Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/07/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  CFL pools and spas (************************************) has such bad ******* ship and delays I had to terminate them.After providing CFL with CAD drawings that created, the dug the pool 5 feet wider than it was supposed to be.Once the hole with steel and fabric Steel Tech was in the ground, it sat exposed to the elements for over 2 months (zero progress during that time). I had to tell CFL to cover the steel tech with tarps so the sun did not compromise the material (which it did) we had blow throughs. That cost more in concrete. The fact that CFL used thin backing boards as forms also caused a wavey back wall, in some places double the nominal wall thickness. (Again causing more concrete to be used).The right wall ended up being 4 out of square. I had to pay another contractor to fix this sloppy job.Skimmer was set too low, paid another contractor to fix it.CFL was very unresponsive throughout the project and refused to give dates for when things would get completed.Plumbing is not complete and is leaking.I am being charged $4800 for an $1800 LED shear waterfall.I paid him $4000 early so he could pay the excavator. The excavation is not complete, yet he was paid The fact that the state and county allows a convicted felon with child sexual battery charges to county to build pools and not provide customers with a good address to send invoice to is beyond me ( but that would and may be a while other complaint).After giving the deposit in December we are only on step 2 of 8 and it has been 6 months.I was given bad advice several times by CFL, one example is he said he can install a bubbler on the entry deck but the depth is 18 (too deep for a bubbler).He repeatedly used my sketches when dealing with the permit department, then he wants to charge me at $200/ hr for engineering and overhead I designed the pool and provided drawings NOT CFL.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/06/2024

  Thank you for giving me the chance to respond to this complaint. There is a lot to go over in that paragraph, I will address each individual complaint made by the homeowner below.
  
  
  
  
  1. The hole is 5 feet wider
  - It's standard to dig the hole larger than the pool. It allows room to work on and remove forms after the tank is shot. I offered him the option to widen the pool and they seemed very happy to do so.
  2. Hol exposed for 2 months
  -  The proper safety fence was installed around the pool. The permit had to be modified to meet the changes to the pool that they selected, as well as several trips to the permit office to figure out if we were even allowed to install a permanent culvert without a public works permit and approval. It can be normal for a pool to sit for about a month after steel while waiting on shotcrete crews to schedule us in. The permitting took longer than I would have liked, but I am a pool contractor and have zero experience with culverts, driveways and public works. The homeowners were aware that I had no previous experience with culverts.
  3. Blow through that "cost more concrete"
  - None of the extra concrete used was charged to the homeowner. CFL Pools and Spas absorbed all the costs without ever asking for additional funds.
  4. Wavy back of the wall, double thickness, More concrete
  - The wavy back is covered by pavers and will never be seen once construction is complete. Again, no costs of additional concrete was charged to the homeowner.
  5. Right wall 4 inches out of square
  -  The photo provided does not give enough information to provide a response other than, it could have been corrected if I had been given the chance.
  6. Skimmer set too low
  - By the time we set the skimmer, the homeowner had informed me that he was using a paver contractor of his own choosing as well as his own tile contractor.  This becomes a major issue in establishing a waterline as all 3 things have to be established together. If you have 3 different contractors establishing the water level, at different times, and not communicating, it makes all the sense in the world that the skimmer was not the height established by a different contractor, on a different day.
  7. Unresponsive and refusal of completion dates.
  - I always responded to the homeowners within 1-2 business days to all inquiries about their project. As far as completion dates, we are building a pool outside in the summer and rainy season in *******. The weather is unpredictable. Change orders also play a huge role in completion timing as I am running a business with multiple jobs going at once and have to prioritize my crews accordingly. When a change order comes in, all work stops, and the project has to be reconfigured to accommodate the changes. This can definitely affect completion dates.
  8. Plumbing not finished
  - We were asked not to return to the premises to finish. I offered to finish out the plumbing but the homeowner refused service.
  9. Being charged $4800 for the waterfall shear
  - This price was agreed upon by the homeowner. They were aware it was a special order and there would be no returns as it was made custom for them. This was all established before a check was received.
  10. Paid $4000 early to pay the excavator
  - This payment was given because while we were excavating the footer, the homeowner decided to extend the deck, and move the footer. This is a change order that requires permit approval. This change order caused work stoppage.  The excavator needed to be paid or he would send a notice of lien to the homeowner. That is why a check was given for the excavation.
  11. Convicted felon
  - I am Not a convicted felon. I have Never been convicted of anything worse than a misdemeanor.  Furthermore, if this is an actual concern of the homeowners, it is their responsibility to do their own due diligence on their contractors. If you do not want to hire felons, it is your responsibility to research your contractor. 75% of the construction industry in ************;are registered felons. This should not be used against Any contractor to benefit the homeowner if a problem occurs once the job has begun.  There are websites available to the public that provide a list of contractors that do not have felons working for them. These websites are easy to find. I am listed on at least one or more of those websites.
  12. Not provide customers an address to send invoices to the contractor
  - There is no reason to send me an invoice as we left off with them owing me $6200 and I will provide a breakdown to show this. Also, The homeowners took it upon themselves to illegally attach a GPS tracking device to my truck while I was working on their neighbors pool.  I assume they did this to find out where I live. This is not only a disgusting invasion of privacy, but 100% illegal.  I was advised to go to the police and report it, but I am not interested in doing so. I still have the tracker and have access to show that it was put on my truck at their neighbors house the same day they put a similar complaint about me on the next door app. This complaint on the next door app was also done the exact time I was at the neighbors property.
  13. Deposit in December, 6 months not completed
  - 2 weeks after they gave me the deposit, after I had submitted the permit, the homeowner asked for the deposit back and wanted to cancel the contract. Discussions went on for about another 2 weeks before they decided to stay with me. They told me they " had issues with contractors in the past".  This was the first of many delays caused by the homeowners. between about 5-6 changes to the permit, along with this bad start to the job, it was slower than i had anticipated. Technically, the dig until february 17th 2024, contract was canceled on june 17th 2024. 4 months is not a reasonable amount of time to build something as complicated as a swimming pool. 
  14. Bubbler too low
  - The homeowner had changed to the beach step about 4 times before we shot the concrete. The final height was determined DURING the shooting process as the homeowner could not make up their mind before. My recommendations went by the wayside as they were adamant about designing everything themselves.
  15. Used homeowners sketches with the county
  - I absolutely used his sketches, I was trying to save him time and money. If I designed them myself, I would have to charge for that, as any business would. 
  16. Charging $200/hr for engineering and overhead
  - As a state licensed contractor, $200/hr is a competitive price when it comes to dealing with permitting and change orders. I never claimed to charge for engineering, only overhead and time. 
  17. Homeowner designed the pool, Not CFL
  - Homeowner provided sketches as to shape and look. These sketches were used in the construction process of their pool. The 18 inch beach step was the homeowners choice, even though they were informed the average depth of a beach area is 12 inches. They wanted it to be deep by design. Original design by the homeowner called for a 24 inch beach and bench. I talked them out of that.
  18. Dispute amount of $45500
  - All draws and draw schedule were both agreed upon in advance of the first payment. Draws reflect work done, overhead and fees. According to my numbers, which I will provide a complete breakdown of, the homeowner owes me $6200. I have their shear that was partially paid. I have sent the homeowners notification of this debt with intent to lien the property if not paid. 
  
