Complaint Review: Ordini's Pools And Jacuzzis

The following is a summary of our experience with Ordini's Pools and Jacuzzis. Doing business with them has been the single worst experience of our lives. We originally went to them to look at above ground pools. After their sales rep told us how much better an in-ground pool would look on our property and how affordably they could do it, we decided to purchase an in-ground pool from them. This was the beginning of a nightmare that continues to this day, almost a year and a half later. If you choose to do business with Ordini, the following is what you can expect.

Pool was ordered in January 2005 with a 67% down payment. Ordini's didn't start digging until mid July 2005. They appeared to be totally unfamiliar with the permit procedures in our township and had to make multiple submissions of corrected drawings along with other documents before the township finally issued the permits at the end of June 2005.

Once construction started, there was virtually no communication from Ordini's. We never knew when they were coming or what they were going to do. They would come one or two days in a row and then miss several days in a row. More than one inspection point was failed, again due to their unfamiliarity with our township requirements, and no work could be done while waiting for the inspectors to come back for re-inspection.

Any communication that we had regarding the project was almost always initiated by us. We had no clue as to what the next steps were. We never knew what to expect or when to expect it. There was a palpable feeling that they didn't want to hear from us in any way and they always sounded like they were bothered by us any time we called.

Joe Ordini got so angry from the emails that I sent that he refused to speak to me. He couldn't stand the idea that I wanted to know what was going on with my project. Things came to a head on August 5th, 2005 when Ordini demanded full payment of the balance before the liner was even installed (see picture) and when I said I was willing to give him half of the balance he totally freaked out and told me I was in breach of contract. Bear in mind, he already had a 67% down payment and the additional money (half of the balance) would have brought him to about 85% paid. Also bear in mind that he wanted to be paid for the concrete work which wouldn't be attempted for another 4 weeks from the day he wanted the entire balance. From this point forward he refused to take my calls and referred me to his attorney. After speaking with his attorney, who agreed I was not being unreasonable, the attorney convinced Joe to finish the pool job as long as I paid him for everything except the concrete. The liner sub contractor came back that night and finished the liner. I had serious reservations about giving Ordini any additional money at all but if I didn't, it would only delay completion of the pool even longer. Ordini was now fully paid, less the concrete, and all we had was a hole in the ground with a partially installed liner.

While Ordini was still claiming breach of contract, he had a check in his hands the night of August 5th, 2005. I felt like a total idiot giving him any more money especially in light of the fact that the project had been a fiasco since day 1. Our feeling was that almost everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong with this project.

Tom, the Ordini project manager, was our main contact during the installation but he was usually so busy it was hard to speak to him for more than a few minutes. Every time my wife or I called Tom we were rushed off the phone. Phone calls were almost never returned and when we did speak to Tom by phone it was because we kept calling until we got through to him.

The manufacturer of the pool we originally bought from Ordini's went out of business. This was not Ordini's fault but they obviously were unfamiliar with the pool they used as a replacement. The first bottom that was put in was deemed unusable by Joe and Tom and a new sub contracted crew had to be brought in to fix the bottom.

Even with the new bottom, the pool liner is wrinkled in several places. Ordini, despite multiple requests, has never responded to us about what would be involved in fixing the liner. It would appear that the pool would have to be emptied, the liner would need to be replaced or re-installed and then the pool would need to be filled again. At this point, we have chosen not to empty the pool and will live with the liner the way it is. The last thing I wanted was to give Ordini another chance to screw us out of swimming time by making excuses, after the pool was emptied, about why they couldn't finish the job.

We had virtually no use of the pool during the 2005 season. This is still hard to believe given that we ordered the pool in January 2005.

There is not a single aspect of the pool that had acceptable workmanship and some of the more prominent problem areas include:

Pool frame is warped

Liner is wrinkled in several places

Concrete is broken and cracked almost everywhere around the pool

Ordini claims he is not responsible for the concrete even though it was his subcontractor that installed the concrete.

Ordini claims that because I paid the sub-contractor directly that he wasn't involved.

It was his sub-contractor sent by the Ordini project manager, Tom Powell, in direct response to me when I asked about getting the concrete done and Tom told me to pay the sub-contractor directly.

