Islander Pools & Spas Inc

Get your pool somewhere else

The customer service is the worst. The manager is Andrew. If you call for him they always tell you he's busy and put you through to his voicemail. My concrete patio looks terrible. It took one month after I called to get Randy to come back to look at the concrete. He said it needs to be resealed. He said he was going to have his guy come the next day to look at it but he never came. And I'm not sure why his guy needs to come look at it if he already knows it needs to be resealed. Now it's been another week and still Randy doesn't answer his phone or call. Seems like he staling because he has other work. So he doesn't care about my issue. Also, the manager Andrew hasn't called me back. This place has the worst customer service. Once they have your money they don't care.

In summary: -Purchasing the pool was an easy process. Moe, our sales person, was very helpful -Communication with sub contractors Islander uses is a major issue -If you decide to purchase a pool from Islander, find your own people to finish the project....or even find your own installer. -Islander sells the pool and sub contracts out the install and everything else, you also have to find your own electrician and get the permit. -If you are looking for complete project planning, this is likely not the place for you Our plan was to install the pool, replace a deck from the house and have two steps down to a concrete patio surrounding the pool. Two days before my scheduled install, I had not heard anything from the installer Islander contracts with, Randy. Contacted the store and was told there is a two week delay, which was fine, I just didn't appreciate the lack of communication. Pool was installed on schedule when another installer, Steve, was found. Steve came the night before to discuss location and project details. Pool was installed slightly higher than I expected, which made the pool about the same level as the corner of the house. Found out Steve wouldn't be doing any of the concrete decking, he would only be instaling the pool Call placed to store, was told the originally scheduled installer, Randy would eventually be contacting us about finishing the project but the pool and dirt had to settle Made multiple calls Randy to talk about finishing the concrete. Never got a call back. When I say multiple, I mean about 15-20 calls over a three week period. Husband went to Islander to see if that would get us some info, they called Steve (the installer) who came by our house and essentially said he didn't do concrete (which we knew) and that we should still be able to install the planned deck even though the pool was 18 inches higher than we planned and there were all sorts of modifications we would need to make to accommodate drainage and grade. The longer we looked at the level of the pool, the position of the house and surrounding driveway there just didn't seem to be any way for this plan to work. Ultimately, we scrapped the plan for the deck, found our own concrete contractor and put in a patio from the house and surround the pool, which costs us about $10,000 more than we planned. I like the actual pool, and have no complaints about that product. I don't know that I would reccomend Islander for pool install because their sub-contractors do not call back. I've done quite a few house projects, and I understand delays and timing issues occur, but need and expect communication especially when I'm spending quite a bit of money.

Again, it worked out but would have to think long and hard before I would hire again.

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Later that week, Rick showed up announced in a foul mood. He was borderline verbally abusive and insulting to my fiancée. He was obviously not having a good day and unhappy in his work. He fixed the lights and said he couldn't hear any abnormal noise. He wasn't there more than 15 minutes and I will be interested to see my final bill as we were given no receipt or confirmation of payment.

DON'T USE ISLANDER POOLS~ WORST POOL EXPERIENCE IN 5 YEARS.
Islander is the worst pool company I have dealt with in the 5 years we have owned our pool.  I called them to close and open our pool last year after seeing an ad on tv.  They insisted on charging my credit card as soon as the appointment was made. I wasn't thrilled about paying for something before it was done, but I went along with it anyway.  Closing the pool seemed ok, however, the following spring when they opened the pool, it was a disaster.  They opened it while we were away.  When we were able to look at the pool closely, we realized they didn't really do anything except to take the cover off and leave.  The valves were not open so the pool wasn't filtering properly.  I had asked them ahead of time to please attach a new backwash hose because our old one was ripped and they never did.  When I called the office to ask them to come out and get the pool running with a new hose, the manager told me they couldn't come back but that I was welcome to come into their store and purchase one to put on myself.  They didn't put the right combination of chemicals in the pool so it took us weeks to get it clean enough to use.  The owner/manager was very rude and unpleasant which made it difficult to get them to do anything. Overall, I would never recommend Islander Pools in Albany NY based on cost and customer service.  I have since started using Whips Pool Service in Ballston Spa and I am so happy I did.

