Premier Pools & Spas

We started this project in June 2015, more than two years ago and it has been sitting waiting because the landscape and hardscape work, which is off contract, has not been completed. We previously built a pool for this client in northern California and just like your first pool, we...

stand behind this one and the way it is constructed also. We have built this pool according to the engineering and code requirements set forth by the City of Carlsbad and State of California. The back of the pool wall he refers to is not a retaining wall. It is the pool wall. We have tried numerous times to explain the facts to the customer. The engineer he spoke to over the phone has not done a site visit and made his statements based solely upon the speculation made by the homeowner. We remain ready, willing and able to finish this pool as soon as the landscape/hardscape is finished and you have passed the California swimming pool mandated property inspection.  Your Contract was for $59,250.00.  During the construction you asked for several changes that constituted five separate change orders which you authorized and signed.  These five authorized changes increased your pool contract price $4,646.75 making your total contract $63,896.75.

Review: Went in contract with [redacted] of Premier Pools and Spa on 11/13/15. Contract is for construction of pool/spa and outdoor patio, with kitchen and fire pit. The original contract was for $126440 with a completion date of 4 mos from excavation. During signing, [redacted] agreed to pay a penalty of $1000 per week until completion of project. [redacted] received the first check of $1000 for deposit/sign on.

Excavation commenced on Jan 14, 2016, he collected second check ( $37632). From then, his crew worked on plumbing, and metal work sporadically until Feb 19.

[redacted] collected the third check ($37632) and additional fourth check ($750) for grading on FEb 19. Gunite of pool and 130 linear feet of retaining wall commenced on Feb 22. Again his crew worked sporadically installing tiles and stones of spa/retaining wall from Beb 24-Mar 31.

On Mar 31, I met with [redacted] and landscaper at our home. [redacted] gave additional cost of travertine coping and additional patio area that incurred due to moving pool location a few feet to the left. Total addition is $15822.5. I gave [redacted] fourth check ($37632) and fifth check ($8000) half payment for additional work. Pool and retaining wall coping were installed again sporadically in April and his landscapers worked sporadically with the patio, fire pit and kitchen area.

To date, [redacted] is in breach of contract, has collected over $122K and my pool/backyard is not complete. Pool interior and equipment, solar, deck, patio, fire pit, outdoor kitchen have yet to be installed. [redacted] has stopped responding to my calls or text messages! There's construction debris everywhere too! Please helpDesired Settlement: Called corporate Premier. Spoke to VP [redacted] May 31st , he informed me [redacted] has recently been terminated from Premier but still has contractual obligation with me! He did not offer to call [redacted]. He advised me to send pictures of my yard and copy of contract and I did. If [redacted] abandons project they MAY help me. However, I found out [redacted] is engaged to [redacted]'s sister! So if he has familial ties with [redacted], why did he not offer to call [redacted]? Just refund my money. I lost my trust!

Donald B[redacted] is charming, talented with design and a nice guy - HOWEVER, not a good business man. You will be sorry if you sign a contract with him to build your pool. We signed a contract with him on 10/15/15 (to be completed in 10-12 weeks). Work started on 1/12/16 and stopped on 3/5/16. The job was completed up to the tile and stone work, then abandoned. After multiple attempts to contact him, with no real response, usually full of excuses as to why he hadn't contacted us, etc. no information was ever given as to when our pool would be finished. I started an investigation of Donald and was literally sick to my stomach as to the results. Please visit all the YELP reviews and pull up Backyard Nightmares by KRON 4 news and you will have a complete picture of what you will be getting yourself into if you go with him. We took matters into our own hands and had our pool finished by 6/3/16. 33 weeks (7 months) later. We are out and additional $1830 above what our final 10% payment would have been and we still need the PDA remote for the pool system that is clearly indicated on our contract that we did NOT receive (to purchase is approx $500+) and there is a faulty LED light in the pool that needs to be replaced. I have filled a complaint with the Licensing Board, which incidentally had his license in "suspend" status when I started doing my research, then had it changed to "current" when I filled my complaint. Donald has not responded to any of our letters and probably won't ever will.

Review: We hired this company to put in a pool for us back in December. They dug the hole and did the first portion of the work. They let the contractors license expired and now it is suspended.Desired Settlement: We want our contract cancelled due to his inability to complete the work. Also want future clients to be made aware.

