Pool Works, Inc.

I have worked with this company and they seem to be double dipping when it comes to service. The spa company(is an awesome company)pays parts and labor and Pool works charge a separate service charge that no one tells you about and they make things up so that they don't have to pay for some of the parts which was that the chemicals in the spa can wreck water proof speakers and they service men are very sloppy if I wasn't out there they would have broke the side panel on my spa and they left the shims that were behind the panels on the ground and didn't put them back. Then they call me and tell me they should have charged me more. I haven't even had my spa a year and Pool works is going to charge me extra even though the spa company pays them for the labor

Pool works installed my in ground pool some time ago and now I am experiencing some issues. Contacted Pool Works over a week ago, they didn’t have much to say and really didn’t even seem to care by how impatient they seemed. They gave me the number to another fellow who has not once in nearly a week returned my call. Contacted Pool Works again and they have not gotten back to me yet. Poor customer service. My pool lining has come out twice in two years and they really seem to not want to help. They didn’t even tell me why I needed to call the fellow whose number they gave me when PW installed the pool!

Pool Works still bills your card without calling first. Not really a problem until they overcharge you on your invoice nearly two and a half times the actual amount. Which caused overdraft fees and irritation on my part. 64 dollars later in overdraft fees the overcharge was refunded to my account. I asked about this policy of just charging the card without a customer having time to review the invoice to make sure it's actually correct. They said charging works for them. Well I'm glad that my paying 64 dollars in overdraft charges as my checks for legitimate bills came through worked for them. I said a delay in even two weeks before charging a card would be beneficial for the customer to review, not like they give you a quote before coming or say this is how much it will be.
Not really sure how the lady entering the charge didn't think something might be wrong. Pool closings are almost always between 200 and 300 dollars in my area. 700 dollars is a HUGE difference.
Thanks Pool Works. Only went to you because the other guy didn't have openings. I've learned my lesson and will schedule with the other company at the beginning of summer from now on.

Review: In November, 2013 my hot tub pump was getting extremely hot (so hot you could cook an egg on the pump). The hot tub was also over heating and turning off. Obviously it needed a repair and was also a fire hazard. I contacted Pool Works and set up an appointment with [redacted] in the service department. The service tech came out to my house and replaced the pump. Pool works charged me $855.62 for the pump and service. I paid for the service with a credit card. Reference invoice ID [redacted]. At this point there is nothing wrong. The bill's terms and conditions read as follows:

"Celebrating 25 years in the business!!!!

All residential service work payments are due on or before the date of the service.

Help us go green and save yourself some gree-provide your email or fax to save a $2.5 mail processing fee!

Please contact our service department with any questions or concrns!

email: [redacted] Phone ###-###-#### Toll Free ###-###-####"

In May 2013 The hot tub again was over heating, shutting down and the pump was feeling extremely hot. This is the same pump Pool works replaced.

I started to contact Pool works On July 1, 2013 at 1:37p.m. I spoke to [redacted] in the service department. [redacted] told me it was summer so the business was busy with pools and hot tub (understandable). I explained the problem with [redacted] and asked about the pumps warranty and to have my hot tub checked out. [redacted] said she had to check with the scheduler and get back to me within the week. [redacted] never call me back.

July 5, 2013 at 2:00p.m. there was no call from Pool works or [redacted] so I called again to have it serviced. [redacted] again said she would get back to me and check with the scheduler. I also asked again to know if the part is under warranty. [redacted] again said she would look into it and get back to me. aT 3:58P.M. [redacted] contacted me back and said she had an appointment right now. Obviously "right now" doesn't work for most people due to house responsibility so I asked [redacted] again if there was a different day and again asked about the warranty. For a 3rd time [redacted] said she would get back to me on the warranty and the service time.

I never heard back from [redacted] so I called again sometime after July and spoke to a very nice younger sounding person. I explained my frustration (nicely) to the other service department employee and gave her numerous day and times it would work for me to be at home during the repair or call out. The employee said she would check with the schedular. I also asked the employee about the pumps warranty (4th time) and she said she would let me know before the technician comes. I never heard from Pool Works again.

