WIND SURF & SAIL POOLS INC

They came out and installed everything as planned, but were also supposed to open the pool to avoid the Memorial weekend rush (3 weeks later). We called multiple times to follow up on getting the pool opened. They finally sent someone the Thursday before the holiday and it was not at all what we expected. They performed minimal work, including nothing more than removing the cover, adding chemicals and starting it up. They also left the empty containers and box, left our gate open and unlatched and just left without any further information even though my husband and I were both home. We have hired other companies in the past for this and got way more for our money. Their customer service throughout was a joke. Every time we tried contacting them we were told the person that needed to handle wasn't there or that someone would be sent and that person never showed. When we eventually completed the job ourselves, we found our brand new heater didn't work. The pool system was not working and we couldn't keep the pool from turning green since the new system was not functioning as expected. It has been close to 90 for a week now and our family would really like to use our pool, especially considering the amount of money we just put in. My husband has been working non-stop to look into why it isn't working and to get someone to fix it and commit to a time when they will come so we can understand what is being done. So we have been told there is a bad control panel on the brand new heater and that someone will be out in a few days to replace...The only thing that would make me happy at this point is a refund so I can go somewhere with some professionalism and get a working system so I can actually use my pool.

We have worked with Kathy at WSS since the late 1998's. We have been a faithful customer which I now regret. This is the 2nd liner we had to have replaced and believe it or not within 2 years there was a large slit across top near water line - it was a good 12 inch slit. This was noticed upon opening the pool in May 2017. We actually noticed it - they didn't or didn't mention it perhaps because they caused it? Anyway she denied any responsibility as did the manufacturer findlayvinyl.com. That liner was not ripped when they closed our pool in September 2016. Our previous liner thru a different manufacturer lasted over 15 years with no issues. After going back and forth between Wind, Surf and Sail and Findlay Vinyl and getting nowhere with no responses - summer ended and winter came. Here it is summer 2018 - and WSS just opened my pool and ran their drainage hose into my landscaping and washed away a good 15 feet of my landscaping mulch! Of course, we called WSS and have once again received no response. We will not be doing business with them again and quite frankly by the reviews I have read - most people won't either. Be cautious - they are great when they are installing your inground pool but any follow up or issues you may run into (and believe me there are many) they will turn a blind eye and not respond.

Customer service NIGHTMARE! Sold us a pump. Broke 2 months later. Pump returned to store. We were told was being shipped to manufacturer for repair/refund. Months later they informed us they had LOST the pump and as such would offer store credit for our inconvenience. Weeks go by and then they say they miraculously found the lost pump (even though they cannot produce it ok give back to me). Now they say since finding it they realize it was a “closeout” item and as such there would be no refund/replacement/store credit. This is absolutely NOT TRUE. It was not bought as a closeout. They admitted wrongdoing and then went back on their word months later after fixing me the run around saying my new pump was on the way.

We started using this company in 2007 when we purchased a home locally with an in-ground pool. In the first few years we had them replace our liner, replace our heater and multiple times pump water from behind our liner(we've since discovered was created by a bad liner installation this company performed). 2 years ago our fiberglass steps developed a crack over the winter and we called on Wind Surf and Sail to do the repair work for us. We went into the store and Kathy the owner promised us they would be out the next day to perform the work. After 2 weeks of daily calls, Juan a non-English speaking technician arrived at our home to do the work. He tried using 2 part epoxy glue to glue down a new tread over the cracked one we have, sadly Juan did not read the instructions (or could not read them) but only used one part of the 2 part epoxy we tried telling him the cans needed to be mixed together he didn't understand, after 48 hours the tread came unglued and simply came apart leaving a tremendous mess. We returned to the store to tell Kathy and for the next 3 weeks were given daily promises that the repair would be corrected. 5 weeks into this episode my wife an and I purchased denatured alcohol, got wire brushes and spent 10 hours cleaning the mess Juan had created. We then purchased some epoxy on our own, applied it and the stairs have been water tight for 2 years. Bottom line: When we had large expensive jobs to be completed this company was "on point" and showed up as promised, but for smaller less expensive jobs they simply do not care. The day we finished the work we went into the store and told Kathy what we had done, we offered her the tread back that they had left at our house to which she said "keep it". I was angry and in the store loudly announced that we'd never come back and I have been true to my word. The good news in this story is that because of the poor customer service this company offers my wife and I have become very knowledgeable about swimming pool repair/part replacement. I guess in a twisted way I should thank Kathy/Kerry for forcing me into learning a new trade.

