THE POOL DOCTOR

If there was a star for NEVER USE THIS COMPANY that would be the star for The Pool Doctor. I have been back and forth with this company for over a year for them to resolve a problem with an item they installed in our pool. The problem is still not resolved and the owner DARYL is an absolute nightmare to work with! In addition to the problem not being resolved we were charged $1,101 for this item that costs $369.99. Buyer beware and use this company at your own risk.

Excellent! Darell Long and his crew were professional, punctual and friendly. They kept me updated on their progress each day and what was happening next. Once they started, they worked continuously until the entire project was complete. Their work was exceptional! Office staff was great too! I highly recommend the Pool Doctor! Dave Williams St. Petersburg, FL

The owner has real problems. I mistook his incessant talking and not listening as expertise. He over-estimated the size of my pool by 2,000 gallons. I so regret hiring this guy. His son has anger management issues and harassed my wife when I ran out to the store for 10 minutes and thats when he showed up. Threw equipment around, screamed and carried on. Threatened to over-charge me for items I already agreed to with his father. The owner was always screaming at his crew and they all rolled their eyes at him when he was having his fits. He dumped cement on a garden and killed it, left white spots all over the pavers. He had one finisher who did a great job on the pool itself. The finisher was retired and came back for reasons that would be obvious. The rest of teh crew was unskilled. The spa was damaged by the acid wash people when a fan fell into the spa. They tried to cover it up. Then when a large hole and other irregularities showed up only when the lights were on at night, he would not repair it. He offered a spa light as compensation for the poor labor. Now, since he installed this pool a year ago, I have to add a pint of acid a day in order to maintain the pH. I assume there was something very wrong with his mix as there is no way a 13,000 gallon pool should be needing that much acid. I wish this guy well as I can only feel sorry for him, but he really needs professional help.

Excellent service and cost. Tech was extremely knowledgeable and courteous. Price seemed right as well. Definitely will hire again if needed.

The guys did an outstanding job. Completed work and cleaned up after themselves. Pool looks great.

I searched the Tampa Bay area for a pool company that would come out and repair a leak in my pool. After calling 8-10 companies - only 2 were even interested in giving me a quote. Most pool companies only want to do new construction or complete remodels. The 1st company to come out DID in fact only would agree to fix my leak if I had them do a full remodel and their quote was nearly $20,000. Then the Pool Doctor came out. Darryl was very knowledgeable about my older in ground pool. His dad was building pools back in the 60s & 70s. I've owned and worked on my pools for decades and could tell he knew his stuff. He told me what needed to be done to reach the leak which was in/under my old style skimmer. The leak was actually in the cement enclosure of my skimmer and was pouring out the bottom underground. His assistant came out while we were at work and after 3 days, the job was complete; leak was fixed and I had a new skimmer. My filtration system has never worked better! The Pool Doctor didn't ask for any money up front and the cost seemed very fair. I would recommend The Pool Doctor for repairs, resurfacing, or paver installation. Great company to do business with!

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Daryl did a full evaluation of the pool surface, pointed out all issues and explained in great detail what was needed, what the options were for resurfacing, and the advantages to each. Mike (the technician) was equally knowledgable as he repaired the salt system. He was exceptionally patient with all my questions and explained in detail the function of the pool equipment and new control box. He left the area and completed the job in a quick and timely manner.

I called the Pool Doctor on 17 Dec to get an estimate on a broken spa heater.  They installed the Jandy system about 3 years ago and I thought they'd be the best company to fix the work.  I was wrong.  I sit here in early March writing this review and have more items broken on my pool and a new motor that I feel I didn't even need but the technician already replaced it without my approval.  I didn't want them touching anything else and paid for it just to end any more business with this company forever.  I still don't have my heater fixed and the technician told me when he was troubleshooting the wiring that a thinset board got shorted out.  I also have a Salt system that is no longer working.  Will never do business with this company again.  Had no problem with the office staff, but the responsiveness and the communication from the technician was horrible and Darrell was just an experience I'd like to forget all together.

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Our initial call to The Pool Doctor, the phone was answered by a real person (not an answering machine).  We spoke with Jessica and she promptly scheduled Darryl to come out and look at the job.  During our meeting with Darryl (the owner) we learned that he had spent a lifetime in the pool industry (his father had a pool business) and he knew the answers to every question.  He did not try to sell us things we did not want and he was honest about our surface options.  We have a marsite/gunnite surface.  It was 30 years old and since it lasted 30 years we were happy with the product and wanted the same.

Other companies tried to sell us pebbletec and other similar products that are popular and have a great warranty, however wanted our pool to have the same look.  Other companies told us that marsite/gunnite is no longer on the market and that it has been banned. We had completed a lot of research and found that these claims were not true. 

