UPDATE SINCE CONTACTING POOL HOPPER--NO RESOLUTION:
We are trying to have the work done by Pool Hopper corrected/repaired/replaced. Within 2 months of completion, 3 coping corners had cracked or broken (the fourth corner was damaged during initial installations which they replaced on April 29 20220, when it was also discovered a second one had broken, they glued it back together. The coping is loose in various areas as a result of the coping track being misaligned and incorrectly installed (the PVC coping installed was originally supposed to be aluminum). These issues were noticeable after Pool Hopper opened our pool on April 29, 2022. Upon contacting Pool Hopper, we were told to contact the manufacturer for warranty coverage as Pool Hopper was not going to do anything to help resolve the problems nor have they offered any compensation to help pay to fix the problems that have become apparent at/after their last visit to finalize the installation on April 29, 2022.
We have tried to get Pool Hopper to take responsibility for their work and fix it, or compensate us so that we can hire a company to make the corrections required. They have refused to take responsibility for the incorrect work and continue to make false claims as to the actual events that occurred. Pool Hoppers response Please note when the pool corners were installed, they were installed correctly and without cracks/chips, with the exception of the one corner we already replaced as a warranty claim. Unfortunately, many things can cause the coping to crack/chip or move/shift, such as changes in weather between hot and cold seasons due to expansion and contraction of the concrete pool deck, and the winter cover putting pressure on the coping (especially in the corners)...we will likely be unable to provide further services and/or materials free of charge, but I would discuss with Christian and get back to you if we were able to offer any additional services. Unfortunately, they didn't contact us. We reached out to them a month later.
We contacted Vastech as suggested by Pool Hopper and were informed that their corners/ coping are covered by a warranty to the installers only. Vastech advised us that the corners are made to withstand Canadian winters and will not crack even if they are stood on when they are properly installed. They informed us based on the pictures we provided, that: the corners have not been installed at 90degree angles to the sides and therefore they will crack; the track is also installed incorrectly and should be shimmed up to be level with the concrete surface; the way the track was installed has caused the track to bend (buckle/twist) in the center which has also caused the finishing top coping not to fit tightly in place.
What we perceived to be errors in the installation have been confirmed by follow-up calls and visits with 4 local pool installation & repair companies to evaluate the installation of our pool coping/coping track/corner pieces that are cracking or not secured, All companies, as well as the manufacturer of the coping (Vastec), have indicated our pool coping has been installed incorrectly.
Overall, we have been told that the only way to fully correct the situation is to redo the entire installation, including the new coping track, and re-install the current coping and new liner. The estimates for this work range from $5k to $8k.
We are requesting a $1500 refund of the $6600 we paid to Pool Hopper (which was a price match to another local company of thirty years). This refund would allow us to hire an experienced company to replace the cracked/broken corners align the tracks and fix the loose coping, as well as remove and recaulk the entire perimeter.
We have contacted Pool Hopper and the conversations/emails have produced no remedy/warranty or company responsible for the situation. Our last correspondence with Pool hopper was on September 12 2022 when we requested a refund of $1500. Their response was Based on.. our previous emails, phone calls, etc., as well as the $1000+ in services and materials, are given to you free of charge, we cannot provide you with any further compensation.
The only things we received from Pool Hopper free of charge was the closing and opening of our pool (we usually open/close the pool ourselves). This was offered, as a way to make up for the delivery/issues encountered during the Summer/Fall installation in 2021. In fact, some installation work had to be delayed until the opening of the pool in the Spring of 2022.
PREVIOUSLY:
we were very disappointed with the service we received from this company. From the delays/lack of follow-up, delivery of incorrect parts, damage caused during install, carelessness with cleanup (several screws and metal shavings left behind) and lack of attention to detail. We went the entire summer with exposed sharp metal tracking because the supplier sent the the wrong coping. which was supplied about 6 weeks prior to install but unchecked by the Christian until the day of install. Needless to say we waited an additional 2 months before the situation was corrected ( by rough cutting the 10 foot coping to fit and waiting an addition month for 3 more pieces) The coping still doesn't fit properly in certain areas. The steel track that holds the coping was not aligned properly when installed, making it impossible to align the top coping cover. The corners where not installed at 90 degree angles causing one to crack over the winter (which they glued the piece back on as a fix) Another corner was damaged during install which we asked them to replace, and they did. It got to a point that we were apprehensive to pointing out the problems because it was met with hostility. There was an additional 2 week delay because their supplier ran out of the liner we had ordered 8 weeks prior/ Christian had called us on the day we thought he was going to install, to inform us the supplier did not have our liner available and it could be months before it would be back in stock, after he had told us 2 weeks prior everything was on track, We picked another liner and waited another two weeks. The whole process took about a year and although there are still outstanding issues ( bits of gravel/concrete trapped between the wall and the liner from the last of 4 failed attempts to fix a wrinkle, loss coping, misaligned seems and corner coping pieces as well as a bad caulking job) we are hoping that we don't have any major warrantee issues! which has been back dated to September 24, since (according to Them, that was the date the coping/liner was installed, even if incorrectly, all correction are now apart of the warranty coverage..
