Roger Obrien owes us off for $302.50 for pool services. We told him we would send the final bill, he told the office manager he was sending a check for $190 and don't send any further bills because he wont pay them... Then he stops payment on that check!
We serviced his pool for approximately 4 years and we summarily terminated services because he continued to call several outside services to work on the pool. Each time they would tamper with the system, or do things incorrectly. The last time was the last straw for us, we refused to do any future repair work, he can call the idiots he's been hiring. The water features we repaired were working fine until he called another company who turned everything off and drained down the fountain in order to work on the lighting. This caused air to get in the system, it was never re-primed and ran dry. Not our problem. We were also the ONLY of 5 companies, according to Roger who was able to repair his infinity edge, which would never prime. The pool was a poor design, the equipment 50 feet away from the pool and several feet above water line. The infinity edges another 10 feet down the hill. And we repaired it! Worked great for two years until his main circuit board fused together because the electrician he hired to wire the new automation overloaded the relays by tying several pumps to one relay!!
We informed Roger in order to fix this he would need to replace his automation board, over $700 expense, he said he could live without the infinity edge. This SAME inept "electrician" disconnected and removed the GFCI's for the pool lights. It is NOT safe to swim with pool lighting without a working GFCI. It's also code. We also had to replace several of his pumps and motors from running dry before we even began service. Often we had to special order parts and fittings, some of his pipes are 4" and 6" fittings!! Residential pool plumbing standard is 2"!! On occasion we will see a 2 1/2" fitting and extreme rare occasion a 3" fitting.
We terminated Rogers service because we were tired of him calling these outside companies who would tamper with the equipment wasting our time and money to go back and look at the issues. He clearly had no loyalty so why should we be loyal?
Cc: Roger O'Brien; 'Angie O'Brien'
Subject: Please cancel Gabriel tomorrow
Steve -
I have a person coming to my house tomorrow, Wednesday the 10th, to put in
all new pool lights and jacuzzi lights. He said he will need electricity
and power turned off while he does this and it will take most of the day.
On several occasions they would call with a "drop everything" emergency" , one instance wife Angie called because one of their fountains had the water level float valve break and water cascading down the hill. An after hours trip to the house, we stopped the leaking. We checked with our suppliers and looked online for a replacement float valve, nothing. Like most the specialty parts used on this pool not to be found anywhere!!
Other trips where 45 minutes, an hour or more were spent trying to located junction boxes and other mickey mouse issues at this house. We have worked on thousands of swimming pools including commercial and this pool was not installed or plumbed in an "ordinary" fashion, junction boxes not in their standard place, etc.
We went over and above for Roger and Angie.
We told him we would send him a final invoice as there were some unpaid invoices and a week of service for July 2017 owed. We received a check for $190 which we were going to apply toward the aforementioned balance. Two days after depositing the $190 check we received a STOP PAYMENT notice from our bank. Today, we emailed Roger with his amount due with the return check fee and receive the following:
Steve -
I will not tolerate your threats. You billed me for every tiny, little thing you guys did, even when some of the work you did should have been covered by warranty for what I previously paid you for but your work did not fix the problem. You came out many times to fix the same problem and you billed me each and every time. Brian also came to my house many times where he did not fix the problem since he said he didn’t have the part, or the right part, or enough parts, or or or – it was as if he was trying to milk me for multiple visits.
You billed me timely each and every month for all work performed. I paid very timely. Your invoices always indicated what was owed and your invoices always acknowledged that my account was current. So, there is no way you can now go back and say, "oh, you owe me more for prior work". Had you billed me more back whenever, I would have paid it just as I paid all your other bills.
BTW, I emailed you timely that you should not try to deposit my $190 July payment since I had put a stop payment on it. I even warned you that you might get charged a fee by your bank if you did. You should have taken my advice.
I will not be intimidated by your "we'll sue you" threats. Feel free to do so. I have quite a few attorneys at my disposal and I will not be afraid to countersue all of you. Let's see who can afford all the legal costs best. I have a history, in business and in personal life, of fighting any legal threats regardless of the cost. I fight such matters based on principle.
Roger O’Brien
Correction Roger, we did not bill you for "every little thing". You approved any and every repair we performed. The pool was in disarray when we started as you couldn't find one competent repair person, including, according to YOU the builder who wouldn't figure out why the pumps wouldn't prime, but we did!
"since he didn't have the part, or the right part, or or or". Again, your pool has fittings that aren't even used on most commercial pools!! Our pool supply warehouse, who stocks tens of thousands of parts HAD TO ORDER THEM!!! Because NO ONE else buys these, they are not standard, not used.
"I have quite a few attorneys at my disposal" #1 they are not allowed in small claims court, #2 who cares, it doesn't give you the right to steal services. We are owed money for services, cleaning, and a stop payment fee. "A customer who does not pay is not a customer, a customer who does not pay is a THIEF"
If only we would have known how ungrateful you were years ago we would have terminated your services before we began. We undercharged for pool services, we charged at or under industry standard for repairs, we never charged for the same repair. You clearly are confused as you have 12 pumps.. Getting charged to fix 6 of them doesn't make it the same repair!
Yes, we reserve the right to charge for the emergency calls where we did not bill.
Our monthly invoices do not ever indicate a previous balance, it is an invoice, not a full accounting.
I would NEVER work for Roger Obrien again. We were the ONLY company to fix several of his issues and he repays us by ripping us off for the final balance then sending a smug email.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
ROGER OBRIEN
#3Author of original report
Thu, July 20, 2017
AFTER WE TERMINATE THEIR SERVICES they malign us online! To add insult to the over $300 we've been ripped off for
We terminate Roger Obrien and Angie Obriens service then they maligns us online!
#3Author of original report
Thu, July 20, 2017
Roger Obrien and Angie Obrien BOTH besmirch our company online after we terminated their pool services. THEY OWE US MONEY!!