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Business Profile

Pool Service

Pool Scouts Of Huntsville

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 1 complaint in the last 3 years.
  • 0 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

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  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/15/2024

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    ResolvedMore 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.
    We employed Pool Scouts of Huntsville to maintain our pool and close it at the end of last season. When reopening this year, there was debris left in the pool, including a bottle of chemical test strips. Then, we discovered the plug on the skimmer had not been put in place. The basket in the skimmer is supposed to be removed and the plug put in place to prevent a cracked line. When we opened the pool this year (we decided not to use Pool Scouts because of other issues with the company) we found numerous issues, including low pressure that could be due to a cracked pipe. We now have to have a company come out to run a pressure test to determine if the cracked pipe is to blame. Pool Scouts was very unhelpful and rude. In fact, I've never dealt with a company that was so unwilling to help a customer and, frankly, seems very deceitful.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/05/2024

    6-5-2024 ********** of BBB called and talked with **************. He said y'all have discussed this and he suggested you have a leak test performed. He shared that the leak test results showed an air leak in the pump motor lid. 

    Please let me know if this is correct so I can close this complaint.

    Thank you, 

    *******************

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/05/2024

     
    Complaint: 21707648

    I am rejecting this response because: first, we did not authorize any company to discuss our pool situation with Pool Scouts and the supposed statement here is incorrect. If Pool Scouts wanted to know what was found on our private property, they should have contacted us. It is highly improper and certainly poor business to contact a company WE PAID to find out results. There are cracks in the skimmer (not in the line) where the freeze plug was left out by Pool Scouts. This was found by leak detection company. We are mitigating this situation on our own with another trustworthy company to avoid complete destruction of our concrete. The fact Pool Scouts made a mistake is not up for debate.

    Also, the person we spoke to at Pool Scouts claimed to be the general manager and said the problem was not serious enough to elevate to the owner. Actually, it was the owner on the phone (**************) that I was speaking to that claimed to be only the general manager. The owner had his wife call our house as the co-owner to avoid contacting us.  They have been asked this numerous times in emails and texts as to who is the general manager and who is the owner and received no response.

    Also, we paid $150 to have our pool opened in April. We were told this money would be returned as the work was not performed. Email regarding this deposit is attached. We have not received a refund of our money.

    Sincerely,

    *******************

    Business Response

    Date: 06/10/2024

    6-7-2024 
    Dear ************,

    I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to update you regarding the refund process and the pipe leak test we conducted at your property in your previous ****** review.  

    We have attempted to process the refund as per the usual procedure. However, since there was no saved form of payment on file, the refund could not be completed and is currently pending. 

    We are more than willing to resolve this by issuing a personal check to your mailing address. Please let us know if you would like to proceed with this.

    Regarding the leak you previously mentioned, you never contacted us after your complaint.  The leak inspection did not detect a pipe leak showing we performed our closing to standard; instead, it appears that the issue that stems from a gasket on the pump that was not sealing properly an issue on your side. This was preventing the system from priming fully. 

    We recommend addressing this issue to ensure your system operates efficiently.

    We await your response on how you would like to proceed with refund.   

    Your satisfaction is important to us, and we are here to assist with any further questions or concerns you might have.

    All the best,

    Your customer support team at **********************

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/10/2024

    Complaint: 21707648

    I am rejecting this response because: it is ridiculous.
    Let's break this down:


    You wrote: Pipe leak test we conducted at your property in your previous ****** review.  
    FALSE: Pool Scouts did not conduct a leak test and has not been on our property since 2023. I cannot imagine who the "we" they are referring to. We hired an outside company to perform a leak test, paid for by us. Pool Scouts then contacted this company and, without our knowledge or permission,obtained partial results to the work performed on our private property.


    You wrote: We have attempted to process the refund as per the usual procedure.  However, since there was no saved form of payment on file, the refund
    could not be completed and is currently pending.
    FALSE: Pool Scouts emailed us on April 28 that the refund would be issued in 7-10 days. There was no follow up about any issues related to a card. No refund was received. Then, we emailed Pool Scouts again on May 20 asking about the status of the refund and received no reply. After another email sent by us on June 8, we received an email from Pool Scouts saying we would be receiving a certified check and stating " we can't fix what we have no knowledge of." This is obviously false, as you had ample knowledge of the issue.Also, this is not the first problem we had with Pool Scouts lack of accounting,which is one of the reasons we decided to no longer use them for monthly maintenance.


    From your email sent to us today: "Our merchant tried to refund your money, but your husband didnt save a card on file for the money to return to.  It's been recirculating in the system since May."

    FALSE: This is identical to what we were told last year when we paid via electronic transfer yet still received notices you didn't receive despite showing you the money leaving our account and arriving in yours. Pool Scouts has account processing issues that should be addressed.


    You state:  "Regarding the leak you previously mentioned, you never contacted us after your complaint.  The leak inspection did not detect a pipe leak showing we performed our closing to standard; instead, it appears that the issue that stems from a gasket on the pump that was not sealing properly an issue on your side. This was preventing the system from priming fully."
    FALSE: You were contacted twice after we paid for an inspection and asked for a refund. The inspection did not detect a pipe leak but did show a crack in the skimmer - the same skimmer where your company failed to properly install the freeze plug. Failure to install the plug is not up for debate and Pool Scouts has not denied this issue. We have opted to handle the work on the skimmer ourselves simply because I have no wish to deal with your company any more than absolutely possible.


    You wrote: In an email sent to us on June 10, you wrote "Writing reviews and calling corporate for all things is not the way we prefer to handle business.  Please work with us directly if possible to help us close things timely to give you the best experience."
    I can imagine it's not how you would want to handle business. I wouldn't want someone calling my corporate office with complaints, either, but we were left with no alternatives after contacting you multiple times. As for writing reviews, the best way to avoid bad reviews is to provide good service.


    Sincerely,

    *******************

    Business Response

    Date: 06/18/2024

    6-18-24  *** called BBB to say he's mailed you a refund certified mail. It is waiting for you to pick up. 

    Please advise BBB if this settles your complaint.

    Thank you, ******************* /BBB

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/18/2024

     
    Complaint: 21707648

    I am rejecting this response because: Yes, we have our refund, however, we are very interested in why Pool Scouts felt it was good business behavior to contact a private company we paid to do work on our property to receive a report of their findings. They were not being asked to pay for the repairs, though this all stems from Pool Scouts leaving a freeze plug out of a skimmer.  They were not authorized to contact anyone on our behalf to to receive information on work done on our private property.

    Look at it this way - how would you feel if we called your doctor and asked for your personal information? Or what if we called Huntsville Utilities and asked what your utility bill was? We wouldn't of course because it's none of our business. Just like work done on our private property paid for by us is none of your business. We at the very least are owed an apology.

    Sincerely,

    *******************

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/18/2024

    It's also odd that BBB was called on June 18 to say they'd mailed the refund and were waiting for us to pick it up - original email in April said we'd be paid in 7-10 days. Obviously that was false. It took contacting them 3 times to get our refunds.

    By the way, the check was picked up June 14th.

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