Went very good. Very happy from start to finish. Love how it looks.

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On time...fast, excellent service. Been using them to open/close my pool for 2 years now and I'm very happy with the service.

Purchased pool in March of 2011. We were told we were one of the first on the schedule for installation in April. April passed...May passed...In the beginning of June I stopped in the store to find out when they were going to be out to install our pool. Kathy saw me coming and ran to the back of the store, next thing I know she is coming out of the back screaming my last name and saying that a crew would be out in a few minutes to cut the sod out as long as the ground didn't fill with water. I told her we installed a drainage system in the backyard and there would be no water. I went back to the house and the crew showed up to cut the sod and level the ground out. They came out the next morning and finished up the job that afternoon. The installers were fresh ones and didn't have any experience installing oval pools. I wish I could post pictures because the pool was so out of whack. When you swam in the pool, the walls shook. We called Kathy and told her we wanted it redone. A month later, no one showed up to reinstall our pool. We were unable to use it because of the shakiness in the pool. I didn't want the walls to collapse while my kids were in it. Fourth of July weekend, my husband and I decided that we would try and fix it ourselves. We started taking the top rails off and found that the installers had cut them to fit. What the heck! If a pool is set up properly the top rails fit perfectly. So my husband took them into Wind, Surf and Sail. Kind of hard to argue with cut pieces of resin. Kathy ordered new ones and told us she would reimburse us for the water. When they came in, the installers came out to redo the pool. Guess what, same crew, guess what, still a crappy installation. Still not level, still shaking the walls. Called and sent emails to have it reinstalled again. End of August, a new crew of two came out. They were great answering my questions and telling me want was going on. I let Kathy know this. I was very concerned about the liner being in and out of the pool for the third time. Kathy said that it would be fine as long as they kept it wet and finished up that day. She said there would be no wrinkles either. Well, the pool structure was 500% better, however the liner was all jacked up. Wrinkles and divots everywhere. They left sand on the walls of the liner so there were little bumps in the wall that eventually started leaking. I sent an email to Kathy along with pictures. I refused to speak with her, I wanted everything in writing because I was tired of the lies she told. I didn't get any response from her or her team. I decided to dispute the last payment we made on our credit card for the pool. The credit card company refunded my money, however, they ended up billing us for it, as I read what they were looking for incorrectly and sent the wrong stuff. Therefore, Wind, surf and sail got the funds back. It's been two seasons and many leaks since the last install. My husband and I decided to have another company come out and replace the liner. Upon removal of the liner, they noticed that the wall in one of the corners was out of the track. This usually happens when the pool is installed on u level ground. I called my husband and he said to have them go ahead and take the pool down and reinstall it properly. As they were taking the pool down, the bottom resin plates were all cracked from the pressure of the wall being out of the track. I emailed Kerry Duggan and asked for a refund as the pool was in salvageable. We had purchased a salt water system as my daughter has sensitive skin. According to Paul (who was not there when all this happened to my pool) Wind Surf and Sail tells all their customers to wash their pool weekly because it will make the steel rust. Well, when we purchased our pool, no one said anything about this to us. They said that the salt system would work fine since we got a resin pool. What a crock. All of our wall stabilizers were rusted as well as the top plates. They also didn't duct tape around the skimmer opening to prevent corrosion as the directions in the pool instructions say. I told them I would settle for the amount of the chargeback. Paul said great, you already have your money. I sent him the paperwork that stated we were rebilled on our credit card. He said he would forward the info to Kathy. An hour later, he is telling me that they did not get the refund and there would be no check for me. I asked him to send me the merchant card reports from November and December of 2011 so I could see that they didn't get the money. He immediately came back and said that there would be no refund as Wind Surf and Sail did not receive the funds. He would not prove to me that they didn't get, which leads me to believe that Kathy is telling him that they didn't get it, even though they did. I feel bad for him as he was put int the middle of something that he was not in to begin with, however, he isn't even interested in finding out the truth. He just wants to keep his job so he is doing what his pathological liar boss (Kathy) tells him to do. The issues that arose were hidden until we decided to replace the liner. After three rebuilds that still resulted in issues that Kathy didn't want to take care of, why in the world would I even ask them to do anymore work on my pool? Paul told me I would be receiving a certified letter to resolve this issue, however, that has yet to come either. there were scratches in the pool wall from the wall not being set properly twice

