Hill Country Pools Inc

We have been with Hill Country Pools since 2012 and very satisfied. The ongoing service has been professional and well done. Any repairs are done as quickly as possible. Techs are well trained, office staff are very congenial and get the necessary work scheduled. Thanks for the great service. The Maroni's

Avoid this company. High turn over of staff. Had an Inadequately trained staff drain our pool too low and leave pump running while we were out of town. Ruined the pump by running it dry. Came home to neighbors complaining of metal-on-metal screeching pump for days. Tried to talk to the company. They sent someone out who said, "Your pump is broken." And charged us $115 to tell us what we told them! Refused to take responsibility for their mistake. Called 3x to speak to manager who refused to ever call back. Poor service, horribly irresponsible management. There are many better pool companies who can keep and train staff.

My criticism is that they would not install a new pump motor that I was able to buy much, much cheaper than one they would provide (and mark-up). They explained they cannot provide a warranty for a different pump. I told them that's fine, I can waive the warranty, but they said no. I easily found another firm that would install it without a warranty. In my view their inflexible attitude was unprofessional.

The service and responsiveness was very good, they came in and did exactly what I asked. However, the bill that I received in the mail was heavily padded. I agreed to pay the company $272.95 for the total cost of the replacement and installation of the actuator, but when I received the bill from Hill Country Pools, the total cost for the replacement came out to over $400.00. I've replaced this exact part myself (actuators usually have an average 3 year life span) and cost approximately $160.00 retail, $100.00 wholesale. When I spoke with the company about the bill, they informed me that the $272.95 was just for the part itself. That was unacceptable. I asked to see an invoice of the cost they paid for the part, and they refused. They did however, agree to adjust the bill down to the $272.95, which was acceptable. I'm not trying to suggest that someone get something for nothing here, and I realize that the business needs to make a reasonable profit. But, I felt wholeheartedly that Hill Country Pools attempted to rip me off, and that they gambling to the idea that I didn't understand the true cost of the service. For these reasons, fellow consumers, I do not believe this company is trustworthy. Unless you want to pay hefty, overinflated prices for replacement parts, I would avoid doing business with them. If you do decide to do business with Hill Country, ask to see an invoice for the cost of the part(s) that need to be replaced, or provide the parts and tell them you want a "labor only job." This would be the best way to protect yourself. Good luck.

It went very well The service was prompt and efficient. The service team were polite and professional. They gave us what they promised. We liked so much that they are going to service us monthly from now on. Thank you Hill Country Pools.

I selected Hill Country Pools based on their reviews on Angie's List as well as a perceived reasonable price. They started their service in July and I elected to stop service in early September. In my initial phone call with HCP, my impression was they were doing me a favor to service my pool. Whereas the lady than answered the phone was very nice, she repeatedly stated how busy they are and that it would be difficult to honor my request to start service a week out. Anyways, we agreed upon a date and they started our bi-monthly service in early July. This was a brand new pool that just completed construction in late June. We immediately saw some discoloration on the pebble sheen, but initially assumed they were managing accordingly. The week before Labor Day weekend, HCP came out on Tuesday to perform their service. That Friday, I went out to the pool after work and discovered a significant amount of algae. I scrubbed the pool extensively for over 2 hours and removed most of what could be seen. I left HCP a message (they were closed for the holiday weekend) about my disappointment. I just couldn't imagine that a brand new pool could get in such bad shape when they had only been there a few days prior. They came back out the Tuesday after Labor Day and one of the supervisors left me a message. This visit made quite a bit of improvement on the algae on the side walls, but the bottom was still discolored. He came back again the following week for more service and finally the pool started to look normal again. So in the end, they were able to get the pool back to its original condition. Here are the reasons I gave them a C. IMO, there is no way that a pool should have such a severe algae problem when they had been managing the chemicals for several months and had also been there just a few days prior. In my previous house, we had a pool for 5 years and had exactly zero issues. Also, their pricing is very misleading. The $45 per visit is in line with other company's, but this only accounts for about half of what they charge. The chemicals are a la carte and add up quite a bit. This ties back to my frustration as well. They were using a lot of chemicals, but we still had bad algae issues. I would budget an average of $75 per visit if you decide to us HCP.

We have used them several times over the past 2 years and the service has always been "okay" (not good enough to recommend, but not so bad that it was worth the time to find another provider). This time though they didn't show up on the day scheduled. Had to call them back 2 days later to get them to come out. Repair was never completed but was invoiced. Asked the company to come by and look at it again in August, they didn't do anything to fix their mistake, and claimed that something else was broke and it would be over $100 to fix. I fixed that other thing myself in 5 minutes with no cost of parts or labor, but the original problem is still not repaired and caused our pool to go half empty over the summer. Company is unresponsive and we are in the process of estimating the cost of the damages caused by their work.

We liked their rating on Angie's List , knowledge about pool service and their machinery. We also liked the way they took to the pool and knew how to balance the chemicals. I just thought they were very professional and pleasant. The gentleman who was cleaning the pool just seemed so kind. When I walked out there last week to introduce myself, he knew who I was. They always leave a note when they are done. If they don't talk to you, you know it has been done. Their price was in the ballpark of all the other service providers.

