Anthony & Sylvan Pools

Other than that, Anthony and Sylvan was fantastic and the kind of work they do is truly professional. When my pool was being built, the way that they managed the work, the tracking they did, the messages I transferred, and the way they schedule it, was great because I didn't need to even reach out to them about what was happening, but they would be sending me a daily report. Also, they would be giving me a heads-up when they would be coming and installing, and when the next phase would happen. You also don't need to babysit or do the micromanagement on the contractors that work for them, They know what they're doing and they will fix things properly.

Also, I had some request because we needed to move in as early as possible, so I had to put some pressure on them, asking them to work on their schedule and they were very generous enough to work with me on that. Initially, they told me the installation would take 14 to 15 weeks, but they worked with me to complete that in 11 or 10 weeks. The guy who worked on me on that was Brian and he did a great job on designing the pool, giving me the options, what I needed to be doing, and what I could expect. Then, the project manager who worked with me would come if I needed anything, as well as he woould make sure that everything was in place. He also made sure that things had been taken care of. Justin was also very diligent in coming here, cleaning and watering the pool. It was super helpful.

While they did the landscaping, they found a lot of water coming out of it and we were worried whether it was a pool leak. So I had to call the Anthony & Sylvan folks asking them to help me understand what was going on. I talked with Amanda and she asked if I raised a request in the warranty and since it was the first time I was hearing that, I asked her to send me the details. Instead, she told me to go to website and click this and that. I did that and I understand the process but she could have responded back in a different way saying that there could be multiple causes it could act. She was not rude but the response was not great.

After I raised the request, I got a response in Gmail which was an automatic response saying they got my request and they'd circle back to me. After two days, no response. I called them and she wrote a detailed email to me saying that they could come out and take a look at it. But if there are no issues with the pool, no leakage, they were going to charge me for it. I also raised a request for the pool robot which has been provided to me and someone reached out to me, but no response. After two weeks, I asked them for updates and they told me to go ahead and work with Leslie Pools. So they should streamline their warranty process and provide the support properly. They should always put themselves in customer's shoes and think about how they feel about it, rather than just making them frustrated.

Most of my neighborhood cover the pool and once they take it out, they need to clean it and make sure that everything is back to normal. They need to bring down a lot of things, they need to drain the water from the pool, etcetera. But with my pool, since the cleaning system is running 24/7 and it's doing a great job, I don't need to worry about it. That is a peace of mind for me. I also strongly recommend Anthony and Sylvan. As a matter of fact, two families visited at least in the last few weeks and everybody appreciated the way that we are maintaining the pool. I told them that if they want to build a hassle-free thing, go for Anthony & Sylvan.

Ryan was the one I talked to the most after Ray and that guy was insane helpful. The quality of the pool is amazing and I love the cleaner. We got the highest end cleaner and it's minimal. They took the time to educate me on how to take care of it and they never try to upsell us with garbage. The only negative I could say is we were referred by someone and they never got their referral bonus. Then we referred our best friends and we didn't get our referral bonus. Also, we were owed 19,000 some dollars because of a change and they refunded us, but we had to pay a $250 charge. I didn't like it but it's an accounting process. Other than that, everything was great with them. I've referred Anthony & Sylvan twice to my clients.

For the most part, the construction went well. Unfortunately, we were the victims of some of the COVID labor shortages, so it was no fault of Anthony & Sylvan. But they came back and they've done a great job. The pool is fantastic. We had no issues other than a few minor things and they've been quick to respond and fix those. That's another reason why we decided to use them again because we always know that the quality has always been exceptional.

They argued with me on the depth. I made it 10 feet deep and it's 55 feet long and 20 feet wide. Everybody that comes over comments on that and loves the fact that they could jump in a pool that's deep. So, it has been great. I went with the chlorine tabs and cartridges like I did last time, and we had to do nothing to our pool but minimal maintenance whatsoever, a couple of chlorine tabs and shock here or there. So, it's awesome.

The communication between Anthony & Sylvan and the other partners could have been better. The scheduling was not always clear who was doing what and when. But everything came out really well. The partners that Anthony & Sylvan worked with were top-notch. The yard is absolutely beautiful. They've captured my vision well.

