I had Larry at pool buoy install my safety pool cover in the fall. He was one of four quotes that I received and his price was competitive and he conducted himself professionally during the whole quoting process. Based on the reviews from this site, I decided to go with him. Once I placed the order, he told me it would be a few weeks to get the cover and install it, since my order was a custom order. The supplier was delayed, and each time I inquired with Larry via my usual contact method of email, he replied promptly that the supplier was backed up with orders and as soon it came in, he would come over and install it. After a few more weeks of waiting, Larry finally let me know that the cover was in and that he was going to come over and install it. He came on a Friday afternoon at approximately 2-3pm and began closing the pool and simultaneously installing the safety cover. They worked right into the dark and I even provided them a work light, as they were unprepared for working that late. They finished the cover at around 7 or 8pm. When I looked at the pool cover installation in the morning, I was quite disappointed. Firstly, the one corner where they finished in the dark, was stretched so tightly that it had ripples in it and I was afraid it would tear long term. The cover was not evenly distributed around the perimeter of the pool with one side having about 1 ½ ft overlap and in one corner only having ½ ft. Also, there were two instances where they used one anchor to attach two straps where the second strap was just cosmetically laid on top of the other strap. Furthermore, most of the anchors around the pool were not in a straight line which, although functional, does not demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship and cosmetic appeal. I emailed Larry immediately expressing my concerns and requested he come back and address these issues. No response. I sent another email a couple of days later. No response. I even waited to the following week to send another email, just in case he was out of town for the week. No response. I followed up with a phone call and left two messages. No response. Based on the poor installation and craftsmanship and given the lack of follow up and even a response, I could not recommend Larry and Pool Buoy Services. Get someone else to work on your pool!!!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,300.00
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Look somewhere else for your pool services.
- Company Response
Michael,
In addition to our e-mail we want to apologize for not being able to respond to you in a timely manner since our offices were closed shortly after due to the fact we were in the off season. The anchors are carefully placed along the pool to ensure proper tension distribution along the entire cover. What is more of a priority is that the tension is evenly distributed amongst the cover and not the cosmetic appeal of the anchors. It is common to get ripples in the cover due to the fact that your pool is a custom lazy-L shape and there is often tension in that corner. It does not affect the longevity of the cover and will not tear in the long run as the cover is made with superior stitching and mesh material. Most covers require double anchoring as specified in the manufacturers installation guide. In this case only one anchor needs to be tightly fastened while the other sits on-top in order to match the grid scheme on the cover. Unfortunately, we do not warranty our work if it has been altered from our installation which we had already discussed.