I had a pool heater and Polaris pool cleaner that wasn't working. They came out and troubleshot the issues and gave me an estimate to fix the heater and cleaner. They came out the second time and replaced the relay and got the Polaris working and replaced some parts on the heater. They checked the heater to see if it worked and it did, but only for a few minutes. The service tech did not stay long enough to see it still wasn't fixed. Called them back out and they replaced more parts and it still only worked for a few minutes. Again, the service tech didn?t stay to see if it worked for more than a few minutes. Called them back and asked them if they waited to see if the heater worked for more than a few minutes. Their answer was no. They came a third time and replaced the high limit switch and waited to see if the heater would work. It only worked for a few minutes and shut down again. The service tech did some more trouble shooting and said it was the blower and the blower was over $600 and with the age of the heater I should replace the heater at a cost of over $3,000. So I have already paid over $700 and the heater still doesn't work but has some new parts! And each time I keep getting billed for a service call even after they said they wouldn't charge me for the third service call. I would not recommend them for a heater repair. By the way, they do not give free estimates. You have to pay for the initial service call up front and it is credited towards the repair. I will never use them again.

They were very prompt and they did a great job. The interaction was great. I would definitely recommend them. I would definitely use them again.

They were great. They were always professional, on-time, and they helped me figure out what I could do on my own if it was going to be expensive. We were customers with them for about 6 years. I would recommend them to anybody.

The service tech came out and fixed the leak from our booster pump. He came out within a couple days of my original call to schedule the appointment. The lid to my chlorinator has been leaking but getting chlorine into my pool was never a problem. I was not home during the repair but I spoke with Pat regarding the repair. They recommended a Pentair 320 to replace my Hayward chlorinator. She said parts are easier to get and the performance would be better. I agreed to have it replaced. The tech came out the next day and replaced it. He didn't put all the tablets into it that I already had in my Hayward. I put them in there b/c I have a dog and don't want them sitting around. After a week none of the tablets disolved. I run my pool at least 15 hrs/day. There was a 3 day period where I ran it straight to see if that would help. Still no chlorine was showing when the water was tested and the tablets still didn't disolve. I called and spoke with Pat. She recommened that I shock the pool because of recent storms. I went out and bought shock and added 6lbs over the course of a week. I got some readings but nothing consistent. After a couple days I stopped getting any readings. Instead of adding more shock I called back. Par recognized that was strange and arranged for someone else to come out. Mark came to my house a couple days later. He checked everything and advised that everything was installed correctly. His only recommendation was to turn the pool return valve so more water is returning to the pool as opposed through the spa. I told him I had it set for 3 days to return directly to the pool already. I asked him why none of the tablets have dissolved yet and he couldn't give me an answer. He couldn't provide me with any insight on why this new chlorinator that they recommended and installed wasn't working. I felt as if they felt they did what they were supposed to do and wiped their hands clean of any issues arrising out of the repairs they performed. Since then I have loaded the chlorinator full of tablets and they still aren't disolving. I am still not getting any chlorine in my pool. I went on to Hayward's site and Hill Country isn't listed as a vendor for them. I should have done my homework and realized they were in no position to make comparisons to products they aren't authorized to service.

Called and received next day service. Tech was professional and courteous.

Came out and gave an estimate, showed up next day to repair. Did the work quickly without bothering me. Billed after the work was done.

Very friendly staff. They helped me with a problem that was a simple fix that I could do. I will call them in the future for "Pool School" and for any future pool needs. Thanks again!!

Hill country pools pulled a bunch of junk out of the impeller and all was well. Simple fix but was new to me and tech was very helpful.

Jorge at Hill Country pools is GREAT! He cleans are pool and services the pool equipment. The pool is sparkling when he is finished!! We are very pleased with Hill Country Pools!!

Very professional office staff and workmen. 100% satisfied.

Our pool pump was starting to get louder and then, stopped altogether. We called Hill Country pools to take care of the problem. I did have to put down a deposit in making the appointment. That was kind of weird but I can respect weeding out the deadbeats before wasting time. The rep arrived a little late but called to let us know in advance. He assesed the problem and said he would return when the part came in. He came back, replaced the part and touched up some leaks a few days later. I was a little frustrated that the service call fee was for one hour, and though he didn't spend more than one hour overall in the entire assestment and repair, we were charged for 2 hours since he had to wait for the report. This may just be the way things are done. The final result was great and the motor is super quiet and moving water like new again. I would rather spend the extra on a professional to get the job done right the first time.

