Geremia Pools

We began our project in 2021. It is now 2023 and we still have an incomplete front yard, backyard, and new pool installation. We have damage to our preexisting property and many defects. Very few things went smoothly on our project.

When we signed our contract, their website quoted a 10-14 week pool build time, boasted about their expertise, the number of years they have been in business, the quality of their work, and that they do not use subcontractors because “building a quality pool means never taking shortcuts, using subcontractors may save builders money, but it also means chances for mistakes. We don’t take chances with your project.”

Our experience has been that Geremia representatives are difficult to get on the phone, do subpar work, use subcontractors, and our contract for the pool was just under 6 months not 10-14weeks and they still weren’t finished six months after our contractual end date with no updates on a new projected end date from them. THAT IS A YEAR AFTER BREAKING GROUND WITH NO POOL!.

We have long cracks all over our shotcrete pool shell that have been tested by an engineer and found to go all the way through. Geremia offered to fix the pool cracks with epoxy injection which was referred to several times in my research as a “band aid fix”. This pool is supposed to be brand new! We wanted to test to make sure there wasn’t an underlying issue with the shotcrete itself or the soil on our property that could cause continued cracking in the pool that may result in a leak and/ or may have required a change in the engineering of the rebar or shotcrete strength. Geremia didn’t want to test anything.

Our site supervisor didn’t meet with us before our project began, never responded to a single email I sent that I can recall, and was rarely on our property to oversee the work being done or address all the issues. I was the one reporting issues. Unapproved deviations were made from the plans including attempting to install our skimmer in the wrong location, building a wall in the wrong location, and installing an unnecessary electrical outlet under our water spigot which was a safety concern. There were additional safety concerns and liability risks for us because they didn’t have up temporary fencing to keep people out of our construction site, their subcontractors didn’t put up cones, fencing, or caution tape around our fresh concrete in the front, and they weren’t going to do a second inspection of our ground bonding after ripping out the first. There were issues with our design plans that leave us with bubblers in our cabo ledge that will not function as they are supposed to, a bench in the deep end that we did not want and were told is required by law (which is not true), and we had concrete columns floating over our waterline where swimmers could hit their heads. I asked that the wall be moved back far enough for the columns to sit back flush with the edge of the pool to eliminate the safety hazard and was told that could not be done because it wouldn’t pass code. A city inspector confirmed that was not true. Brandon Ellis, who we were led to believe is a Geremia employee, hired an unlicensed company to do our dig (which he has been cited for through the CSLB). We were sent a duplicate invoice for payments already submitted and invoices for work not yet completed in full and with defects. Several of their reviews are written by employees, family, Facebook friends, etc. without disclosing their associations as required by the Federal Trade Commission. I could go on and on about this company’s unscrupulous business practices and poor workmanship!

We were not able to use our backyard at all for 16 months and we still don’t have the benefit of any landscaping or use of our pool (if that is what you can call it in its current state). They have not been out to do work on our property since approximately October of 2022, have not worked with us in the testing of our property to determine the appropriate path of repair, declined mediation, and threatened to send us to collections. We have had to spend tens of thousands of dollars hiring a lawyer, an engineer, a pool expert, and company to test the shotcrete and soil.

The new owner claims to have reached out on several occasions but I do not recall any notification of the company being sold by the old owners. I do not recall any phone calls, letters, or emails from the new owner introducing himself/ herself or making any attempt to resolve our complaints.

Our home, which used to be our safe haven and place of peace, isn’t anymore. My home business is suffering. My family is suffering and there is no end in sight.

Review: Geremia Pools redid our pool in 2014. They project was completed in September of 2014. Within 5 months the pool deck that they installed began cracking. On February 24th I sent an email letting them know what was going on and sent a picture. We were told this is normal and that nothing could be done. A few months later we then noticed the cement around the pool had been lifting from the pool deck. After numerous times trying to contact them, I sent them a certified letter with pictures explaining what was happening on May 6th, 2015. Geremia Pools has contacted us after this correspondence. They keep telling us they will send someone over to look into it and still have not. The last time they were suppose to come by the house was the week of August 17, 2015 and they still have not shown up or contacted us. In addition, they have not srewed down the drains they installed in the cement.Desired Settlement: We would like the issues stated above to be fixed.

Business

Response:

Geremia Pools, Inc. construction department has contacted customer and will make a repair call this Thursday 9 11 15.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: I assume Geremia Pools came out on Thursday like they said they would because they left a card on the front door, however as of today we have not heard of any resolution to the problem.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: I have emailed the owner today that the pool deck has not settled to the pool, and that he should schedule to be at our house by the 30th of this month, To confirm for himself that the repair did not fix our original complaint.

