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Report: #1225832

Complaint Review: California Pools Arizona Office - Chandler Arizona

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  • Reported By: Chuck and Debbie Fehr — Glendale Arizona USA
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  • California Pools Arizona Office 4320 W Chandler Blvd Bldg # Chandler, Arizona USA

California Pools Arizona Office The company pool displays are false and misleading and they do not provide scheduled services accurately. Chandler Arizona

*Consumer Suggestion: Forgot one important point

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Customer is wrong I am a 10 year retired pool professional!

*Author of original report: California Pools Arizona Answering Complaint

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 Before adding a pool to our million dollar property we interviewed the leading pool contracting companies in Arizona. We liked the pebble-sheen product we saw displayed at new construction properties by California Pools. We knew they were a California based company with Las Vegas and Phoenix valley design and construction locations. We designed our own pool as a large 1/4 size Olympic pool for fitness swimming. We also have family pool parties. The pool was completed in 01/2013 with a swim season from 04/13-11/13 and we instantly noticed the pebble-sheen surface was very ruff in comparison to the model home pools we had viewed. We called in and were told the pool had to SEASON itself.

We called back in at the end of the pool season 11/2013 and we were put off by the company telling us the pool was still too NEW, regardless of swimmer's with hurt feet and swim suit snags on a Baja pad that was mostly used by parents with small children in the family. We were to call them back after the SECOND SEASON. In August of 2014 we called again stating the SEASONING of the pool was obviously nothing more than an EXCUSE since the pool use along the edge, the bottom and on the Baja pad was still causing scratching bleeding feet and ruined swim suits. Swimmers finished the season wearing swim shoes in the pool, and we were told to call again at the "end of the SEASON". Up to this point no representative from this company ever came out to look at the pool finish when asked.

We called their Arizona office again 11/2014 and an actual visit by a staff member confirmed the pool surface was very ruff, but since to fix the pool we would have to empty it, it would cost less in March of 2015 to re-fill the pool, so we were told to call back 3/2015 to get on their list to have the pool acid washed, hoping some build-up of chemicals would solve the texture problem. Now, we were also encountering a large surface separation of the cool-deck with the pool tile at the grout line. This was causing a bug problem for us at the pool line. This is what they sold us as a "floating deck". No one could swim at night or get up against the side of the pool due to BUGS that attracted SCORPIONS.

We called the first week of March 2015 and I asked for a management supervisor to come out and get in the pool to understand the texture problem. California Pools did send a WORKER to re-grout the disappearing grout-line between the top edge of the interior decorative pool tiles and the "floating cool-deck". He arrived an hour before dark, and he had to lower the pool water line. He started re-grouting by hanging over the edge of the pool and shoving hands full of grout up under the edge of the cool-deck. Much of the grout mixture FELL INTO THE POOL. Being familiar with GROUT we asked him about the grout falling in the POOL, and if it would HURT the pool system or the pebble-sheen finish on the pool. He said the gout would dissipate in the water.

It was well into the EVENING and in the DARK before this worker left our property. The next morning "in the light we were aware of all the hardened GROUT laying in the bottom of the pool, as well as the sloppy grout line he created with grout splatter on the decorative tiles. Again, we called California Pools and we were put-off with staff stating no one was available to take our calls. After many calls and phone conversations with the dysfunctional office staff a manager arrived. As a manager HE stated our pool texture problem was nothing more than a build-up of the powder that is used in pool tabs. Had we been using the NON-POWDER pool tabs and keeping a better chemical balance we would not have encountered ANY PROBLEMS with the texture of the pool.

I told him I had a hard time understanding how powder would make the pool sharp enough to make children and adult swimmer's feet crack and bleed, since typically powder build-up on any other surface makes the surface "SLICK". He agreed to share the costs of an acid wash and a pool BUFFING that would solve the NEW surface problem with hardened GROUT, and the ruff texture of the pool. This was scheduled to the end of April due to their only acid washing on a Monday schedule. Understanding the SIZE of our pool we anticipated a working staff to arrive at our residence for the day to address and fix our pool surface. On Monday 04/27/2015 California Pool's out-sourced workers arrived at approximately 10:30am (two people), with one person sitting watching a second person buffing our pool surface for a total of 15 min, and then this second person power-washed our pool surface, starting our pool refilling with water at the end of approximately two hours of work by one person.

