ComplaintsforSunstone Pools & Outdoor Living LLC

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  SunStone Pools & Outdoor Living, cancelled an unfinished project via email using a bogus excuse while owing us thousands of dollars and leaving ** with an unusable backyard full of rocks, sand, holes, rusted metals, and trash. The owner **** is refusing to return the money and give us an itemized breakdown of all cost and labor. He has threaten to countersue me if I take any legal action and has name dropped his Attorney, ****************, to attempt to intimidate me.Below is a summary and I have attached a more detail timeline of events May 31, 2023. Agreement. Total Cost $62,950. Verbally discussed with ***** (Sales person) that I needed the project completed July 4th.As of July 5th, I have given SunStone Pools $36,950 and they have only completed $20,550 worth of work.On June 20, due to an argument with ****, owner, over a timeline where he shouted and called my idea to fill the pool back up because it was cracking due to the extreme heat stupid. I received a timeline via email with milestones and an agreed completion date of July 14 from ***** at the direction of **** (marketing) who had de-escalated the situation the day before. After the owner had asked his workers to leave my house.By July 5, I started receiving text and calls that they were having trouble sourcing the travertine that they knew back on June 19 that they had to pre order 3 weeks in advance. That night I sent an official notification to everyone that I needed that project completed by the agreed date of July 14, 2023.On July 6. **** sent an email cancelling the project because according to him, me asking for the project to be completed by the date that was agreed verbally and in writing was "anticipatory breach of contract"Because SunStone Pools stopped work and abandon the job, I requested an itemized breakdown of all costs and labor to determine the exact amount owed to us and that any money owed to us be returned by July 10, 2023 end of day. **** the owner has refused.

  Business response

  07/20/2023

  ************************* promised in writing not to pay us for any work completed after July 14.  The schedule of the project with liquidated damages was not negotiated in any portion of the construction agreement.  She attempted to change the rules in the middle of the project by instituting financial penalties not agreed to in the construction agreement.  We attempted multiple times to request that she take back her threat to cancel / not pay us for work on the project.  She refused to take back her threat.  When someone promises to pay we believe them, when someone promises not to pay we also believe them.  We justifiably relied upon the entirety of the agreement she signed to commence our work.  If she will take away her threat to deny payment for completed work we will immediately re-mobilize commencement of work on the project.

  See email promising not to pay below.

   

  From: ************************* <********************>
  Sent: Wednesday, July 5, 2023 10:50:25 PM
  To: ******************* <*********************************************************>; ********************* <***************************************************>
  Cc: ************************* <***********************************************************>; ************************* <*******************>
  Subject: Re: Construction Schedule-Official Notice
  
  Hello ******************** and ******,
  
  Based on our conversations today and our text messages.  We have decided that if the job is not fully completed as specified on this email by July 14,  2023 and agreed upon prior we will be obligated to not move forward or pay for any portion not completed  by the alloted time.  

   

   

  Customer response

  07/20/2023

  Complaint: 20314304
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have attached the email trail, where the sales person, ****, provided the written timeline with a completion date of July 14, 2023 including milestones.  I am also including my email notification.  I never promised to not pay.  Finally I am including the owner's email where he cancelled the project and any material order. He also has refused to pay thousands of dollars back for work that he never completed.  I want my money back as soon as possible.   
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  06/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  October 2023 we hired Sunstone Pools to build our pool. Pool was completed March 2023. January we notified Sunstone's front office and owner that the concrete equipment pad was not level. After several communications regarding the leveling of the equipment pad, finally on February 22, 2023, the owner said he would send someone out to level the equipment pad. No one showed up. Again, several inquires about when our equipment pad will be fixed. March 9th, I was told someone would come out to fix the equipment pad. No one showed. Around March 18th someone came out to fix the pad however they only slightly lifted the equipment pad causing it to further crack and now bow in the middle of the equipment pad. I notified the owner that an attempt to fix the pad was not successful, that it is still not level. The owner responded that they raised it "some" that it will be fine. Once again several inquires that the equipment pad still needs to be fixed. April 21, 2023 I spoke with the owner once again stating my concerns about the equipment pad. He said he would send someone out to fix it and if necessary tear out the pad and repour the concrete again, so it will be level. Yet again nothing happened. Again several inquires about fixing my pad. I schedule for June 1st to have someone fix my pad. No one showed up. I paid over $100k for a pool and I want my equipment pad to be level like it should have been installed in the first place. No equipment runs sufficiently when it is not level and not to mention adding undue strain on other components. Sunstone Pools and their employees made a mistake. The owner acknowledged the mistake and said he would fix the pad. Now six (6) months later my pool equipment pad is not fixed.

