SWIM THINGS INC

Unfortunately, we are having a terrible experience getting my parent’s pool fixed. They’ve had the pool less than a year and the pool cover is stuck and they’re unable to use their pool. It’s June! We’ve been waiting for an answer for over 5 days and they keep giving the runaround. They still haven’t sent a single person to even look at it. Extremely disappointed! Fingers crossed they make it right. It’s under warranty, but nothing is getting done and they’re unable can’t use their pool during pool season. I’ll take down this review when/if they make it right.

Swim things is mostly a reputable business. However, in the fall of 2020, we had them do a renovation on our 30 year old pool which they happened to have also built. The reno took much longer than was expected, and while for the most part was completed, a couple details were never addressed that left the job less than completely finished. During the reno a new liner was installed. The crew that put the liner in, lost, broke or somehow destroyed the trim strips which hide the screw heads in the step seal. Also they did not replace a screw they had lost in the trim ring of the pool light. This trim ring also helps hold the liner tight around the light so water can not leak behind the liner. This area where the screw was missing developed rust. The next Spring they sent a man out to fix it and instead of replacing the missing screw he just smeared some kind of hard epoxy material into the hole where the screw is supposed to go. So the pool light trim ring is still missing the screw and the material he used to pack the hole was not neatly done and rather crude. This screw should have been replaced with a proper screw. The screws can be found at many hardware stores, just needed to get the right size. I had to finish cleaning the rust off myself as the effort for that was insufficient. So after spending a significant amount of money on the project, I'm left with trim around the steps that show the bolt heads, and the trim ring for the pool light is not fully secured with proper screws and has epoxy smeared all over it preventing a proper screw from being place without somehow reopening the hole for it. Near the end of last swim season I discovered that when the pool light is turned on, it immediately pops the breaker and doesn't work. It had worked fine during the season before the reno started, but I'm not sure that something done during the renovation renovation was to blame. But it is a curious side effect. If they do your renovation, be sure that every detail is completed before you make final payment. After more than a year, I can not get the person in charge of the renovation to respond.

Both experiences were pleasant and left us feeling like we received great service and excellent value. The pool was beautiful and we had no issues during our time of ownership. Construction proceeded according to plan and we had no problems. The maintenance team wasn't always perfect, but they always made things right. For our new home we weren't ready for a pool quite yet but elected to purchase a Spa. It's a bit of a drive for us but I was able to test out a few models in their store, and after ordering had a simple and easy delivery/install. We would definitely work with Swim Things again.

I would not use them again. They were disorganized with their scheduling and installation. The pool installers were overwhelmed with the amount of work they had on their plate and the installation that should have taken a couple of days took over three weeks. We had no idea what was going on or when we should expect them to work on it. There was NO communication. They almost burned up our pump because they turned the system on without water running in the system and when opening the pool dumped black ugly water left in the pipes over the winter into the clean new water.

We interviewed 3 construction companies and were most impress with SwimThings. It went well. We started the project immediately after closing on our new custom home build job and our soon-to-be neighbor were due to finish their home construction very soon, giving SwimThings a very limited window for open easy access to our backyard for their equipment. Dispite many rain delays, they keep on schedule and were able to finish before my neighbor's grass was installed. SwimThings was always striving for customer satisifaction, patient with educating us on how to operate the equipment, and always mindful of budget. Their prices seemed very fair and competitive. It was our first pool so i don't have any compareable experience. However, Swimthings is not one that will nickle-and-dime you to death. Their pool equipment is of high quality and even has bluetooth allowing me to operate the lights and fountains from my ipad. I would certainly work with them again.

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They were great, we had an appointment set up and they were punctual.  Two man crew did the work very quickly.  Was very happy with the work, it was higher than some of the other bids we got, but I think they did a great job.

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The work was performed as expected but I was billed $50 for the "warranty" work after I was assured that the work would be completely covered by the warranty.  All they did was tighten one fitting that I am sure I could have done myself but not wanting to void my warranty I decided to call them.  This was after I paid them to move the spa from a previous house where the fitting was fine before the move but leaking immediately after the move.  After assuring me that it was still covered under my warranty I scheduled the time.  After the work was completed I was billed $50 for the service.  Seems like a very shady business practice to be bill people for work after you assure them it will be covered by their warranty.

