Sage Pool Services

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We recently moved to a house that has a spa that wasn?t routinely used by the previous owners.  As a result, some of the components needed to be replaced prior to us taking possession. In May 2012, the previous owners spent $1700 to have the controller and a pump and motor replaced.  When we moved in a few weeks later, the new motor/pump did not work, the heater did not turn on and the basic troubleshooting guide in the manual indicated there was an internal fault either with the controller or the motor.
The previous owner left the receipt for the work he had done indicating Sage Pools of Newport News had provided the service.  My wife knew Nathan Sage from his days as a lifeguard at her neighborhood pool and she said he seemed very motivated to be
successful in his own pool business, so I was happy to hear that we would be dealing with a known quantity and a local small business (where you normally get the best customer service).
Unfortunately, I was wrong. Sage Pools has the worst customer service, technical support and warranty process I have ever experienced.  Not only does management/ownership not back their work, but they also don?t respond to emails, voicemails or messages without multiple attempts to contact them.  There were numerous service calls scheduled but never completed and on one occasion, Nathan Sage claimed that his technicians had been to my house to troubleshoot the problem when they hadn't ever shown up.
It took me weeks to actually be allowed to speak with Nathan about the subpar service his company was providing as he always seemed to be busy opening a new store in the area.  He then made promises on future repair efforts/calls he didn?t keep.
The primiary technician Nathan sent repeatedly to attempt to solve the problem was incompetent, inconsistent and unreliable.  After the third attempt to get Sage to fix the problem with the new motor/pump he installed, Nathan told me that he doesn?t get involved with the technical details of the work his personnel provide.  I was surprised that was the case, and that Nathan was okay with that, since he doesn?t have any idea of the poor quality of workmanship his technicians are putting his company?s name on.  At one point, he said he was sending another very experienced technician along with his primary employee to fully determine the problem/solution.  This new technician sat on my deck while the primary technician attempted to figure out the problem.  The new expert talked on his cell phone most of the service call and told me he doesn't even look at anything less than 20,000 gallons.  That was very evident, as I had to show him how to operate the spa controls while the primary technician tried to troubleshoot the error indications!
Some of the issues that were discovered over the 6 months of unsuccesful repairs:  1.  New motor/pump they installed seized (no indication why, but there is no reason to believe Sage installed it improperly and it appeared to be a faulty job by the manufacturer), 2.  temperature probe not installed, 2.  pressure switch not installed, then installed on pump suction improperly 3. 240V/120V motherboard jumper in wrong position.  Troubleshooting and resolving these issues took weeks between visits and, at one point, required the technician to take equipment back to the shop.  I was surprised that they didn't find all of the problems at once since they installed the new equipment and should have realized the temperature and pressure controls were required for normal operation. 
On Dec 15, 2012, the technician called me to tell me the spa was finally in a fully operational condition.  When I returned from out of town and attempted to operate it, the pumps ran, but the heater would not turn on.  I had another company come and, within 30 minutes, that technician determined the pressure switch was not properly adjusted and he successfully resolved the issue.
Space considerations for this review wouldn't let me include the email chain I had with Nathan Sage over a several month period but I would be happy to send it to you if you want it and I will try to attach it as a separate document on this review.  It is long, but it gives the reader insights into what kind of customer service to expect from Sage Pools so you can make your own determination.

It is atrocious.  They supply the life guards.  They are not careful, they abuse and they don’t check the passes.  People from all other neighborhood come into the place.  They are totally unprofessional.  There were all sorts of complaints from all the residents.  The life guards they supply get on the phone and they don’t watch the kids.  They let their friends in.  So hopefully, it is better after all the complaints have happened, but I would definitely not recommend that company.

I have been using this provider since the company that installed my pool went out of business and left us high and dry. Mike and Heather Tech's Nathan the owner were very helpful from day one. I have a French made pool DesJoyaxy and the techs must know how to set it up. Nathan and his staff got the necessary training to deal with this type pool filter and equipment. I just have high praises for Mike,Heather Barry and Nathan. They are very courtious,friendly and prompt.