RESPONSE to Merchant:

First of all, this is not a story, stories are false, this is fact.
Secondly, I have proven to you three times what my outstanding balance is and yet you just can't seem to prove otherwise. You agreed to a settlement and will not pay it out. If my outstanding balance was the amount you say it was, why have you not come after your money? The attempted chargeback you received on 9/4/2011 (which you have yet to provide to me), was not for the first payment, it was for the second payment made on 6/5/11. There was no attempt to dispute the first payment made on 3/20/11.
Thirdly, my final correspondence didn't say a just a few wrinkles, if it was just a few wrinkles, I wouldn't have complained. The liner was super stretched out from being out of the pool so many times therefore it caused many wrinkles. There were also divots by the pressure plates from the sand not being properly packed underneath. Since the pool was not put up properly to begin with the pressure put scratches on the wall that were deep enough to reveal the steel underneath. Everyone knows that steel plus salt = rust.
Since Wind, Surf and Sail refuses to prove to me that they did not receive the funds back from their merchant, we will just let a judge decide.

Court Update:

Went to court on Dec 2, 2013. Met with judge as we could not reach an agreement thru mediation. Judge heard both sides and decided in my favor for a lesser settlement, but still a win. I caution anyone that decides to work this company for a pool install, to get EVERYTHING in writing.

Only one person spoke English. They are very hard to get a call back from the crew knew very little about repairs need on pool

It was getting late in the season and I needed to get our in-ground pool open in time for a party. A two-man crew showed up on time, removed and cleaned the cover, assembled the pump and filter and got the heater going. They were quiet and polite but made me a little uncomfortable talking among themselves in Spanish since I couldn't understand what they were saying. I thought they could have done a better job cleaning the cover, but otherwise the price was competitive and they finished the work quickly. I would use them again.

Happy with the pool we bought. Like being able to take water samples to store when help is needed.

Pool installation was completed when promised. Overall project went great. Fantastic installation company.

Working with contractor to resolve issues. I will hire this contractor again is if the completed job is a masterpiece like a Leonardo Da Vinci landscape painting. I am waiting to be impressed.

They are just always very helpful. They are great to work with. They never try to get more from you. They are honest.

Very well - this company has done this service for us for several years

They charged us $100/HR!!! This company is very unfriendly to deal with. They do not take responsibility for their products and they do not return phone calls in a timely manner, if at all. They sell you the product and then you are on your own. 2 men performed 2 hours of work correcting an issue that was their problem to begin with (although they won't admit that, of course). When asked why the bill was so high, the owner stated that he was in business to make money and he more than doubled the cost for our labor in order to do just that, then he hung up. This company is very unprofessional. They lie about when they will be at your house and they won't show up unless you bug them every day. We recommend that you get everything in writing!!!! Better yet, go somewhere else!

ORDER, MEASURE AND DELIVERY WAS TAKEN CARE OF PROMPTLY AND VERY PROFESSIONALLY. THESE ARE GOOD PEOPLE WHO I HAVE DEALT WITH FOR YEARS, THEY ARE BUSY BECAUSE THEY ARE GOOD. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO HAVE TROUBLE WITH THEM ARE PEOPLE WHO UNREASONABLY EXPECT THEM TO DROP EVERYTHING WHEN THEY PHONE CALL OR VISIT THE STORE- THESE ARE TYPICALLY THE TYPE OF FOLKS NO ONE CAN MAKE HAPPY. I HAVE OBSERVED THIS FROM MY EXPERIENCES WITH THEM SINCE 1994. MIKE THE U.S. MARINE.

THIS COMPANY KNEW THEIR INFORMATION WELL. SOMETIMES I FELT AS THOUGH THEY PUT OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK AHEAD OF OURS. OVERALL, THE JOB TURNED OUT BEAUTIFULLY. THEY DIDN'T ALWAYS ANSWER PHONE CALLS IN A TIMELY MANNER THOUGH.