ComplaintsforPoolside Plastering, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Around 4/11/22 we contracted Poolside Plastering, Inc. to replaster (Blue Surf Pebble Sheen) on our 900 square foot inground pool with spa along with the demo/reinstall of 50' of coping and 125' of tile then added a stone waterfall. When inspecting the pool before the water was filled the demo was very sloppy and there were shards of the tile surrounding the pool. The plaster dye was not spread properly. I brought these items to the attention of the Ed M******** (the main contractor) but they still filled the pool. As of mid April 2022 we opened our pool to then find out that the waterfall and brick were pitched incorrectly causing the water from the waterfall to spill into the garden area while the pump was running. Ed agreed that it was done improperly and said he would put a temp solution in place then fix it in October. By May there were falling off and some of the brick was deteriorating. They came out to “repair” them but fell off days later. Ed and (owner) Brad M*** came out August 1st to inspect and agreed that the tile, coping, caulk, caps and water drain/refill would be done at their expense. We did agree to do stone instead of the brick with their recommendation. Many texts to Ed between 8/1 and 11/8 coordinating a plan of arrival. He showed up 11/8 to drain & demo the pool. Didn't hear from him until I texted him 2 times to see when he was coming back. 11/14 he finally responded saying to have the pool winterized and we'll fill the pool back up. 11/15 a stone mason shows up starting to lay brick in 30 degrees with no additive in the concrete. At this point Ed is telling me that he'll replace the water and we'll have to do the pool in the spring. I contacted Pebble Tec (manufacturer of pool finish) for them to tell me it is not recommended to keep the pool empty unless necessary. They said max is 7 days it should be empty before causing problems and warranty issues. I'm seeking a refund of $25,000 that I've paid them

  

  Business response

  12/09/2022

  We performed the brick and tile work in April. In May we did the plaster, the customer did notice variations in color for an empty pool that has not gone through the curing process. The customer sent a picture with leaves and a few bits of tile pieces inside the pool. We filled the pool because those variations are normal, and the pool needed to go through the curing process.
  
  When we sold the renovation to the homeowner the pool had a stone ledge when originally built between the spa and the pool, called a spillway basin. They wanted brick and tile face on the raised beam, but we recommended that they should use stone. Once the brick failed then they agreed to pay the additional money for the stone face and stone coping. A couple of tiles did come off and we replaced them. They came off again, more than likely because they didn’t allow time for the tile to dry before they went swimming again. This would cause the tile to come off if water splashed on the fresh repair.
  
  The customer was advised that the face beneath the spillway should have had stone instead of tile so that the water could fall into the pool and not onto the brick directly underneath. They to chose keep tile as the face under the spillway instead of the recommended stone. When we finished, the water did not flow into the pool as we had warned them about, so they then agreed to listen to our recommendation to use stone instead of tile. We applied cement in the corners as a temporary solution to funnel the water into the pool so that water would not end up in the landscaping. We both agreed that we would do a permanent fix in the Fall.
  
  In August we met with the homeowner and agreed that we would do the repairs after Labor Day. As a courtesy, we agreed to pay to drain, acid wash and fill the pool, after the repair. We also assured him that we would fix any tile that needed addressed. The customer agreed to pay for the stone spillway, stone face, and stone capping. As agreed, after Labor Day, we tried to schedule the repairs, and the customer was not ready to shut down the pool.
  
  On Oct 19th we received a text from customer inquiring about when we were coming to do the repair. Our response was, we were coordinating the delivery of the stone from the quarry, draining the pool, and scheduling our masons to do the work. On Nov 1st and Nov 3rd, our mason texted the customer that we couldn’t receive the stone until Nov 7th or 8th from the quarry. Therefore, we agreed to commence work on Nov 8th. On Nov 8th we drained the pool and took apart the spa. After our office was closed on Nov 10th, our customer texted our masons personal cell phone to inquire as to when the stone was to be delivered. It just so happened that he was off the 11th, 12th and 13th, for his daughter’s wedding. He therefore responded to the customer’s text on Nov 14th when he came back to work.
  
  He let the customer know that we would have people out to install the stone on Nov 15th. Our stone mason arrived as scheduled on Nov 15th, however, the customer asked our men to leave because he thought it was too cold to install stone. On Nov 15th the temperatures were forecasted to rise into the mid 50s. Further, our mason had a winter mix with them and additional additives which will allow us to install stone as temperatures rise above 28 degrees. Nevertheless, he asked that we leave immediately and that he wanted the pool refilled for the winter, and that we could do the work in the Spring.
  
  The homeowner claims the manufacturer told him that the pool could not remain empty for more than 7 days. This inquiry was made to the manufacturer; however, they did not give him any information as it is their policy to defer to their licensed applicators. In fact, our owner received an email from ****** ********** about the customers call.
  
  In every instance throughout this project when a question or complaint arose we have strived to resolve it to the customers satisfaction. All the work that we have done has a warranty from 3 to 5 years, and we have explained this to the customer. It is our position to always warrant our work and the products that we use.

