HINES POOL & SPA INC

We are renting our house in Austin and cannot take care of our pool since we live in another city, so we contracted with Hines Pool and Spa to do it for us. Our pool has a small leak in the line somewhere and in order to get it diagnosed, it has to be in pristine condition. We spent a week in Austin getting the pool cleaned and ready for regular maintenance. After that week, Hines was supposed to take over cleaning. We trusted them to take care of it. One of their cleaning technicians was on vacation, and they did not send someone else out to clean it. As a result, the pool fell out of balance, and since there was still a leak, the water level fell below the skimmer. Sandra D., from the Cleaning Department, assured us that they would cover the costs associated with getting the pool back to normal, since they did not begin work when they said they would. As a result, we had to reschedule with the leak detection company (there was a huge backlog due to the winter storm). The technician went out and was unable to clean due to the water level being too low.... because there is still a leak that we cannot get fixed because the pool is out of balance! I sent an an email letting Sandra sent an email saying that Hines Pool & Spa is unable to move forward doing business with us, and that we should feel free to explore other pool servicing options. I was very respectful with my correspondence with everyone at this company and sincerely do not understand this very unprofessional reaction. It seems that fixing their mistake has become too costly for them and now they simply refuse to honor their word.

As a physician the issue here is not that I didn't want to pay but an unethical company that wouldn't hear me as a customer. I called and explained the situation to some one at Hines whom I assume is the owner. I explained my problems with Hines Pool and Spa. Amongst my issues is that Hines service was extremely erratic but I tolerated that because Travis was a reasonable chap. When he inserted the fake non Polaris but "UNIVERSAL" part and charged extravagant money (I later discovered), it caused the Polaris to repeatedly get stuck. In addition the hose kept coming undone resulting in significant loss of water from the pool. When I asked to have it fixed nothing was done. I then went to Leslie pool store and was sold the correct Polaris part and inserted it myself which fixed the problem. I called Hines and asked that before I pay my bill I want to see what I was charged for the fake part called Letro. I eventually got the bill for $600. The service charge I was happy to pay but the use of chemicals (significant surcharge) I disputed as did I dispute the fake "universal" part. The company representative said he would take off the charge for the Letro but under no circumstances was he prepared to discuss the charge by Hines for using their chemicals rather than mine. The chemicals that I bought at Home Depot stored in the pool room and asked Travis to use. I have subsequently hired West Lake Pool Service (Mark+1 (512) 241-9891) . They have been amazing, not charged me for chemicals and even came in on a weekend to repair a cracked pipe. They have NEVER missed their day for cleaning. And they're less expensive than Hines. When I told the Hines representative I would write a report on the internet about my experience, it was brushed off as no one would read or believe me as its all about the bill. Well, I called back immediately, payed the full bill minus the Letro. This is not about the money but about an unethical company that charged me for chemicals when I asked them not to. It's about using a "universal" part that caused the pool cleaner to get stuck and was never fixed. It's about erratic and unpredictable service. PS I'm a neurosurgeon so feel free to choose whom you wish to believe.

All went fine. They did not perform the work. but the estimating process and communications til I made my decision were perfect.

They did an awesome job and were extremely professional. We liked Hines so much that after the work was complete, we switched our pool maintenance to them too!

I've used them for years, they are fantastic. They are always willing to trouble shoot on the phone.

The people you get to talk with in this company ARE VERY DEFENSIVE. WHEN YOU TELL THEM HOW YOU WERE TREATED BY POOL CLEANING PERSON THEY FIRE YOU! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? All I can say is I have replaced almost everything in my pool paid Hines a lot of money but the people that are not from the technical area are rude, unresponsive and DEFENSIVE!!!!!

They were prompt and responsive. I felt the cleaning they provided was good. This is our first poo so weren't really sure what was needed for maintanence. The problem was the back flushing. We have a very very old DE filter. They only back flushed the filter when asked which was once over a year. No DE was put back in the filter. We are o new to pools we didnt even know one needs to do that! They did say the equipment was very old and in need of replacing. The pool was always clean so we weren't sure of the problem, why we should replace the equipment. So we consulted another company and they said, yes the equipment is old but it is working fine. We decided replacing the equipment could wait. My son wanted to earn some money so we told him to study up on how to clean the pool and we would stop the cleaning service and let him do it. His research told us about needing to back flush every three to four weeks. We consulted Leslie's and they confirmed that it is a DE filter and needs new DE after the back flush. So much DE came out when we did finally back flush ourselves, with help from someone more experienced, that we decided to replace the whole system.

They're not perfect. They are a little on the expensive side but they do a beautiful job. They show up like they're supposed to. Like I said I had other companies that if the weather was bad or it was cold or something they would not show up. He is a lovely guy and he is working for us on our pool now. Even it rain, cold, wind whatever he shows up and does his job and he does a good job.

