SUBMITTED: Friday, July 17, 2009
POSTED: Friday, July 17, 2009
Danny Ducello neglects to mention a number of facts in his criticism of our company, such as:
• He claims that only UniServ turns his pool green. However, he came to our company under a deal where he could receive three free months of service, or $300 of repairs; all with a one year contract. Mr. Ducello chose only one free month of service because the pool was in such bad shape that the rest of his credit was put towards a prolonged special cleaning involving several visits and lots of chemicals.
• In our conversation, Mr. Ducello claimed: “Only UniServ has a problem with my pool, and I've had dozens of companies.” Exactly! He's right! But, it's the same as if I told my doctor: “You're incompetent, you've been working on my smoker's cough and it's no better, and I've been to dozens of doctors before you about it.”
• Which brings us to why Mr Ducello's pool has problems staying blue and clear. Any pool professional will tell you that many factors can be involved, especially in the extreme heat and intense sun of South Florida. In this case, we know that there's sand all around the pool and three dogs who like to swim. A dog the equivalent of ten to seventeen humans in filter use and chemical consumption, so it's like adding a ‘bather load' of 30 to 51 people. Other possible factors, among many, are the hours per day a pump is on (Florida Spa and Pool Association recommends twelve hours a day in the summer) and the efficiency of equipment. Also, nobody but the owner of a pool can know how much fresh, untreated water is added to a pool every week. Leaks can be hidden for years this way, and many customers do not wish to pay the hundreds of dollars required for leak checks and repairs. This may or may not be true with this pool.
• Finally, claiming bad service is a convenient way to try to void a one year contract that's front-loaded with customer benefits. Mr. Ducello did not have to sign a contract to receive our services. Most people do not. He did so to receive free service and repairs. Mr. Ducello has a (self-admitted) history of changing pool companies. Doubtless, the past companies have had the same problems we've had, as evidenced by the condition of the pool when we started.
All of the above is why we fully intend to hold Mr. Ducello to the one-year contract that he signed, or collect the appropriate liquidated damages. For the record, UniServ has a "B+" rating with Better Business Bureau and is one of a minority of state licensed pool companies in Florida.
Alan