There are many times when we perform a pool leak detection, quote the work and do not get the repairs. This is totally fine with us. We would certainly hope that customers would shop and compare pricing. It is not OK with us, however, when customers do not compare apples to apples. If a company that does repairs doesn’t have the equipment or the capability to perform pool leak detections, they are not even on the same playing field as a full service company such as Caltech Pools.
Here is a good example: Upon performing a recent pool leak detection in Santa Monica, we found a leak in a skimmer trunk line and pinpointed the exact location using both sonar and video technology. We quoted the repair and did not hear back from the customer. Approximately three weeks later, we received a phone call from a heated customer who was irate that their pool was still leaking. We went back out the next day and immediately checked the line which he had repaired by another company. The line checked out fine, but I knew immediately what had happened. The other company had to hit another line (pool return) while jackhammering to access the original skimmer line. This happens to us all the time.
NOW THIS IS WHERE IT SOMETIMES GETS TRICKY.
I knew the customer would get upset with me telling him that we had to recharge him a leak detection fee if I was correct and surprisingly, the customer was OK with this.
Now considering that I have been in this business as long as I have and have basically seen everything, I found it unusual for a customer to be as understanding. His answer to me was “I’m going to get the other company to pay for it.” Good for him, but beware: you usually would have a better chance of getting blood from a stone.
Moral of the story: When it comes to swimming pool leak detection and repair, let a “pro” do it.
On a later note: the customer had us actually perform the repair and below are a couple of the pictures.
