answered each situation. In fact, the only time I discussed her cleaning and maintenance services without it pertaining directly to another issue was in paragraphs 3, 6 and 12 of my original response. The remainder of my lengthy reply was detailed accounts of her component issues and how we addressed each individual situation. To go further into why I included information regarding maintenances, “[redacted]” stated that, “once the pool has been opened, it cannot simply be closed but must be continuously maintained until closed for the season in the Fall, so I did in fact have to pay to maintain it after it was opened.” In paragraph 12 (one of the 3 instances I discuss her maintenance services) I included that, “her complaint stated that since her opening she had been continually paying for maintenance and heating of the pool. In actuality, there were 3 full weeks between her opening and her first scheduled maintenance.” Since part of her complaint is that she consistently pays for maintenance and was out the money for maintaining her pool after opening so early for Easter, I felt it pertinent to show that she did not, in fact, contract North Eastern to provide maintenance for her pool immediately after it was open in March 2016. To address the statement that, “the pool also did not work over Memorial Day weekend… I purchased a heated pool with a filtration system and spa from Northeastern, and that is not what I have had on those occasions when the heater, timer and pump have failed.” We acknowledge that there were issues with the equipment. We acknowledge the timing of the incidents were unfortunate. But we also addressed each situation as fast as we were able to. We back up our product and will do anything we can to help a customer out, especially during holiday times when we know ALL of our customers are looking to have their pools in tip top shape. That being said, we are still a small business. We value the fact that we have employees who are willing to work 65-70 hours leading up to holidays so that our customers can have their backyards in working order. And furthermore, we are not in the practice of requiring our employees to be available during certain holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day, because we feel as though it is important to let them have a few days off throughout their summer, as well. Sometimes our employees will go above and beyond and let us know they are staying in town or otherwise have no plans and would be available for emergencies, but sadly, this passed Memorial Day there was no one available to service “[redacted]’s” pool. "[redacted]" writes that, “when my pool broke in March, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Easter because it was their "slow season" so I would have to wait several days before the pool could be repaired.” No, “[redacted]” was told – by me – that my technician, who brought the issue to her attention as she did not even know there was a problem, did not have the proper parts to fix the issue with her heater on FRIDAY AFTERNOON and because he already had a prior engagement for that Saturday, the best we would be able to do was to take the parts off another unopened heater from stock (so she did not have to wait for parts to come in from our vendor) and come back on Monday to finish the service. And again, as I stated in my original response, my technician even went back that Friday evening with the part in an attempt to get her heater operational for Easter, because we try to do our best for our customers. She then goes on to say that, “in May, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Memorial Day because it was their "busy season.’” Again, not the case. “[redacted]” called on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, and was told that due to the holiday we were unable to get someone there because we did not have any technicians available that Sunday or Monday over the holiday weekend. As I mentioned before, we do not require that our technicians be on call over the holiday because we feel they deserve a break here and there, as well. “[redacted]” stated that, “rather than finding someone to fix my new pool on these occasions, or at least offering some free cleanings or other compensation, I was essentially told that I must just be unlucky and was then told to "go ahead and sue.’” To reiterate what I have already said several times, the first occasion in 2015 was addressed the same day the call was placed on a Saturday. The second occasion in March 2016 was attempted to be addressed the same day THAT WE BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO HER ATTENTION. And the third occasion over Memorial Day 2016 we would have gladly sent someone that same day if we had someone available! As far as compensation for each of these inconveniences, we were not able to get to a point in which we could discuss that with her because her dramatic actions surrounding the third occasion left North Eastern unwilling to work with her any further. Her complaint ends with, “rather than apologizing, Northeastern seems to take the position that I am somehow being unreasonable in expecting my pool heater and filtration system to work.” We in no way think that “[redacted]” is being unreasonable with her expectations that her pool be operational. We do find her to be unreasonable with her reactions to our responses. Her first issue in 2015 was addressed the same day she called in on a weekend. Her second issue in March 2016 was brought to her attention when my technician happened to notice the issue while he was on site for a last minute maintenance service that I was able to squeeze into his schedule, again in an attempt to go above and beyond for our customer. The issue over Memorial Day weekend 2016 was the straw that broke the camel’s back for both parties as it is our view that North Eastern had done all we could at each instance prior to this one, but “[redacted]” still called up being rude and demanding. If we had a technician available, they would have been sent to her pool, as well as others that had called with last minute