ComplaintsforHive Outdoor Living, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  10/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Our pool has been ******** since August 10th. We have been trying to work with Hive to complete mistakes since then. We have been completely paid in full for months. We have chipped/poorly cut pavers and rust spots in our pool interior. I have asked for the warranty number for the interior company so it can be taken care of. I did not receive a response back in regards to a watery number. I have taken pictures of the pavers for months to get them fixed. I would like the pavers fixed and the interior company to come out to look at the issues we are having with the finish. I also need the warranty numbers in case we have issues in the future. We have had a terrible experience with Hive and the costumer service. They are non responsive or rude. Please help us get this project complete.

  Business response

  11/02/2022

  We have been, and will continue, working with the customer to resolve all warranty issues, and will continue to work with them.   As of this time we believe all but one of their concerns has been addressed - and we have provided them with the contact details of the warrantying sub contracting company and are following up ourselves
  
  While we do not claim to be perfect, and certainly can always do better with communication, we always strive to get our pools completed to the highest standard.  We do not abandon our customers.
  
  This is maybe best evidenced by an earlier customer who, mid project, bad mouthed us on social media and in her neighborhood and gave us a 1 star review.  She later changed that to a 5 star review because, as she said, despite all her upsets we were always there and always addressed issues and she recognized and appreciated that.  So much so that she has had us build her a second pool. We hope to have the same outcome with this customer.

  Customer response

  11/03/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********.  I accept their response, however,  the company will NEVER have our business again nor will we ever recommend them.  I will be sharing my opinion on all social media sites. They lied on many accounts. If they would like I can go into every lie they told us and we have receipts.  We still do not know what interior finish we have on our pool or who the 10 year warranty is through.  They dont respond to emails.  The only reason that things are completed is because I researched and found the pool company they contracted for our pool interior. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I used this company for a new pool install and work on the whole project was just unacceptable. The pavers were not installed correctly, we have grass everywhere due to de-grassing process not being done, the craftsmanship on the cutting is atrocious, and we have been told for 2 months now that they would come back and fix the these things but nothing has been done yet. The pool interior is, for a lack of a better term, humpty dumpty. When we expressed our concerns about this we were told we would never see it and that it was fine. Well we can see everything. They installed our pool equipment, took our last payment had "pool school" with me and the equipment has not worked in 4 weeks since that was done, my pool is now green because the system has not been making chlorine for almost 2 full weeks and when we called Hive regarding this they immediately deferred us to the manufacturer which is not local and hold times were 107 minutes every time I called. I paid a pretty penny for my pool, I am very upset that they took my last payment and then basically washed their hands of me. I have a petri dish for a pool right now because I have been unable to get any help from them and the whole point behind the pool was to be able to enjoy it with my family. This company shows total disregard for their customers once they receive final payment.

