PARADISE POOLS & SPAS

Went well good job.

Contacted them numerous times to schedule a pool opening. I was told several times that the subcontractor would call me to schedule. I had to call daily for a return call. Ed never called to schedule. Had to get Alpine Pool for the opening. They did a fabulous job.

Very slow process and lack of any customer service. First they wouldn't even come over and give us an estimate till after Memorial Day. Then ordering and installing was about another 35 days total. The guy they use for installation Noel, is almost impossible to deal with. He would tell us he was going to show up on a day and then No Show. Wouldn't notify us or anything that he wasn't coming. Instead he would pick a random day, call us and ask us where we were at? Noel gave us wrong filling instructions, after I repeated myself 3x's with him, which prolonged services even longer. After the liner was installed we had to have him come out again, because in 2 different spots the liner came off the newly installed track. It was the 3rd week in July till we could finally use our pool. And stupid me, called them to see if they would be able to close our pool? When asked by them when I would like to have it closed? I said, "Some time shortly after Labor Day?" His response "You and everyone else! We'll try to get to it by the end of September and have someone call you?" I understand that is a busy season for all pool services, but you don't respond that way to a customer requesting services. No that is okay, I will call someone else who would appreciate our business!!

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We dealt with Randy, the Owner at Paradise pools. The project was very encompassing. We were installing a completely new 18? x 40? In-Ground pool along with an eight person sunken Jacuzzi. We decided to have the concrete in our back hard torn up and removed and have everything completely re-poured in stamped, colored concrete as well as having a stegmeiere concrete edge on the pool. We went with a salt water pool with a chlorine generator and decided on a diving board with a deep end. We also needed to build a 5? brick retaining wall to support a larger concrete area for our pool. It was required to increase the flat area available so we could create a larger concrete area around the pool because of a steep slope on the edge of the property.

As is the case with most pool companies, they contract some parts of the job with sub-contractors. Paradise has a contractor to dig the hole, another to do the concrete, and their In-House people do the actual pool. We had talked to other pool companies before selecting Paradise that said they had no subcontractors and later discovered they were not telling the truth about it. Randy was up front and honest about it and had great confidence in his subcontractors.

As a business owner myself, I am aware of the difficulties in dealing with subcontractors, but I think Randy did an excellent job in coordinating the work. It took longer than they had estimated to complete the job. In their defense, it did rain quite a bit that summer. Also, I know that every Pool Company tends to underestimate the time it will take to complete their pool because they know every other pool company they are competing against is likely to underestimate it as well. I have many friends that have pools and none of them had their pools completed in the time frame they were originally given. So, you should just expect that if you decide to purchase a pool from any company. I do think Randy did his best to coordinate the subcontractors and get expedite them whenever possible.  

The gentleman that dug the whole was a master of his craft and it was a pleasure watching him work. He was a little grumpy but we were not paying him for his personality. He dug the pool in one day with time to spare. The guys that did the concrete were probably the reason the job was delayed. They did have rain that set them back and they had to set the stegmeiere concrete one day and do the all the rest of the concrete in two other pourings.   It was quite a job to jackhammer up all the old concrete and coordinate all the work between the rain days. Throw in the fact that every pool customer wants his job started and completed as soon as the weather breaks each spring and the potential problems become evident. That being said, the guys did a fantastic job with the concrete except I have one major complaint. The edging of the stegmeiere concrete adjacent to the pool sluffed off during the winter after the pool was completed. I did call him and he said that was normal. I am not a concrete expert, but it is not normal. I remember he was understaffed when he poured the stegmeiere edge and he was really struggling to complete the finishing before it hardened. I think he was a little late in completing it and that is why it sluffed. I wish they could apply some product to it to solidify it and make it a solid continuous color. The sluffing makes it a little unsightly but maybe I just notice it more than others would sense it irritates me. I have been told by other concrete contractors that there was a product that I could apply to accomplish what I desire but none of them want to get in the middle of someone else?s job, so I guess I have to live with it. The rest of the concrete job was absolutely beautiful. We paid quite a bit to have the old concrete jackhammered up and to replace everything with the stamped concrete but we are happy we did. It gave the entire pool area the look we desired. The concrete guys were also instrumental in averting a catastrophe. The company I hired to do the retaining wall (unrelated to Paradise Pools), made the wall with a technique that the concrete guys were not comfortable pouring concrete over. They actually refused to take responsibility for any concrete they would pour over the new retaining wall. They were absolutely correct in there hesitation. The retaining wall was not anchored into the ground properly and they ended up partially taking it down to install better anchors. I am very happy that the Paradise Concrete subcontractor took that approach. The retaining wall company made a smaller retaining wall on another part of my property at the same time and did not use the anchors that paradise insisted upon. That wall is leaning badly and will need replaced. Had we not anchored the retaining wall properly under the pool, the entire 50? x 80? stamped concrete job would likely be ruined by now.

