Complaints

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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  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.

  On october 19 two service men came to close my above ground pool. i was told that they would have plugs, covers, etc if I did not have what I needed to close the pool. In the process of closing, one technician broke off a s**** to the filter. He said it was rusted and that I would need a new filter cleaner to open the pool next spring and that the pool would leak past the filter line but that should be no problem for the winter. When they left to collect the check, the technician said that I had nothing to worry about. I paid ****** reluctantly, then went to the back to check the pool. They had a cover on that I took off last spring. When I took it off it had no holes in it. When I looked at the cover, it had a huge hole in it.so basically, rather than informing me there was a hole in the cover, put on a faulty cover, collected the money and left. I cancelled the check. When the company comes back to rectify the unprofessional actions of the technicians and redoes the closing the ensure it is safely winterized, I will reissue payment.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2022

  Please verify that you have receive our response and if you have any questions. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/21/2022

   
  Complaint: 18247012
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Even though the company has agreed to return my check for the closing, I still have to deal with a broken part that was caused when their technician removed the plate.  This is causing my pool to leak. When I spoke to the Manager, he told me that he had thought about trying to repair the part, but he was very angry with me because I had complained to the Better Business Bereau and he railed on me for about 15 minutes about how this inconvenienced him.  He then told me that because I had made the formal complaint to try and resolve the matter he was no longer willing to repair the part that his technician broke during the process of closing the pool.  I finally hung up on him because of his emotionally charged verbal abuse. 

  The manager also made an assumption that the hole was caused by a mouse and improper storage. He was not at my home when one of his workers walked all over my solar cover and possibly over my winter cover which could have caused the hole.  And again, I would have been willing to purchase a new one from them had a known a hole was in the cover, but they didn't give me that option. 

  I understand that the pool came with the house I purchased was old. I would be willing to pay for the new part if the company would pay for the labor. Isn't it the responsibility of the professionals to assess the situation and determine another option if there would be a chance of damage?  All they had to do was tell me the screws were too old to remove and drain the pool below the filter line to close the pool. As it stands, I will not be able to use the pool until the damaged part if repaired. 

   

  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 10/22/2022

  Teddy Bear Pools was contacted by the customer in September to close her aboveground pool on October 19. It was the first time we had serviced the pool since it was installed over 12 years ago.
  While attempting to install an ice plate to the skimmer, the rusted head to one of the screws securing the skimmer faceplate snapped off. We informed the customer that the ice plate would not properly seal until we determine how to remove the broken s**** We raised the possibility that the entire skimmer might need to be replaced since all the screws to the skimmer were rusted and in danger of breaking. We suspect that there is an issue with water chemistry and/or the screws were of an improper material and not suited for a swimming pool. Our technician also explained to the customer that if the skimmer could not be repaired, the pool water would drain out to the bottom of the skimmer which, while not ideal, would not cause any structural issue to the pool over the winter.
  We also noted that both anchors for the deck ladder were cracked and would eventually need to be replaced.
  We installed the winter cover that the customer had supplied to us. It had a small hole that appears to have been caused by a mouse (not a huge hole as claimed by the customer).
  On October 19, the customer left a voice mail at ******* citing her displeasure with the closing. We returned her call at 1:16pm. The customer was told that the Service Manager had spoken to the technician involved in the closing and would contact her the following day with a resolution plan.
  Before having a chance to contact the customer the following day, she filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. In her complaint,she incorrectly claims that we would have a winter cover on our vehicle should she need one. Due to the vast variety of cover sizes, we do NOT carry them aboard our vehicles. In fact, in the reminder post card that was mailed to the customer, there is a link to our website which clearly states that customers need to contact us in advance if they need a replacement cover.
  We agree that our technician should have informed the customer about the hole in the cover, but it does not relieve the customer of her responsibility to properly store the cover to avoid rodent damage and to inform us in advance if a new cover is needed.
  We contacted the customer on October 20. She questioned why we would put her winter cover on the pool when it had a hole. We explained that the covers principle function is to block sunlight and our technician took the proper action since it mitigated the chance of algae forming in the pool until the customer could obtain a new cover. The customers response was My complaint stands. Unable to resolve the customers concerns, we wished her well and agreed to return her payment.
  Sincerely,
  Teddy Bear Pools

  Business Response

  Date: 10/24/2022

  RE: BBB Complaint ID: ********                                                                 October 24, 2022                                             

  Response to Customer Rejection

  Upon winterizing the customers pool on October 19, 2022, we noted on the work order and discussed with the customer, who was on site, about an already-existing issue with her skimmer that prevented us from completing the pool closing. While on property, the technician contacted the Service Manager to explain the problem he uncovered. The Manager advised the technician to secure an ice plate barrier to the face plate of the skimmer as best he could, given the poor condition of the skimmer. While on the phone with the technician, the Manager also conferred with our companys aboveground *************** who recommended that the pool water be allowed to drain from the faulty skimmer and to replace the skimmer in the spring of 2023. The technician then relayed that message to the customer, even giving her an approximate cost of the replacement skimmer.

  Later that day at 12:35pm, the customer left a voicemail with a complaint about our service. We returned the call within 45 minutes and told the customer that the Manager, who was out of the office for the remainder of the day, was aware of her situation and that we would call her the next day to explain our resolution to the problem.

  Before we had the opportunity to contact the customer with our recommendations, on the morning of October 20 we received an email from BBB notifying us that the customer had filed a complaint. Later that day, we telephoned the customer. We reminded her of our conversation from the previous day that the Manager would contact her to explain our resolution. The customer then revealed that she had filed the complaint and stopped payment on the check on October 19. We questioned why she would do that given our conversation on October ****************************************************** giving us a chance to help her. Rather than respond to that question, the customer raised her voice and wondered how we knew the hole in her winter cover was caused by a mouse. She continued by insinuating that one of workers may have caused the hole by stepping on it. We explained that the small size and shape of the hole, and the fact that material was missing and not simply a tear, were classic indications of rodent damage, and not a shod foot.

  It became clear as the conversation continued that the customer was not being cooperative. We suggested that if the customer was not pleased with our service, it would be to her benefit to find a company that could better meet her needs. We said we would be willing return her cancelled check. The customer then hung up on us. We cancelled out our closing charge in our database and mailed her check later that day. It should be noted that two items used at the closing, the ice plate ($22.99) and a winter plug ($4.99), were never charged to the customer.

  Given the fact that the customer filed the complaint without allowing us the chance to speak with her in detail, as we promised we would; we wonder about the sincerity of her desire to truly work with us. Should the customer wish us to repair the skimmer, we would first expect that a new check be issued to cover the cost of the initial closing. Since repair labor is not included in our closing fee, we would also require to be paid for the labor and the parts needed for the skimmer repair as well any other additional parts the customer feels the pool may need.

  Sincerely,

  Teddy Bear Pools