Tips On Hiring Swimming Pool Services

If you’ve decided that you prefer to hire a swimming pool service company to maintain your pool instead of doing it yourself, here are a few helpful hints to make sure the company you choose suits your needs.

• Are they licensed and do they have insurance?
If you contract a company that builds and services pools, they usually are licensed. Verify that it is in good standing with your state’s contractor’s license board. Your service provider should be able to provide proof of current liability insurance. Accidents can happen anywhere and at any time and your homeowner’s insurance will have to pay for any damage if they’re not insured. Most states require service companies to have liability insurance. So, ask to see their insurance card.

• What do they charge?
Will your choice be reliable, reputable, and do what is required to give you complete satisfaction? Remember, you get what you pay for. If you pay $50 a month to a swimming pool service, but the average is $80-$100, what are you getting? A good rule is to understand that price equals value. Your pool is a king-sized investment, and it deserves a maintenance company that will treat it that way.

• Do you get good customer service?
Of course they will if you’re a new customer because they want to leave a good first impression. So, use this first service call as your standard of future measure. A few months down the road do they still answer the phone quickly (or promptly return your message)? Do they still arrive for scheduled service visits? If they do, then you chose well. Ask for at least 3 references from each prospective pool maintenance provider during the introductory appointment, and contact them! If you speak with several companies, you’ll likely find one that views customer satisfaction as their first priority.

• Do they look and act professional?
Take the time during your intro appointment with prospective pool maintenance companies to “take their measure” and, finally, ask yourself this. “Does this company take their work as seriously as I take mine? Hopefully, your answers to all of these questions will be “yes.” If they are, then rest easy.

• Flat rates mean just that.
Make sure that your chosen pool maintenance company quotes you a fair flat rate that includes all materials and services. If it doesn’t, make sure that the services offered are clearly put down in writing. Most pool maintenance providers charge one flat rate regardless of the number of chemicals used. Make sure that the pool service states clearly what is and isn’t in the contract.

During your second step, you should determine that the contractor is ready to take the time to sit down with you, go over your ideas, look at the photos of designs that you present and work with you to help you realize your dream of pool ownership. Remember; try to be clear from the beginning with your pool contractor as to what your budget is. Let him or she know what features you’d like your pool to have and see how close to your dream you can come based on your budget.

• Check the track record of working
If you have a proper idea about you’d prefer either gunite or a fiberglass pool make certain the contractor has a track record of working in that particular medium. If you don’t know as to what kind of material the pool should be made from, ask what they carry and what the benefits and drawbacks are to each type.

• Look at the design and installation
You should look at the design and installation team that needs to be large enough to ensure that the project will be handled efficiently and effectively. Does the team have enough time to take on the project in a timely fashion? You don’t want to be squeezed in between other, perhaps larger, jobs.

• Choose a contractor who offers a wide array of size and design options
A professional swimming pool contractor is able to offer a wide array of size and design options. Remember, you will likely want a deck to surround your pool with a deck. Ask the contractor what materials they offer for the deck and walkway.