We did not recognize any actual acid washing was done and the surface texture has not changed. The workers stopped filling the pool and pumped out the water they added until after the manager could come view their work. At 7am on Tuesday 04/28/2015 the manager came to the residence to go over their job and our complaint about even sharing the costs with them related to the job that was performed. He stated the pool surface seemed softer to him, and that nothing more could be done without damaging the surface more than what we have known since the pool was originally finished three seasons ago. He restarted the water fill and now we agreed the $125 pool chemical start-up could not be performed until Friday (with a refilled pool).

So, at 2:40pm today a California Pools staff person showed up TWO DAYS EARLY to a partially filled pool to RESTART our chemicals for our pre-paid $125. The person put possibly THREE puck tabs in our pool float, and that he would have to come back on FRIDAY to finish since the water level was not at the skimmer level yet. He did call in and his remark was "obviously one hand does not know what the other hand is doing". So, they show pool surfaces they do not provide, they blame user chemical imbalance for their pool surface problems, their office is totally dysfunctional, their office staff actually causes communication problems directly due to scheduling errors, their out-sourced workers comments are as negative about California Pools as ours are.

Our pool purchase was by banking debit card on the schedule of payment they demanded. We have no problem paying for quality workmanship, but this pool addition has been, and will be an ongoing nightmare. Now, tonight we find our pool pop-up floor cleaners are not functioning. WE do not anticipate any better relationship with California Pools as we go to the next round of phone calls and work scheduling. What a JOKE, This company is certainly not interested in return customers or word-of-mouth referral customers or they would fix the problems they have created for customers. Please avoid working with California Pools. Chuck & Debbie/Glendale Arizona

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/29/2015 06:55 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/california-pools-arizona-office/chandler-arizona-85226/california-pools-arizona-office-the-company-pool-displays-are-false-and-misleading-and-th-1225832. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
1Author
2Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#3 Consumer Suggestion

Forgot one important point

AUTHOR: Jayson - (USA)

POSTED: Sunday, December 20, 2015

You say your pool is 3 years old. The Arizona water is very hard so it's not uncommon for calcium deposits to occur with improper chemical maintenance.

Tiny little calcium stalagmites are as hard as rocks and very sharp and will even form on smooth tile commonly referred to as a "bathtub" ring... this ring is so hard even an acid based solution has a hard time removing it and is best buffed off. I noticed you did not mention that as the fault of the pool company.

You see an accelerated version when you see a white deposit on a pan that has boiled water. So over three years of not understanding water evaporation and water chemistry would be owner neglect.

You might have needed to drain your pool after each season to put in fresh water because of the hard water forming calcium deposits and getting an acid wash each time you drain. This is a maintenance issue period. Your pool builder can hardly be responsible for the quality of your water.

This is a maintenance issue period. Your pool builder can hardly be responsible for the quality of your water.

To do the work needed is a one person job... do you for know for certain what the other person was there for?... Maybe in training or help getting things unpacked and packed which would be of great help for a one person job??

It's important not to over buff when you have the right equipment so time is not a factor to just knock down the sharp calcium deposits. One quick pass is all that is needed. 

I suggest you understand water chemistry or hire a professional or a better pool service. An

An infloor system is designed to do one thing stir up the water... when the water leaves the pool whatever water passes by a suction area is deposited in the filter system. This has nothing to do with water chemistry however very hard water that has never been changed can affect the "pop-up" properties.

At best an infloor system has more moving parts and it's not unusual for repairs with pools that have been improperly maintained especially over three years.  Again I hear "sour grapes". 

It seems to me that instead of your bad Rip Off Report you should offer a retraction and an apology as most companies that I knew in Arizona would have stuck to their guns and showed you on their contract why they are not responsible for 1. calcium deposits (water chemistry) 2. Expansive soil conditions and deck separation. Your costs would be much more for the repairs. You got off easy and what you received did not even cover their costs to try and make you happy.

You got off easy and what you received did not even cover their costs to try and make you happy.

