Mirage Pools and Spas, Inc.

I personally feel bad that the customers in reference to this complaint do not feel satisfied with the work we completed on their property. It is unfortunate that this issue has overshadowed the fact that we have built them a beautiful swimming pool for their family to enjoy. In reference to their comment that we only completed the repairs due to their threat of a complaint to the Revdex.com is completely false. No changes in the schedule occurred. The end of the summer is a particularly busy time in the construction industry and we tried to schedule the repairs as quickly as possible. The fact that the crew came out on the same day is purely a coincidence. 

 

As far as the price decrease and the changes to the pool what the customer conveniently leaves out is the fact that they increased the perimeter and surface area of the pool while still wanting us to cut the estimate down to meet their budget. To do this they were told we would have to cut out some of the extras (ie. bubblers, [redacted] step size, remote, etc.) So what they claim was only a $568.96 price cut was actually a $1,500 price cut, which I feel is a substantial amount. Attached is a copy of the contract which was explained line by line and signed  and dated by both home owners which clearly states on line #26 that no remote in included. Also attached is a copy of the print, which was given to the home owners prior to construction, showing that on the "Control System" line is printed "n/a- VS Pump" (not applicable Variable Speed Pump Controls). Again, I am sorry the customers felt a remote control was included in their pricing but I can assure you it was not and they were never charged for one.

 

Sincerely, [redacted]

Upon receiving this complaint from the Revdex.com I was extremely confused. Most of the customer's complaints were taken care of almost two weeks ago. Before this complaint was even sent to us. "We are still waiting on two spill pots"- These were delivered and installed on August...

28th. Unfortunately, due to high volume the company took 3 weeks to make and deliver the pots. We also would have preferred they were installed sooner but it was out of our hands."Someone to come and fix the stacked stone pillars"- This too was fixed on August 28th. Of 15 sqft. of stacked stone veneer a couple pieces fell off, which is not unusual and was repaired. "They supposedly installed bubblers in our [redacted] step that came off the first time we tried to turn them on"- These are screwed into threaded fittings and were not screwed in completely. We just screwed them in and that solved the problem. "The fence company scratched the fence" and "The pool fence is crooked in some places"- These issues were never mentioned or brought to our attention. The fence company would be more than happy to come out take a look at any issues and touch up any scratched areas. "Some of the travertine used around the pool are cut pieces that they covered up with grout"- Again this was never brought to our attention and didnt know there was an issue. We would be more than happy to fix any cosmetic issues with the decking. "We are still waiting on a wireless remote for water/light feature"- The contract agreed upon and signed by the customer has nothing listed about a remote system. One of the early revisions of the pool design included a remote system but the customers wanted to cut the cost down substantially so the remote system was taken out along with other things.We are extremely disappointed that the [redacted] felt dissatisfied with the construction of their swimming pool. Unfortunately, there were a couple issues that held up the construction process a bit but the entire process from excavation to filling and start up took six and a half weeks, which is faster than average during the summer months. As stated earlier if there are any outstanding issues that need correction we would be more than happy to schedule repairs. Mirage Pools and Spas is very proud of its reputation and its A+ rating with the Revdex.com.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Working with Mirage and their landscaping contractor, [redacted], has been my worst experience. I did file a complain with Revdex.com #[redacted] about Mirage building a pool with all sorts of problems and then not meeting their warranty obligations to fix the issues. Mirage responded to Revdex.com that they would meet with me and their subcontractors to resolve the issues. I accepted Mirage's response CONDITIONALLY upon completion of the action as follows, but Mirage or their subcontractors never contacted me nor did they address the outstanding issues: -------------------------------------------------- My last response to Revdex.com regarding Complaint ID #[redacted] on 5/31/2015: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. -------------------------------------------------- Revdex.com yet closed the case as resolved without verifying if Mirage stood up to their words or if they fixed the problems. Revdex.com website did not give me an option to communicate with Revdex.com that the business continued to fail fixing the problems. Mirage built a pool with rough surface and sharp pebbles that to date cut the skin and continue to cause abrasion. The pool surface turned out to be nothing like the samples they showed before the construction of the pool. I first brought up this issue with Mirage in August 2014, about two months after the completion of the pool and like all other issues they continued to ignore it. The same rough surface continues to discolor and Mirage has ignored the issue for the last 3 months. For the last 10 months a pipe continues to leak and the pool decking that was never graded correctly was ever fixed. The only thing they did was to come back and "pound" the travertine to cause tiles to break. The only thing they did after my first complaint with Revdex.com, they came back and replaced the tile that they had broken and refilled some of the holes (still not all) in travertine for the second time, with the same cheap materials that have already started to come out again, like the last two times they filled them. Mirage MUST fix ALL the outstanding pool and pool equipment issues. They must fix the rough surface by whatever means immediately as in has become a health hazard. The pool has almost become unusable because one can rub a foot, arm, or any body part against the surface of the pool and get a skin cut or abrasion. They must fix the discoloration of the pool surface.

