Right Choice Pools....Matt Barrass Beware Beware Beware...Right Choice Pools is the wrong choice....Matt Barrass an opportunist!!! Coral Springs Florida

Matt’s track record that he mentions in his response absolutely speaks for its self. In the short time he has been in business with this company, he has had 2 lawsuits filed against him - one in Miami-Dade (2014-031034-CA-01, Betancourt vs Right Choice Pools) and another in Palm Beach County (502015CC007018XXXXNB, White vs Right Choice Pools). Matt Barrass has also owned several prior companies - all closed within 2-3 years or less - and Right Choice Pools is just his latest endeavor. He also has an "F" rating on the Better Business Bureau. BUYER BEWARE.

Matt..... You speak of Karma.....Seems to be lots of us that have had our deposits stolen Are vanding together! It's time that all people Matt Barrass has stolen the deposits from stand up together. Contact www.rightchoicepoolsexperience@gmail.com  to Record your complaint too so Matt who believes in Karma finds his true Karma! He did no work on out pool permit and wasted 5 months of our time. I mean zero work at all on the permit. I want to make myself clear....... NO WORK AT ALL FOR THE PERMIT. After all his fibs that the was just days away we found out from the county he had done nothing for us. We bought a house to flip that needed work to complete and the pool had no permit. We would be fined if the permit was not completed in a short amount of time. Matt promised to get it and did nothing at all and told us stories for months that any day it would come. We received a warning letter from the county stating we were going to be fined for not getting the permit. Matt told us to disregard the letter at at that point 3 months latter he filed the permit into his company name under his brothers license since he is not licensed himself which we did not know!!!! After finding this out we fired Matt for this reason along with his very sub par care of our pool which was for weeks a very dark emerald green color. My wife fairly easily got the permit and Matt refuse to return our $5000 deposit. We paid Matt an additional $8000 in full for his sub par work but Matt who could have easily gotten the permit did not lift a finger on that endeavor and felt he deserved to steal our deposit because we signed a contract. He never fulfilled the contract and told me there was no time table but he knew we needed it quick and that is why we were willing to pay the premium to get it done when these things cost next to nothing to get and it should have been comped in with the work we paid for him to do. We found out a lot about Matt at the county when my wife did his work. Bad work, bad business, BAD PERSON!

Matt plain and simply is just bad news! Do yourself a favor and get a reputable contracter with his own license rather than his brothers. I believe it is not too difficult to assess whether someone would just be mean and write a bad review for no reason at all or, on the other hand, I think people are smart enough to figure out the fake positive reviews that Matt writes. Don't take a chance. Matt is really NOT the type of person to do business with.... Believe me and the many other true and honest real reviews of his lame work, harsh personality, rationalized morals and terrible reputation! 

To Whom It May Concern:

In 49 years, I have never been arreseted, not once... & in 27 years in the construction in South Florida, I have only been court once for my divorce only & I have never been sued, not once... RCP has been A RATED with Angies List for over a year now & we pride ourselves on building an amzing product... We have 100's of happy clients, our office is opened for anyone who wants to come in or you can call me at at anytime... I LET MY REAL TRACK RECORD SPEAK FOR ITSELF... This sounds like a pool competitor who wrote... I teach all of my employees to not say anything about any other pool companies... WE FOCUS ON BUILDING VALUE IN WHAT RCP HAS TO OFFER... We are all firm belivers in KARMA & what goes around, comes around... 

THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO RESPOND...

Matt Barrass, President of RIGHT CHOICE POOLS & SPAS, INC. 

RIP OFF REPORT REBUTTTAL - In February of 2013, I was contacted by my sister-in-law who told me that a real estate client of hers was purchasing a million dollar home & that the pool had been sitting for months.  She also told me that the pool & pool permit was abandoned by the original pool contractor.  I was also told that the new buyer wanted to do a "Change of Contractor" in order to check all the permitting & to finalize all of the inspections / finals (Certificate of Completion) etc…   

About a week later I was contacted by Mrs. Halbauer (the new buyer) & I explained to her in great length & detail, the entire process as best I could & I expressed to her that a "Change of Contractor" can possibly be a very difficult process depending on what the previous contractor did or didn’t do. I explained to Mrs. Halbauer that you never really know what you’re in for when it comes to “Change of Contractors” because the new contractor basically is assuming responsibility & that they are not always cut & dry... I explained to Mrs. Halbauer that it could take anywhere from 30 to 50 hours, depending on how the job was left by the previous pool contractor (how many remaining inspections etc…) I told her that a pool permit almost always involves the following, but not limited to, a plumbing permit, an electrical permit, a mechanical permit, deck permit, fencing/barrier requirements & a structural permit, as well as obtaining all necessary inspections… but it really depends on the particular building department as to what is required / needed, that sometimes each building department can or may enforce different code requirements …  