emergencies. We did not deny her service and then help others. Although she was clearly very frustrated, she made no attempt to be reasonable and understand our position. Instead she chose to excessively vent her frustrations to a variety of our staff members by speaking rudely, being demanding and threatening our staff with law suits and defamation of our company. It is our position that this customer lost her right to an apology when she chose to be ill-mannered and demeaning to our staff and disregard anything that we as a company had done for her in the past. Overall, it is our company’s view that these few instances in which “[redacted]” experienced issues with her equipment are unfortunate but were handled the best way that we could for each instance. There was no reason to discuss any type of compensation after the first, or even second instance. Equipment failed, we addressed it in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranties and moved on, as is how it works with any manufacturer’s warranty. We feel as though had she been a bit more rational with us after the Memorial Day situation, we would have gladly issued some store credit or offered a free week of maintenance, but sadly we were not given the opportunity to rectify the situation before multiple staff were insulted, spoken inappropriately to and threatened. To end as I did originally, it is North Eastern’s position that, although we would have preferred to work through these issues with our customer, this is an instance of someone having unreasonable expectations of our company and abusing their status as a legal professional to throw weight around in an attempt to get what they want. This is absolutely not the way our company would like to end with any customer but in this case, her conduct has left us no choice. Thank You, Talia H[redacted] General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa
To Whom It May Concern: In response to the most recent retort to complaint ID# [redacted] : If “the issue is not the availability of staff to make repairs, the issue is that it should not have broken in the first place,” as stated by “***,” then we suggest that the complainant should have filed against the manufacturers of said product that has failed and not against North Eastern We do not think it is an unreasonable expectation to have equipment work and that if the equipment were to fail, it be serviced in a reasonable timeframe, meeting all manufacture’s warranties We do think it is unreasonable to expect that equipment never, ever failWe carry and install top name brands within our industry but that does not mean the products are failsafeIt is the very reason for warrantiesAgain, we suggest the complainant should contact the manufacturers of the products she is displeased with, since now it appears it is not an issue with our service but with the product We will continue to give full, detailed explanations regarding this entire matterThank You,Talia H General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa
I am writing to address the consumer’s rejection to complaint assigned ID [redacted] originally submitted by “***.” To address her latest response, I would like to start with, “the response supplied by Northeastern focuses exclusively on the cleaning and maintenance services provided and conveniently ignores the crux of my complaint, which is that the pool components repeatedly failed.” Yes, I did include a full history on her pool, including the maintenance we provided her but the majority of our response focuses in detail on each instance in which her equipment failed and explains at length how our company answered each situationIn fact, the only time I discussed her cleaning and maintenance services without it pertaining directly to another issue was in paragraphs 3, and of my original responseThe remainder of my lengthy reply was detailed accounts of her component issues and how we addressed each individual situation To go further into why I included information regarding maintenances, “***” stated that, “once the pool has been opened, it cannot simply be closed but must be continuously maintained until closed for the season in the Fall, so I did in fact have to pay to maintain it after it was opened.” In paragraph (one of the instances I discuss her maintenance services) I included that, “her complaint stated that since her opening she had been continually paying for maintenance and heating of the poolIn actuality, there were full weeks between her opening and her first scheduled maintenance.” Since part of her complaint is that she consistently pays for maintenance and was out the money for maintaining her pool after opening so early for Easter, I felt it pertinent to show that she did not, in fact, contract North Eastern to provide maintenance for her pool immediately after it was open in March To address the statement that, “the pool also did not work over Memorial Day weekend I purchased a heated pool with a filtration system and spa from Northeastern, and that is not what I have had on those occasions when the heater, timer and pump have failed.” We acknowledge that there were issues with the equipmentWe acknowledge the timing of the incidents were unfortunateBut we also addressed each situation as fast as we were able toWe back up our product and will do anything we can to help a customer out, especially during holiday times when we know ALL of our customers are looking to have their pools in tip top shapeThat being said, we are still a small businessWe value the fact that we have employees who are willing to work 65-hours leading up to holidays so that our customers can have their backyards in working orderAnd furthermore, we are not in the practice of requiring our employees to be available during certain holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day, because we feel as though it is important to let them have a few days off throughout their summer, as wellSometimes our employees will go above and beyond and let us know they are staying in town or otherwise have no plans and would be available for emergencies, but