ComplaintsforJ & S Pool and Spa Service

• Initial Complaint

  03/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  J and S pools sent an employee to diagnose why my pool light was not working. The employee looked at the light from above the pool and immediately said I had a leak and needed to replace the entire light fixture and bulb. A few days later the light turned on and was found to be in good working condition. The diagnostic preformed was done without any electrical tests and incorrect. Currently, J and S Pools is wanting to charge me for the diagnostic fee which was not accurate and only provided wrong information.

  

  Business response

  03/31/2023

  When a pool light fixture has moisture inside the fixture it is our policy to recommend replacing the fixture.  At the time of our visit the fixture was not working.  Moisture inside of a fixture will disrupt the electrical connections and cause the light not to come on.  In fact, even if the fixture turned on but had water inside, we would still recommend replacing the fixture.  There is always a potential for hazard when water and electricity mix.  Why it worked days later is a mystery but most likely you will continue to see issues with the pool light not coming on due to the moisture.  We still had a technician with over 20 years of experience drive to your home to check the condition of the light.  We made you aware of the service call charges at the time of receiving the phone request for service.  There are expenses incurred by us for providing that service which is why we charge a service call fee regardless of whether you accept the recommended repairs.  If there was not water in the fixture our technician would have checked power and ruled out other problems before coming to a conclusion.  However, in this situation it was obvious that the fixture was a problem.  We do answer a lot of questions over the phone at no charge.  If a customer called in stating they were having an issue with a pool light and it appears that there is water inside the fixture we would have advised that the pool light fixture would need replacing.  It has been our experience that once a fixture gets moisture inside of it that even if you dry it out and replace the bulb and gasket the fixture will continue to have problems.  Bulbs fail prematurely and customers get frustrated.  I am willing to discount the service call fee to $75 in an effort to resolve this matter.  It is never our intention to leave a customer feeling unsatisfied with our service.

• Initial Complaint

  03/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On August 17, 2022, after purchasing my home, my realtor identified J&J Pools Inc. as a company who could inspect the condition of my pool to identify what repairs were required. J&J provided me with a quote for $2,520.45 (less removal of work for Spa) to perform the necessary maintenance and repairs. This included replacement of pool equipment (pump/motor) and Tile cleaning and seal. They replaced the equipment immediately and on 9/22/22 I paid the invoice they provided in the amount of $2,294.00. They eventually called to coordinate the second phase of work which was cleaning of the tiles which they estimated at $750. While they showed up to clean the tile, I could not tell the work was performed and after the first day I assumed they would be returning because of the condition of the tiles and because the water line of the pool remained unfilled. After a week of no one returning I called and left a message inquiring, no one responded. I tried again over then next week and still no response. At this point my pool began to turn green. I called again and spoke with someone who I explained the situation, He promised to look into it and call me back, no call. I eventually had to have my pool drained completely and cleaned from the algae. When the invoice came, I returned a note advising my displeasure with the work, no response. Ultimately, I had to pay significantly more money to hire someone else to restore my pool. As I reviewed the invoice I paid, I realized that I overpaid J&J for work they quoted but I canceled for Spa service and equipment. For this service I paid $524 for services not received. If I were to concede to their demand for $700 for poor service, at most I would now only owe them $176.00 but again, I do not believe they are entitled to further payment and they have not even reconciled the matter to know that I overpaid them. I made every effort to have this work completed before having no choice but to find someone else to restore my pool. J&J has reported this for collections and made no effort to complete the services satisfactorily or resolve the matter.

  

  Business response

  03/09/2023

  We have reviewed the file and we agree we billed out a repair to an above ground spa that was not completed.  It was scratched off of the approved quote, but we forgot to remove the charges when we billed out the initial work.  We have stopped the collection assignment and will post a credit for the spa charges.  As far as the problems that began after the tile was cleaned.  There was no one home when the tile clean was finished so we could not start the water filling the pool.  No one was around to watch the water level and shut the hose off.