I was initially concerned because a portion of the estimate was time and materials. Because of this unknown and a higher pricetag I originally did not go with the estimate, however, the party of the second estimate disappeared before the work even began which proved to be lucky for me I think. Sometimes you get what you pay for. The gentleman on site was very professional, explained issues in detail, explained the work to be done clearly and worked very efficiently. He worked late to get the job done. Everything was cleaned up well after the job. The total effort took 5 days over about a week and a half which was the original guesstimate. Charles, who took care of the estimate and follow up got everything scheduled when he said he would, kept in contact during the process and confirmed everything was going as planned. In my experience the first guy on site sometimes disappears once the project gets started so this too was refreshing. As far as cost, the T&M portion turned out to be what I expected which was $600 of the total cost. I requested some additional mortar repair on the deck area where they were working and to my surprise it was on my invoice at no charge. Wow, you don't see that very often. So even though I thought the price was high in the beginning I do not have much knowledge of this degree of pool repair and I feel I received the service I paid for. I would recommend Hines and I would contract to them again.

They are very reasonable and punctual. They are not cheap but they do what they say they are going to do and what they do works. What they charge is worth the price.

We are pleased with the service. When something goes wrong they go the extra distance to correct it.

The service guys quit coming but would charge us anyway. The cehmmiclals were way out of balance

I was disgusted by the look of the pool...always cloudy. And I was concered about some small bubbles that were coming up through the spa. Chris came out twice and the pool is very clear...still have a few small bubbles but it isn't a big deal

The technician was a bit haughty - not professional. He repaired the gasket aptly, but when he re-assembled the filter, he didn't seat the top properly. I didn't discover this until after several days the pool level had dropped several inches, and I realized water was leaking from the filter's top around the seal. Having cleaned the filter many times on my own, I realized what he had done, but I called them to fix it. I was referred to a service manager who told me it would be after the weekend (I discovered this on Friday afternoon) and I should just put the filter on re-circulate. The same tech came out Monday morning and acted even more haughty. He essentially implied I was an idiot who didn't know what he was talking about. We put the pump back into circulation and he observed the leak. He then pronounced the rubber ring was bad and he would need to sell me a new one. I said "No, it isn't. It's fine. You just didn't put it back properly." He was not happy at that remarked; he turned off the pump and removed the top of the filter without draining it first...water and DE flooded my deck. He re-assembled the filter with me watching, then left. It hasn't leaked since. Did I also mention that on his first visit, when he recharged the filter, he obviously didn't take his time and apparently just dumped DE into the skimmer basket all at once. I was fishing out DE and had cloudy water for several days after the initial call. Although they fixed the problem I called about, they caused more problems than I care to have to deal with. I will never use them again!

If I had gone with them the total cost would have been over $600. The company I ended up going with knew the equipment better and did a better job of diagnosing, and their total cost was only $214. The rates Hines was charging were pretty standard but they would have had to make two trips and they would have provided a pump that I did not in fact need, so if you take that into account the pricing was reasonable, although their standard rates match other companies. I would not use this company in the future.

I'm very disappointed. The repairman never showed up during the appointed time, each job had to be repeated at least twice. I'm looking for someone else to fix the leak in the pool.

They do both quite well. We have used others and they have been by far the best.

Our small Coleman hot tub was losing 1-2 inches of water every day. I had looked in vain for the leaks. Hines found the leaks in 15 minutes. After the ordered parts arrived, they fixed the problem for $150 less than their horseback estimate.

The worker shocked the pool before he left. It took me four days to get the pool clear so I can see in it. They just told me to call someone else to come get it clean.

When called, they came promptly and made arrangements to be here when my husband could be at home. They quickly determined the problem and fixed it.

I had a personal reference and good reviews from Angie's List. They were professional and very responsive. I needed to communicate with them from another state, and I was impressed with the level of service that you get from them, no matter where you are.

Our 11 year old pool has had mechanical and chemical problems for several years; with the spring oak catkins and warmer weather, we could not get the algae bloom under control. Hines sent people from what I would call, for lack of the exact phrase, their mechanical repair division. They spent several hours over the course of ten days or so analyzing the pump and filter system problems and making repairs. They labeled the equipment and showed my husband and me how it functions. They also showed us how to program the indoor control panel. When they have serviced the equipment while we're away, they have left a detailed explanation of what they've done. We requested weekly pool maintenance, and the service has been regular, effective and courteous. The pool water's chemicals were way out of balance; Hines drained the pool, refilled it and added the appropriate chemicals. They leave a card each time they service the pool, notifying us when the pool has been shocked and when we can safely swim again.

They gave prompt courteous service. We would use them again to evaluate the age of the pool and possibly even redesign it.

I tried doing to this pool cleaning stuff myself and it just wasn't working. Thank god for this guy because if I didn't have him, I would have a green pool everyday. He shows up on time every time and he's very reliable. I would recommend them to anyone who is having pool troubles like me.

Hines Pool and Spa does a great job on our pool. They are very quick and efficient when making a service call. I know the pool guys always will make suggestions about a repair if they see something that does not look right.