Review: In June of 2013 we contacted Premier Pools about a crack at the edge of a stair leading to the hot tub, which started as a hairline fracture and grew to 3/8" within a few months. The cracks location leaves us open to possible lawsuits and even worse a good possibility someone injuring themselves if the edge breaks while someone jumps from the stair into the pool. In August 2014, I contacted premiere pools regarding cracks on the edge of the stair leading to and after numerous follow up phone calls, they finally sent a concrete guy out to assess the damages. I called [redacted] in December 2014 whom basically said that they were closed for the winter and that there was nothing she could do. On May 11, 2015, my wife, [redacted], sent a follow up email to [redacted] and [redacted] along with pictures of the damaged concrete and sections of where some of the tiles have fallen off but her email was kicked back due to [redacted] and [redacted]'s emails were no longer valid. My wife then called and left a message with premiere pools. [redacted] returned her call on May 15th and basically hung up on her as soon as she mentioned she called regarding our deck issue.Desired Settlement: Repair damages immediately.

Review: [redacted], the pool designer from Premier Pools and Spa signed a contract on May 6, 2015. to construct a new pool in 8 - 12 weeks, but never completed the work and stopped responding to emails, text and phone calls.Premier Pools and Spa workers damaged the water sewage system and broke the backyard entrance door. Due to the delay caused by Premier Pools and Spa, an extra $2,500 was paid for the concrete rework around the pool plumbing area.I have been chasing [redacted] via emails, text messages and phone calls to complete the remaining work, but I have got no response from him. I also sent a couple of contract cancellation notice to [redacted] via text message and an email.I have also contacted Premier Pools and Spa corporate office and complaint about incomplete work and lack of response from [redacted], but no action was taken nor my call was ever returned. ( All text messages, and emails will be attached for the evidence purpose).I want [redacted] and Premier Pools and Spa to pay all the damages and inconvenience and stress caused due to their negligence and unprofessional attitude.I also want a written cancellation acknowledgment from [redacted] so that the remaining contract work can be awarded to other contractors.Desired Settlement: Pay the damages and cancel the contract.

Review: We signed a contract on 5/30/2015 for a new pool construction. I paid the first installment and the excavation started on 6/4/2015 and a as of today 7/13/2015 they have not come back to continue work. I started doing more research and found that their Contractor license [redacted]) was suspended on 5/14/2015. They conducted a sale and started construction with a suspended license putting me at risk of being liable if something would have gone wrong and someone injured. Ive contact the sales person and his excuse was that the plumbing was backed up each time and then he stopped responding. Ive contacted the owner and at first he called me back and said that they had some issues with the workers comp policy and it should be resolved in a couple of days. He promised me to call me back a couple of days later but never did. Ive tried calling him back but only get his voice mail.Desired Settlement: I am requesting for a full refund and the cancellation of the contract which was signed when their contractor licenses was already suspended. The stucco on my home was damaged when they were removing concrete to start excavation.

Review: Pool contractor has taken almost 6 months to complete pool installation and it is still not complete. They promise subcontractors will finish and they never arrive or do only partial work. The contractor has been fully paid for over 2 months but just gives us the runaround on completing the final work.Desired Settlement: Finish the proper installation of the auto-fill function as well as plving and electrical connection to landscape area ASAP. It has been 2 months of promised completion.

Let me say upfront that my wife and I are very happy with the final result; however, we hated just about everything leading up to it. Premier Pools & Spas in Salida is also owned by the same person that owns the one in San Jose, so check out those reviews as well. These are franchises and not owned by the corporate office in Sacramento.

We started the process in August 2014 and chose Premier after interviewing six different pool contractors. We signed the contract in September, and they started work in the first week of October. When they first started excavation, the general foreman was onsite explaining the process and told us he was the 'go to' guy if we had any questions or concerns throughout the process. After that, we NEVER saw him again.

Excavation, gunite, and tile were completed by the first week of November. So far, we hadn't had any major issues. After the tile was installed, we didn't see anyone until mid-February. During their 3 1/2 month hiatus, we received lien notices from the gunite contractor and had a very difficult time getting anyone from Premier to explain why it was taking so long or why the gunite contractor hadn't been paid yet. When we were able to speak to someone, we were given excuse after excuse.