Regards,

Mirage Pools and Spas along with the subcontractors has scheduled a meeting with Mr. [redacted]. During the meeting we will discuss Mr. [redacted]'s complaints and agree on a plan to resolve the issues. thank you,[redacted]

[redacted]  [redacted]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

We have been in contact with the customer. Their repair cannot start until the weather has cooled down but this is being scheduled.

Review: Unfortunately we made a huge mistake and hired Mirage pools to build a pool in our yard instead of going with another pool company. We also made a mistake of paying the pool builder the final payment on August 11, 2014 and yet we do not have a complete pool. I should have never taken them for their word of all of the empty promises they made to us. We paid for services and products that we have yet to receive. Even though we started the pool building process in the middle of June, we are at the very end of August with an uncompleted project. There has been no communication from the pool company and it has been a waiting/guessing game throughout the whole process. They have no customer service at all. We are still waiting on two spill pots, a wireless remote for water/light features, touch up paint for our pool fence (because the fence company scratched the fence and we don't trust them or the company to come back and do it), and someone to come and fix the stacked stone pillars that came off two days after filling the pool with water and other loose ones that we have noticed. They also supposedly installed bubblers in our [redacted] step that came off the first time we tried to turn them on. There are numerous other things that we are dissatisfied with but do not want to see or hear from them again so unfortunately we have to live with. One of them is the fact that our pool fence is completely crooked in several places and the fact that some of the travertine used around the pool are cut pieces that they covered up with grout hoping that we wouldn't notice. They also left us with a ridiculous mess with several cement wash areas in our yard that we had to dig out and dispose of ourselves. I could go on and on about the lack of professionalism and customer service but I am sure it is a waste of my time.Desired Settlement: I want the job finished immediately and to receive all of the things we were promised and then some. They need to make up for this whole process somehow. We spent a lot of money building this pool and trusting them to do a good job and I am unsatisfied.

Business

Response:

Upon receiving this complaint from the Revdex.com I was extremely confused. Most of the customer's complaints were taken care of almost two weeks ago. Before this complaint was even sent to us. "We are still waiting on two spill pots"- These were delivered and installed on August 28th. Unfortunately, due to high volume the company took 3 weeks to make and deliver the pots. We also would have preferred they were installed sooner but it was out of our hands."Someone to come and fix the stacked stone pillars"- This too was fixed on August 28th. Of 15 sqft. of stacked stone veneer a couple pieces fell off, which is not unusual and was repaired. "They supposedly installed bubblers in our [redacted] step that came off the first time we tried to turn them on"- These are screwed into threaded fittings and were not screwed in completely. We just screwed them in and that solved the problem. "The fence company scratched the fence" and "The pool fence is crooked in some places"- These issues were never mentioned or brought to our attention. The fence company would be more than happy to come out take a look at any issues and touch up any scratched areas. "Some of the travertine used around the pool are cut pieces that they covered up with grout"- Again this was never brought to our attention and didnt know there was an issue. We would be more than happy to fix any cosmetic issues with the decking. "We are still waiting on a wireless remote for water/light feature"- The contract agreed upon and signed by the customer has nothing listed about a remote system. One of the early revisions of the pool design included a remote system but the customers wanted to cut the cost down substantially so the remote system was taken out along with other things.We are extremely disappointed that the [redacted] felt dissatisfied with the construction of their swimming pool. Unfortunately, there were a couple issues that held up the construction process a bit but the entire process from excavation to filling and start up took six and a half weeks, which is faster than average during the summer months. As stated earlier if there are any outstanding issues that need correction we would be more than happy to schedule repairs. Mirage Pools and Spas is very proud of its reputation and its A+ rating with the Revdex.com.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I just want to say first off that I actually contacted the pool builder before sending a complaint through to the Revdex.com and told the pool builder that I was very unhappy with what was taking place and that all of the items that we were waiting on to be completed or repaired had not been done yet. We told the pool builder two weeks prior to this day and he said he would look into all of it. While continuing to wait and wait and getting no response we were left with no choice. However, after telling the pool builder that I was sending a complaint against him, finally he decided to take care of some of the problems. It was pretty funny when the travertine guys came over the same day I put in the complaint and told me that they were not aware that they needed to fix anything until an hour ago when they got a call from the pool builder. If I wouldn't have taken these steps, who knows how long we would have waited or if we would still be waiting for some more things.As far as the pool builder saying that he took the remote out when he did a new estimate that was "substantially" lower, that is completely untrue. The original estimate for the pool was $30,568.96. When we told him we wanted the estimate to be no more than $30,000 the only thing we talked about changing was taking the bubblers out of the [redacted] step and moving the pool equipment closer to cut down the cost of the plumbing and electrical. Never once was anything said by him or us that ever indicated taking out the remote feature. In fact, when the pool builder sent us the revised estimate, the remote feature is still included in it, and the price was exactly $30,000. We did end up adding the bubblers later on which he was going to charge $315 for but because his workers destroyed all of our irrigation system, he ended up taking the cost of them out after we reminded him that he said he would take care of it even though he was not happy about it. So when he states that he brought the cost of the pool down substantially, that is not true. Another thing I brought up with him was the fact that in the estimate he included the cost of replacing the pilaster on the fence. This was never removed and yet it was never taken out of the cost. His response was that he was not making much money on the pool as it was. This is not my problem. The spill pots were delivered, finally, but leaked all over when we turned them on even after waiting more than 48 hours. We then had to call someone back out to come and fix them and then wait another 48 hours before turning them on again. At least this time there was no leak (so far). So yes, the spill pots are taken care of, the stone has been re-glued, and as far as the fence, I have asked numerous times for touch up paint from the pool builder but will apparently have to find out who did the pool fence and get it through them. We did tell the pool builder about the pool fence being scraped and that is why we were wanting paint so that it would not rust. We also told him that it was crooked and he shrugged it off. Maybe that is why he doesn't remember. The reason I have not pushed for them to come and fix the fence is because any time a sub-contractor has come, they have left us with such a huge mess, that we don't feel like dealing with it again. We are still trying to get cement off of our paver patio that has been left there that we can't get off. Apparently nobody takes any responsibility for any of that either. At some point we would have liked the pool builder to take some accountability in things that happened throughout this process but that never happened and I doubt it will at this point. All I want is for him to acknowledge that he never said we were not getting a remote even though it is in both estimates. Even when we made final payment and asked him about it he never said that we weren't getting one. It wasn't until I told him about the complaint to the Revdex.com that he said we will not be getting a remote. I think it is unprofessional and very dishonest. At a minimum, the only thing that will rectify any of this is getting the wireless remote that was promised and finding out why we were charged for work that was not done (removing pilaster). Due to this misrepresentation it leads us to wonder what else we were possibly charged for and didn't receive.

Regards,

Business

Response:

I personally feel bad that the customers in reference to this complaint do not feel satisfied with the work we completed on their property. It is unfortunate that this issue has overshadowed the fact that we have built them a beautiful swimming pool for their family to enjoy. In reference to their comment that we only completed the repairs due to their threat of a complaint to the Revdex.com is completely false. No changes in the schedule occurred. The end of the summer is a particularly busy time in the construction industry and we tried to schedule the repairs as quickly as possible. The fact that the crew came out on the same day is purely a coincidence.

As far as the price decrease and the changes to the pool what the customer conveniently leaves out is the fact that they increased the perimeter and surface area of the pool while still wanting us to cut the estimate down to meet their budget. To do this they were told we would have to cut out some of the extras (ie. bubblers, [redacted] step size, remote, etc.) So what they claim was only a $568.96 price cut was actually a $1,500 price cut, which I feel is a substantial amount. Attached is a copy of the contract which was explained line by line and signed and dated by both home owners which clearly states on line #26 that no remote in included. Also attached is a copy of the print, which was given to the home owners prior to construction, showing that on the "Control System" line is printed "n/a- VS Pump" (not applicable Variable Speed Pump Controls). Again, I am sorry the customers felt a remote control was included in their pricing but I can assure you it was not and they were never charged for one.