One of the reasons you probably choose Cal Pools was their impeccably low if any (Registrar Of Contractors) complaints.

The fact that they came out to try to "MAKE YOU RIGHT" is a testament to a quality company. This was an unfair posting and you should be ashamed of your actions. What's done is done though isn't it ... so I guess you win. :(

Jayson owner/innovator of The Macroloading Method.

 

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#2 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Customer is wrong I am a 10 year retired pool professional!

AUTHOR: Jayson T - (Belize)

POSTED: Sunday, December 20, 2015

 

As someone at the forefront of pebble technologies and a definitive expert... In fact, I submitted when the product came out to name it "pebble-smooth", but the company used Pebblesheen just for this kind of customer.
 
It is clear this customer really has other issues.
 
I no longer work in the pool industry, but still use swimming pools. 
 
When our feet soak in water they get soft and prune like and any surface that has a texture will impact your feet depending on the amount of friction created "play pool".
 
The "ruff"...  or rough surface is overstated but can be buffed a little if there are some natural occurring "pebbles" that are not perfectly smooth and yes it's better to drain and "fix" during cooler weather on an empty pool rather than the hottest time of the year. So I understand a delay and I am sure this was explained as the reason for waiting ... This is very common it's Arizona.
 
It's perfectly clear that these people choose the product because of its natural beauty. Is nature perfect - no, but to make such an issue is over the top if they really understand the product that they purchased? It sounded like they received the correct attention, but not to their scheduling satisfaction... hard to make that a rip-off. This report by Rip Off Reports should never have been published... as they did not do their due diligence or just do not understand the science.
 
The separation on a floating deck is on purpose... some companies still tie into the decks with rebar which does not allow separation, but in expansive "growing" soil (and most all soil will expand with water). You have to make the choice between locked deck pours that crack on top of the deck from soil pressure and repairs that are impossible to fix correctly. You choose the proper pool company that did the job the way it should have been built.
 
The best deck is a floating deck design... Coming back at separation and re-grouting or silicone sealing is the correct course of action... You state you had an "in-floor" cleaning system basically a "stir it up machine" all grout in water would dissolve and the in-floor system would just put the powdered grout into suspension to be taken away via main drains and skimmer to be deposited in the filter... problem solved. The same principle the same as particulates "dust" falling from the sky.
 
This also indicates that this customer does not have a working knowledge of an integrated system as the pool owner. 
 
When you start talking about bugs being the cause and effect shows you have other issues not related to this company that you are berating unfairly. I suggest that you are thinking you paid too much for your swimming pool with a million dollar house and this is your way of "getting back".
 
If you think you have an inferior product call the Register Of Contractors ... You will find that they will side in favor of the pool company as your gripes seem to be just "sour grapes", maybe that was your course of action and why you are on Rip Off Reports and not based on science fact but emotions.
 
It seems to me that the pool company in question went out of their way in trying to satisfy you when you know you could never be satisfied.
 
Just my opinion I am in a totally unrelated field right now.
 
If you would like me to explain this further in a professional manner... I can be reached at (((REDACTED)))   
 
Thanks for allowing me to post an unbiased rebuttal. Jayson Tratten
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#1 Author of original report

California Pools Arizona Answering Complaint

AUTHOR: - ()

POSTED: Wednesday, July 08, 2015

 After our complaint was recognized we were able to physically have the onsite support of the Business Owner.  Jeremy has worked with his management toward better customer service and the overall reconditioning of our pool.  Todd coordinated the infloor cleaning system that we found was first generation equipment, needing a complete head replacement, all cracks along the inside tile ribbon finish were filled and sealed, the cool decking was repaired including paint touch-up, and due to the abrasive pool finish tile will be added to all pool steps to make the entry and exit from the pool SKIN safe.  What we have learned is that pools and computers have a lot in common, each goes through UPGRADE processes.  So, now each year we will contact California Pools to make sure our complete system goes from original through EACH generation of equipment improvement, in order to safeguard our investment.  I now look at my pool like I do my car, I just watch for recall notices or hazy surfaces.  California Pools has committed to a December renovation on our pool in order to make it safe for our continued use.  Thank you Jeremy and Todd for standing behind your product.

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