The equipment was finally installed in late February or early March leaving only the finish. There were several delays again and after being rescheduled four or five times, the finish was finally installed on April 22, 2015.

The project was scheduled to be completed by early December, so it ended up taking about 4 1/2 months longer than we anticipated.

Throughout the 3 1/2 month period where they all but disappeared, I was convinced that they were going to go out of business. I hired an attorney and filed a claim against Premier's bond only to find out there were quite a few claims already filed.

I received my first and only apology from the owner in mid-April, but he never once offered to compensate me for my time and trouble or pay my attorney's fees.

There is zero chance we would ever recommend Premier or use them again.

Review: My pool has been losing water since it was completed in May of 2014. [redacted] who stated he was the owner of the business but is listed on the California State Contractors board says he is only a salesmen. [redacted] continue to gives me the run-a-round about getting this taken care of and keeps telling me he is out of state. I was told to contact American Leak Detection which I did. They were unable to complete the pressure test because of the way the pool company installed the plumbing system. They did believe it may be losing some water through the pool light. [redacted] keeps telling me that he is out of state and unable to take care of the problem. The pool is losing so much water that the auto-fill feature stays on 24/7 and never fills to the appropriate level unless I put the hose in the pool. I have not been reimbursed the 195.00 I paid for American Leak Detection. [redacted] tells me that the plumbing can be temporarily plugged so that an appropriate pressure test can be done to determine where the plumbing leak is. But he will not arrange this or send someone out to do it.Desired Settlement: I want a full pressure test completed to determine where the leak is in the plumbing lines and the appropriate repairs made. If there is part of my yard that needs to be torn up, I want the repair of that to be paid for as well. I also want to be reimbursed for the 195.00 I spent on the pressure test that couldn't be completed.

Review: We signed our pool construction contract on 1/30/2015 and construction started 2/19/2015. Our contractor, [redacted], stated that the pool will take 8-12 weeks to complete as stated in the contract. The day of signing he told my 10 and 11 year old daughters they will have it done the beginning of May for their birthdays. It is now 8/14/2015 and our pool still needs plaster, pool equipment, and slate around the spa. [redacted] continued to make false promises. In May, he stated it would definitely be done before summer so the family could enjoy it. [redacted] also cost my company money when he needed someone to be there for the gunite to be poured. I rearranged my schedule on a Wednesday to be there Thursday for the pour. He calls at 4:00 pm on Wednesday to say they won't make it the next day. Now my company is at a production loss for that day. The only time [redacted] made a point to show up was for each scheduled payment which he went straight to the bank and cashed (The pool project is 90% paid). My wife and I repeatedly make phone calls and texts to [redacted]'s cell phone, the business office and corporate with no response. You get an answering machine at every location. We have had no contact for two months. It has been 6 months, twice the amount of time promised to complete construction. We've had to change our summer plans for this project several times including the complete landscaping of our backyard. What a Nightmare. No respect or ethics for the customer. The company states "We expect our team members to take initiative and do what they say they are going to do. Families count on us to make their pool buying and building experience a good one....it is the relationships with our customers that mean the most to us and validates what we do every day. We look forward to having you as part of our growing Premier Family." That's not the case.Desired Settlement: I would like the contract between Premier Pools and Spas and myself cancelled. Premier Pools and Spas should refund my money along with my company's lost day of production for breach of contract and false advertising.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH PREMIER BACKYARD POOLS AND DESIGN, INC., aka PREMIER POOLS AND SPAS, or DONALD BOUCHER (OWNER)! I am seven months into a spa and grotto build that has had nothing but problems since day one. I currently have an elevated complaint at the Contractors State License Board. I have filed a claim against their bond (through Old Republic Surety) and was informed to "Get in line". Issues: Faulty construction, faulty equipment, using unlicensed contractors for electrical / plumbing, and shortcuts that have been discovered. The owner has been paid in full (to avoid me being in "breach of contract per state definition) and lying on a beach in Costa Rica as I speak. I am a firefighter and public trust is my #1 responsibility. I am sharing this with you, the public, so you can avoid doing business with this company and individual.