Complaint Review: Lake Norman Pool and Spa - Cornelius North Carolina

Thanks to the reply from the REAL owner of Lake Norman Pool and Spa.  I contacted Mr. Dooley to explain that I was not smearing his company, but telling my real experience.  He contacted me back several days later and put me in touch with his district manager.  The district manager came to the house, apologized profusely, and tested the pool.  That SAME day, he contacted me to go over the list of what I would need.  He gave me a gift card, allowed me to exchange the cell cleaner, and took me step by step over what I need to do with my pool.  I appreciate the response from this company and, even though it is slightly inconvenient, will be dealing with the Satesville store strictly.  I am thoroughly happy with the resolution and the response from Lake Norman Pool and Spa and I would recommend Mr. Dooley and Neil to anyone who asks. 

My name is Bob Dooley, and I started Lake Norman Pool and Spa 24 years ago in Downtown Statesville. I am a native of the area and live with my family in Troutman. I came across this RipOff Report by goggleing my company name, as I ocassionally do.

First, let me say that proof that you simply can't believe everything you read on the internet, or on this bogus website, is in the website itself. I happen to see that the first rebuttal written is from someone who claims to be the owner of Lake Norman Pool and Spa and this person simply states that our correct website is www.watersfine.com and not lakenorman.com. I DID NOT WRITE THIS REBUTTAL. And any website such as RipOff Reports that would allow someone to write in as the owner of a company when this is not true should be enough to raise any person's suspcion. Actually, I'm glad they did, because any reasonable reader would realize that the owner of a 24 year old business would never write a rebuttal such as that and not even address the issue initially stated, which is a customer complaint.

Now for my response to the complaint. First, the writer states that she bought a system and got no instructions on how to use it. We give instructions to all purchasers of our products, and they are also available in written form in the owners manuals left at installation, and online. Next, the writer contradicts herself when she says she was "lied to" and told she would "never need to add any other chemicals". Why then I ask, would we "try to sell her something she does not need"...these somethings are other chemicals used to keep the pH and Alkalinity within the proper ranges. We supply with every pool sale an owners manual written by myself that specifies proper chemical care, and always encourage our customers to bring in their water a few times a month to make sure all is okay. Our recommendations are based on proven industry standards recognized by the National Sanitary Foundation and the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, of which we are a member. It is the consumer's choice to follow our lab's recommendations or not. We also include with each pool a packet of test strips and encourage the buyer to test at home several times weekly.

The writer states that she called and said she had algae in her pool, so I would guess her "method" of pool care was not working out too well for her as algae is a clear sign of improper pool care, or improper water balance at fall closing. The writer is correct in that we do charge $95 for the first full hour of service, and she is also correct in being told that we normally will not add chemicals on a service call unless the pool is on weekly maintenance or it is at closing or opening. Our technicians simply cannot balance the pool water and clear algae properly in 1 hour. Superchlorination of a pool with low Ph or metals in the water can damage the vinyl liner or cause staining. We have always prefered a customer bring a sample of the water to our stores for a full analysis...which normally includes waiting times between the addition of certain balancing and chlorination products. Simply thowing chlorine shock in a green pool can cause more problems than solutions, and I will not allow it unless we know the water balance is correct. For that reason, we normally recommend the customer try and clear the pool with the stores help before we spend their money vacuuming the pool. I think common sense will tell you that to do a good job vacuuming a pool, it helps to be able to see what you are vacuuming. Trying to vaccum a green pool would only have resulted in her calling and complaining, after the pool cleared, that we did a terrible job vacumming and there was still debris in the pool.

In regards to issues with the salt cell, the life of the cell on the Mineral Springs units is typically 3 to 5 years. When the cell is going bad, a low salt light will stay on even when the salt levels are sufficient. The NO FLOW light typically is on for the first several minutes at start-up, then goes out. If hers stayed on, our staff would have first recommended cell cleaner as this sometimes can "dislodge" any scale deposits that may prevent the flow switch from activating. The cell cleaner is sold nationwide by Bioguard and is safer to use than many of the products used in pool care, as long as the directions are followed. And if the pool was green, and given that it was an above ground with a limited amount of water, I agree with the advice that it is somtimes much cheaper to do a partial drain and refill than try to clear a swamp. Just by draining half the water and refilling with fresh water, you can reduce the chemicals and manpower needed to clean a green pool by half, and save big dollars as water is cheaper than chemicals. I am glad that all the writer needed was a flow switch and that this solved the problem, and I apologize profusely if her request for a return call was not honored on a timely basis. The pool business is extremely seasonal, and we are literally inudated with calls the first of May. We simply can't have enough staff that time of year, as our profitable season is only 4 months long, if we did hire more for that time of year, we would simply have to terminate them in the slow months. We have found our customers would rather have knowledgable and seasoned pool professionals in our stores and service department, even if they don't like the long waits that can and do happen. And yes, when the phone rings off the hook for 10 hours a day, things can and will fall through the cracks in May as neither I nor my staff are perfect.

Lake Norman Pool and Spa is one of the oldest, largest, and most reputable pool companys in the area. We would not have been in business continually for 24 years if we "lied" to our customers. We have thousands of satisfied customers throughout the area, are members of the BBB, and I personally am very active in my community and church. I could not be more proud of our employees, as they operate with the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Our employess attend weeks of training in our industry every winter in order to serve our customers better. We have contributed  to the communities we serve in many ways for years, and support countless charities. While we are not perfect, we are honest and recognized nationwide by our peers in the pool and spa industry as being one of the best. The writer is correct, in today's economy customer service is the key, and while many pool and spa companies in our area have gone out of business, the fact that we are still here to serve says alot.

In closing, while we strive to have 100% satisfaction, I realize it is not possible. I can only hope that the readers of this RipOff Report will talk to the other 99% of our customers who let me know daily how much they appreciate us being there for them. I encourage the writer to contact me directly at [email protected] if she has any more complaints about our team at Lake Norman Pool and Spa, instead of cowardly trying to smear the name of a good and reputable company on the web. 

As the owner of Lake Norman Pool and Spa that is all you have to say about the situation?   I am frankly quite surprised that the only response you had to the entire situation was to correct the website.  You had NO repsonse to the events or even a suggestion?!  I can not believe that you do NOT want to even TRY...I should not be so naive.  BUYERS BEWARE!!!!  THIS COMPANY CLEARLY DOES NOT CARE ABOUT CUSTOMERS, NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN SHOPPING.  I STILL have not heard anything from the company, other than the poor rebuttal posted on this site.  Thankfully, my pool is up and running thanks to Justin and Marcie!!

This author listed LakeNorman.com as the company website for Lake Norman Pool and Spa, and that is not correct.  The company website is Watersfine.com. As the owner of LakeNorman.com I need to make this correction in order for the report to be factually correct.  Thank you.