Update:  After sending a letter complaining about being billed for the warranty work I was contacted by the business and they apologized and returned my money paid for the work.  I have upgraded the rating to reflect this however I would still be cautious in using them in the future.

This is the 3rd year in a row where our pool was not opened properly.   This time 4 winterizing plugs were left in and an automatic valve was not re-installed.  The pressure guage on the filter was not working and not replaced. The water supply to the slide was not tested nor was the hot tub.  We lost about 10,000 gallons of water as we were out of town when they so called "opened" the pool.
Today I reported a leak in my pool at 10:45 am.  I sent a picture of the leaking spot but they cannot commit to getting out to fix it until Thursday,.....today is Tuesday!  They admit that they have the part in stock.  By Thursday, I will likely loose 15,00 gallons of water....
Very frustrating.
Never again.

We scheduled our pool opening back in March to be sure and get in mid May.  They had us down to come out Monday, May 12th morning. And to fix a broken light the following day, Tuesday.  My husband worked from home so that he could ask a few questions.  They did not show up until that afternoon, around 2, no biggie.  A few hours into the opening they stated that they needed to change the sand and that would require their tech, same guy fixing the light.  We agreed that the tech would be back out Tuesday to fix light, change sand and finish opening the pool.  NO CALL Tuesday!  NO CALL Wednesday, so we called.  We were told that they was some backup and that we were first on the list for THURSDAY.  NO CALL Thursday!  I finally called about 11:30 and left message.  Service manager called back stating that they were really swamped and their tech was having a family emergency.  Which I understand, but why no calls, why am I still looking at a swamp in the backyard.  So at this point we have paid to have the pool opened, paid $500 to fix the light, and four days later I have an ugly mess with no idea when they are going to finish the job.  I am very displeased with service and will be looking at options for further service of my pool. 

Kyle was salesperson.  They were prompt on install, set up and provided instructions for care.  Good overall experience.

their prices are a little higher than others but the service is exceptional

Swim Things was very careful removing the old hot tub.  I had sold it and they moved it carefully and refurbished it for the new owner.  The new installation was perfect.  The new tub had the wrong cover and they gave me a loaner until the correct one came.  After it started leaking, through all the service calls, it was always my decision as to the course of action to take to fix the leak.  They were going to put a chemical leak stop in and I gave them an OK, but started researching it on line and backed away after negative reviews.  They were going to take it apart and apparently made an attempt while I was out of town.  When I returned, they told me they had ordered a replacement.  I am about two weeks out of having the replacement.  I am very pleased with their customer service.

They're great.

Swim Things has a reasonable and bargain price. I really like that the fact that our salesman wanted us to make a pleasant experience and do the right thing to make it a good experience for us and make us happy. He realized that we are older and helping us getting some things that would be helpful for us.

Set up an appt for Swim Things to clean and open our pool.  They sent two men out who never even came to the door to introduce themselves or tell us they were there.  They put a hose in the pool to drain water and left. My husband works from home and noticed the hose had come off the surface of the water and was not siphoning. He had to call the store and leave a message to let them know. Service men returned over an hour later (we were being charged by the hour), and resumed cleaning pool, which meant one was cleaning, and one was watching/talking on his cell phone/leaning on a shovel.  When they finished cleaning, they begin to fill the pool, which meant sticking our garden hose in it with the water on and leaving, without saying a word (we were both home).  We went out the next day and turned off the water, waited a week for them to return, called the Service Manager to ask when the job would be completed so that we could use the pool.  (No pumps had been turned on, no chemicals in pool, etc. etc)  He came out himself to do the work and apologized, which was great, except then we got another bill for HIS services.  My husband left two messages questioning the charges and never received a return call or any explanation.  Once things were up and running, we also discovered that only ONE of the 5 pumps needs repair.  Imagine if we'd taken their word for it and replaced all of them!  Our total bill was over twice what they had quoted and now we're paying finance charges on the balance.  Very poor customer service and very poor communication between their staff, and between them and us.

