Royal Pools & Spas review: Unethical business practices 5

On April 5, 2007, a Royal Pools representative, Mr. Matt Boyle, came to my home to perform a site inspection for the installation of our above-ground pool. Mr. Boyle asked my wife, Adela, and myself where we would like the filtration system positioned. We told him that we wanted the filtration system placed on the side of the pool. He proceeded to draw a diagram of the pool and marked an X where we wanted the filter positioned.

On April, 26, 2007, Royal Pools workers came to my home to finish the installation of my pool. When my wife went out into the backyard to see their progress she saw that they had placed the filtration system towards the left side in front of the pool. When she told the workers that it wasn’t where we had requested, she was told that the current location of the filter was fine and they left it in place.

As the days wore on, we noticed that our pool water wasn’t clearing up. We performed the necessary maintenance tasks but it still remained cloudy throughout 3/4 of the pool. My wife and I would take water samples to Royal Pools and complained of the cloudiness but were only pushed to buy more products. My wife alone has made five complaints to Royal Pools. Sue, the mother of the present owners, came to our home to see the pool and gave us an excuse about the poor quality of water in Middletown. After we pointed out that our neighbor had a crystal clear pool, she admitted that they had not done a good job and that Royal Pools would come to our home and move the filter. After her visit they sent workers to our home two times to try to clear up the water. Their attempts also failed. Finally, my wife and I went back to Royal Pools to demand that the problem be fixed as we have not been able to enjoy our pool in the six weeks since it had been installed.

On June 8, 2007, Royal Pools workers came to our home to move the filter. But when they informed my wife about their course of action, she denied service. The workers were only going to move the filtration system and leave the skimmer in place. They were going to bury a plastic hose about a foot underground that would connect the skimmer to the filter. We did not agree with that because the plastic hose would have frozen in the wintertime and consequently burst. We also objected because we wanted them to complete the job and move the skimmer and return fitting (hydro stream) as well.

On June 9, 2007, Mr. Matt Boyle came to our home to speak with us. He took a look at the filter and pool and said that Royal Pools would move the filter but we had to cover the costs for the water and moving the liner. We told him that we would not be paying because it was their error as they knew where we wanted the filter installed. Mr. Boyle became angry and unprofessional and told us that he did not want us to go to “his” store anymore to give complaints and that he never wanted to hear from us again. I told him that I’d see him in court. Mr. Boyle countered, “Good, I love that” and stomped off.

We truly want this matter resolved. The position of the filter is not letting the water in the pool circulate effectively and thus the water will not clear up. We should not have to pay for any expenses when Royal Pools and their employees did not do as requested and expected. We and our two young daughters have not been able to enjoy a pool for which we paid over $8,900 for. We are very frustrated with trying to communicate with Royal Pools as we have only been met with excuses, denial, and unprofessional behavior.