Business

Response:

Tell us why here...Please be advised that we are working with Mr. [redacted] on

the pool deck issues. We installed deck dowels

to stabilize the deck but this will only

help with a side to side motion. The

deck has lifted, we feel due to the expansive soil in this area, the current

drought and the lack of landscaping in the yard. On the last visit to the pool the landscaping

was completed, this was sometime in October. We completed the re-model of the pool on September 24, 2014, so the yard

had no landscaping for one year, leaving very little moisture in the soil,

causing a desert like condition in the yard and under the deck.There are three small sections that have cracked, but are

still at the same level. We have stated

that we would remove and replace those sections. In addition, we have saw cut through the

score joints to allow the pool deck to settle back down onto the bond

beam. We feel this is working but may

take more time. When it does settle, we

would install a mastic joint between the deck and tile.Mr. [redacted] advised Mr. [redacted] that we would remove the

entire deck, but we will require a waiver, signed by Mr. [redacted], because we feel this will possibly happen

again. Mr. [redacted] responded that he would not agree to sign a waiver.

Review: I contacted Geremia pools to have a pool estimate for my new custom home. Approx one week after the initial call, I was contacted by [redacted] who told me that he was the rep who covered my area for Geremia Pools. Mr. [redacted] arrived as schedule. I showed him the area where I wanted the pool and walked the area and pointed out the four corners where the pool would be placed. I provided him with the type, dimensions and spa that I wanted. I explained to Mr. [redacted] that I have had two pools built on previous homes and was well versed surrounding details to construct a new pool. Within 10 minutes Mr. [redacted] was suggesting that I pay him 300.00 for a "scaled drawing" where the pool would be placed. I told Mr. [redacted] that I didn't require a scaled drawing at that time given I was in the mode of obtaining a price quote. Mr. [redacted] replied "we don't give free quotes however if you pay me 300.00 I can provide you with a quote. I again told Mr. [redacted] that I would be speaking to a total of three top notch pool contractors and at this juncture I wanted a price with options broken down so I could get an idea where he was with pricing. At that point, I was completely turned off to his approach and felt as if he wanted to pocket 300.00 just to give me a price. Prior to Mr.[redacted] leaving my property I reminded him that his company website said "contact us for a free estimate" his reply was "nothing's for free".I contacted two well known pool contractors that same day and within a week both contractors visited my property. I was extremely impressed as they were so professional and spent a lot of time asking questions and taking measurements and taking pictures. One of the contractors, [redacted] pools invited me to their office and presented a comprehensive design and detailed pricing. They did not ask me for money they just were very professional and responsive. I'm meeting with the second contractor next Monday to obtain his pricing and design. Shame on Geremia Pools for allowing this.Desired Settlement: Act professionally and remove the false website advertising as they clearly do not provide free estimates as advertised

Business

Response:

I spoke with Mr. [redacted] yesterday regarding this matter. I agreed with much of what he had to say and told him that I planned to discuss this with our designer. I think that our designer could have given Mr. [redacted] the information that he needed very easily and we would still be in the hunt for this project. Giving rough estimates can be tricky but Mr. [redacted] had enough specifics I think he could have accomplished it without asking for a design fee. It didn't sound like he was asking for an exact price only a ballpark. As I said it can be tricky because in some cases buyers try to hold us to the ballpark number and since there was not a plan available mistakes can be made.In all fairness, our designer is one of the most knowledgeable designers around. He is also very detail oriented which makes him shy away from giving ballparks. He also is one of my most successful salesmen and is very customer oriented. We are in the middle of a very busy year and it is obvious that our designer misread this customer. At the end of our call I told Mr. [redacted] that I would discuss this with [redacted], which I have, and I wish him success in selecting a company to work with on his project.[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:Where does the owner take responsibility for content on his website? It's patently a false statement where they "In Bold letters" state "CONTACT US FOR A FREE ESTIMATE" there was "no free anything" from Getemia Pools. I am contacting local television and radio stations to let them know about the scam that this company is pulling through what is certainly 1099 contract employees representing Geremia Pools. This is pure and simple a scam. What professional credentials and education does Geremia rep possess? He indicated that he was a landscape architect. My guess, he is nothing more than your run of the mill salesman who attempts to take 300.00 from each and every consumer who expects a free bid. I will expose this company to every organization so the next guy will not need to feel pressured to pay a fee for something that is advertised for free.Mr. [redacted] needs to take this seriously because this issue has me extremely upset. Many people in my circle are now aware of this scam and as a result of the actions of his represenitive it will cost his company profits on many jobs.

