THE ULTIMATE SWIMMING POOL BUYER'S BIBLE
(100% Free Swimming Pool Considering To Buy & Pricing Guide For Those Seeking Only The Highest Quality)
Learn What Drives High Quality, High Value Swimming Pool Construction and Costs In Nigeria Before You Take The Plunge!
CHAPTER 7
EIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK ON HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT POOL BUILDER
Deciding to build a swimming pool is a major investment that takes time and financial commitment.
How to make the best decision and hire a trustworthy, reputable contractor and pool builder for the job is a huge challenge to many prospective pool owners.
This guide is to help protect you from becoming victims of some amateur, fly-by-night pool builders and shoddy contractors that take money and never return to the job site- Beware, they are out there.
Every year, a large number of pool builders go out business, leaving hundreds of prospective pool owners with a big empty hole in the ground.
The contractor you entrust to install your swimming pool can make or break a happy customer experience.
Unfortunately, their promise of pretty pictures (often dubbed, copied or stock pictures) too often lead to bad workmanship and expensive repairs.
These trustworthy guidelines will help you choose the best contractor for your swimming pool project. We want you to know about buying a high quality pool before you sign any contracts.
We also want you through this helpful guide to be satisfied with your pool-buying experience -no matter who you buy it from- and also give you the information to separate the wheat from the chaff and then make the best decision possible.
So before you sign any contracts, we suggest you interview the prospective builders in person over the phone, and/or via e-mail. Ask them a series of questions to determine their experience, stability, technical competence, credibility, and commitment to customer satisfaction.
Ultimately, you are the one that will decide for yourself whether you can trust the builder you’re speaking with.
Ask these 8 questions to protect yourself from an unpleasant pool-building experience.
We wish you peace of mind on your swimming pool investment and many years of happy and healthy enjoyment
- “Where is your office/physical place of business and do you have a showroom?”
This industry is famous for many fly-by-nights, amateurs, low quality and cheap quacks trying to build pools.
The right pool builder should necessarily have a physical place of business or office.
Someone working as a briefcase contractor does not exactly exude stability.
A physical location with offices, employees, etc. is a good sign that a contractor is there to stay.
Look for a pool builder who has a showroom also. A showroom lets you view the builder’s products, see his operations, and meet some of his employees.
You can find the largest swimming pool builders with information about their companies and links on their web sites. Look for the styles and designs that appeal to you. Pick out a few pool builders and contact them for discussion.
- “How many years have your company been in business under the present name?”
This is one question shady, low quality cheap pool builders don’t like.It’s sadly common in this industry for someone to build some pools, run into financial trouble, then abandon site and leave big holes of unfinished pools in people’s back yards.
Then a few months later, open a new company with a new name, and start all over again. When a pool builder goes out of business or abandon a site, the pool warranty as well as financial investment disappear. Such risk and losses are needless.
The rule of thumb, forget a pool builder who has been in business or under training less than three years.
To be really safe, only deal with pool companies that have been in business for ten years or more. Only a few reputable pool companies will make it past the ten-year mark, at which point you shouldn’t have to worry about their stability.
- “How many years of experience do you have as a pool builder?”
The number of years of experience a pool builder has is directly related to their stability. Only one in five swimming pool companies stay in business longer than five years.
A credible swimming pool company is one that has not only survived the first five years of business but has stabilize in the second five year to make a total of at least ten years experience.
Ask the above question to determine that the pool builder is not some new kid on the block.
- “How many pools have you done that would qualify you to build my pool?”
This is another good question to help you fish out the inexperienced, low quality, cheap, inept or dishonest pool builders.
Pools are meant to be stunningly beautiful, but can be a very disappointing disasters if built by someone with insufficient experience. This question will give you a good idea of their experience with reinforced concrete swimming pools
Anything less than 20 pools should be of concern.
- “How many references will you give me?”
You should be able to choose freely from a list of at least 20 names based on the number of swimming pool built so far.
A shorter list probably means that your pool builder hasn’t built very many pools, or has had trouble satisfying his customers.
- “Have you ever made a mistake”?
If the pool builder says no, get up and leave….
This is a red light that, they’re either lying or don’t have enough experience. Everyone, and I mean everyone, makes mistakes from time to time. It’s how they handle the mistake that counts.
- “How do I know your price isn’t a ‘Bait & Switch?”
There are several factors that impact the cost of a high-quality pool. An ethical pool builder will never quote you a final price without a site inspection or a specific design for your yard.
Some dishonest, low quality and cheap pool con¬tractors do give an artificially low price to induce a contract award and afterwards increase price by bringing up hidden and sudden charges.
Any pool builder that uses this “bait and switch” technique should be avoided.
Always remember… the bitterness of poor quality remains; long after the sweetness of the low price has faded.
- “Why should I trust you to build my pool?”
There is no right or wrong answer to the above question.How do you feel about them personally?
This question should let their true personality shine through.
This is necessary since you going to be working closely with this pool builder for the next two to three months or more (depending on the size of the project).
You need be sure it’s someone you feel good about, and can trust.
The pool builder you entrust to install a swimming pool for you can make or break this whole process of happy customer experience.
We want you to have peace of mind and be delighted with your high quality pool and your pool-buying experience—no matter who you buy it from.