However, we're still working through a little bit, our tanning ledge, 'cause it's a little bit smaller. I don't know if the sizing was taken into account. I'm trying to find a lounger that would fit on there. We thought it was standard but didn't realize that it's not necessarily a standard size to go in to get the lounger. That was one little minor thing. But I found something that would work. But the end result, it's really nice. It's a beautiful job that's been done.

I had some issues with the pump and the waterfall. They said, "Warranty would cover that. Fill out a form." But I shouldn't have to do a warranty cover. They should run out here. They were very slow at getting here. I've had to have them out here three times to fix this pool and it was at the worst times possible. That was very disappointing. I called and asked them, “Is there any possible way to come out on Saturday?” The individual told me, “I can't come out. They'll fire me if I come out on Saturday.” But he called me back and said, “No, they wouldn't fire me. We just don't work on Saturday.” His point was he just didn't wanna do it. But he should have just said, “No. I don't wanna work on Saturday.”

Beyond the stress and aggravation, they've cost us tens of thousands of dollars in bank fees and interest on the construction loan that we can't convert to a mortgage until they're done, not to mention the dumpster, porta potty, etc. we're also still paying for! This has been a complete nightmare that won't ever end! Based on all the positive reviews, we started quoting our pool project with Anthony & Sylvan in March of 2020, and started construction on our new custom house with pool in January 2021. While the COVID pandemic affected everything, we were still able to complete an entire 5500 SF custom home and move in by August 2021, while A&S was still stuck at a torn up hole in the ground. We went through four project managers over the course of the project.

The original forms were up so long (over nine months!) that they had to tear them out and completely replace them before they could gunite. They have constantly made major mistakes throughout the process and including having to break out a big section of the pool and start over, cracking our house foundation in the process! By the time we moved in, we were basically back to the state we were over a year before (see picture) with no indication of when they'd be done. Even after the Director of Operations took over the project management to finish the job, they continued to make stupid mistakes and kept having to rework the little bit they'd redone.

None of their management (including the previous president and regional vice president, both of whom removed their Linked In accounts after I tried contacting them) would respond to me or the BBB. Eventually, they let the Austin manager go and I have been having to deal with a regional manager out of Houston. Even then, they've wasted six more months of extensions from the bank with little enough to show for it. I have talked to others in the area who've had the same sort of issues, although none as bad as mine. Don't be fooled by all the positive reviews. These aren't the people you want building your pool.

The project ran several weeks behind and was not completed until late August. During numerous delays, I've been extremely understanding and patient. Still, it's frustrating when I have met every obligation they required to pay on time, which even included items they supposedly forgot to include in the original estimate. Communication has been highly fragmented from the beginning, with workers not showing up for weeks at a time and no responses as to why there was no work being done. At different junctures in the project, the workers were given wrong instructions, and the work had to be adjusted, causing more delays. There have been no proactive efforts to keep us appraised of the project, and though the project is now technically complete, we are still having issues. And as had been the pattern all summer, I am still only left with sporadic correspondence when I reach out to them, and the pool is already falling apart.

I'm still waiting to get an estimate on our new pool light to be installed, but after their electricians came out and spent a day at the house, I'm left with loose wires and connections with no working pool light. Ironically, they told us there was no power, and the light wasn't working on a Tuesday. But, the previous weekend, we had a pool party that Saturday night and the original light was working fine!

Our pool light was the original when the pool was first constructed, and we wanted to switch to a new LED light. They agreed to replace the light for free because of an issue with the steps and tile trim. The crew installed all the step tile trim before chipping out the pool. Then the workers came and chipped up all the new tiles they had just placed the week before and threw them on the side next to a tree. Before I saw what they were doing, they plastered the pool and did not replace the trim tile we had paid to install; hence, we were given the pool light free. So, we're left with no trim tile or working pool light. But it doesn't matter now because I can't seem to get it installed.

As far as the pool construction, I'm concerned as after only four weeks; the tile has begun separating from the coping, leaving a 1/2" to 2/4" gap now on two opposite ends of the pool. Around the steps, there are holes where they didn't finish the plaster, so there are prominent craters on either end of the steps. I could go on and on, for example, all the mess they left in our yard with cement boards with exposed nails. One of which my son stepped on, and it went through his shoe! We received two notices from our HOA about the piles of dirt, boards, empty water bottles, wrappers, etc. on the side of our house too! I could go on, but it's getting me even more upset about the whole situation. So, I'll leave it here and wait for a response - hopefully, this year!