From day one, Hill Country Pools has been upfront and informative on everything they have done. The estimates they give are spot-on, and the work they do is honest and brilliant. They fixed the pool equipment, keep it clean, and their expertise at pools is first rate. I am incredibly happy with the work Hill Country Pools performs. I can recommend them without hesitation. A+

IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING USING HILL COUNTRY POOLS PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THIS FIRST. YOU MAY CHANGE YOUR MIND. In trying to resolve the iI was at times quite literally lost for words. This has been a "jaw-dropping" experience - Mark (owner?) was emotional and sarcastic. And even if you get over all of that - Hill Country Pools and Mark have left my pool in a state of disrepair and equipment in pieces. Here is the "play by play" - in more detail than I'd usually take the time to write. 1.) While on a out of town trip, the technician (Mark) inspected the pool per original job request tto say they could find NO FAULT and there were no bubbles from outlet. He then asked quite politely if I needed him to check anything else while there. I replied, that was good news and in fact, I wanted him to check a pre-existing condition where the level of water dropped after using the waterfall feature. He said - "no problem" and called back saying - he could find no issues - SO FAR GREAT. NO ISSUE FOUND and $100 out of pocket for the visit - not bad. I paid before even returning to town. 2.) I walked into the home and to the pool - I was in shock - the pool had a major algae problem, the water level was below skimmer level and as a result the pump had run dry. While related to pre-existing condition (Waterfall), this is how the pool was left after declaring "no fault found!" 3.) I thought ok - perhaps innocent misunderstanding, and to forgo the hassle of a difficult scheduling process (they're clearly busy) - spent a week and ~$100 in additional pool treatments to fight the "algae invasion". I was still struggling after a week so called Hill Country Pools (3x) and asked them to help me given the state the pool was in after their service call. 4.) They came out, scrubbed, shocked and treated the pool - as only professionals can. BUT they proceeded to point out the multi-port valve was broken, there was a potential leak in one of the pipes and that the pump had probably run dry at some point causing some of this. To which I replied - "It DID run dry after you guys left after previous call." Mmmm no fault found to multiple faults found in 2 weeks... 5.) I was told Mark was down south and would be back to check the equipment again. He called me on the phone to challenge me on why I was "blaming him" after his cleaning crew reported what I had said. To which I responded that I wasn't blaming anyone, but it was hard to refute that pre Hill Country pool troubleshoot - "sparkling clean pool, ready for the summer". Post Hill Country pool visit - "green marsh pit! skimmers run dry and guess what - Bubbles out of the outlets!!!" 6.) He arrived and said the gasket was gone in multi-port valve, a part in the pump itself was loose and that the o-ring on lid would need to be replaced. (At this point, I am again puzzled why none of this was discovered in first trip for which I paid Hill Country to check in first place!) 7.) He replaced the gasket & O-ring (thank you), and then dismantled the pump and valve. I had to leave, but he called to tell me he would not be able to come back until Monday or Tuesday. He had done me a favor to squeeze me in and had other customers. He did say he'd helped me out by switching off the breaker to the pump - NICE - the pool would now be unfiltered for 4-5 days = Green Marsh pit" in our future. I bit my lip and told him to call back with costs and final timing. 8.) The call back was where I was left mouth agape in shock at how bad customer service can actually be. The parts - $390+ and another $ 200 part potentially was need - but not to worry he'd have it with him. OUCH, but ok - if it's broken it's broken. I was notably not that happy about the prospect of another green pool, but agreed to move ahead. For the massive inconvenience, I asked that Hill Country clean and scrub when they returned and replaced the parts as a one time courtesy given a 4-5 day delay, not having parts and the overall experience. (2 cleanings now given the situation they'd be leaving me in not once, but twice) 9.) He got upset - saying he would absolutely not, no way do anything more for me unless I paid for everything, the trips, all the cleaning - that he was in business. (Forget customer service and reputation -it's about making money is what I heard) I was now very upset and told him so, explaining all of the above: Being interrupted, told I was wrong - in circles the conversation went. In the end it was getting nowhere and proposed "Mark, let's hit the reset button" - I made a final desperate attempt to fix the situation and threw out a very reasonable proposal - I'd pay for the service, the parts and put up with the inconvenience of 4-5 day delay and another green pool. I'd pay for one of the cleaning and asked he pick up the other and that if he had another proposal to put it on the table. 10.) HERE IS THE JAW DROPPER: "No, I don't feel right about this anymore, we're good guys up here and I just don't feel right about it - I'll refund your $100 for original trip and let's leave it at that and you find yourself another pool company". Obviously it was deliberate, but on a 4pm on a Friday, my pool pump and multi-port valve in complete pieces and with no other options - Hill Country Pools decided they were too good for my business and have so many other customers they didn't need to resolve, fix and leave this customer in good shape. Deplorable.

I know Jorge will be at my house weekly, and I know my pool is clean when I want to use it. If a cleaning day will be changed (due to holiday etc.) I know ahead of time. My pool always looks beautiful and inviting! There are times (in the fall, when I have to emty the drain basket and take leaves off the surface of the pool. But once the season is past, I rarely have to maintain my pool between Jorge's visits.

They are great. They always answer the phone and provide immediate service.

They are the best, very timely and do a great job. They clean up everything, are very accommodating, and courteous.

They are always very prompt and do a good job. I have been very pleased with their service. The staff is always friendly and open. They provide you with an estimate up front so you are aware of the price.