How many red flags does it take?

 

I decided it was time to detail the summer 2021, the summer of our discontent. Yes, the pandemic was rotten and sticking around home for another summer was frustrating. The most frustrating activity by far, though, was the installation of our in-ground pool by Region Pool and Spa in Crown Point, Indiana. 

Throughout the posts, I'll lead you on a journey through the entire process, soup to nuts. By the end of the story, I think you'll agree that it was all bananas, and that no one else should have to go through what we did. 

But before I begin, I want to be clear that I am not looking for sympathy. I'm not so tone deaf that I can't see how complaining about a pool installation is in bad taste. My purpose for writing about this is to hopefully change someone's mind who is considering putting in a pool with Region Pool and Spa. No one should have to go through the roller coaster of emotions that come from working with that company. 

Okay, ready? Let's go!

Travel back with me to April of 2021. At that time, the pandemic had been raging for a little over a year, and life was feeling stagnant. Things were slowly starting to open up again with masks being absolutely necessary in most places, and tempers were flaring as people cried about their rights to freedum freedom. Anyway, we were all looking for something new to amuse and entertain ourselves. My parents brought up the idea to us of putting in an in-ground pool. I wasn't really wed to the idea at first because we have access to a neighborhood pool, and I didn't really want to deal with the mess it would make of the backyard. After some thought, I decided to meet some representatives from pool companies to see what was what. After all, having a pool at home would mean that the kids could swim with friends right in our yard, and I would be able to supervise without having to leave the house. We also wouldn't have to deal with people having chicken fights in the neighborhood pool, completely ignoring the fact that others were trying to enjoy themselves, too. The first rep I met with gave me a very high quote and the news that they couldn't start working on a pool until spring of 2023. Less than ideal. The second rep I met was Bob. 

The owner of Region Pool and Spa, Bob, arrived ready to sell. He had slick brochures to match his slick promises. I try to see the best in people, so none of it seemed particularly shady to me at the time. Ah, hindsight, you saucy minx. Bob told me that he would have us swimming and enjoying our pool by July 4, guaranteed. The price seemed good, he seemed earnest, and I was stupidly naive. I talked to Trevor about the whole thing, and he seemed skeptical at best. I promised him that I would deal with the mess and the hullabaloo that would certainly come with a big home project. He agreed, mostly because he likes to make me happy. (This whole "I'll deal with it" promise comes back to haunt me later.) Later that month, my parents met with Bob at our house while we were out of town. Again, he promised a quick job with a fully-functioning pool by the Fourth of July. After that meeting, he texted a couple of times to see if we had decided on anything and reminded me that he only had one pool shell left at that price. RED FLAG #1. Why did I fall for that? Dunno. I did, though, and we ended up pulling the trigger: the Wells Pool Project was a go. Copy of the "contract" in hand, we got started. (You'll understand why I put "contract" in quotes. Just keep reading.) 

During the next couple of weeks, things were getting lined up. RED FLAG #2 came when Bob texted twice for our address. I didn't understand why he didn't have it on file, but I wrote that off as him being away from the office. I provided him with the information he needed: HOA approval, documents for the permit, measurements of the yard space. RED FLAG #3 arrived quickly when he texted to ask me how much money my parents had given him as a deposit. How does a business owner not know that? Again, I pushed it to the back of my mind and assumed I would just have to keep good records. 

On Tuesday, May 25, Bob told me that installation would begin on Thursday, May 27. The very next day, he texted to tell me that it had been pushed to the next week because he needed to get the utilities location done. I was disappointed, but stuff happens. On Tuesday, June 1, installation day finally arrived but not without RED FLAG #4. The locate still hadn't happened, and we didn't want the liability of accidentally hitting a gas or cable line. Bob wasn't thrilled that we wanted to wait for the locate, and he ended up signing a paper that said he would take responsibility for anything that happened to any underground utilities. I went back in the house, and before I knew it, we had RED FLAG #5, perhaps the worst flag of them all. I knew that the fence would have to be down for a a little while; Bob told me it would only be for "a few days." He knew how important it was to me because having to leash the dogs every time they wanted to go outside was going to be difficult and time-consuming. Imagine my horror when I went outside to walk the dogs and Bob told me that they had CUT the fence to take it down. Instead of calling the fence company like many other contractors do, they had simply cut through the bottom of the fence to take panels down. I felt a little sick at that point, but I remembered the "few days" part of Bob's promise and knew I could handle some inconvenience. That day was a flurry of activity with digging and workers scurrying everywhere like ants. We all watched as they used a crane to drop the fiberglass pool shell into the hole. It was really exciting, and I loved seeing all the action. 

Two days later, a tanker truck full of water arrived and backed itself into my yard. It started to fill up the pool, so it felt like things were really happening. When I texted Bob to ask when the fence would be back up, he told me that he couldn't really do it until after the concrete had been poured. When would that be, I asked? Ten more days. I took some deep breaths, reminded myself to keep my eyes on the prize and went on leashing the dogs. Meanwhile, the enormous tanker truck sat outside of our house overnight. It took up a lot of room, and I got a lot of mean looks from neighbors. It was finally removed after I texted Bob a few times to remind him to get it out of there. 

Concrete was finally scheduled for Wednesday, June 23. I was so happy because then the fence could be replaced. Wednesday came and went: no concrete. You're shocked, right? 

Stay tuned.