We were talking to a few friends of ours about our pool and we were told to make a post on here as many SOMD people read these forums. I am sure some people have had a pool installed by Stevenson and had no problems, but it seems after talking to many people in the last two years more and more people are having problems with the pools they install. We have had nothing but major problems from the day they started to dig the hole for the pool.
1. When the salesmen came out and looked at our property we went over where our septic system and tank was and we told him that you can not drive over that. They drove over it many times during constructions and we told them everyday do not do it. Well when we went and had our septic tank pumped, we found out that our lid on the tank was cracked and the tank it self was starting to crack.
2. They brought blue stones and wash gravel and dumped it right in the yard. We asked Doug Stevenson, you will clean all of that up correct? His answer was, "Everything will be removed and clean like it was never here" When all the work was complete, he sent two men out to rake the area out, and they did nothing but spread the remaining gravel and blue stone out in the yard. We spoke to Doug and he said he would clean it up. Well it has been two years and it still lying in the grass. Thanks Doug for cleaning that up!!!!
3. Doug and his Partner came out when it was time to go over the concrete patio area. We wanted more concrete then they were offering free, he gave us a price of like $7500.00 for the additional concrete, but when we were walking away he said "Hold up, that is the price if you pay us with a check. If you pay with cash and don't want a receipt then we can do it for $6000.00" Way to run an honest business there Doug. After dealing with you for almost two years I realize now it is all about the mighty dollar to you, and honesty is nothing you know anything about!
4. After they laid the Concrete patio, and it sat for a day we walked to look at it and we found a nice crack all the way down one section. I know concrete cracks but come on, the first day. We call Doug and his company and his response was, “Oh well concrete cracks” Typical answer from Doug and his company.
5. They fill the pool with water, the pool pump constantly kept kicking off. We called Stevenson Pools and kept telling them this every day. There answer was it had nothing to do with them. And they have never had a problem with the control panel. Well after a week of calling, they finally came out and replace the control panel and they found the control panel that they replaced to have been defected.
6. We brushed the pool for a week straight 5 to 6 times a day to make sure the plaster would be smooth and that is what is required when they plaster a pool. After about a week or so, the plaster began to fall off of the pool sides and the plaster was stained, rough, lumpy, uneven and just an overall horrible job.
We spoke with Doug about this and can you guess his response? “It looks good to me” Are you starting to follow along here what type of company Doug runs?
7. The pool was losing about an inch or two of water a day. We called Stevenson Pools and they said there was no way and that it was just evaporation. Again after a week of fighting with them, a gentleman came out and did a dye test, he found that both skimmers were not properly calked and that the water was leaking out around those areas. It took him 10 minutes to repair this. Wouldn’t it just have been easier to send someone over in the beginning instead of upsetting your customer? Oh that’s right he had already gotten all of his money from us by this time.
These are just a few of the problems we have had out of Doug Stevenson and his workers. I have so much more that I could type but if you are interested and want to know more you can PM me.
Doug, I can promise you and your company that you will not rip another sole off. People work hard for their money and they will not tolerate the crap that you pull. You may think HAHA I got their money. HAHA on you Doug and Stevenson Pools, I promise I will make sure everyone in all of Maryland knows not to deal with you.
So I hope this helps SOMD when u are looking to purchase a pool. Save your money and purchase a membership to a pool, less headaches and saves money.
Buyers beware of this company;
Stevenson Pools
1925 Norfolk Dr
Owings, MD 20736
I don't blame you for not sharing your name for all to see. If my swimming pool were smarter than me, I'd be ashamed too.
1. If I saw even one vehicle drive over my septic, I'd immediately request an inspection (on the builder's dime). Any repair bills would fall on the builder. Or, you could just sit on your porch and watch, and do absolutely nothing to stop vehicles from driving over your septic tank "every day".
2. Either withhold partial payment until cleanup is complete to your satisfaction, or buy yourself a rake...or you could just admire the stones in your yard for a couple of years, then vent about it on the internet. Must make it pretty tough to mow over these past two seasons.
3. A discount for cash. What a novel idea! Did you ever consider that you got a $6,000 deck for exactly what they wanted you to pay? I consider it good salesmanship. They made you think you were saving $1,500 and they got the money they wanted. Ever wonder how many other customers just wrote out that $7,500 check for a $6,000 deck? Actually, I'm pretty surprised you don't fall into this category, as this concept never crossed your simple little mind.
4. ...and the rest of the story is? No further protests, no requests for correction, no resolution? Why leave everyone hanging like that?
5. So, if a company had used hundreds of these panels without having one malfunction, they are supposed to automatically assume yours is the first one? Or maybe it's one panel out of every three seasons. Regardless, you waited an entire week? Was it perhaps the middle of summer? Quite possibly in their busiest time of year? Wow! Lucky you.
6. I'm no pool or plaster expert, but I do know you have to chemically balance your pool. You seem to not mention this at all. Perhaps you failed to have your water tested, to properly balance the water, and thereby allowed the plaster to ruin.
7. Depending upon temperature, humidity level, direct sunlight, and other factors, one to two inches could be caused by evaporation. Again, and entire week passed? That's nearly 7 days, how on earth did you survive. Then they corrected the problem and it went away forever? How dare Doug Stevenson and his workers perform satisfactory work!
If he keeps ripping off soles, sooner or later the fish police will catch him in the act, so don't you worry.
I do have lots of customer service experience and recognize a lazy, ignorant, and impossible to please customer when I hear one. A community pool sounds right up your alley. It must really irk you to look out into your backyard and realize that crafty pool is probably doing something this very minute to outsmart you. I bet it doesn't even have to try hard and I can hear its evil laugh.
Be sure to wear sunscreen when you're picketing. Try to come up with a cool chant too. Looking forward to reading about it.