Great service

Overall, the work that Swim Things performed went very well.  

My swimming pool is approximately 20 years old.  The main drain hydrostatic pressure relief valve wore out, and caused the water to drain from the pool; 38,000 gallons of water.   Since the swimming pool was empty, this was the perfect time to resurface the pool; sandblasting and replastering it.  This happened during the height of the summer when Swimming Pool companies are extremely busy.    It was a 3-5 day delay for Swim Things to come and assess the problem, i.e., determine what is causing this major water leakage.   Swim Things replaced the main drain hydrostatic pressure relief valve ($20. 00 part)  scheduled the sandblasting/resurfacing work to begin two weeks later.  The Gunite part of a swimming pool is the shell of concrete which is 8" to 12" inches thick.  

Swin Things sandblasted the entire pool, using jack hammer like tools.  They tented the pool while sandblasing/replastering to ensure dust is limited to the pool area, to keep the area dry during this process, and it lessens the noise.  

This work should be done by a licensed swimming contractor who specializes in sandblasting and pool replastering.    The sandblasting, replastering took a week for Swim Things to complete.   They used 2-4 people, and worked 8-10 hours per day.

The final step was to resurface the pool with a new type of material.    A top coat of plaster, diamond brite was applied to the surface of the gunite to make the final finish. 

It was perfect.  We had two valley closet and they were right on them.  They converted our system and dropped in liners.  They were very helpful in teaching me how to use the new system.  They answered all my questions.  Their price was competitive.  The quality is wonderful.  We had three liner graft and we've never had one.  It was absolutely perfect.  When they were grafting the liners the boss dropped by about three or four times during the process to see if they were doing it good.  The boss gave me his personal telephone to call if there was any problem.

They were very professional and the quality of every aspect of the work was great.  They coordinated the project very well so things were completed in a timely manner.  Brad came and checked on the progress and quality quite a few times.  Our neighbors with pools were very impressed - some having not-so-good experiences with other pool companies doing similar work.

I have used Swim Things multiple times to open and close the pool along with installing a Meyco pool cover. Each and every time they have been wonderful in providing quality service. This spring I had them open up the pool. I stopped by their store to setup a day they can come out. Swim Things gave me an approximate time they will be available and sure enough they came on time. The first step was to uncover the pool and they proceeded to check over the pool pump and clean the pool. The whole service took about an hour. Because they closed the pool for me in the fall, the whole process went very quick. Their prices are a little high, but I have been impressed with their quality of service and ability to answer all my questions. I highly recommend them to anyone.

They come every week to open and close the pool. They have been maintaining my pool for several years and have always done a great job. I like their services and will use the same in future.

I've had two other pool companies come out to help me understand what needed to be done with my pool. When I asked them what I needed to do to get my pool in shape, both of them said, without even knowing who had serviced my pool, that the first thing I should do is not hire back whoever is servicing my pool. So happens it was Swim Things. When we opened up the pool this spring we discovered that they had not cleaned the pool before winterizing it, even though I had asked them to and had offered to pay extra for them to do so. And according to two other pool companies, they didn't use enough chemicals to prepare my pool. What I have now is a pool full of rotted leaves that have stained my pool walls beyond simple cleaning. I have to have the pool drained, and resurfaced. Not only that, but I found out that the way they had been treating my pool for the regular maintenance was all wrong. Whoever their guy was, doing the job was just tossing granular chemicals in the pool and not taking the time to mix it up and dissolve it in water before pouring it into the pool. The bottom line is they cost me a fortune in repairs!!! When I called Chuck, the owner, he just said that my pool condition was normal and that most pools looked like mine in the spring. He didn't even offer to come by and check out the problem.

This company is always quick to respond when we need a repair or have questions. The staff is very helpful, and we buy all of our chemicals at their store. The service has always been wonderful and the prices are reasonable.