- Approximate cost of services:
- $70,000.00
Concrete pool maintenance & repair
A “0” rating, we did absolutely nothing right? If the service was so bad why did this homeowner continue with us throughout the entire summer & even asked us to close the pool? From the onset, our service foreman, John, attended to this house in Bayview Hill, he had assessed the pool, equipment & surroundings & had discussed with the homeowner the procedures that were required to put the pool in proper working condition. The homeowner went on to tell John that he was unable to find a service company that could take care of this pool to his standards throughout the past many years, had specifically named approximately 5 of the most long established premier pool companies in the city & hoped that we would be the first.
John had informed me that this back yard is completely overgrown and un-kept. The vegetation has been left unchecked and more closely resembles a “jungle”. The interlock decking was old, un-level & had dirt & weeds growing up between the cracks. The pool needed to be drained, acid washed, re-plastered or at the very least painted. The stone coping was dislodged with few intact areas of grout where required. The tile work was in need of repair, or more appropriately replacement. The homeowner went on emphasize that only his wife swims in it & at that perhaps once or twice per year and that is why he neglected it & furthermore did not want to spend any money on it other than to nurse it along. He only approved the bare necessity of an acid wash & a pump as it too was in disrepair. It is most certainly true that there had existed an algae problem with the pool specifically in two main areas. This was a direct result from the garden soil running beneath the stone coping after any precipitation, bringing with it enough organic matter to cause more than just algae. This was brought to the homeowners’ attention & he was told that this problem would persist until the proper & needed reparation to the stone coping had been done. He was given a price & we were told that it was simply not in the budget. Despite the conditions that we had to endure, we had continued on faithfully every week throughout the summer with each visit requiring more than twice the effort to clean this pool. The client was advised in June that we would need to double the rate to continue on as the procedures took over twice the time.
Upon presentation of the final bill at the end of the season (as was customary with our regular clients), the homeowner basically offered half & then decided that it was a good time to complain about the service he had received for the past four months. At this point we had decided to fire the client, however, as a measure of goodwill in the send off we had told the homeowner that if he contacted us in the springtime, we would extend our cost price on the two items which he wanted replaced, I believe was the filter dial valve & the heater, both of which had been disconnected. He was told that we were not interested in doing any more work for him & that he could find someone else to install the items. We felt that he did not deserve this offer of value but opted to take the high road anyway.
We did not receive any further correspondence from this client until the following spring when this review was posted. In his review he noted that we had not contacted him, nor fixed the said items, the reality was that there was never a promise or otherwise from us to do anymore work there and he was to call us if he wanted the discounted items In retrospect we wish now that we did not extend that offer of value and instead just moved on cleanly in the fall time. No good deed goes unpunished.
Without doubt, this customers caption is not in perspective of the reality that had existed. Any reasonable person realizes that contracting in general can and does have issues from time to time. Often there can be extenuating circumstances, we rely on others outside of our direct control, suppliers, sub contractors, inclement weather, changes in work ordered, unforeseen/ unexpected problems that arise etc. It’s not the issues per se that become the problem, it’s how the company reacts to the problem. Certainly we want everything to run as smoothly as possible all of the time and furthermore realize the superior value in every client having the best experience along the way. It is for this reason that we exercise due diligence and strive to provide what we ourselves would want if the tables were turned.
The facts are as follows:
• The manufacturer made an error with the vinyl liner and had fabricated it to fit an 11' step as opposed to the 10 ft step that was ordered and built. They admitted 100% fault, supplied a written admission of fault and rectified the situation without cost. It was the busiest part of the season and with all of our efforts it did take over 2 weeks. The reality of this delay was in the end inconsequential to the homeowner as they had instructed us to not install the liner and fill the pool until the fence was installed around it because they have 4 children under 7 years old & 2 dogs, 1 elderly. This replacement liner was delivered and sat in the box for around a week waiting for them to install the fence. They didn't have the fence installed despite us arranging a top notch installer which they declined, and decided to do it themselves. We had arranged for them to buy the fence directly from the manufacturer at our cost. They had experienced a delay in getting the fence perhaps complicated by the fact that the homeowner managed to offend the owner of the fence manufacturer. We've not experienced that after working with this manufacturer for over 25 years. In the end, the homeowner instructed us to install the liner despite the fence not being installed and it had been weeks beyond that before they had completed it. It was a 20 acre parcel with other natural perils but still not a good idea.
• Regarding her comment on lack of communication, certainly we realize the value in meaningful communication as it is integral to the overall efficiency, accuracy and success of the project. She was apprised of all progressions along the way. At the point that the liner had to be remade she had decided to berate me incessantly, multiple times per day despite being given all the information that we had at that time. It was to the point of unrealistic expectation and became a substantial burden cutting into productive time. If you have the answer of the day, multiple more calls won’t change that.
• Regarding the landscaping component; we offer full service and also work with other subcontractors as hired directly by the homeowner. In this case we had referred a reputable landscaper that we had dealt with over the previous 5 years. The homeowner had contracted with them directly to install a modest surround including interlock decking and an Armour stone retaining wall. Unbeknownst to us, this landscaper had merged with another landscaper over the previous winter that turned out to be less than ethical and decided to bury the remaining unused interlock, approx 30 sq. ft. They were caught, and have been banished from our referral list. The homeowner had withheld $5,000 from him, many times more the cost of the damages.
• The homeowner had stated that "Every part of this project has had cost overruns or problems so far". The reality was that there was not one cost overrun, everything came in exactly within budget that was stipulated within the contract. They had ordered an increase in deck size, approximately 30% and their billing from the landscaper had reflected that. From the onset, we had provided a detailed drawing that clearly indicated the size, shape and position of the pool. On site meetings established the desired grade and the retaining wall was based upon that position & elevation. Upon commencement of the stake out before the pool excavation, the homeowner moved the pool location some 30 feet plus away where the grade drops off substantially thus requiring a taller retaining wall. They were aware of the costs involved for the change in volume to the wall.
• As for payments, she followed our standard contract which contains progress draws that reflect most of our competitors within this industry. The 4th installment for 10% of the contract amount is due upon the coping or the liner installation, whichever comes first. The coping had been done back in the fall & we did not request that draw until the springtime when we had resumed work. The liner issue subsequently followed, however the 4th draw was due regardless and we weren't aware of the liner issue until we had been instructed to install it despite the arrangement for the fence to be in place first.
In conclusion, we had followed up with written letters to her telling her that we wish to maintain amicable & ongoing relations. That we are committed to stand behind our product & for her to feel absolutely welcome in calling for any pool needs.
ingroung swimming pool and spa
Swimming Pool, Aquatic Services
Established since 1968, Lido has accumulated over four decades of knowledge and expertise specializing in the design and development of the greatest proven innovations in construction methods and components this industry has to offer. Our unique structural design is superior in strength, tried and tested for longevity and backed by the exclusive "Pool Elite Warranty Program", the most comprehensive guarantee available in the industry.