So, I broke down all of the above for Mrs. Halbauer & I clarified that preparing all of this paperwork would be very time consuming.  I also let her know that my office was in Coral Springs & her municipality was in the Palm Beach County Building Department, which also met my price would involve additional costs for trip charges (fuel, tolls & permit runner fees) & this would definitely be added to the cost & time involved.  Mrs. Halbauer asked for the proposal, which I presented to her (see attached).  Upon my follow up a week later, she was concerned that my price seemed a little high so I reiterated to her that we would more than likely have to meet with multiple building inspectors at the job site in order to finalize all of required inspections needed etc... & again I explained that the “Change of Contractor” DID NOT include any pricing for any and all physical work (materials or labor)… I further explained to Mrs. Halbauer that any repairs, as clearly stated in the “Change of Contractor” agreement would be an additional cost over & above the cost of the actual “Change of Contractor” fee. 

I didn't hear anything back from Mrs. Halbauer for about 6 to 8 weeks… then I was called by Mrs. Halbauer & she told me that they had the Seller of the property place money in an escrow account for the pool & that they were ready to move forward. 

I then met with Mrs. Halbauer on April 26, 2013, nine (9) weeks after I had originally submitted my price for the "Change of Contractor”, which is more than enough time for Mr. Halbauer to review the “Change of Contractor” form. I went over the one page contract again word by word with Mrs. Halbauer, which by the way the document is in all capital letters & has NO FINE PRINT & CLEARLY STATES THAT IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY PHYISCAL WORK TO BE DONE TO THE POOL (see attached)... Mrs. Halbauer signed & dated everything, she gave me a deposit check & the process started.  At that time, Mrs. Halbauer also said that her pool needed to be serviced weekly, so we also reviewed our Pool Service Agreement & Mrs. Halbauer signed it & also said that the pool & the pool equipment also needed to be inspected & asked me to please look at everything for her when we went to clean the pool for the 1^st time & give her a quote / quotes for anything that we thought needed to be repaired and / or replaced.  So later that week upon a thorough inspection of the pool & pool equipment we immediately told Mrs. Halbauer the pool needed to be refinished, that the plumbing was poorly laid out, the suction & water pressure was weak, the valves were leaking & not closing or opening completely, the pool electric looked very suspect & that the filter & pump were in bad shape. We told her in order to bring the pool up to PAR would involve a lot of work & money.  I want to clarify that this was a remodel job & RCP did not design &/or build this pool. Also let me state that the pool is over 120 LF with a large spa… At that time Mrs. Halbauer made it very clear that she & her husband only wanted to fix the bare minimum because they were flipping the home & she really didn’t want to exceed the amount that was being held in the escrow account by the Seller... I told her I would try my best but I couldn’t promise anything on the pricing…

Over the next three (3) months we had been at the Halbauer home working on the pool 1 to 2 days per week fixing one item at a time (due to the Halbauer’s request & budget), hoping that each item repaired would fix the problems with the pool… The biggest problem really seemed to be a lack of water pressure & suction through the skimmers &/or main drain... Besides myself & my workers visiting the job site I also had a Hayward Representative go there & inspect everything… I personally met with Mrs. Halbauer over those next 3 month period 11 different times showing her & explaining to her exactly what needed to be done, why & exactly what had already been done.  I also have over 160 text messages & phone calls to & from Mrs. Halbauer & no matter what work was ever proposed or discussed Mrs. Halbauer would always say that she needed to check with her husband 1^st & would call me back & give us/RCP the OK or not... She did this every time always checking with her husband & always giving me the OK to perform the work & once the work was performed she would pay for each item as the work was completed. This was all fine & everything seemed to be going very well. Mrs. Halbauer voiced to me several times how happy she was with me & RIGHT CHOICE POOLS & that she wished all companies in South Florida were like us.

So over the three (3) month period we did multiple work for the Halbauer’s & we were paid with multiple checks, & not just 1 check which adds to why I am so confused with Mr. Halbauer's reaction & what he told me over the phone...

In Mr. Halbauer’s complaint he makes it sound like we came to their home in the middle of the night during a bad storm & pressured them into signing a contract, when that cannot be farther from the truth... All of the work we performed can be confirmed & backed up by receipts & pictures...

About 2 weeks into the job, Mrs. Halbauer asked me if I knew of a good electrician & I gave her my electrician’s phone number... I called my electrician & told him to take care of the Halbauer’s & to discount the work for them if possible... This too can all be confirmed by my licensed electrician...

