Thouin Pools and Spas

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Late in coming, replaced circulation pump which was provided by owner, and checked for leaks. The spa would only operate for a few minutes then shut its self off. After the repairman left the spa did the same as the reason for the service call. I immediately call the store and was assured by the same repairman he would be out at his earliest convenience. After a 30 day wait, call Daves' Waves who discovered that the problem was clogged filters and not the circulation pump. This was the second attempt by Thouin Pools and Spa to repair problems with my hot tub. In both instances another repairman had to be called to finish the repair. A report was made with the East Tennessee BBB regarding both instance of poor service. I do not recommend the Thouin Polls and Spa be contacted for any pool or spa repair for their repairman is very undependable and has yet to fully repair a spa problem for me on two occasions.

They have always been cheaper than anybody else. They have been fair about the way they do and handle things. They take care of long-term customers. They put in that pool twelve years ago, but they still do a lot of things for free just because they put it in. We did not even have it. We just bought the house with the pool later. We were not even the original people that they have always done a lot of things. Basically, it is kind of once you work even though there is no real warranty; they make sure that they take care of it.

They were soooo polite, from the employees in the store to the guys who did the installation. I could not have ask for a better experience. They showed me how to run everyting, and even explained it again over the phone when I could not remember how to do it. Everyone goes on about how great it looks. They even tested my water for me. No wonder Thouin Pools has such a great reputation! I would highly recommend them.

My cheif complaint is that I asked for a very specific estimate, which I OFFERED TO PAY FOR, and was told a figure that was $600 off from what it actually cost. I chose this business because the person I bought the spa from had initially purchased the spa from them, and I felt they would be a good choice to move and help me set it up since it was a brand they were familiar with. As a first time spa owner, I was very nervous about having someone inexperienced move the spa, so I chose to hire a and quot;professionaland quot; and I was very dependent on them to advise me.

1. SCHEDULING: I called at least 3 different times and left messages before I actually ever talked to anyone about scheduling the move.

2. THE ESTIMATE: When I did schedule the move, I specifically asked about an estimate. I told them the address of where the spa was, the address where it was moving to, and offered to pay them to go look at the 2 locations so they could accurately tell me what it would cost to move it. I told them the exact model of the spa, and what the empty weight was. I also told them that there was currently NO WIRING in place at the new location for the spa, and how far from the fusebox to the location of the spa. I was told that their was and quot;no needand quot; for me to pay them for the estimate, that they would investigate the 2 locations and get back to me. I asked how long it would take to and quot;get back to meand quot; and was told and quot;a few days.and quot; 10 days later (after I had not heard from anyone) I called to find out what the estimate was and to see about scheduling the move. I was told, by Hank, the move would be $400 and about $100 to run the electricity, possibly up to $100 more if there was additional parts needed for the install. I was delighted! It all sounded very reasonable, and I scheduled it for a date approximately 2 weeks away. I was told they would contact me the week before the move to confirm the time.

3. THE CONFIRMATION: 2 days before the move, I started trying to call to get a time. I left multiple messages with the in store staff, and never received a call back. Finally, the Saturday before the move, I went to the store to see if I could talk to someone, and waited well over an hour for the staff to contact someone who could tell me an answer.

4. THE DAY OF THE MOVE: The day of the move, I tried to call and confirm the time, but was unable to do so. I went to the owner's home, hoping they would show up. They did show up, 90 mins late, due to a broken down vehicle. This I have no problem with, because things DO happen, but a phone call to me, stating the delay, would have been appreciated.

5. THE MOVE ITSELF: This went without a hitch. It was flawless. They worked like a well-oiled machine and I was VERY impressed.

6. RUNNING THE ELECTRICITY: I was saddened to find out at my house that they would not be able to hook everything up, and get me started that day, because they didn't have everything they needed to run the electricity. I had been VERY SPECIFIC about the fact that nothing was in place at my house for the spa, and they would need to bring it. I was disappointed, but there was nothing I could do to make it happen. They said they would return the next day to finish the install. I offered to pay for the work this day, but was told I could come in to the store in a few days, bring in a water sample to be tested, and pay my invoice then. Hank never said a word about the fact that it was going to cost more than originally quoted.

7. 2ND DAY, RUNNING THE ELECTRICITY: The electricity was run the next day, I was not home when they did it, but they did a very good job of hiding the wires, placed the emergency shut-off in a very convenient location, and did a very professional looking job with the install. They had to drill through brick masonry, and did not clean up the mess, but that was my only complaint with the electricity install.

8. PAYING THE FINAL BILL: I went to the store with my water sample 4 days later, and was presented with a bill for over $1200. I was stunned. I had to actually put it on a credit card. I asked the girl at the store why it was so much more, she called Hank, and he told her to tell me the following:
A. They moved the spa ALL THE WAY FROM JONESBOROUGH. Well, duh, I told him that when I 1st called to schedule.
B. It was a BIG spa and it took 5 guys. Well, duh, again, I told him that at the beginning, and he BROUGHT 5 guys, so he KNEW THAT when he GAVE ME THE ESTIMATE.
C. He had to buy extra wire and a 220 volt and quot;whateverand quot; to install the electricity. AGAIN, he should have known he would need that to do the install, as I had TOLD him from the get-go there was NOTHING at my house.
I asked to speak to him, and was told he was and quot;too busy.and quot;

I was left with 2 choices: Pay it or Don' t Pay it. Because I didn't have a written estimate, and the invoice was itemized, and the amount was so much more, I felt that if I refused to pay he would turn me over to collections. So, I payed it.