 The Paradise In-House crew came next to finish the pool. They were experts at their task and quite efficient. Watching the boss of that crew work, it was obvious that he was really skilled at his job.

 We have never had a pool before and there is a learning curve associated with maintaining a large pool. We got a saltwater pool with an Aqua rite chlorine generator. The saltwater pool is fantastic and everyone loves the water. We have a diving board, so we had to have a deep end to the pool. We are glad we got the diving board. Everyone enjoys it.

 I have had a few problems with the pool. The pump bearing started to fail prior to the warranty expiring and Randy sent his guy (Big Ed Campbell) out to fix it promptly; under the warranty. Recently, the filter was not working and Big Ed came to fix it. He discovered that I had been putting too much Earth product into the pool after flushings, and it had accumulated in the filter. Ed cleaned the filter brushes and solved the problem. That was on me, but Ed is an honest and reasonable guy who knows his job very well. My Aqua rite chlorine generator quit working recently and I realized that it was because I never cleaned the cell. It needs checked every three months and I failed to do that. Ed came over and removed it and dipped it in acid overnight and reinstalled it the next day. Another problem solved. Like I mentioned earlier, there is a learning curve with the maintenance and it takes a few years to get used to doing everything correctly. I am getting there, and Randy and Ed have been there to help me when I screw up; and make good on anything still under warranty.

 Was everything perfect with this project? The answer is No. However, Randy is a good, honest guy and the end result was an absolutely beautiful pool. I would use him again and highly recommend Paradise pools to anyone in the market for a Pool Company. You just have to go into it knowing that not everything will go perfectly with the project and it will probably take longer than you anticipate; but Randy will make you a heck of a pool at a competitive price.

 I waited (3) years to write this because I wanted to see how Paradise stood by their product and their warranty. They did not disappoint.

This was the worst experience I could ever imagine.  Everything is sub-contracted out to people and, when it goes wrong, it's never Randy's fault since he "can't control them".  Randy is impossible to reach.  Has a cell phone but blocks the # so you can't reach out directly.  The other guy at the store tries but is stuck in the middle.  Randy makes a ton of promises that he can't deliver on.  
If you must go with him, make sure to get everything documented and locked down in advance with documented costs, even if it's not his responsibility.  Our cost was dramatically higher than he had estimated, given they are all sub's and everybody is looking for extra money.

They are good and we do the work ourselves. He is friendly, knowledgeable and reasonable. He knows his stuff.

I hired Paradise because we were on a tight schedule and the only other provider who said he could meet our schedule was slow to respond and vague about pricing/process.  Our schedule was tight because the house was new construction, and several things needed to be done post-pool installation to get a final occupancy permit.  Our job was quickly complicated by the fact that our pool had to be chipped out of the stone that was just a foot or so under the dirt in our yard.  So Randy's excavators (Coll-Kev) had to bring in a hoe-ram to dig the hole, causing a delay of about 1.5 weeks.  Once this was done, we thought that we'd be back on our 10 day schedule that Randy promised, but no such luck.  Some of the problems were certainly beyond the company's control (the pool manfuacturer needed to send replacement parts); however, because the crew just didn't show up most days, it took too long to identify the problem.  Once that was fixed, they didn't show up to complete the installation.  After a few weeks of this, I started calling Randy daily to yell at him and finally started to make some progress.  In all, it took a little over six weeks to do what was described as a 10 day process.  I can excuse a couple of those weeks due to the rock in our yard and the manufacturing mishap, but even with that, they were weeks behind schedule.  The good news is that the pool looks great and we are happy with the end result even if the process was awful.  As it was finished in the cold (fall 2014) the liner still needs to be adjusted and the heater, filter...etc. hooked up, so we'll see how it goes in the spring, but it sure looks good.  At some point, someone suggested to me that the fall is the worst time to install a pool, because the workers have been working so hard all summer and are tired and looking forward to the winter.  This seems reasonable, so if you're installing in the fall, I'd stay on top of the crew from day one.  One other caution with Randy as opposed to some other pool companies, I felt like I was the general contractor, not a position I'm used to being in.  Had to deal separately with plumber, electrician, excavators..etc and pay them separately.  Randy was upfront about this, but in the end, it was more work than I wanted.  If it wasn't for Kevin at Coll-Kev excavating, I don't think this would be done.  He helped me a lot, and I even hired him to do some extra work for us that we might not have been able to do if the installation had been on time.

