I have not totally been satisfied with this company in the past mainly due to high prices and poor service. We were initially new to the pool three years ago and feel they took advantage of this right off the bat. Particularly with water treatment. Each time we took a sample in because our water was cloudy, we were sold hundreds of dollars of chemicals that did not solve the problem. We were left with a taste of "they saw us coming". As a result we switched to another local company that had an offer to close and open our pool is paid in the fall that was the less the the price of Buds opening the pool. Fast forward three years and we were going on vacation. In a weak moment we decided to use buds vacation service for $99 where they visit the site and vacuum and add chlorine. I paid the fee in advance and away we went on vacation. I came back to an invoice in the mail where they had taken the pump apart and replaced some part (pump was new in 2014), replaced some other part, took the cartridges out and cleaned them because they said they were very dirty which is impossible since I had just thoroughly cleaned them and charged me an additional 1.75 hours of labour. Therefore on top of the $99 vacation serivixe which they said takes about an hour, they are claiming they were there close to three hours???? Sorry. I don't believe it and as well they had my cell phone number and never bothered to call me to get my input or authorization on the work. I did not know they were going to do any of this and surely would not have authorized it until I returned from vacation. I called buds promptly after getting the invoice and the man I spoke with was not very helpful and tried to use scare tactics that if they left it and didn't fix it and the pump went dry I would then be complaining about that. This may or may not be true (anything they say is suspect) however this all should have been discussed with me prior to the work being done. Now I will never know if the work had to be done or not. I ended up telling buds that I will not pay for work I did not authorize and hung up on him. Use buds at your own risk. I find that all they want to do is up sell the service with little regard to the customer or common courtesy of discussing proposed service in advance. Lesson learned. This company does not value its customers, is certainly not looking for repeat customers and has no idea how to build a customer base. They failed at Business 101.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $327.99
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Hi Tracey, Thank you for the feedback on our services. I would like to take the opportunity to clarify your service and billing as I may not be interpreting what you are saying correctly and have reviewed our records to understand what has happened.
In May 2013, you purchased a home with an existing pool. Here at Bud’s, we are always excited to educate new pool owners on proper maintenance and water testing. We want you to get the most enjoyment and the least work from owning a pool. After your second water test in June and the pool not clearing, we suggested an onsite orientation to teach you how to clean and maintain your pool. This also allows us to make any observations on the pool equipment that might be preventing your pool from clearing that we would not be aware of in the store. At the time of your orientation, it was noted that the filters were dirty and may require cleaning or replacement. The important factors to consider when maintaining a pool is circulation, filtration and chemistry. If one of these is not working, it is very difficult to keep a pool clear. We can only recommend what is required to maintain a pool such as clean filters and regular water testing. Our system doesn’t show new filters/chemical filter cleaner or any additional water testing after June.
The service Aug 6th, 2015 was for vacation coverage. This service assumes that a pool is clear, the water is at operational level and equipment is in working order prior to you leaving on vacation. Our service is to make sure that you return home to these same conditions.
When we arrived, your pool filters were dirty and the vacuum could not be run without cleaning. There were broken parts within your filter. A note was left on the work order so you could address these on your return. However, there was a plumbing leak at your pool heater not your new pump. A leak of this nature can drain the pool down below operational level while you are on holidays and could burn out your pool pump if left this way. Our alternative would be to turn off the pool until you authorized the repair and schedule a return visit for another day.
The cost of vacation service is $98 per hour. You were charged an additional 3/4 of an hour $73.50 and $30.17 in plumbing fittings for a total of $201.67 plus HST to return home to a clean and operational pool. If the repairs were more serious, we would not have proceeded and would have contacted you for authorization.
I believe there is value in the service we provide and that our store and service employees have reacted in the best way possible to assist you with your pool.
Thank you, Bill