A couple of days later the service tech showed up (2-3 hours) early. This usually doesn't present a problem but it does if I'm not at home and my wife works the night shift and was woken up by the service tech. the technician said he was in the area on a different job and he decided to stop over to see what the issue was. The service tech looked at the hot tub and said it wasn't the pump they replaced in November ( if the pump was having the same issues as the time in November I'm now wondering if the previous "bad" pump wasn't bad at all). The technician now said the jet pump was bad and if he turned down the filter cycle on the hot tub the pump (perviously replaced) would't get so hot. I had to speak to the tech over the phone since I wasn't home. The tech was at my house for a total of 15-20 minutes. The tech said [redacted] would call me for a price on a new jet pump and to try having the filter cycle run less (so the pump doesn't over heat). The tech never said how much it cost for him to come out nor did he give my wife a bill or have her sign anything.

That same day [redacted] actually called me back but she called to give me a quote on a new Jet Pump.

I contacted marques spa's (the manufacturer of my hot tub) explained the issue to them and Pool Work's behavior and they agreed the service tech didn't address the issue and they couldn't explain Pool Work's behavior. Pool Works in the only service business in the area for Marquis Spa's.

A couple of day's later I saw on my credit card Pool Works charged me $110 for this call. I did not authorize Pool Works to charge me (how do they not know I didn't want to pay in cash or with a check). I also did not sign anything authorizing them to charge my credit card when they feel like it (reference terms and conditions on their bills above). Pool Works also did not get back to me if the pump originally replaced and thought again was bad if it was under warranty. I asked at least 4 times if the pump was under warranty and was never given a answer.

On July 15, 2013 I spoke to [redacted] of Pool Works over the phone and at first was very nice and calm and described how [redacted] promised to get back to me on the warranty how much it would cost to service my hot tub or replace a part and they charged my credit card without my authorization. [redacted] didn't seem to care what I had to say and said they keep a credit card on file. [redacted] said they don't come out to houses for FREE (understandable). She did say she would look at my account and refund me for the labor $55.

2 hours after speaking to the manager [redacted] called me. Thinking she was calling me to apologize for never getting back to me or not telling me the bill before and or if the pump was under warranty she started to defend herself and basically tell me I was wrong and she called me back. [redacted] then hung up the phone on me.

I'm not the only one that this has happened to before. Revdex.com has a previous complaint and if you look at the following websites they also list similar complaint:

What I would like is a apology (written) from [redacted] for never returning my phone calls when she said she would about the warranty and a date to have my hot tub service and for her rude behavior by calling me after I spoke to the manager and telling me she was right and I was wrong. I would also like a apology (written) from [redacted] and an explanation on how she is going to make sure this doesn't happen to someone else (new business policy?) since this is happening to other people. I would also like a 75% refund (80$) since the service tech was already in the area when he stopped over, the business came at their connivance, never got back to my on the warranty of the hot tub (the reason for the call out), and my time to keep calling them. I do think they deserve some money for travel expenses but the tech did nothing to my hot tub beside press one filter cycle button. Nothing in the bill's TRERMS AND CONDITIONS says anything about Pool Works has the right to charge my credit card at any time.Desired Settlement: What I would like is a apology (written) from [redacted] for never returning my phone calls when she said she would about the warranty and a date to have my hot tub service and for her rude behavior by calling me after I spoke to the manager and telling me she was right and I was wrong. I would also like a apology (written) from [redacted] and an explanation on how she is going to make sure this doesn't happen to someone else (new business policy?) since this is happening to other people. I would also like a 75% refund (80$) since the service tech was already in the area when he stopped over, the business came at their connivance, never got back to my on the warranty of the hot tub (the reason for the call out), and my time to keep calling them. I do think they deserve some money for travel expenses but the tech did nothing to my hot tub beside press one filter cycle button.

Business

Response:

We mailed out documentation today to your office. Please let us know when you receive it. Thank you!

Business

Response:

We notified the customer that we have refunded the full $110.78 to their credit card. We have also closed their service account.

Consumer

Response:

[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.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.