sadly, this passed Memorial Day there was no one available to service “***’s” pool "***" writes that, “when my pool broke in March, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Easter because it was their "slow season" so I would have to wait several days before the pool could be repaired.” No, “***” was told – by me – that my technician, who brought the issue to her attention as she did not even know there was a problem, did not have the proper parts to fix the issue with her heater on FRIDAY AFTERNOON and because he already had a prior engagement for that Saturday, the best we would be able to do was to take the parts off another unopened heater from stock (so she did not have to wait for parts to come in from our vendor) and come back on Monday to finish the serviceAnd again, as I stated in my original response, my technician even went back that Friday evening with the part in an attempt to get her heater operational for Easter, because we try to do our best for our customers She then goes on to say that, “in May, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Memorial Day because it was their "busy season.’” Again, not the case“***” called on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, and was told that due to the holiday we were unable to get someone there because we did not have any technicians available that Sunday or Monday over the holiday weekendAs I mentioned before, we do not require that our technicians be on call over the holiday because we feel they deserve a break here and there, as well“***” stated that, “rather than finding someone to fix my new pool on these occasions, or at least offering some free cleanings or other compensation, I was essentially told that I must just be unlucky and was then told to "go ahead and sue.’” To reiterate what I have already said several times, the first occasion in was addressed the same day the call was placed on a SaturdayThe second occasion in March was attempted to be addressed the same day THAT WE BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO HER ATTENTIONAnd the third occasion over Memorial Day we would have gladly sent someone that same day if we had someone available! As far as compensation for each of these inconveniences, we were not able to get to a point in which we could discuss that with her because her dramatic actions surrounding the third occasion left North Eastern unwilling to work with her any further Her complaint ends with, “rather than apologizing, Northeastern seems to take the position that I am somehow being unreasonable in expecting my pool heater and filtration system to work.” We in no way think that “***” is being unreasonable with her expectations that her pool be operationalWe do find her to be unreasonable with her reactions to our responsesHer first issue in was addressed the same day she called in on a weekendHer second issue in March was brought to her attention when my technician happened to notice the issue while he was on site for a last minute maintenance service that I was able to squeeze into his schedule, again in an attempt to go above and beyond for our customerThe issue over Memorial Day weekend was the straw that broke the camel’s back for both parties as it is our view that North Eastern had done all we could at each instance prior to this one, but “***” still called up being rude and demandingIf we had a technician available, they would have been sent to her pool, as well as others that had called with last minute emergenciesWe did not deny her service and then help othersAlthough she was clearly very frustrated, she made no attempt to be reasonable and understand our positionInstead she chose to excessively vent her frustrations to a variety of our staff members by speaking rudely, being demanding and threatening our staff with law suits and defamation of our companyIt is our position that this customer lost her right to an apology when she chose to be ill-mannered and demeaning to our staff and disregard anything that we as a company had done for her in the past Overall, it is our company’s view that these few instances in which “***” experienced issues with her equipment are unfortunate but were handled the best way that we could for each instanceThere was no reason to discuss any type of compensation after the first, or even second instanceEquipment failed, we addressed it in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranties and moved on, as is how it works with any manufacturer’s warrantyWe feel as though had she been a bit more rational with us after the Memorial Day situation, we would have gladly issued some store credit or offered a free week of maintenance, but sadly we were not given the opportunity to rectify the situation before multiple staff were insulted, spoken inappropriately to and threatened To end as I did originally, it is North Eastern’s position that, although we would have preferred to work through these issues with our customer, this is an instance of someone having unreasonable expectations of our company and abusing their status as a legal professional to throw weight around in an attempt to get what they wantThis is absolutely not the way our company would like to end with any customer but in this case, her conduct has left us no choice Thank You, Talia H [redacted] General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The response supplied by Northeastern focuses exclusively on the cleaning and maintenance services provided and conveniently ignores the crux of my complaint, which is that the pool components repeatedly failed I have never had any complaints about Northeastern's cleaning services; in fact, I have been uniformly pleased with them I did, as Northeastern points out, even ask for assistance in putting my pool cover away As it turns out, I was able to do it myself, but I have no doubt that the friendly and polite Northeastern employees would have assisted me if necessary They have consistently done a great job of caring for my pool Unfortunately, having a clean and chemically balanced pool is of no use when the pool does not heat (and in