  Business response

  08/04/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/21) */ To Whom It May Concern; The complaint below is fundamentally unjust. While Mr ******** may have some upset with our company, using generalities, falsehoods and hyperbole to trash our company, (while not following the procedures for dispute resolution laid out in the contract he signed) is unacceptable at best, and potentially actionable. His agreed recourse is, per the contract, section Arbitration, "The parties hereby elect binding arbitration as their exclusive method of settling all claims, disputes, actions, and controversies arising between them relating to this contract or the failure or refusal of either of them to perform this contract in whole or in part." Below is the ******** pool. This is what the complaint says: I used this company for a new pool install and work on the whole project was just unacceptable. The whole project was unacceptable? Everything? We have communications from the clients saying they are pleased with the work. They have also said as much to various of our supervisors at times. Here is a screenshot of a text sent to us by Mr ******** saying they absolutely love the pool. He sent a photo of his smiling daughter in the pool. ... we have been told for 2 months now that they would come back and fix the these things but nothing has been done yet. Nothing? In the last two months we have:- Repaired stucco to his complete satisfaction - see right. Had the paver crew out 3 times to check on their complaints. This included lifting the deck where they said it had been laid over grass. The pavers were lifted where the grass was and it was discovered that they were in fact laid in crushed concrete - photos below - and to fix pavers they said had subsided. Photos showing grass in the pavers supposedly because the pavers were laid over sod. The pavers lifted in 2 different locations revealed they had crushed concrete under them and had been properly laid. The paver crew and Ron have also inspected pavers that Mr ******** says had subsided - but could not verify what he said. They had not subsided. Our supervisors, both Teddy and Ron, have been on site several times to inspect these things and have offered solutions to them - which they have refused. Specifically, Ron agreed with Mr ******** that Hive would sand the deck with poly-sand and seal it - an expensive solution we offered at our cost to handle the gaps that Mr ******** complained of, and reduce the chance of grass growing on the deck. This fact of the agreement is shown in the attached screenshots between Ron and Mr ********. The work was put in the schedule to be done, but after that Mr ******** changed his mind and wanted a whole new deck. A note in the customer's file dated Jun 27th from Ron says: Homeowner called last week complaining and wanting to go back on everything we agreed-upon from our first meeting. He now says he doesn't want to seal the pavers, he wants all the pavers ripped up once again. When he and I first met on site he decided not to do any of this, and he and I came to an agreement. Now he called, was all upset and changing his mind. I did ask if he remembered that we made an agreement. He said yes he did, but now he wants to change his mind. "I do feel the pavers are not laid properly. I do believe there is grass under certain parts of the deck as well. There is grass even growing through the deco." I'm reaching out to the paver company to go out and readjust all of the settling and poor cuts around the perimeter of the pool. It is false to say that we have done nothing. We have verified that grass seems to be growing in the deck as opposed to coming through the deck from below. The area had been stripped and laid with crushed concrete with the pavers on top. Grass found growing was pulled out easily with its roots. If it was growing from below the crushed stone the roots would be longer and not easily pulled out. Further, there is grass growing in the deco drain - grass does not grow though the plastic of a drain. Grass grows on many decks, including where pavers are laid on 4 inches of solid concrete. It's caused by seeds landing on the deck, falling into a gap between pavers, and then growing. Keeping grass away is a maintenance issue. We also handled a 'leak' in the pool - see below. No leak but the customer wants a dye test! I am very upset that they took my last payment and then basically washed their hands of me. After final payment we did the interior of the pool, filled it, fired up the pool and did all checks on it, maintained it for 4 weeks, did pool school with them to show them how to operate and maintain the pool, returned many times to look at and address their concerns, offered solutions at our cost to go above and beyond, and have paid to fix an error caused by the pump manufacturer. We continue to work with them to address their issues. Again, this is an unfounded and inflammatory statement. This company shows total disregard for their customers once they receive final payment. We have hundreds of completed pools and satisfied customers. We have several repeat customers who have us build another pool when they move house, and we build pools for several builders who know they can rely on us and keep coming back. Perhaps the falsehood of this statement is best shown by another customer - a lady who bad-mouthed us throughout her neighborhood, as well as on several social media platforms, and websites and who gave us a 1 star review along with a negative rant. Despite her vitriolic onslaught we did what we do - which is build high quality pools and stand by them. Not because she was making a scene, but because we are an honorable company and deliver a top-notch product. She recognized that and changed her review to 4 star. She has had us build her a second pool. This is what she said, "UPDATE: Although we had some bumps in the road with Hive at the end of the day we have a beautiful pool and most importantly Robert the owner has proven he does stand by his work. We have had issues with our pool, but Hive has always come back to try and fix them. We have heard time and time again that pool companies disappear once work is done however we must say even despite writing a bad review initially and the issues Hive has shown up, and will respond after the pool is built. This has changed our opinions drastically of this company." Claiming we show total disregard for customers after we get final payment is a demonstrably false statement. Summary When we contracted to build the ********'s pool we both agreed that any disputes would be handled by arbitration - as laid out in the contract. This complaint is an attempt to use the BBB to strongarm us. It uses hyperbole and falsehoods. The compliant says a lot about the customer. Pools are built by hand in the field, which makes it all but impossible to produce a 'factory finish' or achieve perfection. There are tolerances that we either achieve or do not achieve. The manufacturer's rep usually checks tolerances and determines if something is OK or not, on the few occasions we have a customer insisting something is wrong. In 7 years of business we have gone to arbitration twice - and had an independent professional from the pool industry determine what was acceptable and not. Usually we use our best efforts, and the warranties from our suppliers and equipment manufacturers, to resolve matters to clients' satisfaction. That is what we have attempted, and continue, to do for the ********** We do not claim to be perfect, but Hive Outdoor Living is an honorable company and to date we have not failed to deliver or to handle anything that we actually did wrong. This complaint should be dismissed and the complainant referred to the contract he signed and the procedures therein. Robert F. Owner Pictures of texts and project in attached pdf

*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. ↩