  Customer response

  12/14/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  There are so many lies in this response that I will list each by paragraph

  >1st Paragraph-Owner came out and admitted that this was not done properly and they would acid wash when they came back in early fall. 

  >2nd/3rd Paragraph-We were given the option of tile/brick or stone and went with the tile/brick because of the pictures that were given to us by Ed M******** from other jobs that were done.   We clearly wouldn't have chosen the tile if we knew it was going to fail day 1.  Plenty of pools have tile and brick without the problems I listed.  They never warned us that the water would flow into the landscaping around the pool.  we definitely DID NOT swim in the pool after their "repair" to cause the tiles to fall off.  He says a couple tiles.  More like 15-20 tiles came off and others are very loose.  One of our pool servicing reps said there isn't any caulk above the tile which is causing all of them to fall off.    

  >4th/5th Paragraph-This meeting was an agreement from Ed and the owner that they messed up and would make it right.  Draining the pool was a must to do the repairs and was no "courtesy".  They did not try to schedule the repairs after Labor Day.  Only when I texted Ed M******** on October 19th with no response I sent him another message November 1st which he did he respond regarding a scheduled time to come out.

  >6th paragraph-None of the office being closed or Ed being out for his daughter's wedding in the middle of our pool being drained for a week was any of this communicated to us.  Our pool just sat empty while there were ideal days to finish the work with no communication.  After Ed called me he told me he was out for his daughter's wedding.  In a later conversation he said the delay was due to the mason's car breaking down.  On August 1st Ed and the owner initially told me Ed was going to do all the work.  Somehow another mason made it in to the story and that is who showed up at my house on November 15th after Ed and I talked about the temperatures being too cold to lay stone.  The temperature was not the only issue there was heavy rain storms that were coming the afternoon of when the masons came to lay the stone.  

  >7th paragraph-I did have a call in to the Pebble Tec to ask them what they recommend for a pool being empty.  They said they don't recommend it be empty unless necessary and it shouldn't be empty for more than 7 days.  That is exactly the wording they used.  I also referenced several other resourced on recommended time for a pool to be  empty and I included them here.  How Long Can You Leave A Pool Empty? | Jones Pools   How Long Can You Leave Your Pool Empty? – Easy Clear Pool

  >8th paragraph-Strive is a very strong word.  I had to constantly call/text or email someone at Poolside to get responses.  We've been blamed several times for making the wrong choices of material after something went wrong.  

  Bottom line is that we need to be reimbursed the cost of what it is going to take to get our pool functional.  

  Regards,
  
  ****** ********

• Initial Complaint

  02/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Poolside Plastering performed a new *********** plastering of my pool via my pool builder on 11/22/21 followed by an acid wash on 11/23/21. Several issues were encountering during this process: 1. their applicator hose burst during the process and sprayed product on my home, deck and shrubbery. Their employee did hose off much of the plaster/pebble product from the siding and deck but it remained on some of the siding, glass windows and screens where it hardened. 2. during the acid washing process their shop-n-vac broke so I lent them mine. If I wasn't home it was unclear what the crew would have done to complete this critical step. 3. the crew could not locate stainless steels crews for the pool drain covers so I drove to the local **** ***** to purchase them so they could complete the job. I have sent several text messages and voice messages to this company but the responses have been sporadic. I informed them via text that my wife and I spent several hours cleaning the product off of our glass windows and vinyl siding. They sent a crew to my home to clean up the product (after I had informed them that my wife and I had already attempted to clean up the product), but they did not inform me the date/time the crew would arrive. I happened to drive home and the crew had been waiting at my property for over an hour. I sent additional text messages on 12/27/21 and 01/05/22 but neither of them were answered. I mailed a letter to the company on 01/21/22 but as of this date, there has been no response. No one seems to take responsibility for their work and communication with their customers is poor or non-existent. I also noticed some areas of the pool finish appear uneven and splotchy. This product is supposed to be a premier finish for in-ground pools and is very costly.

  

  Business response

  05/05/2022

  This is my conversation with ******************. We have received his chemical readings and they are high for a new pool. He has not responded since then.
  
  Warm Regards,
  
  ***** Z*******
  
  Operations
  
  ************
  
  ********************************
  
  From: ***********@poolsideplastering.com <*****@poolsideplastering.com>
  Date: Friday, April 8, 2022 at 6:40 PM
  To: **** ******* <*********@*****.com>
  Subject: Re: Customer Service
  
  Thank you, ****. I have passed on the information to ****, the field manager and he will get you onto his schedule. If you have taken care of the pool and kept your records then there shouldn’t be an issue with doing some type of warranty work. He will comment on “splotches” and have to see them in person. I have no comment on your chemical readings because I will let **** take care of that, it looks like you had some moments where it was higher. If you registered your product shortly after installation then there shouldn’t be a problem with a warranty service, especially if you have kept good records.
  