Darryl measured our job and gave us a price on the spot.  He gave us a timeline of start to finish, how the job was to be done and when he was available to start.  We called the next day, and the job was scheduled.  We spoke with Jessica in the office to coordinate tile choices and I was pleased to see the variety of choices and LOVE my new tile. There were many things that made the job go better than I have expected.  They are as follows:

1. Prompt arrival for every scheduled visit. They showed up on time, every time.

2. Prompt return of phone calls for every question I had along the way.

3. Knowledgeable and pleasant support staff.

4. No hidden or extra add on costs.

5. Quality craftsmanship.  Done right the first time.

6.Job completed on time.

7. Kept work area clean

I am extremely pleased the every aspect of the job completed by The Pool Doctor.  They have provided the best service for a home improvement job that I have ever had.  I really mean it!  No kidding!  I am happy that I found them on Angie's List.  I also cross referenced the Pool Doctor on the Better Business Bureau and also found good reports.

About 12 years ago, The Pool Doctor refinished my pool.  They did a very good job.  I needed some tiles replaced that had cracked or been damaged, so I called the The Pool Doctor.  They said they could do the work and would be out the following Tuesday, May 20.  I drained water from my pool to bring it below the tile level. That afternoon, a person from The Pool Doctor showed up, but could not do the job.  He thought he was just installing some tiles, not replacing tiles, and he did not have the correct tools to remove the damaged tiles. He promised to be out Wednesday morning about 10 AM.   Wednesday, about 11 AM, I called The Pool Doctor and was advised that he would not be coming and that they were going to use another person, their tile specialist.  He would not be available until the next Tuesday, May 27.  I am glad I called as they were apparently making no effort to contact me about the delay.  I refilled my pool.  On Tuesday morning, May 27, The Pool Doctor called to say they were not coming - they had decided that Tuesday was not convenient for them and that I should call on Thursday and check if they might be able to make it on Friday.  Clearly, I was not a customer that they cared about.  At this point, The Pool Doctor was earning a very solid "F" rating.  Absolutely a complete lack of professionalism and customer care.

I called on Thursday, and they advised someone would come on Friday.  I told then I would not be available until the afternoon and they said fine.  Their tile specialist, Mike, came on Friday - although in the late morning.  I was able to get home before he completed the job.  Mike was great - professional, courteous, and he did very good work.  The price I was charged was very reasonable and I am very satisfied with the job.  Mike deserves an "A" rating - but I can give the company no better than a "C".

I contacted The Pool Dr. to resurface my pool. The showed up on time and the work they preformed was fine. On the contract that we signed it stated that they were going to come out for 14 days to service the pool afterwards to make sure the sure the cure process was done properly and that the pool was in balance. When I talked to them they gave me a long explanation of how anything less than 14 days is just not doing It right, and any other company should be questioned. I signed a contract for $2500 for 797 sq feet of pool to be resurfaced with a 14 day pool service afterwards. The pool Dr. came out for 7 days and said that their job was complete. I explained what I was told when I first called and Jessica told me that I only paid for 7 days and sent over an unsigned agreement with 7 days listed on it. I nicely explained to her my email that I forwarded to her reflected 14. She acknowledged the mistake, but said " Sorry our job is done and I can send you over instructions to take care of your pool". I feel taken advantage of and lied to. If it was not truly so important that the process take 14 days why was I "sold "on it, and why didn't I get the time that I paid for?

They do quality work and are dependible in service. My dog loves them and they are careful to not let him out the gate. They are always polite and friendly. And a real person actually answers the phone!

They came on 09/16/13 and said that they repaired the leaks. They told me to turn off the pump and that they would be back the next morning to check the pool and make sure it was no longer leaking. They did not come back the next day or the day after that. On the third day after they came I called them and they said someone was coming that day to give me a price on having my pool resurfaced. I told them not to bother coming and since my pool was leaking just as badly as it was before they came I called someone else to fix it. The new company Five Star Pools sent someone the next day which was a Saturday. My leak was found and it was repaired that day.