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Please see attached photos and excerpts below that validate my case: I hired Sunstone Pools and **** ******** owner, on January 12, 2023 to remodel my pool and add a gas fire pit. I have paid Sunstone Pools $82K year to date. Within 3 weeks, the City of ******* issued a “Stop Work Order” for not securing a permit, and 2 code violations. Please note that Sunstone hired Water Work Solution to install my gas line, a non licensed plumber in Texas, and they did so without a permit!! Based on a site inspection by an ***** Energy Specialist, the gas line and gas fire pit would have failed and caused gas appliance shutdowns in my home and likely a gas leak!!!! After 4 failed attempts by Sunstone Pools to secure a permit over 2 months, a permit was issued. To the City of Coppell’s shock, Sunstone Pools again hired Water Work Solution to install the second gas line!!! ******* stopped work again. Fire pit is still not ready to test. The quality of work for the entire pool remodel has been extremely poor.!!!!! In fact so poor, I filed an official complaint with the ******** ******* in Austin under deceptive practices. My complaints and additional concerns were verified by an independent civil and aquatic engineering firm - **** ******* Corporation in April. New steps and wall built with concrete blocks (instead of gunite) have major cracks. Code violation- ***** ******** Materials. Pavers built with vertical pavers and cement as footers will not hold up. IRC violation. Steps and risers were built greater than 12 inches in height. Code ***** ******* Riser Heights. Skimmers and auto fill must be encased in concrete as per code - ***** ******* materials. They are in dirt. There are many other concerns and bad workmanship. **** ******* has stated that some of the problems are associated with remodeling an old pool. That is not true!! Only the wall is abutted to the old pool. I have made many requests to **** ******* to repair but to no avail.

  Business response

  06/02/2023

  Homeowner will not allow project to be completed.  See attached files.

  Customer response

  06/09/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I unequivocally reject this response from Sunstone Pools that I have stopped them from completing construction of my pool. Instead I have previously submitted a detailed list of items that need to be completed before moving on to a new stage of construction, due to defects, poor quality of workmanship, and inferior work that is not industry standard.
  I have made importunate requests to the owner of Sunstone Pools to please complete work but to no avail.

  i also provided a 19 page engineering report (as noted in my original complaint) with photos, industry standard practices, and manufacturing specifications that noted the poor quality construction, and lack of standards.  But still….Sunstone Pools would not agree to repair or fix anything on said list.

  In order to provide further insight for me with additional details, I hired an aquatic construction management company with 40 years of experience to conduct another site inspection and detailed report.  This new report not only supports the original findings but also provides documentation on how to fix the mistakes.  (See attached report).

  Without any other recourse available, I was forced to seek outside remedies available to me in the State of Texas.  As noted in my original report, I hired an attorney, filed this complaint with the BBB, and filed a Deceptive Trade  Complaint with the ******** ******* ** *****. 
  

  My next steps will be to provide factual public reviews based on my experience with Sunstone Pools in hopes of protecting others from experiencing the problems and negative issues that I have suffered with my dealings with Sunstone Pools.

  I will continue to deal with the ******** ********* Office and my attorney will file a lawsuit in the event that Sunstone Pools response from our demand letter (in two months) is not satisfactory.

  
  Regards,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  11/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We hired Sunstone to remodel our pool and deck in January of 2022. Work began in March and was mostly finished by the end of May, however, there were a number of issues with the quality. They had people fix a few of the items in June. There are a number of issues with the deck tiles that we have been told would be fixed and they last sent someone out to do the repairs on the Saturday before Labor Day. The crew did not have the necessary materials and was supposed to return the following week. No one has been out here since to finish the repairs. We have about 6 travertine tiles that are cracked and need replacing. Also have some travertine pavers that settled and need to be leveled. Finally, the cuts where the coping meets the tile decking are terrible (uneven, not curved properly - basically looks like whoever did the work didn't know what they were doing). The crew that was out around Labor Day actually made these cuts worse.I have tried to be patient and understanding as I know they have had issues keeping workers, but this has gone on too long and the amount of work that needs to be done is probably a day or less.

  Business response

  01/11/2023

  We value the business of the ****** Family's business.  We have been working with them to resolve all of their issues.

  We are 99% complete, and should be 100% complete with everything by the end of January 2023.

   

  Kind Regards

  Sunstone Pools & Outdoor Living

  ************

  Customer response

  01/12/2023

  Complaint: 18476791
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

    The work is not complete.  There are 2-3 items that need to be completed and I have not heard from Sunstone Pools since before Christmas.  I'm hopeful they will be able to finish the remaining items but the complaint is not resolved until they do.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