Islander was a decent company to deal with when we first made the pool purchase.  The subcontractor that they use to install the pools was fantastic, I would recommend him to anyone I believe his name was Steve.  They also use Clifton Park Landscaping, which started out fine but then they were nowhere to be found and unresponsive as we pushed them to finish the project including the stamped concrete around the pool which has since started to crack in less than a year. I called Clifton Park Landscaping multiple times and got no response and eventually they came by said they would be back to fix it and that was August of last year, haven't heard or seen them since.  I would never buy a pool from Islander again or encourage it unfortunately because of the arrangement they have with this third party landscaper who does the excavation.  Its a shame Islander was good but the experience overall was a nightmare, if they recommended a different company to do the work that they don't do the experience would have been much different.

I have been doing business with Islander for over 25 years. I am going to defer rating them due to a few problems I have encountered last season. Hopefully they hold up for  their reputation and the problem will be resolved.  Will rate when the problem is corrected.

They did what they were supposed to and did a good job. There was a lack of communication, as they never scheduled a time to come measure and just showed up in my yard. Also, they did not complete the job at first because they had never received the check, though we had set a date or form of delivery for it. 

They gave me a very fair price for the repair and I was very happy that they did not overcharge me because sometimes people tend to be taken advantage of. They were very honest and very helpful.

They did a great job. They came when they said they would and got the problem corrected. I also liked that they found that they needed to replace two of the jets while they were here. The prices they charge are quite reasonable.

The pool was installed and it works. Problems with Islander. The first crew sent to install the pool was mad because they were sent from Balston Spa. The foreman was very rude to us. When I asked him if he wanted to do the job, he left the site with his crew. A few days later another crew came and they finished the job. They did OK, but the ground under the pool could be smoother & there is one spot that has a small pocket under the liner. I am concerned will get bigger. Clean up was marginal. When they left, the pool would not have met code because of leveling, the ground was not consistently 48'' from the pool. It needed more grading. Even though I told my salesman that I wanted all the best stuff, the extra components, particularly the skimmer, are poor quality. The pool & pump are good quality. Islander is not a turn key solution provider. They don't do any decks, they don't take extra dirt away, they don't do any landscaping. They only erect the pool.

THE POOL COMPANY WAS NICE AND THE GUY ALWAYS GOT BACK TO US; HE WAS VERY PLEASANT TO DEAL WITH. BUT THE EXCAVATORS, WE AREN'T REALLY THRILLED WITH. THE JOB THEY ARE DOING SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE REALLY IN A HURRY AND TRYING TO GET IT OUT OF THE WAY.

IT WAS EXCELLENT. THE WORK WAS DONE WELL. THE EMPLOYEES WERE PROFESSIONAL. THE POOL LOOKS GREAT. THE POOL WAS COMPLETED WHEN THEY SAID IT WOULD BE. THEY INSTALLED THE POOL LINER PERFECTLY WITHOUT A PROBLEM, AND IT WAS COMPLETED IN 2 DAYS.

OVERALL THE COMPANY WAS GOOD TO DEAL WITH. THE POOL BUILDERS WERE GOOD TO DEAL WITH. THEY CAME IN AND DID THEIR JOB, THEY GOT IN AND OUT. AS FAR GOING BACK TO THE POOL STORE, THEY'RE JUST NOT GOOD ON FOLLOW THROUGH SERVICE. WHEN WE CALLED BACK ABOUT QUESTIONS ABOUT STARTING UP THE POOL, THEY DIDN'T GET BACK TO US. IT WAS KIND OF LIKE WHEN THEY WERE DONE, THEY WERE DONE.

IT WAS SATISFACTORY, IT WAS FINE. THEY SHOWED UP WHEN THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO SHOW UP AND DID THE JOB. I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THAT. EVERYTHING WAS DONE PROPERLY.

THE PRICE WAS GREAT. THE ONLY REASON THAT PUNCTUALITY WAS A PROBLEM IS THAT THEY HAD TO CANCEL TWICE BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY INSTALLED THE POOL. IF I DIDN'T MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, IT CAN TAKE UP TO 72 HOURS FOR SOMEONE TO COME OUT.

THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAD WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T BRING US A PART WHEN THEY INSTALLED THE POOL AND IT TOOK THEM THREE OR FOUR DAYS TO GET THAT OUT TO US. THEY LEFT US A BIG MOUND OF DIRT WHICH WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO HAVE BUT THEY WOULDN'T PUT IT WHERE WE WANTED IT. OTHER THAN THAT, THE POOL'S UP AND WE'RE ENJOYING IT SO I GUESS IT WAS GOOD.