Pooltastic Pool Works, Inc.

Review: Pooltastic performed work in which it moved pool equipment from front of garden to back, a distance of about 60 feet, and installed new plumbing lines and a new plastic skimmer. The work was poorly done - equipment leaked and the underground plumbing lines installed were of inferior hose quality. Pooltastic charged almost 3,000 for said work without providing an itemized bill. To date it consistently refuses to provide itemization, or to provide copies of receipts showing the materials used. The company also refuses to provide any information on labor hours charged for, or brand and cost of materials used. Example: it charged over $535 for the plastic skimmer, a part that an internet search showed should cost no more than $120.

Also, the company alleged that the pool heater had a burned out electrical board and would cost $1,400 to repair. An inspection by an independent electrician showed the problem was simply a dead transformer and performed the repair with a $50 part. Nevertheless Pooltastic attempted to bill me $135 for "heater repair."Desired Settlement: Pooltastic should provide an itemized bill showing the type and amount of materials used, and labor hours, with copies of receipts as proof, and refund any amounts it overcharged for parts, hose, equipment, and labor etc.

Business

Response:

First, I would like to state that the person lodging the complaint had been a good customer for a 13 year period and she is a very nice person. I have been in the pool business for 25 years and hold CPO (Certified Pool Operator) and CBP (Certified Building Professional) certificates. We are also members of APSP (Assoc. of Pool and Spa Professionals) our governing body. There is a lot of training and hours of study needed to get these certifications.

[redacted] asked us to move the plumbing lines from an area in here yard that was under construction. After checking the job we came up with a game plan, namely install new lines from the pool wall to the new location rather then just extend the lines from the old equipment area to the new equipment area. Had we just extended the lines we would have created an area that would have a possibility of future leaks were the new lines join the old lines and the this area did have some construction from a major renovation the home owner is having done. In addition the existing lines were old and the possibility of failure was a concern. We ran new lines using an industry

standard grade pipe (black poly pipe) which is very similar to irrigation pipe but in this case is larger in diameter (this same pipe is used on all our new construction and renovation work) in ground. Some contractors use white PVC pipe but we find in NY that the pipe sometimes cracks underground in the harsh winters. Both are acceptable materials for re-plumbing pools. From the pool wall, both (2) skimmers have new lines and the return jets also have been re-plumbed. All connections are heat sealed, double clamped with stainless steel clamps and pressure tested for leaks to industry standards (15 psi for 30 minutes) to assure against leaks. All work above ground is done in white PVC pipe for aesthetic reasons. Footage is measured from each (2) skimmer to the new equipment area and from the return jets to the new equipment area. When calculated the work was slightly more than 150 feet. It is common for someone not accustom to measuring work to simply stand at the pool and assume the the distance from the pool to the equipment area is all that is required. When explained (which I did in numerous emails to [redacted]) customers understand the linear footage charges. Linear footage pricing is standard industry method for charging work. It is based on all cost of completing a job i.e. labor, materials, insurance, fuel and is used not only in the pool industry but also in the plumbing, electric and gas industries (which explained in emails to [redacted]). Normally we charge $37 a foot (depending on what material is around the pool, wood, cement, brick, pavers), being that some of the deck was up we charged the customer $19 per linear foot. More than fair but we did take into account she is a long time customer.

The next issue I'd like to address is the charge for the skimmer replacement. The skimmer was damaged from what appeared to be from ice (cracked from expansion). Rather than ignoring the damage we address it and changed out the skimmer with considerable time and effort. [redacted] says she can buy a skimmer for less than she was charged, the customer also needs to consider the extra time and manpower it takes to properly install the new skimmer. In wood deck if all goes well we charge $595 sometimes more if it gets involved. We charged the customer $495 taking into account her patronage of 13 years.

Lastly, the heater issue. We at Pooltastic do basic heater repairs in-house, any other issue is sent out to licensed and insured gas service company ([redacted]). They looked at the heater and sent us an estimate to do the repair. After [redacted] had the heater repaired by someone else she bought it to my attention, I in turn called the heater service to let themm know that there estimate was way off and that we had lost a long time and good customer because of it.

Here's how we got to this point. [redacted] stopped service after the heater issue. I spoke with her and asked her to reconsider her answer was it was time to move on. I respected her decision and let her know that if she needs our services in the future we would be happy to help her. All is well, my office gets a call some 3 weeks later saying there is a major leak at the pool equipment and the pool is half empty. She also says that we have "sabotaged" her pool and I should get my [redacted] to check it out among other insults. I call her after returning to my office and call her she repeats the above and I get in my truck and start heading over. Knowing it's a 35 minute drive I have my office manager call [redacted] to let her know I'm in Hamptons' Friday traffic and it will take around 45 minutes to get to her home. She tells my [redacted] they have found the source of the leak (a valve left open that controls the flow of water to the backwash ) and do not step a foot on her property. I can only assume her new pool company (of which I know nothing about) inadvertently left the valve open and drained her pool. It may in fact be, someone touched her pool equipment that is working on her home but I can assure you it was not anyone from Pooltastic. After several emails with ugly accusations and threats on her side, we have arrived here. We were never even given a opportunity to address her concerns. I still wish her luck in her home renovation and of course, her pool care. As always, I send good will her way.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here] I fired Pooltastic because they attempted to wildly overcharge me $1400 on a very small repair job, and because a subsequent investigation of the quality of their work showed that it was inferior, or incompetent. It's one thing to clean the leaves from the bottom of a pool. But when it came time to do repairs, Pooltastic proved to be either inept, or dishonest.

In several email exchanges I have asked Pooltastic to please provide an itemized bill simply showing the basics of the work they performed in moving my pool equipment to the back of my garden. Like any good, honest business, they were obliged to provide: the brand and type of materials used, the cost of said materials, and the cost of the labor-hours. They have refused to provide any itemization or documentation at ALL. I was simply billed nearly $4,000 for the work, and Pooltastic refuses to show me any records or receipts justifying the amount.

What's more, the work then sprung leaks which had to be repaired by another company. And an inspection of the IN GROUND PLUMBING pool lines shows that the pipe Pooltastic used was black flexible hose rather than plumbers pipe. Which will have to be replaced.

This is just one example.

The same is true of the plastic skimmer they installed. Again, Pooltastic refuses to supply a brand name, type, or even cost for this material, nor has it supplied me with a figure for the labor. They simply charged me almost $500 for a plastic part that is obtainable for a fraction of that.

I fired Pooltastic for the simple reason that I discovered, on yet another repair job, that they wanted $1,400 to fix a pool heater part that an electrician subsequently fixed for just $125. The inevitable conclusion is that they simply don't know what they are doing. Unless, of course, they are dishonest.

Nothing in Pooltastic's incredibly long and evasive response answers the simple question: why won't you provide an itemized receipt for work you charged nearly $4000 for?

The reason, incontrovertibly, is because the job should not have cost anywhere near that.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,