Paradise Pool Service

We worked directly with the owner, Rick, who guided us throughout the entire process in a patient and extremely professional manner. Given the costs involved, we were very deliberate and took quite a bit of time to make the commitment. From the outset, Rick advised us that our consideration would be more of a process and that the goal was for us to be comfortable with all of our decisions before agreeing to proceed. Rick met with us at our home at least 1/2 dozen times during this period, providing all the information that we needed to be comfortable with our choices. Using his years of experience in the business, he coached us rather than steeering us in any one direction, while addressing all of our questions and concerns in a clear and concise manner. Actual work began within a reasonable period of time once we signed the contract. From start to finish, the job took approximatetely 4 weeks, which takes into account occasional nfavorable weather conditions. The finished product is everything we had hoped it would be. In effect and in appearance, we have a brand new pool to enjoy. We feel very comfortable recommending Paradise Pool Service.

Pool was properly maintained.

I'm glad others had good experience with Paradise. We never could get a call back. We are installing a pool and based on the reviews here, Paradise was one of the first builders I called. I called twice and left a message each time seeking a return call. They did call my wife but she missed the call so she called right back and got a recording again. She too left her call back information. We haven't heard anything since. I guess they have all of the work they can handle so don't need any new projects. We'll go with another builder.

Scheduled an appt. for an estimate for the coming Wed. I took off of work to meet the estimator, and estimator was a no show. I called him after about 30 miinutes and he said that he thought our appt. (made on Monday) was scheduled for Thurs. When I agreed to a date/time I was sitting in front of my calendar. I agreed to meet on Sat. morning and on Sat. he calls about 45 minutes late with some excuse that his GPS was not getting him to the correct address, and wanted to "verify my address". Almost an hour late he shows, we talked about methods to make my repair and he said that he would have an estimate for me on Monday. I never got a estimate. Needless to say I didn't call them back. Let me see... dos and don'ts, don't hire Paradise Pools, do hire someone else.

It went very well. Paradise Pools was in constant contact. Would not accept any payment until job was complete and I was completely satisfied. In this world of pool contractors not showing up when they say I was pleasantly surprised that they showed up EVERYTIME they said they would. Very happy and will use again.

I started my process with several estimates from local pool companies. Although price was a factor in my decision it was not the only one. Rick's presentation, suggestions and options were thorough and well explained. I felt comfortable with his experience and professionalism. His price was not the lowest but was competitive. We agreed to begin the work. Our pool looks amazing. The finished product his a highlight in our yard. Anytime I have worked with a contractor my expectations are to fulfill what's promised. Rick and his team did that. You can't expect the process to be perfect every time. But what I think sets a responsible contractor ahead of others I how they handle it when it's not. We had a leak in the new suction line and Rick's team fixed it right. away. The guys cleaned up behind themselves and left our yard in good condition. Rick came out to the house and we looked over the pool together to make sure I was happy before his request of final payment. Thanks Rick for a great job and professional integrity.

From the moment we signed the contract with Rick everything went according to plan. He was easy to contact, responded promptly, was always pleasant and co-operative. Did what he said he would do. The pool had a couple of glitches which were handled with just one phone call to him. His number one foreman, I think his name is John, was a gem. Knew how to fix everything and even repair the glitches some-one else had caused. We even have a 'shark' swimming in the pool.....a tile one Would recommend Paradise Pools

Excellent experience with paradise pools. Rick listened to what we wanted and added his expertise to ensure a beautiful result. All of his crews working on electricity, paving, the screen enclosure and actual pool were respectful of our yard and property, and answered any questions we had. They kept us informed of progress and any issues that came up (mostly weather related during this summer). Paradise is now servicing the pool and except the same level of professionalism as Rick. Would recommend Paradise to anyone with a pool project or repair.

We are very satisfied with the end result. They did a good job of guiding us through the process and answering all of our questions. It was a great experience working with them.

They are on the dime, to the minute. They get there when they say they're going to. They made our pool perfect the first time. Everything the man suggested, what little he had suggested is right on. We were just quite impressed with them. I cannot say enough good about them, they were wonderful. Their price is fair, it's not excellent.