Sincerely, [redacted]

Review: The owner of Mirage pools, [redacted] came out to review our issues approximately 5 or 6 months ago and stated he would fix the 4 cracks on the plaster side of our waterfall feature. The waterfall is leaking and causing staining on the plaster. We have not been able to use our waterfall for fear that it will cause the cracks to get bigger and plaster will start falling off. Al also stated he would have our plaster reviewed by the contractor who put it in. The plaster in the pool is the biggest issue because it's staining brown really bad. We have owned 4 pools including this one, and we have never had this issue with a plaster pool. Our chemicals are checked meticulously and we've had it checked several times from a pool store. The plaster seems to be real porous and doesn't allow brushing or the cleaning system to remove the dirt. The pool plaster is getting worse by the day. We are very knowledgeable on how to maintain a pool so we know we are not the cause of this staining issue.

We have called numerous times to ask why nothing has been done yet. We actually got through once and one of the employees there said that the plaster contractor was coming in the fall to acid wash our plaster. He said "they haven't contacted you yet?" My husband [redacted] told him no one has called at all on these two issues. When we call now, all we get is voicemail and no one returns our calls. They are purposely ignoring and refusing to call us and/or fix our pool per what the owner has stated.Desired Settlement: Repair our plaster pool with whatever it takes...even if it's busting out the concrete to put in better concrete. Fix our waterfall feature so that the back of the plaster will not crack and leak.

Business

Response:

We have been in contact with the customer. Their repair cannot start until the weather has cooled down but this is being scheduled.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Review: We had a pool done in 2014 by Mirage pools. We started having problems with the travertine pool decking. We have made several appointments to have it repaired. On 3 separate occasions the guy never showed up. They had someone else get involved and we set up 2 different dates. He asked us to stay off of it for 48 hours. With it being 110 outside and having a large family we left for the weekend which cost several hundred dollars so they could do the work. The work wasn't completed. The quality of travertine is horrible and is deteriorating. I feel that for a pool that is barely a year old should not have issues already. We have tried to resolve with Al from Mirage Pools and have gotten no where in the last 4 months.Desired Settlement: I would like to see the travertine deck removed and the grou.d properly prepped then have it laid again. I would like to also see them replace most of the existing travertine due to the deterioration of it.

Business

Response:

Hello, Please review the letter attached to this email. Mirage Pools sent the letter to [redacted] on July 29, 2015. We have attempted to contact [redacted] to resolve the pool decking issues, however he has not responded to any of our calls, texts, or emails since receiving our letter. In the letter you will find that the decking repair was scheduled and confirmed between [redacted] and the service rep. for Saturday July 25, 2015. Upon the service rep's arrival (Saturday July 25, 2015) it was discovered that the ground was still saturated with water so much that the repair could not possibly be completed properly. [redacted] was called and notified of the situation, he then told our service rep to "leave my property and I'll have someone else take care of it" [redacted] also sent a text stating the same thing. We would like to complete the decking repairs, unfortunately we are not sure how to move forward to resolve the issue if we aren't able to communicate with the homeowner. Please advise, and we will comply.thank you,[redacted]Mirage Pools & Spas

Review: [redacted] Pools completed constructing my new pool about a year ago in May 2014, 5 months later than what they had promised. Since then, the pool has been nothing but problems and the company has done nothing, but ignoring my requests for repair. all the email and pictures of problem areas I communicated with them are available. Some of the major unaddressed issues:

1- [redacted] Pools did not correctly grade the decking. After even a small amount of rain, there are patches of standing water remaining on the deck. First time, I notified [redacted] and their subcontractor, Mr. [redacted] of [redacted] Landscaping, about the issue around August of 2014. He has come multiple times and every time the response has been "the water dissipates into ground after a few hours, per standards". After I kept sending pictures of problem areas, they came one time and started "pounding" the travertine to level the decking and that caused breakage of the travertine and opening gaps between them, making the matter worse.

2- When they were selling the pool they assured me the holes in travertine would be filled such that their surface would be so smooth that I could not tell it had holes. They used the lowest quality materials to fill the holes on some of the travertine and not all. In August of 2014 I notified the owner of [redacted] Pools Mr. [redacted] and his subcontractor Mr. [redacted] and told them that this is not what they sold me. Many of the travertine holes were never filled or partially filled and those that were filled the fillings had started to come out. They came back and refilled (again some of the holes and not all) with the same low quality materials. Few weeks later, the fillings started to wash out in the rain. My subsequent requests to refill the holes were ignored.