  
  

  We were contacted via email after hours on September 13th about the pool not being full and not running.  Upon receiving the message on September 14th, we contacted Mr. ******** by phone and sent a technician to the property to rectify the problem.  The pool did not have an autofill and was not full enough to start the equipment.  So, we called Mr. ******** who stated there was a landscaper there working and he would have them fill the pool.  We returned on September 16th to start the equipment up and found the pool level at the middle of the tile however, when the equipment was started up the broken pipe was identified.  There had been landscape work done in the yard and a trench went through the pool sweep line.  When the pool sweep ran it was pumping water out of the damaged line.  I have attached photos of the equipment and the cleaner line that was damaged.  The pipe that was cut was removed and leaned up against the pool equipment. We called Mr. ******** to make him aware of the problem as we could leave the pump running with the broken line.  Our recollection at this point was some phone conversations with regards to the issue happening immediately.  We gave a verbal quote to repair the broken line at which point the homeowner was going to discuss with the landscaper as they had caused the problem.  We sent an email with these photos on September 26, 9:12am per the request of Mr. ********.  We had every intention of getting the pool back up and running after the pipe was repaired. But we never heard back on the pipe being repaired and as far as we were aware that was the last conversation with Mr. ********.

  
  

  Normally, immediately following a tile clean we start the autofill back up (if the pool is equipped with an autofill device) and instruct the homeowner to turn the equipment back on when it reaches the middle of the tile.  In cases where there is not an autofill, we instruct the homeowner to fill the pool with a hose to the middle of the tile and start the equipment up.  A return trip is typically not needed.  I assume a call was made by our technician to the homeowner giving this instruction.  But obviously somewhere there was a miscommunication, or it was drained back down after the damage to the pipe. 

  
  

  I have completed the cancellation of the collection effort, removed all accumulated late fees, issued a credit for the erroneous billing of a spa repair ($553.14) and applied the credit to the tile clean invoice.  The remaining balance on the tile clean is $196.86.  

  
  

  This is the first time we heard about an error on the billing and the first contact since the broken line as explained above.   We are willing to work with the customer on the remaining balance. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  7-12022 & Jan 12, 2023 We called to have a service technician come out to check my pool pump as it was experiencing low / pressure (cavitation). Previously We had them replace a wet end unit a few months back which went well. During that service the technician checked the other pump replaced a cover ring put the lid on and left. I was pleased. So this call the same technician came out and quickly noticed the ring on the lid he checked previously and fixed was the issue.. He opened the pump lid put new O Ring and left a little embarrassed as the lid was over tightened and he was the last person to work on it. I then received a bill for $150. Amazing and brazen way for J & S to steal from a loyal customer. What’s worse if they had told me the charge up front we would have gone to another company.

  

  Business response

  02/01/2023

  When we were out to the property on June 30, 2022 we made repairs to the pool sweep pump.  On January 11, 2023 we sent a technician out who found a pinched lid oring on your pump which was causing the pump to not fully prime.  It has been over 6 months since we were at the property to work on the pool sweep pump.  The pump lid should be routinely removed to empty debris from the basket.  This is typically done 1x per week.  Our minimum service call is $150 for us to show up at a clients home.  If we preform work for a customer and there is another failure within 30 days we will return for no charge as long as the failure has something to do with the repair that we recently made.  I see no reason why after 6+ months we would be held responsible for a pinched lid oring on a pump that we didn't even charge to repair. This is the reasoning behind our recent billing.  In no way were we trying to be unreasonable with our billing and we do typically advise of service charges when calls come in.  The only reason it may not have been explained is if the call came in stating we had just been to the property.  In an effort to resolve the matter I am willing to reduce the service call to $95.   

  
  

  Sincerely,

  
  

  *******

  

  Business response

  02/02/2023

  I never accused anyone of lying about pool maintenance but the pump in question is the main filtration pump that should be cleaned weekly.  It would be extremely unusual to not have to clean the basket periodically especially after the storms we have seen this year. The oring was blown out the side of the pump lid that can happen from filter pressure being too high or a clogged line or too much pressure on the pump, a worn out pump lid oring, etc. We did not bill you for any work on your filter pump and there is no way the pump was having priming issues since our visit in July because the pump would not still run if that were the case and the pool would have been a mess in the heat of the summer.   I still stand firm that this is not our fault and far beyond the 30 day labor guarantee we have. We never billed for a pump lid oring and actually recommended the lid be replaced on our January visit. My final offer to settle the matter is $75, half of our normal service call fee.  I don’t believe this is an unreasonable offer to lay the matter to rest. 

  Customer response

  02/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 189***86, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. In the future it would be wise for the initial call for service note upfront the cost associated, and that it is a minimum.  This would have altered this entire issue minus the rudeness on the call and continued in the agreement response stating it would be very unlikely my pool pump basket was clogged.  They clearly do not have a clue as to how I maintain my pool. Thank You for the effort in getting this resolved. It is much appreciated. We will send payment in the next 24 hours with a copy of this response attached.

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