Recharging the sand filter and replacing the valve assembly atop the pump cost $519.00. But when it was clear that the leak was not fixed I called them back. Again and again their guy came out and each time told me the problem was corrected. And each time I filed the pool only to watch it drain away! You should see my water bill the last two months. Finally I called American Leak Detectors and the problem was fixed on the very first visit. Paradise Pools complained that they never charged me for leak detection and that I owed them more money. Without an itemized bill, how could I tell what they charged me for? In any event I will not pay for a leak that was never fixed, no matter how many times they came out. Don't use these guys. They are disorganized and when it comes to leak repair, incompetent.

Rick was very responsive throughout the process of planning and design of our pool remodeling which took a few months. The work was done in a very timely manner and he did a good job at sticking to the schedule. He was always reachable by phone. We love the pool finish which looks excellent. The screen enclosure looks brand new, We are impressed at how well it turned out. At first we weren"t interested in doing pavers for the deck, but Rick showed us pavers that worked well with the waterfall scheme we were doing. The paver job was done very fast and they agreed to install a commercial drain for us. One other bidder did not want to install the drain we wanted. We are happy that we stuck to getting the bigger drain we wanted. The bigger drain works so much better. We had to call Rick back to have his paver guys resand some areas that were missing sand. They came and did that and sealed those areas again. We did call him back also because pavers on the landing were sinking. Within a week his guys returned to fix that. The pavers were the only concern we had on this project. Everything looks beautiful. This was not the best quote we got for the various jobs, but we feel we paid for excellent service.

I have a small yard and require a small pool (12x24 or smaller, 3-5 feet deep), no spa, no enclosure. At approximately 1 minute in to our very first conversation, rather than asking about the pool and features I was looking for, Rick started to ask pushy and invasive questions about the amount of money I was willing to spend ("Is the budget more than 30K?"), and indicated that it would be difficult for him to put in a pool like that for less than $30K...and VERY difficult to put in that pool for $20-25K. Ridiculous. Overall, I was offended by his poor attempt at customer service. I can't speak for his perspective, but I think he was not interested in a small installation, and tried to use the money angle as an excuse so no more of his time would be wasted with the discussion. I was just hoping for a polite and honest conversation about my requirements and the estimated costs so I can make an informed decision about how to proceed and with whom. I would not recommend Paradise to anyone... UPDATE 6/26/2013: I just spoke to Rick again - I'm very thankful and surprised that he called to discuss the review with me. He's obviously focused on making sure the reviews here on Angie's list are complimentary, which I can appreciate. He and I still disagree about the nature of our original conversation ---- if we had discussed all of the things that he indicated in his response (pool use, kids, energy efficiency, single speed motor, incandescent lighting, etc.), I would not have written the poor review. (I have spoken to many contractors and I am familiar with the routine. In no other situations have I been asked about my budget before even discussing the features of the pool.) Rick said that he fields about 40 calls a day and he tries to qualify the calls quickly so he can determine if it makes sense to continue, and I can agree that he got to the qualifying budget information very quickly. He started the original conversation by asking if I could share drawings from the other pool contractors that I have talked to (which I declined to do), he asked if I needed an enclosure, he asked if I wanted a spa. That's it. We never discussed anything other than the fact that I wanted a small pool (approximately 12x24) with no spa and no enclosure. That's when he made the statements that pools cost more than $30K and it would be VERY difficult for him to put in a pool for $20-25K. I never suggested a budget of $20K or any other dollar figure --- that's simply not true for the conversation and not true for my budget range! I'm not interested in criticizing a company just for the sake of it --- and I'm glad that other people have had better experiences with Rick and Paradise Pools. I wish them all the best, but I won't be working with them at any point in the future, and I will not recommend them to anyone else.

From the quote to the final check in call. Rick and his team were prompt, professional and provided excellent service. I have recommended them to people I know looking to upgrade their pools. My husband and I have been so pleased with every aspect of this remodel. We are so proud to have friends and family over to enjoy the pool. It was 18 years old and looking very worn. But now it looks like a brand new pool and patio area. Thank you so much, Rick, Arthur and the entire team !

Work took about 5 weeks until we were actually able to dive back in the pool. During the process we ended up getting a new heat pump for the pool. Rick was professional in offering brands, sizes & costs. We had lots of family at the house for a high school graduation party the first week in June & having the nicely (newly) finished pool looking fanastic was an added feature to friends & family. We also hired Paradise Pools as our weekly pool service/maintenance. It is nice having someone else (always professional & prompt) take care of a household chore for us during our ever-busy lives. We also recently (March 2013) contacted Paradise Pools to get our screened pool enclosure re-bolted (replacing rusted screws/bolts). Process took about 2 days (only due to weather conditions) & was sub-contracted out to another professional. Work was completed as instructed.