3- In August of 2014 I showed the owner Mr. [redacted] in person two of the three pool drains (one in the pool and one in the spa) with dirt next to them building up and not being able to drain. He confirmed there was a problem and he said he would send his subcontractor. The subcontractor came and said everything is working per standards. I sent [redacted] 10s of pictures of dirt around the faulty drains as the proof that the subcontractor's claim were false. [redacted] never responded back and never addressed the problem.

4- In March 2015 I notified [redacted] that the pool floor had started to discolor. They sent their subcontractor, [redacted], where they confirmed white spots forming on the pool floor, and then they made false claims and put the blame on two chemicals imbalances in the water. After I sent [redacted] the reports of my bi-weekly professionally done water analysis reports showing not only those two chemicals but everything else had always been in the required range, they never responded back to me.

This was not a cheap pool. [redacted] charged me premium and claimed they were a "luxury" pool builder. This pool has been nothing but problems and frustration. Despite the price they charged, they built a very low quality pool, low workmanship, with leaky filter, leaky pump, gas not hooked up, gas heater not working, cleaning system parts coming out, etc., in addition to the problems above, and yet they have not honored their warranty and commitment and have kept ignoring my requests for repair of the mess they built and left behind. Any issue that required something like tightening a bolt they did, but anything they found to be costly to repair they just kept ignoring.Desired Settlement: [redacted] must fix ALL the outstanding pool and pool equipment issues. They must fix the decking to correct grading. They must fill ALL the holes in the travertine with quality materials, and not with the low qualty material they have been using that washes off in the rain, and fill all the gaps that started opening up between the stones after couple of months of installation.

Business

Response:

We previously replied to this complaint last week, however we took a call from Revdex.com stating that they did not receive anything. We apologize that Mr. [redacted] is unhappy with his pool project. We would be happy to address any outstanding issues with the pool/pool equipment. We have contacted [redacted] and would like to set up a meeting including [redacted], myself, and the pool tech that services Mr. [redacted]'s pool. In addition [redacted] with [redacted] Landscaping has been out to Mr. [redacted]'s pool to repair the travertine and will continue to do so until it is to Mr. [redacted]'s satisfaction. [redacted] will use different materials if Mr. [redacted] would prefer. Please advise and we will comply. thank you

Consumer

Response:

[redacted]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Working with Mirage and their landscaping contractor, [redacted], has been my worst experience. I did file a complain with Revdex.com #[redacted] about Mirage building a pool with all sorts of problems and then not meeting their warranty obligations to fix the issues. Mirage responded to Revdex.com that they would meet with me and their subcontractors to resolve the issues. I accepted Mirage's response CONDITIONALLY upon completion of the action as follows, but Mirage or their subcontractors never contacted me nor did they address the outstanding issues: -------------------------------------------------- My last response to Revdex.com regarding Complaint ID #[redacted] on 5/31/2015: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. -------------------------------------------------- Revdex.com yet closed the case as resolved without verifying if Mirage stood up to their words or if they fixed the problems. Revdex.com website did not give me an option to communicate with Revdex.com that the business continued to fail fixing the problems. Mirage built a pool with rough surface and sharp pebbles that to date cut the skin and continue to cause abrasion. The pool surface turned out to be nothing like the samples they showed before the construction of the pool. I first brought up this issue with Mirage in August 2014, about two months after the completion of the pool and like all other issues they continued to ignore it. The same rough surface continues to discolor and Mirage has ignored the issue for the last 3 months. For the last 10 months a pipe continues to leak and the pool decking that was never graded correctly was ever fixed. The only thing they did was to come back and "pound" the travertine to cause tiles to break. The only thing they did after my first complaint with Revdex.com, they came back and replaced the tile that they had broken and refilled some of the holes (still not all) in travertine for the second time, with the same cheap materials that have already started to come out again, like the last two times they filled them. Mirage MUST fix ALL the outstanding pool and pool equipment issues. They must fix the rough surface by whatever means immediately as in has become a health hazard. The pool has almost become unusable because one can rub a foot, arm, or any body part against the surface of the pool and get a skin cut or abrasion. They must fix the discoloration of the pool surface.