The sub-contractor later told me that he had to pay Ordini 20% of the concrete job price. Why would that be if Ordini had nothing to do with the concrete sub-contractor?

Ordini claims that we didn't wait long enough before we poured the concrete.

Ordini had previously mentioned that you shouldn't pour the concrete for at least two weeks after the dirt is backfilled but we waited almost 4 weeks before the concrete was poured.

Unlike Ordini, the sub-contractor cared about his work and has been trying to help us. Unfortunately, I don't think anything can be fixed without completely ripping out the concrete that is there.

Pump and heater were installed crooked (not lined up with house or pool)

Electrical box was placed improperly and concrete needed to be torn up and the box moved because the township would not pass the pool for final inspection the way it was

Summary:

Joe Ordini would have you believe that all of this was normal. I have an email from Joe claiming that everything went off (and I quote him) without a hitch. If this was normal, I would hate to see what an abnormal job would turn out like. If I could ignore the exceptionally poor quality of the work and all of the wasted days due to township inspection issues that Ordini was unaware of, I couldn't ignore the fact that we were treated with horrible disrespect and utter contempt. As customers, neither my wife nor I have ever been treated like this before.

Project management and customer service was non-existent. Joe will say I was a tough customer but the bottom line was he couldn't stand my emails asking him about the job. I believe I had every right to send those emails. I have the entire email thread for anyone that is interested and I also have a day by day work log (or lack thereof). I am in a project management business myself and we are always accountable to the customer for the status of the project and the work that should be performed.

Their mode of operation is for them to get all the money from the customer and then tell them that they'll come when they want to, do what they want and finish when they finish. They won't be held to any timetable. I now understand why Ordini's operates like this. It is because the customer service and workmanship is so poor that no one would pay them for their completed work so they have to get paid in full before the project is completed. How Ordini's has been in business for all of these years is totally beyond my comprehension. The fact that Joe Ordini could even sleep at night, knowing what he did to us and our pool, speaks to his total lack of character as a businessman and as a human being.

We have retained an attorney but that has had little effect. After the first letter from my attorney Ordini's said they would be willing to do some of the warranty work but they have not answered any subsequent letters from my attorney and refuse to let us know about schedules or what the warranty work entails. Unfortunately, you can't recover attorney's fees on these types of claims so the harsh reality is that it will be easier to pay for the needed repairs on my own than it will be for me to continue to pursue a legal judgment against Ordini's. I have considered additional legal action but it will only drain my bank account and cause me and my family further anguish.

Finally, I could almost overlook how terribly we were treated but when I look out my back window into my yard and see the abomination of a pool that they installed I get physically sick. From the liner installation to the coping to the steps to the concrete, it's the worst workmanship I have ever seen. They managed to turn something that was supposed to be such a joyous time for our family into a never ending nightmare. There are too many reputable builders out there for you to waste your money and time with Joe Ordini. This guy needs to retire and the pool building industry will be much better with him gone. I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, not to make the same mistake we made. Stay away from Joe Ordini and Ordini's Pools and Jacuzzis.

Everything that is written here is true and I have the day by day work log as well as the entire email thread between Ordini's and myself to back up everything I say above. Feel free to email me if you want further details. In addition to the conclusions you could draw about the facts surrounding this project, it would also be a fair conclusion for you to say how incredibly stupid my wife and I were. It is too late for us but regardless of who you choose to build your pool, insist on the following:

Multiple references in the township where you live which will demonstrate familiarity with township regulations and inspection procedures

Multiple references for the exact pool model (excluding shape) you are considering installing.

A provision in the contract that states that legal fees are recoverable when a judge or arbitrator rules in your favor. This will compel the builder to fix problems rather than know you won't pursue it because it will cost more in legal fees than it would to fix the problem.

A contract payment plan with at least 5 or 6 demonstrable milestones such as:

Initial Deposit
Excavation
Bottom Installation
Concrete Decking
Final Grading
Customer Acceptance

If we had been smart enough to do all of the above, we would not be in the position we are in now. In addition to all of the mental and financial anguish this has caused me and my family, I have no doubt that this pool and all of its problems has significantly lowered the value of our home.

Craig
Jamison, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

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