The service person called to confirm appointment time. Arrived on time and went to work immediately diagnosing my issue with my pool equipment. The repairs were made right there. The service person gave me several tips onhow to improve the care of my pool. Very helpful.

All I have to say is, "If you are looking for a pool company who listens and communicates every step of the way. You have found the best." Mr. Schmitz, along with his entire crew made the process so easy and seamless. I wish I could do it again!

Wasn't able to use their services.

It went well. My only issue is that the owner wanted to sell me refinishing services and other services which I have no use for. He did find me good deals on slightly used equipment that was priced more attractively.

Excellent!!! Will use them in the future for sure!!!

The overall job was a success. There were a couple of issues that were resolved on a timely manner and we are very happy. Rick is very honest. Our pool had to be drained. Screens was cleaned of all debris. New screws and grommets that had rusted were replaced. Lanai floor was cleaned and resurfaced. Pool was resurfaced. A new marble piece was added to the Spa Area. New lighting and a PDA System installed.

Did a great job. I would use them again for all of my pool needs.

Responded within 24 hrs of call, very professional and thorough. The $90 house call fee was applies toward the work that needed to be done, which was replacement of the pool pump. I had a similar experience with this company when I lived in St. Augustine. Recommend.

They were very prompt, reasonably priced, professional, and did great work.

We had used Paradise Pools earlier to replace a failed pool pump with a high end variable speed pump. We later had a flow sensor replaced. We decided to sign up for the monthly "gold" service so we could learn more about our pool and how to take care of it. The pool guy who came out was not very talkative and seemed unable to explain to my wife what he was doing and how to do it. For example stated he could not vacuum out the pool because there was no way to do it (but we have the hoses in the garage). After one time he came out, he did his regular service but shortly after he left we got a low salt alarm. We had torrential rain which continue to lower the salt (as expected) and then we started getting another alarm on our system as the salt dropped below 2100. We called Rick (the owner) and he would usually call back a couple of days later. This (I presume) was because he was covered up with calls from all the rain. He told my wife that it was no big deal that they would shock the pool and get it back on track and that he had told the pool maintenance guy not to put salt in the pools because it would just get washed out by the rain. We went a week with the alarm on our pool and we were beginning to think something else was going on because there was another "High Salt/Amp) alarm as well as the low salt alarm. I traded voice mails with Rick a couple of times and before he finally got a hold of me the following Tuesday. I told him my concerns that about the pool and that the maintenance guy did not seem knowledgeable. He stated that the guy was not the most communicative and was probably confused by the complexity of our pool set up. I also told him about him not vacuuming or cleaning scales as is described in his "gold" service plan and he stated that the pool had been in a state of disrepair for a couple years and that they can't be expected to correct these conditions overnight (even though we had been using them for about six weeks). I told him it was important to set expectations up front. We signed up for a service and part of the service was not getting completed per our expectations. I also told him that I came home Monday and found a tag that my pool had been serviced but my pool still was in an alarm condition. I told him nothing was written on the tag so I didn't know what was actually done for the service but that pool was still in alarm. Rick told me what had been done and stated that they don't write the work that was done on the tag but would be happy to do it for me. I told him that I shouldn't have to call the owner to find out what was done to my pool--especially when it is still in alarm. He stated that the pool maintenance guy said there was not alarms when he left. I started to get a bit annoyed because I felt like I was being treated like some sort of high maintenance customer. I reiterated some of my concerns with him and he stated that he had talked to my wife about these same concerns and stated that I was a bit more on point in understanding the issues and that perhaps he should deal directly with me instead of my wife. At that point, I told him that I would like to discontinue the service. I did not appreciate the insinuation that my wife was somehow clueless about the pool service or unable to properly articulate our concerns. I told him I thought he had more work than he could properly service and that I would look for another pool company. Rick was disappointed and but stated that he wouldn't charge me for the last service. ***UPDATE*** 7/15 I am changing my quality score for the pool maintenance to an F for paradise pools. I had a new pool maintenance company come out and inspect my system. He found that my strainers and cartridge filter had not even been touch by the so called "gold" pool maintenance. The new guy also showed me how to vacuum my pool which demonstrates the other guy was dishonest in saying that our pool system did not have a vacuum or had no clue. Either way, I would never use these folks for pool maintenance because (in my case) I didn't even get the service I was paying for.