So, on 7/20/2013 Mr. Halbauer, out of nowhere, called me & started yelling at me calling me “a scum bag Boca contractor”, screaming saying "why wasn't all the work done to the pool included in the Change of Contractor fee…? I tried to calmly explain to Mr. Halbauer & I asked Mr. Halbauer to please read all of our signed agreements including the signed “Change of Contractor” fee & within seconds he called me a “con-artist & a pitiful man”. I said “Mr. Halbauer this job has been going on for over 20 weeks, has gone very well & I am shocked by what you are saying” Mr. Halbauer said “you’ll be shocked when I sue you & make your life & your family’s life miserable” continuing to scream, stating “your sister-in-law just lost thousands of dollars when I sell this house” I then said, “Sir, my sister-in law has done nothing wrong & did a great job for you” & he said “your all going down”…

Now I want to say that I am not in the top 1%, I do not flip multi-million dollar homes & I don’t make millions of dollars a year, far from it, I’m middle class, I rent my home & we all work 50 to 60 hours per week at our small family business & Mr. Halbauer wants to sue me for the SPORT over what I think is a few thousand dollars, that’s sad… it reminds me of the movie “Trading Places” where the two old rich guys screw with Eddie Murphy’s & Dan Aykroyd's character’s lives over a $1.00 bet. Mr. Halbauer’s complaint speaks for itself, I guess Boca is the sue capital of the world like they say & I guess based on Mr. Halbauer’s these rich people now know how to sue people for free…

 In 48 years I have never been sued & I take care of my clients & for every guy like Mr. Halbauer I have 100 clients who would say the complete opposite about me & Right Choice Pools…

In closing that was my first & only conversation with Mr. Halbauer & it only lasted approximately 4 minutes & Mr. Halbauer would not even let me speak...he was very abusive continuing to threaten me & tell me “he had enough money to bury me”… I tried to say we could meet & try to resolve any differences & please not to involve my sister-in-law but he continued yelling & name calling acting as if he knew nothing about the last 20 weeks in which we were working on his pool & the pool permitting/"Change of Contractor" then he hung up on me....

Again, we are a small family business who strives to do a great job for all of our customers... RCP is A rated with Angies List & we are doing well & the hard work we all do is paying off but unfortunately I have a very wealthy man who is clearly a bully & openly admits to wanting to sue me & make my life miserable… Trying to hurt RCP & my family for the sport of it… Please ask yourself what kind of person signs contracts, completely ignores what the contract clearly says & makes these kinds of comments & threats… I / RCP worked very hard for the Halbauer’s & I did not abandoned the Halbauer job & I am always willing to honor any & all obligations & see any of my job through to the end...

Regretfully,

Matt Barrass, Owner & President of Right Choice Pools & Spas, Inc.

Don't be ignorant to Matt's lack of morals! Simply look up his last name on here and you will get a taste of his real non-fictional customers. Bad man and bad business! 

I just built a house in FL and RCP have been more then help full and have great prices.
I checked them at Angies list and they only have great reviews!!!

I currently live in CT, am not related to them but I think because they are honest people and have a good rep, I took the time and wrote this!!!

Evelyn R.
Fairfield, CT

Here is what Angies list says:

No     A     10/28/2013     I think they were fine. They were good. I just haven't thought of anyone to go with but they were one of the top. We are still deciding what exactly we want....             
No     A     10/21/2013     It was easy getting a quote from them. Their demeanor was good, friendly and competitive.  Their price was competitive and lower than what other competitors had...             
Page of Happiness Nominee     A     10/1/2013     RIGHT CHOICE POOLS TOOK MY BACKYARD AND TURNED TRASH INTO TREASURE! I shopped long and hard for a pool contractor to handle my backyard project and I couldn't...             
No     A     8/5/2013     The work was a great experience from beginning to the end.  We had rain almost every day this spring but this company was able to complete the pool before the...             
No     A     8/4/2013     Being in the service industry, my expectations are typically higher that the average consumer. Matt exceeded my expectations and is a true professional. He...             
    Service Provider Response: (removed member name), Thanks so much for those kind words... Right Choice Pools prides ourselve on giving everyone that we work with 6...

I believe that people sometimes get carried away.

There are ways to resolve issues with builders in general.

You should ask for a warranty.

RCP asked us for $ 1500 deposit

another $ 1500 to submit plans for the pool and another 5 % down on the pool

All we have to pay now is 3 payments.

1st when they start the pool, 2nd payment when halfways completed and the balance due when the pool is filled with water and checked for leaks etc.

A friend of ours who is an engeneer will oversee the pfoject.

These articles don't shock me at all. I see Matt Barrass is still up to his usual tricks. He is the scum of all scum. He ripped my husband and I off and uses bullying, and price gouging to make money on trusting, unsuspecting people. He is NOT a contractor. He is just a conman with no education and this is the way he, and his family operates. I see he's moved on from his brother's company and ventured out on his own to scam, lie and cheat his way through life. He's had other lawsuits and has a perosnal criminal past that is highly questionable. Steer clear from this annial. He pretends he is an honest businessman, but he's a compulsive liar and highly unethical in every way. I hope these homeowner's file complaints and sue the crap out of this a-hole. Altough he keeps resurfacing, he'll eventually croack in his own sh*&.

Sorry for all your troubles with this jackas... I too went through it as well.