Estimate

Purchased new spa and they were true professionals.

We couldn't be happier with our in-ground pool by Paradise Pools.  There were issues the first day with the pool dig, but Randy came out himself and found a good option for the pool location.  All of his references for sub-contractors were excellent (although we have yet to complete the fencing).  It was such a big job with many glitches, but all of the workers explained our options and delivered good results.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!  Too bad the only grade I can give them is F.  I really need more letters, like W for worthless.



Initial date of hire - Aug. 10, 2012.  They installed the liner incorrectly which resulted ordering a second liner.  The work could have been completed in 2012 if Paradise had not wasted so much time pointing fingers at the liner company.   Unfortunately, buy the time that Paradise admitted that the liner was measured correctly, it was their installers that screwed up, the weather had become too cold to install the liner (70 degrees or higher required).  The project would resume in the Spring of 2013.



I met with the company owner (Randy) in his shop on April 1, 2013  and was assured that my work would receive highest priority and my pool would be completed the week of April 15.  At the end of the week no one had showed up and no one had called me.  I called Randy and was told that they got behind due to other service demands.  "Highest priority" is not a concept he can grasp.  Another work date of May 21 and 22.  Once again no one showed up and no one called.  I called Randy again and he said it "slipped through the cracks".  I asked him if he had any intention of doing this job and he assured me he did as my second liner was sitting in his shop.  Another work date of June 5 and 6.  No one showed up and no one called.  I finally fired Paradise Pools and Spas.

Randy and the rest of staff were professional, prompt, and performed quality work. If only other companies /contractors were as easy to work with their would be no need for angieslist. I would definitely use them again.

I was really satisfied with their work.  They did some things which other companies have never done.  I have never had a problem and they are extra careful with their work by taking a few extra steps.  They are very knowledgeable and thorough.  They always have what I need.  All their pool chemicals are very competitively priced.  The price of the winter cover I bought from them was unbelievable compared to everywhere I went.  The product was a hundred percent spot on.  It was easy without any hassles or difficulties.  They knew what they were doing and took care of it quickly and efficiently.  I would use them again in the future.

It took longer than expected to get it delivered.  They were friendly, helpful, and their prices were good.

They were alright and were straight forward.  I asked them what they can do and they collected required information from me.  They gave me a quote and they had a good selection of material in stock.  They had a relatively small and cost knowledgeable manpower.  I will use their services in future.

I love the professional attitude and courteousness of their employees.  They are extremely knowledgeable.  Their price is in the middle of the road.  I would use them again in the future.

They were very helpful and were able to order my replacement liner in a quick manner.  They were able to provide services very quickly.  Paradise Pools is very knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to pool liners.  Their quality of work was superb.  I am confident that if I do encounter any problems they will gladly take care of them which is the primary reason we purchased the liner through Paradise Pools.  If errors do occur Paradise Pools will pay to replace and redo the pool liner.  Overall I have been completely satisfied up to this point with Paradise Pools.

INSTALLED INGROUND POOL IN A DIFFICULT AREA. ALSO, WAS EXTREMELY PATIENT WITH US AND CONTACTED US ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. ALSO, PROVIDED US WITH A LIST OF PEOPLE TO HELP WITH PROJECT. WE WERE VERY PLEASED WITH THIS COMPANY'S WORK.

EXCELLENT WORK. ON TIME. FINISHED WHEN PLANNED.

HELPFUL IN SELLING US THE TUB. PROMISED 2 WEEK DELIVERY--NO SHOW. WE HAD TO CALL IN SEARCH OF TUB. IT WASN'T READY, AND THEY FELT NO NEED TO CALL AND LET US KNOW.