ComplaintsforCrites Custom Pools

• Initial Complaint

  10/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Project Timeline:1/7 Contract signed 2/12 - 2/17 Excavation, rockfill, rebar 2/28 Gunite 3/1 Pool equipment and plumbing partially installed.3/? Coping installed; tile installed 3/16 90% of payments complete and cashed. Work immediately slows down.4/13 Partial cleanup of yard *********** waited nearly the entire month for a quote on the composite deck We were initially told the deck work would start in May.Deck stairs removed.5/10 Received quote for additional deck, plumbing and electrical work; forms for concrete decking around pool installed.5/12 Partial backfill of base for concrete decking 5/28 Email sent about breakdown of communications and lack of work/progress 5/30 Work finally resumes. Heat Pump/chiller installed, some plumbing and electrical.6/13 Rebar for concrete decking.6/15 Concrete decking poured 7/26 Plaster installed 7/29 Pool filled immediately after plaster, equipment hotwired to get turned on.9/28 Someone comes out to fix the booster pump since it never worked. Filter breaks within hours. 10/6 Hayward warranty repair comes out after a week of requests to ****; repairs and rewires the system so that everything works. 10/7 Pool filter breaks overnight and will not turn back on.The contract with them states the pool would be completed within ****** days, and we are now in month 10 and it is still not complete. They withheld the plaster work for over a month until we paid them an additional $2600 in "overages" for the excavation, even though the contract clearly states it was included. We also contracted them for additional deck and electrical work which was never completed. Ultimately, we want the work finished, and a portion of the charges reimbursed. We had to project manage the entire job ourselves for ************************************************************* verify any work was completed correctly.

  

  Business response

  10/25/2022

  First and foremost, we would like to thank ***** and ***** for working with us to resolve any outstanding concerns. They have been accommodating and we have met on site to discuss the remaining items of concern, as well as put a plan together to resolve these matters.
  Per the contract,construction was to be complete within ****** working days, which begins at excavation completion and ends at plaster completion. Construction time began at excavation completion on 2/16/22 and ended at plaster completion on 7/27/22,and pool was filled immediately following and full on 7/29/**************** was complete in 111 working days and this time frame does not consider for rain delays. Unfortunately, in the pool construction industry, delays can occur between project phases due to subcontractor and/or equipment/material availability. During start up, the pump was initially wired as a stand alone and not part of the automated system due to the installation technician being unfamiliar with the programming of the system. This is not hotwiring. The equipment was then switched to the automated system and programmed. Once equipment is installed and a unit malfunctions, it becomes a warranty issue to be resolved by the equipment manufacturer warranty department and we are at their mercy with the response time. It is unwise to tamper with the equipment as we do not want to void the warranty. Excavation included in the contract was for the required parameters for the pool size. As excavation progressed it was discovered loose fill went deeper than expected and required additional excavation and compactable fill brought in to provide required support for the pool. The contract addresses unexpected conditions and the potential for additional costs.
  It is acknowledged there was a delay in providing a quote for a change order to add deck storage. It was also discovered the material selected was on back order. The client was encouraged to select another material to prevent further delays. There was a delay in getting back to us regarding the material desired. The client eventually elected to move forward with the original selected material with the knowledge of an extended delivery date. We acknowledge and understand the frustration in dealing with this type of delay. The client elected to locate another contract for completed the deck storage the very week the material became available. Some of the work was completed and we will refund a portion of the amount of the incomplete work. The change order is not included in the original pool contract time and have not control over the material delivery delays. We are more than willing to accommodate the client and respect their decision to hire an alternate contractor to complete the deck storage.
  Again, we appreciate their patience and apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused. We will continue to be there for them for any future warranty items and or issues if they arise.

• Initial Complaint

  03/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Pool was installed and plaster work needs to be done. There are rust spots coming through and cracks in pool. Crites pool company has been promising a resolution for over a year and will not follow up or send a repair service out. I have several months worth of email and texts without a response or with empty promises of sending someone out

  

  Business response

  03/29/2022

  We are aware of this problem and we are working with the plaster company to get this problem fixed. We have reached out to him and this will be taken care of this week.

   

  Donna 

• Initial Complaint

  03/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our family contracted Crites Custom Pools in August 2020 to build our pool, spa, and full backyard kitchen area. We decided to go with Crites Custom Pools based on the architectural layout and design that was provided to us before the project began. One month into the project ***** Crites fired our designer. What was to be a 3-4 month construction project turned into 8 months. We went through multiple third-party contractors with work going left unfinished for months. ***** Crites, the owner who was acting as the General Contractor, and a gentleman named ****, who was designated as the Super Intendant, were scrambling to find any contractors that would work on the job. *********** words, she contracted an unfamiliar gunite company to pour our gunite. ****** Brothers did our plaster. Directly following the gunite poor, we noticed a crack in the concrete shell and reported this to ***** and ****, the *** We were told the crack was nothing and this was normal for gunite to settle this way. We took photos and videos and provided all of this to Crites Custom Pools at the time the gunite was poured. Nothing was done about the crack and then the plaster was done. Within weeks the plaster was discoloring and worn and not what we had selected. We had ****** Brothers Plaster out to look at the plaster job and they agreed that it was not properly installed and had worn down. The agreement at this time was to drain the pool in the winter and refinish the plaster. As the summer months went on, we began to notice we were filling up our pool 2 inches every other day. We checked everything as to why this was occurring only to find out that the crack we had originally reported when the gunite was first poured, was leaking water out of the bottom of our pool in to our soil. We have spent an excessive amount on our water **** filling & draining our pool trying to find resolve. The pool is now drained. We were told **** days to fix. We are heading in to week 3. Will not return calls.

  

  Business response

  03/10/2022

  We were first notified that there was a possible leak in the pool and we hired on leak detection to go out and validate where the leak was coming from. The first leak detection company said the only leak was at the pool equipment and at one of the light fittings. Which the filter turned out to be from the service company not tightening the filter properly after  cleaning filter. The light also needed to be tightened.   Everything seemed to be fine for about to weeks. Then after the freeze the pool started dropping very rapidly, I called in *************** the found the crack that the Crockell's had mentioned during construction, was the problem. We had previously contacted Hot Crete about the crack and they had reinsured us it was a shrinkage crack and nothing to worry about. This report was given to us   ************************* went on January 13,2022 and put a temporary patch on the plaster. It did fix stop the pool from leaking, but in no way was the patch acceptable to be left. **** Then went on the Feb 19,2022 and drain the the pool and punched the hole in the bottom of the pool. Hot Crete went to ******** on February 21,2022 and saw cut the crack and inserted the epoxy into the crack. **** originally had told them it would be **** days for the repair, but with the current weather conditions we are having to wait and Keagan had spoken to ***** and explained it would be an additional 2-3 weeks. ***** said he was ok with that. Just wanted to make sure his equipment was fine do to the freeze coming in. Keagan face tine ***** and explained how to work the equipment so they could use spa.

  ***** called the *************** and **** answered the phone, We only give them the address of the clients and not there name ,so when she asked about her job he had no idea plus like he said he works for a lot of companies and didn't recognize her address off the top of his head. She then Sent us message telling us not to contact them she was contacting legal council, which as of now I think we are working it out. I do not have the other companies schedules and I can only give them what the give me. At no time was there ever any mention of the plaster ever being applied wrong. The plaster company did say they would come and do an acid wash in the winter. 

   

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