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Great experience
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All Pro Pools was the fourth company I called for a quote, and -by far- outclassed the others that came by and looked at the job. The first quote came in at a low-ball estimate -with quick turn-around time, that rang of "get it done and gone". The second
quote came in at a not-as-low estimate -with caveats everywhere. Turns out this company has an ups and extras strategy, get the job at a low bid, then nickel-and-dime the customer (Richard later said this company is his biggest competitor). The third quote
came in high. I don't know how to explain this one, HIGH. "We need to sandblast the whole pool, and basically, START OVER" (can you say huge mess?). With the pool being in the middle of the house, lets not. Richard came in, took a look at the job, we discussed
what I was looking for and he fully explained what it was going to take. He gave me a detailed estimate, and stuck to it -do the words professional integrity have weight with you? They do with me. All Pro Pools got the job. No brainer. Richard took "ownership"
(responsibility) of the pool until the job was properly completed. Any time I called, he either answered immediately, or called me back right away. He had said that he normally used Diamond Brite (brand), but had some reports of failure of the mix. He asked
me if he could use Florida Gem (competing brand) because they were not having issues. I'm glad we used Florida Gem, the standard colors were exactly what I was looking for, and the finished surface is amazing. I knew I had a leak, as the water level was near
the bottom drain. There were areas where the surface had separated from the subsurface. Richard had one caveat -if the hollows are more than about 20 percent, then more material will be needed. When his "demo" guy was done chipping out the hollows, Richard
said ours was less than 15 percent, so no extra material needed. Demo and prep were completed in one day. The next day, a professional (and friendly) crew of four was running a mixer outside, with efficient coordination of moving the material in, and applying
the surface. Two of the guys were artists of application doing the curves of the corners etc., the one doing the steps, I started calling him: Mike (for Michaelangelo). Prior to this phase, one of the crew tackled the leak. He found it almost immediately in
the main drain, and had it repaired with hydraulic cement before the surfacing was started. They installed a new main drain cover, did their cleanup, and asked me to inspect/approve the work. Richard was there, and was duly impressed with the Florida Gem compound,
as am I. We did have issues with the water quality from my well. Even though we used filters to fill the pool, there was an issue of metals (Iron) suspended in the water. Richard could easily have ended the project at that point, and I would have been OK with
that. He was not happy with the water, and went out of his way (and at his own expense) to bring in some pool products to rectify the issue. I asked what to do when I need to top-up the level, he brought a filter sock to use. Some weeks later (and many filter
cleanings) the job was complete to everyones satifaction. A secondary leak was evident after the pump was run. Within a day or two the water level was visibly down. Richard called his leak detection team. They came out, I told them my suspicions of where the
leak was, ten minutes later the leak was pinpointed. Six months in, and I must say every time I walk within eyeshot of the pool (20 times a day), I have recollections of a truly great experience, and a beautiful pool resurface. Richard taught me quite a bit
about pool care, and gave me a good resource for information. Without Richard, I am suspecting that I might have had just another encounter with a Florida company out to get the most money out of the customer for the least amount of work. Not so with All Pro
Pools. Knowledge is king!
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