  
  I have been a licensed swimming pool contractor for ************************************************************** to the BBB. I Always give my customers the best possible service I can provide. I hope I have provided proper information to defend myself accordingly. It's impossible to please everyone, even though I try. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 21953273
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  More Information Received:

  from: ************* on 8/11/2024

  Relay Message

  Mark as Reviewed

  Sent Via:	Email (ODR)
  From:	G *********
  From Email:	G *********
  To:	BBB Serving ***************
  Subject:	More Information
  Date Sent:	8/11/2024 10:19:44 AM
  Date Read:	8/13/2024 7:23:02 AM
  Submitted w/ Complaint:	IMG_1913.jpeg IMG_1915.jpeg IMG_1936.jpeg image.jpg Files listed above be visible when complaint is viewed online.
  Attachments:

  
  
  

  After True professional pool contractors evaluated the work done by CFL pools (************************************), more errors in workmanship were discovered. I had to fix an out of square pool by 4 inches with a top tank edge that was off 5 inches from it's high spot to it's low spot , fix leaking plumbing and locate the lines where CFL was supposed to. It would have been a win for CFL pools to just refund me half of the overage money he was paid instead of making up more fees to charge me (he thinks his time is worth $200/hr, if that's the case then I can stack on more charges for my time having to fix this mess). I can write so many more issues at this point with his work and his company (and those who recommend them), but after looking up **************************************** criminal record and seeing past fraud charges, fake addresses to **** shops, etc, etc, etc it is clear he has no intentions on doing the right thing and my time can be better spent pursuing justice. Unfortunately for ********************** and neighboring counties, the oversite for pool contractors is extremely poor, sadly CFL pools is not unique. There is a pool (pun intended, of dissatisfied pool owners we have encountered and are seeking out  from this experience to make the case for more oversight and action against such contractors.  Instead of resolution for me (still open to CFL pools doing the right thig BTW) , I am now more motivated than ever to expose contractors like CFL to whomever I feel I can get appropriate closure and protect my fellow neighbors. CFL pool knew how busy at that point in life we were and took full advantage of it instead of doing the right thing. Just like this project CFL took the cheap shortcut way out at ever turn. Fortunately I now have more time on my hands to seek justice for me and others. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  G *********