Very happy with service. Courteous professional and efficient

This was one of the worst experiences I have every had with a pool resurfacing, specifically dealing with manager/owner, Darrell Long.  The crew arrived on the scheduled day and did the plastering, but it was a very sloppy, unprofessional job.  Plaster was splatter all over my glass tile and pool deck.  And it wasn't just a small amount.  The plaster did not meet up to the glass tile in some places and in others it was too thick.  Areas around the stairs were not sanded down and very rough.  I called as soon as I saw the completed job and had said that I was not happy with the way it looked.  The receptionist told me she would have the owner contact me.  I did receive a call from Darrell about 2 hours later.  He was very condesending, rude and completely disrespectful.  In fact, in parts of the conversation, he was very belittling.  I was shocked by how I was being treated by the owner none the less!  Completely unprofessional to say the least.  I hung up on him twice.  I then received a call from the receptionist stating that someone would be out the next day to clean tile.  No one came.  I became concerned that the longer the plaster stayed on the tile the harder it would be to remove.  I spent 4 hours of my time scrubbing plaster off the tile.  Never received an apology.  The maintenance crew twice left my gate and screen door open which allowed my dogs to leave the yard.  I would not recommend this company in any way, shape or form.

They did not fix the leak. They were rude, nasty, and they cursed at me. We almost ended up in court. He was demeaning to women and very unprofessional and this was the manager not the workers. Thee actual workers were polite they just didn't fix the leak.

Our pool system was probably the old one that was installed when the house was built in 1982 and was just not performing adequately. My husband and son were spending a lot of time and energy trying to  keep the pool clean. Tony came out to give us an estimate. He obviously has been in the business a long time and was familiar with the system we had in place. He was good about asking how we use our pool and explainng the various systems that are available, how each one works and the pros and cons of each one. He was in no way pushy and left the final decision up to us. We settled on a system we felt was right for us. We got quotes from two other companies, but the quote from The Pool Doctor was about $200 less than the others. Tony came out the next day and installed the new system for us. He hauled away all traces of the old one. The new system works beautifully! Very easy to manage and lower maintenance than the previous one. The best part was the water in the pool cleared up within 24 hours! We were beyond satisfied with the service we received and will not hesitte to call The Pool Doctor next time we need help with our pool.

After neglecting our pool for several years we decided to have it completely redone.  I researched and called the Pool Doctor.  My daughter also gave them a very high recommendation.
I was impressed first by how knowledgeable the first employee, Tigger, was who replaced the skimmer.  He was also very professional and did and excellent job. 
Next we had Tony the mechanic come out and fix the leaking light.  He was also the one who installed the pump and salt/chlorinator.  He was an expert on pool equipment and maintenance.  Darell Long, the owner,  made several trips out to check on the work and educate me on anything to do with pools.  I never felt pressured into choosing any one option but was given detailed information and their experience with all the possiblilities.  I visited their office to pick out tile samples and we were extremely pleased with what we chose.  Darell had years of experience with pool surfaces and their care and explained in detail how important the correct chemical balance was to their long life.  As a result of all the conversations with Darell and Tony we decided to install a solar heating system which we are very happy with.  After everything was completed they monitored our pool for a month to be sure everything was fine and we were happy.
After our experience with The Pool Doctor I have recommended them several times and would definitely use them again.  We have had many contractors complete work for us over the 31 years we've been in this house but none come close to the level of excellent service we received from The Pool Doctor.

Over all it went great. They did all of that for what other bidders wanted to charge for the resurfacing of the pool alone. The bid was accurate and the outcome did not exceed the bid at all. My newly resurfaced pool and deck look great, as does my new roof support.  The circulation in my pool is also twice as good and strong as it was before.  I was a little uneasy about the pool plumbing changes... I am new to owning a pool so I wasn't quite keeping up with everything he had in mind, but he did not charge a lot for it, and WOW can I ever see the difference! It's great! :D

 They also finished with in the estimated time frame, despite 2 days of rain slowing them down. Darrel was smart enough to account for that when he gave me a time frame.

 When his guys came out, they worked hard and consistently. Everyone that came out was completely professional except for one. He is a hard worker and did very good quality work, but he is very foul mouthed and loud. I don't offend easily, but I do have neighbors with kids and I had to ask him to quiet that language down a bit 3 different times over the course of several days. Aside from that, they were all stellar.

 The only other complaint I have is with the jacuzzi. Before they moved it and put it back it had no issues what so ever, aside from the wood panel casing being old and a bit rotted. After I filled it, however, it began to leak.... which is about pipes, not the siding. Not badly, mind you, but it was a leak none the less. Darrel came out, took a good look, found one leak and fixed it. Another smaller leak.... very, very small, remains however.

 I think he was probably afraid I was trying to pin blame on him for problems he did not cause.... Let's face it, that happens all too often, so I don't really blame him so much for that. The point is that my jacuzzi still has a small leak that I will now have to pay to have fixed, but that is not even a drop in the bucket compared to the money I saved. It will probably cost me $100 to have that fixed, but he saved me roughly $4k, so not a difference maker.
 
 Make no mistake, looking back all in all, I would absolutely hire them all over again. I love they way my pool and deck and roof support look and feel. Great job guys!