March, this is a deal-breaker since we obviously would only have used the hot tub portion of the pool at that time) Once the pool has been opened, it cannot simply be closed but must be continuously maintained until closed for the season in the Fall, so I did in fact have to pay to maintain it after it was opened I felt that it would be worth the cost of maintenance to have use of the hot tub over Easter break, but thanks to a broken heater, I didn't The pool also did not work over Memorial Day weekend, and with no heat and no filtration, the hot tub was completely unusable and the pool, which was about degrees and full of pollen and bugs, was also unusable I purchased a heated pool with a filtration system and spa from Northeastern, and that is not what I have had on those occasions when the heater, timer and pump have failed When my pool broke in March, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Easter because it was their "slow season" so I would have to wait several days before the pool could be repaired In May, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Memorial Day because it was their "busy season." Either way, I had paid to open and maintain my pool but was unable to use it When I asked why my pool kept breaking, instead of trying to appease me, I was told repeatedly that I just had "bad luck." It was at that point that I suggested that I would have to take legal action because Northeastern offered me no other recourse Rather than finding someone to fix my new pool on these occasions, or at least offering some free cleanings or other compensation, I was essentially told that I must just be unlucky and was then told to "go ahead and sue." Rather than apologizing, Northeastern seems to take the position that I am somehow being unreasonable in expecting my pool heater and filtration system to work. Regards, *** ***
To Whom It May Concern: In response to the most recent retort to complaint ID# [redacted]: 1. If “the issue is not the availability of staff to make repairs, the issue is that it should not have broken in the first place,” as stated by “[redacted],” then we suggest that the complainant should have filed against the manufacturers of said product that has failed and not against North Eastern. 2. We do not think it is an unreasonable expectation to have equipment work and that if the equipment were to fail, it be serviced in a reasonable timeframe, meeting all manufacture’s warranties.3. We do think it is unreasonable to expect that equipment never, ever fail. We carry and install top name brands within our industry but that does not mean the products are failsafe. It is the very reason for warranties. Again, we suggest the complainant should contact the manufacturers of the products she is displeased with, since now it appears it is not an issue with our service but with the product. 4. We will continue to give full, detailed explanations regarding this entire matter. Thank You,Talia H General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The business did not make any offer. The business instead offers a painfully long and detailed explanation about employee hours and vacation schedules, which does not change the fact that my brand new, $50,000 pool has repeatedly broken down. The issue is not the availability of staff to make repairs, the issue is that it should not have broken in the first place. I should be able to take for granted that my pool, which has been regularly serviced and maintained by Northeastern, would be usable, but Northeastern seems to feel that that is an unreasonable expectation. Regards, [redacted]
I am writing to address the consumer’s rejection to complaint assigned ID [redacted] originally submitted by “[redacted].” To address her latest response, I would like to start with, “the response supplied by Northeastern focuses exclusively on the cleaning and maintenance services provided and conveniently ignores the crux of my complaint, which is that the pool components repeatedly failed.” Yes, I did include a full history on her pool, including the maintenance we provided her but the majority of our response focuses in detail on each instance in which her equipment failed and explains at length how our company answered each situation. In fact, the only time I discussed her cleaning and maintenance services without it pertaining directly to another issue was in paragraphs 3, 6 and 12 of my original response. The remainder of my lengthy reply was detailed accounts of her component issues and how we addressed each individual situation. To go further into why I included information regarding maintenances, “[redacted]” stated that, “once the pool has been opened, it cannot simply be closed but must be continuously maintained until closed for the season in the Fall, so I did in fact have to pay to maintain it after it was opened.” In paragraph 12 (one of the 3 instances I discuss her maintenance services) I included that, “her complaint stated that since her opening she had been continually paying for maintenance and heating of the pool. In actuality, there were 3 full weeks between her opening and her first scheduled maintenance.” Since part of her complaint is that she consistently pays for maintenance and was out the money for maintaining her pool after opening so early for Easter, I felt it pertinent to show that she did not, in fact, contract North Eastern to provide maintenance for her pool immediately after it was open in March 2016. To address the statement that, “the pool also did not work over Memorial Day weekend… I purchased a heated pool with a filtration system and spa from Northeastern, and that is not what I have had on those occasions when the heater, timer and pump have failed.” We acknowledge that there were issues with the equipment. We acknowledge the timing of the incidents were unfortunate. But we also addressed each situation as fast as we were able to. We back up our product and will do anything we can to help a customer out, especially during holiday times when we know ALL of our customers are looking to have their pools in tip top shape. That