CLEAR CHOICE POOL SERVICE

Went well....as I expected.

Short version:  They repeatedly failed to conduct work as scheduled and reply in a timely manner, performed unnecessary repairs and recommended further unnecessary replacement of reparable components. Originally contacted on a Thursday because they were recommended by a third party.  We were not yet living in our new home with a pool and had no prior pool care experience.  Initially I simply needed a pool cleaning and then weekly maintenance until we moved in, but then the shaft seal on the pump failed (learned later this was the problem - I initially just knew that the pump was leaking from the casing) so I also needed a pump repair.  Despite promises to repair the pump on the following Monday prior to the scheduled pool cleaning, it was not serviced until Thursday of the same week.  They still kept the "$85+chemical cost" cleaning appointment on Wednesday - which resulted in a $120 cost to shock the pool (algae bloom) and correct chemistry.  I received notification after repeated attempts by me to contact and several phone messages that "the pump needs to be replaced.  Mike said he was surprised it ever ran because it looked so poorly maintained" and was told he would meet me at the house on Sunday to talk through options and show me the damage.  I was also sent an invoice for a $157 repair to replace the 3-way valve that I was told was missing a gasket and this was causing the pump to leak.  On Friday I received an email that Mike was too busy to see me on Sunday, but would talk me through the recommended repairs on Sunday (while I was physically at the house).  When I attempted to start the pump, it was still leaking in the exact place that it was noted to be leaking when I requested they repair it but now would no longer hold a pressure differential across the filter - it would move water but was also sucking in air - classic findings in a shaft seal failure (according to a later professional).  The valve that was replaced is located 4 ft away from the pump on top of the filter - and clearly was not the source of the leak.  Mike continued to insist that the pump needed to be completely replaced - he usually charged $608 to replace, but would "give me a deal" for $590.  Since the pump had been offline for another week - the pool would require another full $85 cleaning plus chemicals.  When I expressed that the first cleaning was wasted money since he had not attempted the repair prior to the cleaning as originally scheduled, I was told there was nothing they could do about that.  Subsequent comparative pricing showed retail cost of the pump is $440 with standard service/install charges around $100.  This company is not someone I will ever deal with again and would strongly recommend against anyone else using them. 

He was very dismissive and borderline rude. Refused to talk to me for a week and finally called me back. Charged me an amazing rate of money. They said they wouldn't come back to fix the light unless I paid them again to come out.