  Hopefully you will start to enjoy your pool soon. 
  
  Warm Regards,
  
  ***** Z*****
  
  Operations
  
  ************
  
  *****@poolsideplastering.com 
  
  From: **** ******* <*********@*****.com>
  Date: Friday, April 8, 2022 at 2:56 PM
  To: Poolside Plastering <*****@poolsideplastering.com>
  Subject: Re: Customer Service
  
  *****, 
  
   1. You requested photos of the pool finish splotches but you did not comment.   Is this normal with ***********?
  
  2. You requested pool chemistry readings but you did not comment.   Are any readings out of normal range for a pool that has yet to be chlorinated?
  
  3. You stated that **** could visit my property for repairs at a fee of $1800.  What specific repairs would be required on a new pool, that has never been used, and why would I be charged?    If there are any repairs, they would be covered under the ********* warranty.  
  
  Kindest Regards, 
  
  **** *******
  *************
  
  On Apr 7, 2022, at 2:41 PM, *****@poolsideplastering.com wrote:
  
  Thank you for getting the information back to me at a timely manner and for the customer feedback. I will have **** add to you into his schedule for a visit where he can determine the best course of action and the cost of repairs. He can review the information.
  
  As far as your rundown:
  
  I’m sorry your various messages went unanswered and your letters not returned. What more do you want from these two? I am the operations manager and can respond in their stead. If you have any further communication please talk to me.
  So the crew said they aren’t authorized to purchase equipment, I take that with a grain of salt. These are sub-contractors that often don’t speak English as their first language. If they said they aren’t authorized they probably meant Poolside is not going to pay for their equipment, if it breaks it is theirs to fix or replace.  Similarly, screws for fittings usually come in a set or package, they can carry their own screws if they want to get the fittings on. What more do you want? Do you need some reimbursement for the shop-vac and screws? Will that give you satisfaction?
  **** doesn’t show up to a home without an idea of what is expected for the repair. His time is money, so if you need him to come out that is not free.
  There was a miscommunication with a cleanup crew, it won’t happen again.
   
  If you have any question please let me know.
   
  Warm Regards,
  
  Alvin Z*****
  
  Operations
  
  ************
  
  *****@poolsideplastering.com 
  
  From: **** ******* <*********@*****.com>
  Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 1:54 PM
  To: *****@poolsideplastering.com <*****@poolsideplastering.com>
  Cc: ****@poolsidepkastering.com <****@poolsidepkastering.com>
  Subject: Re: Customer Service
  
  *****.  I appreciate the follow-up as it has been frustrating to get Poolside to respond.  
  
  The pool was extensively brushed and the chemistry regularly checked.  After water fill on 11/23/21, the pump and filter was operated 24x7 until it was closed on 01/13/22.  The only chemical that has been added to the water is muriatic acid.  It has never been chlorinated and salt has yet to be added as the chlorinator is not yet connected.  Calcium hardness was regularly checked and was within range.  The pool service company that closed it, stated I would need to check the pH and add acid regularly during the winter.  The water has always appeared clear and has been covered with an automatic solid cover.   The heater has not been used and the vacuum cleaner has not been connected.  
  
  1.  I am unclear why my various text messages to Brad (Dec, Jan) with photos went unanswered. **** provided me the **** **** **** **, Stowe, PA mailing address that I sent this letter to, but you stated this address does not accept mail.  Neither of my two letters (Jan, Mar) were returned to me.    
  
  2.  I asked the acid wash crew what they would do if I wasn’t home with my shop-n-vac and they told me they weren’t authorized to purchase another one.   If stainless steel screws are usually missing at the job site, perhaps your crews should carry a bag of screws.    I am not sure what the crew would have done if I did not purchase the screws since the water fill occurred that afternoon, after the acid wash process. 
  
  3.  What repairs is **** expected to do in May and what is the purpose of highlighting his $1800 fee?   
  
  4.  Why would a business have a clean-up crew just show up at someone’s home, without scheduling a visit?   I wasn’t even home and my exterior faucets were already winterized.  I had already explained to Brad that my wife and I spent several hours cleaning the windows and siding.  
  
  5.  The pool chemistry readings. 
  _____________________________________________
  These are the chemical records he provided and the start up instructions. On the last page of the startup instructions it shows the recommended levels during the first 30 days and maintenance in the off season. *** ******* failed to keep his pool balanced, having multiple days above 7.6, which is the most you want to have for your pH, yet he hovers there and higher from November to April.

  

  Business response

  05/25/2022

  It seems like your info is outdated. Matt says he has a meeting scheduled for June 1st at 9am.

  Warm Regards,

  Alvin Z*********

  Customer response

  06/14/2022

  Matt & I met at my residence on June 1st, 2022.  We discussed the issues that were encountered during the install and the splotchiness and unevenness in the *********** finish.  Matt stated to give it until the end of summer to determine if anything needs to be addressed.  

  This can be closed.  

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