being said, we are still a small business. We value the fact that we have employees who are willing to work 65-70 hours leading up to holidays so that our customers can have their backyards in working order. And furthermore, we are not in the practice of requiring our employees to be available during certain holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day, because we feel as though it is important to let them have a few days off throughout their summer, as well. Sometimes our employees will go above and beyond and let us know they are staying in town or otherwise have no plans and would be available for emergencies, but sadly, this passed Memorial Day there was no one available to service “[redacted]’s” pool. "[redacted]" writes that, “when my pool broke in March, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Easter because it was their "slow season" so I would have to wait several days before the pool could be repaired.” No, “[redacted]” was told – by me – that my technician, who brought the issue to her attention as she did not even know there was a problem, did not have the proper parts to fix the issue with her heater on FRIDAY AFTERNOON and because he already had a prior engagement for that Saturday, the best we would be able to do was to take the parts off another unopened heater from stock (so she did not have to wait for parts to come in from our vendor) and come back on Monday to finish the service. And again, as I stated in my original response, my technician even went back that Friday evening with the part in an attempt to get her heater operational for Easter, because we try to do our best for our customers. She then goes on to say that, “in May, I was told that no one could fix my pool in time for Memorial Day because it was their "busy season.’” Again, not the case. “[redacted]” called on Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, and was told that due to the holiday we were unable to get someone there because we did not have any technicians available that Sunday or Monday over the holiday weekend. As I mentioned before, we do not require that our technicians be on call over the holiday because we feel they deserve a break here and there, as well. “[redacted]” stated that, “rather than finding someone to fix my new pool on these occasions, or at least offering some free cleanings or other compensation, I was essentially told that I must just be unlucky and was then told to "go ahead and sue.’” To reiterate what I have already said several times, the first occasion in 2015 was addressed the same day the call was placed on a Saturday. The second occasion in March 2016 was attempted to be addressed the same day THAT WE BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO HER ATTENTION. And the third occasion over Memorial Day 2016 we would have gladly sent someone that same day if we had someone available! As far as compensation for each of these inconveniences, we were not able to get to a point in which we could discuss that with her because her dramatic actions surrounding the third occasion left North Eastern unwilling to work with her any further. Her complaint ends with, “rather than apologizing, Northeastern seems to take the position that I am somehow being unreasonable in expecting my pool heater and filtration system to work.” We in no way think that “[redacted]” is being unreasonable with her expectations that her pool be operational. We do find her to be unreasonable with her reactions to our responses. Her first issue in 2015 was addressed the same day she called in on a weekend. Her second issue in March 2016 was brought to her attention when my technician happened to notice the issue while he was on site for a last minute maintenance service that I was able to squeeze into his schedule, again in an attempt to go above and beyond for our customer. The issue over Memorial Day weekend 2016 was the straw that broke the camel’s back for both parties as it is our view that North Eastern had done all we could at each instance prior to this one, but “[redacted]” still called up being rude and demanding. If we had a technician available, they would have been sent to her pool, as well as others that had called with last minute emergencies. We did not deny her service and then help others. Although she was clearly very frustrated, she made no attempt to be reasonable and understand our position. Instead she chose to excessively vent her frustrations to a variety of our staff members by speaking rudely, being demanding and threatening our staff with law suits and defamation of our company. It is our position that this customer lost her right to an apology when she chose to be ill-mannered and demeaning to our staff and disregard anything that we as a company had done for her in the past. Overall, it is our company’s view that these few instances in which “[redacted]” experienced issues with her equipment are unfortunate but were handled the best way that we could for each instance. There was no reason to discuss any type of compensation after the first, or even second instance. Equipment failed, we addressed it in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranties and moved on, as is how it works with any manufacturer’s warranty. We feel as though had she been a bit more rational with us after the Memorial Day situation, we would have gladly issued some store credit or offered a free week of maintenance, but sadly we were not given the opportunity to rectify the situation before multiple staff were insulted, spoken inappropriately to and threatened. To end as I did originally, it is North Eastern’s position that, although we would have preferred to work through these issues with our customer, this is an instance of someone having unreasonable expectations of our company and abusing their status as a legal professional to throw weight around in an attempt to get what they want. This is absolutely not the way our company would like to end with any customer but in this case, her conduct has left us no choice. Thank You, Talia H[redacted] General Manager North Eastern Pool & Spa