Sonco Pools & Spas

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/14) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@soncopools.com
We began working with this customer on their pool project in Aug After nearly 3-months of telephone conversations,
email correspondences, visits to the customer's home, planning, estimating, quoting, negotiating price, etcwe contracted with them for the installation of their in-ground poolOur contract is dated Nov 13, for an early Spring buildThe pool deposit was never an exchange for moving anyone up on the pool dig order, we build our pools in the order they are contracted and we require a minimum 10% deposit from every pool contracted
Throughout the entire process, very high on this customer's priorities list was that their pool be as close to 1st on our building schedule as possibleWe explained that they were the second vinyl pool contracted and scheduled to start early that next Spring, weather permitting
On January 26, the customer contacted our company explaining that he wished to cancel his pool contractOur contract clearly states that deposits are non-refundable and this is stated on the signature page of our contract with this customer
We explained to him that our business decisions, buying decisions, scheduling of the dig order (which affects other potential contracts), all play their part in this policyThese deposits fund our existence throughout the off season and they pay for our material orders for the upcoming season...material orders that are placed based on the pools already contractedWe simply could not run our business affectively if deposits were refundableEarly buy material orders had already been placed based on this contract and others
To try to assist this customer in their situation, we offered them a couple options: (1) we could postpone their project to a later date this year or, (2) we would allow them to apply their deposit to a new contract next year (2016)Their response to us was to ask that the deposit be applied to a hot tubWe explained that those departments are handled separately and that this was not an option available to them
We did tell them that we could look at making the pool smaller, however, we also explain that it likely would not have a big enough impact for them on the total costWe do allow our customers to make some changes prior to construction and during with a change order applied to the original contractTypical change orders are making the pool deck larger or smaller, adding sporting packages, etc
On February 3, the customer wrote us in an email that they wanted to go with option (2) that we offered and apply the deposit to a pool contract
Just over one month later on March 10, they emailed us again writing, "Please confirm this project is canceled and there is no obligation from either party."
We have been flexible with this customer and offered them viable options to use his payment toward a pool at a later dateWe even told him that we would not pursue the contract in its entirety (over 47K) as would be our legal right to do so
This was never a matter of whether or not we believed them, but one of years of experience and company policies that are the backbone of our companies financial stability as a seasonal business
Our company is still ready and happily desiring to create this backyard project for this family, should they decide to continue with the project this year or nextHowever, his email to us on the 10th of March implied that he does not wish to do thatHe has made no attempt to contact us since then