Business

Response:

I agreed with this consumer that [redacted] should have given him a more accurate estimate for what our designer was told that he wanted. As I said before it is difficult to give anyone an estimate without an accurate design. Our sales staff can always get pretty close to giving a consumer a ballpark figure before they spend between 6 and 8 hours designing a complete project for them. When projects are straight forward in flat yards many times a design fee is not necessary. Ballpark estimates only allow the customer to say that this will or will not meet their budget. At that point in time the customer can choose to move forward with us or not. When projects are large in scope, have elevations or simply have a lot of detail, a design takes a lot of time all without a contract. The landscape industry will not do a design without a contract but consumers expect pool companies to do elaborate designs for free. Otherwise the free estimate comes from the customer describing what they would like in their project and our salesperson using their knowledge to give them a ballpark. As I said in my first response I thought that our designer could have and should have given this consumer a better estimate based on the information he had. I have discussed this with him and will do so with my entire staff. There is no scam, we have been serving Northern California for over 90 years and giving our customers high quality products and service.Most times our staff encounters consumers that have not purchased a pool before and have no idea what it costs is to build one. This consumer obviously had built pools before which should have told our designer what he needed to do. We take very seriously what our website says and we deal with thousands of consumers every year which means there are that many different expectations of what we are offering and in this case we failed to live up to his.

Review: I had a pool built by [redacted] Pools this past winter and initially we (my family) was very satisfied. We were told that during the curing process of the concrete that it would look old and blotchy, but as soon as the spring time came that they would seal the concrete that it would look shiny and look great. Late spring they finally came to seal the concrete and since then it looks like its 30 years old. The concrete didnt cure correctly and the color mixture wasnt even and now it is has a blotchy look. There are multiple cracks, and a hole in what should be concrete but was only matching paint. We have contacted [redacted] several times to fix the problems, but they wouldnt return our phone calls. When we did speak to someone they would tell us that they would send someone out or have someone return our call, and we would never hear from them. I have left work several times to stop by the office and would be told that Robbie [redacted] was unavailable and they would have him call me back. I would never hear. The 3rd time I went into the office I was told by the receptionist that Mr. [redacted] would meet me on Thursday or Friday at my house. I made sure to have him call before he went to the house so I could be there. I received no phone call on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and Mr. [redacted] failed to call or show. The next week I drove to the office once again and this time was able to meet with Mr. [redacted] who apologized and stated he has been very busytoo busy to pick up the phone and let me know that he had to reschedule. He then scheduled an appointment to meet me at 4pm on June 3rd. On June 3rd Mr. [redacted] showed up at 4:15pm and we discussed the issues with the concrete not looking good; color, and multiple cracks. We also talked about the stones falling from the retaining wall. Mr. [redacted] tried to say thats the risks you take with getting concrete; mixture, heat, curing and etc. I disagree and had another opinion by a contractor and per the contractor this was an extremely poor job provided by [redacted] Pools. There was also an area that I can put my finger in which is supposed to be concrete but it was paint over a foam piece. Now I have paint chipping away and falling into the pool. Mr. [redacted] told me on June 3rd that he would return to the office and discuss options with his construction team and then contact me with options to fix the problem. Three weeks have gone by and I have yet to hear back from Mr. [redacted]. I went to the office again 7/1/15 to speak with Mr. [redacted] and like usual he is unavailable and doesnt return calls. We also use [redacted] Pools to clean and maintain our pool in which we pay $120.00 monthly for poor service. They are only there for about 15 minutes and leave. They do not provide the service they advertise. My wife cancelled the service in June, and they showed up again after we had cancelled. We spent $70,000 on a pool that looks horrible. All I want is for [redacted] to make things right and fix their mistakes. I spent a lot of money on this pool for my family and it should look new and not like it was done 30 years ago. We had a great experience with [redacted] during the building phase, but since the last payment was made they dont care. I want to prevent other families from becoming a victim. There is no way they are an A+ company. They falsely advertise and their reviews show this.Desired Settlement: If they are not going to fix the problems then we would like a refund to pay someone else to fix their mistakes. We just want our new pool to look like a new pool and not a 30 year old piece of crap. I could have done that myself. sincerely,Robert M. Smith

Business

Response:

We have talked to the customer and agreed to make the repairs in the fall.