Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have been using Ahl Around Pool Service for many years with no problems until the last couple of months. They let our pool slowly turn green and then charged us for more chemicals. The added chemicals did not help. After two phone calls (never returned) and one email (they answered), they offered to do a one-time clean-up for more money. We canceled our service on May 20. Shortly after that, our pool sweep was stolen out of our backyard. Two of our neighbors saw their truck parked in front of our house after we had canceled our service. The company denies taking our pool sweep.

  Business response

  07/12/2023

  I've attached 2 images and this is now going to be my official response:
  
  At Ahl around pool service we have too levels of service that we offer, chemical brush at $100 a month and full service at $150 and up. This customer that filed the complaint is a Chem brush level client. This is how it appears on the invoices they've received: 
  Chemical/Brush Service:
  - Balance & Maintain Water Chemistry
  - Empty Skimmer Baskets, Pool Sweep Bags, and Pump Baskets
  - Brush Walls & Steps
  
  ******EVERY 6 MONTHS *********
  Filter Deep Cleaning & Inspection  additional $100
  
  As you can see this doesn't not include netting/skimming of the leaves off the top or bottom of pool, Any debris left in there that the sweep or skimmer baskets can not get are not under our responsibility. 
   
  Pools turn green much quicker and have a lot more issues if debris is left in pool to rot and decay and use up all the chemicals we put in. We received an email on my 4th and responded may 17th, customer cancelled may 20th. Here is that exchange. 
  
  may 4th "To whom it may concern:
  
  This is the pool report I received from 5/2/23.  As you can see, our pool is NOT sparkling clean.  It is green and we can't even use it. On Tuesday, the pool sweeper bag wasn't even emptied.  I had to do it myself after work. It has slowly gone downhill over the last two months.  Our phone call was not returned regarding this problem. Our pool needs to be fixed.
  
  Please return our phone call or respond to this email.
  
  Thank you,"
  
  may 17th 
      "Hi this is ********* with Ahl Around Pools, and I just wanted to let you know that we haven't forgotten about your pool. We had our filter guy clean your filter yesterday and the water clarity will start improving the more the pump and filter run. My only concern is that our technician said there's still a lot of debris, in the bottom/top of pool. It hard for me to tell from the pictures in the emails how much debris there truly is down there. Once the water clears up and things become more visible would you like us to clean it all up for a one-time clean up fee? Treating the green will be much easier once the debris is out of there. 
  
  We will need to use phosphate remover, algaecide, shock/chlorine and possibly a pool rx blue algaecide supplement. All of these things will be more effective once the pool is clear of debris. If this is something you interested in let me know and I'll have **** come out and estimate once its more visible, and maybe even just do the work that day once we get your approval. 
  
  Let us know what you're thinking, I'll be watching the pictures every Tuesday to see how it clears up.
  
  Thank you
  Ahl Around Pools"
  
  May 20th
      "My question at this point is, why is the pool green? It has been slowing turning green for the last two months. We sweep the top of the pool out weekly. There are little round ball like things from our tree at the bottom of the pool. 
  
  All the chemicals you have been pouring in have not made any difference. There are mosquitos hatching. I think it will need to be drained.
  
  Please send final bill. We are very unhappy with our service these last two months and will no longer be using your service.
  
  Sincerely,"
  
  The reason we suggested the fee for a one time removal of debris is because of their service level, They are chem brush only. Sent over final bill and everything was calm until June 10th, when we received a text saying someone had come by there property and taken their pool sweep.
  
  on June 10th they said in text messages that after 3 weeks of being cancelled one of our techs came by, went in their backyard and took their pool sweep. We asked our team if anyone knew anything about this, no one did. I informed the customer that we are sorry that happened but it wasn't one of our guys. He said *********** had witnessed our truck parking and going back there. I asked him for a description of the person but I was not provided with one. Our trucks are plain white ****** Tacomas with no logo or signage of the company. Could have been any pool guy with similar truck. We let them know we are honest people and if we had any knowledge of this **** would put an end to it immediately. Customer responded and said they did believe ****, the owner of the company, to be an honest man in the past with them but that this wasn't acceptable.
  
  After our denial of ever going back there after cancelling service with us, the customer was very unhappy and decided to bash the company name on a local ******** page/group. bringing upon lots of comments and views to this interaction. That is one of the attachments included in this email. The other attachment is a picture of the last service day where you can see the sweep still in the pool. It is our understanding that none of our guys went back to that pool after 5/16/23. We could not have taken the pool sweep and we have no knowledge of who did.
  
  This concludes our response
  Thank you.
  

  
  

  Customer response

  07/17/2023

  I am rejecting this response because the pool did not turn green because we didn't sweep it out.  We did sweep it out every week. Last week, we hired a new pool person and he told us we needed new filter cartridges. The old ones were causing a backup of debris in the line connecting to the pool sweep explaining that is why the old pool sweep was not working properly. Ahl Around Pool cleaned our filters in May, but neglected to tell us they needed replacing. We bought a new pool sweep and hooked it up.  Sure enough, it didn't move. When our new pool person came by a couple of days later we asked why it wasn't moving. He unhooked it and cleaned the debris out of the mesh cup connecting the pool sweep and it started right up. We are having to clean it out daily until he is able to order and replace our filter cartridges. If Ahl Around Pool had looked into why our pool started turning green 2 months before we chose to terminate their service, we would not have had the expense of having our pool drained. 

  To address the stolen pool sweep. Ahl Around Pool stated that they asked their employees if they took it. Of course, no one is going to admit to stealing it. They would be fired. We have two gates on the left side of our yard. Ahl Around Pool always used the gate that went straight in. The latch is broken so if you don't lift up on the gate, it doesn't close all the way. I always knew they had stopped by because you have to lift up to close it all the way and they never did that. We use the other gate. No one but Ahl Around Pool used the gate that goes straight in. When I noticed the gate going straight in was open after we had terminated our service with Ahl Around Pool, I was puzzled because no one used that gate except them. Ahl Around Pool wants us to believe that a random stranger walked into our backyard and reached their hand into our green mosquito ridden pool and stole our pool sweep. Nothing else was stolen or moved. Two neighbors saw a white truck in front of our house the week our pool sweep was stolen. We had not hired anyone else at that point. We would appreciate it if Ahl Around Pool service would return our pool sweep.

  
  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  We did not have a pool sweep back at the shop to give her because we did not take her pool sweep. We are sorry this happened to you. The last visit we were there, there was still a pool sweep. 

  
  

  Customer response

  08/10/2023

  I am rejecting this response because Ahl Around Pool Service did not take responsibility for turning our pool green. They neglected to tell us it was because we needed new cartridges and that was why our pool was turning green. They also will not take responsibility for our missing pool sweep. We have two neighbors who saw their white truck in front of our house after we fired them, the gate that only Ahl Around Pool Service used was found opened after the pool sweep went missing, and no one else would go in our back yard just to reach into our green pool and take our pool sweep and not take anything else.
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I have been trying to reach this company so that I can pay my fees. No one in the office answers the phone. I have left several voicemails over the last 3 months and they haven't returned my call. I know I have a **** that I need to pay, but I do not know how that **** is or what services they billed me for. I don't want this going to collections because my credit is good and don't need this negative ****. I have asked for a **** or statement showing me what I was charged for and how much I owe in total.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