Anthony & Sylvan Pools Reviews

Original Review: Dec. 7, 2012

Not only is our brand new driveway busted up but has oil stains all over it from the sub-contractor’s trucks that Anthony & Sylvan use. Of course, the salesman promised us that they would do their best to protect our driveway (even though they need an "access road" to the yard) to avoid damage. So far, they have done the total opposite (I took pictures of everything to back up my statements for the project manager). The Project manager says it's not his problem even though there are ruts all over our front lawn (no where near access road) and because their trucks are not tuned up and leak. After making several complaints, he said that they will "take care of the stains" after our project is complete. I will gladly give update in the spring to see if they adhere to their word.

Anthony & Sylvan’s idea of rough grade includes two feet deep holes with the pipes exposed and four inch deep tracks. Again, we were told it was not A&S’s problem. Hire a landscaper. It’s amazing how they promote themselves as such a high class (been in business for over 60+ years) when all that has done for them is teach them how to fight lawsuits. I would already sign on to a class action against these crooks. I am posting pictures of their work everyday on my Facebook just to let the world know. If I can help just one family from losing all their savings, I will keep telling the world. My husband busted his rump to provide something nice for us and A&S has totally disappointed us. Not only do they try to swindle their way out of their mis-measurements (oh, they use triangulation, fancy way of saying we will find a way to cover our buns when we put the pool a foot or two off) but also do whatever they can to cover for each other.

Also, for the concrete deck, we were told by the project manager that they lay the cement deck directly on the dirt. I'm a girl and I know you have to use crush stone and wire to avoid the cracking. A&S seem to take every shortcut they can. We are now getting someone else to do the cement work, correctly. Also the rebarb that is sticking out of the ground - how can this be our responsibility to remove along with all the trash around the piping? Hopefully, it will be next week when the project manager will be a little more receptive. I have to say this; my new dream home is becoming a nightmare, thanks to A&S. Thank the Lord for cameras so I can back up our step-by-step process. I hope in April I can write a fairytale ending comment to our experience. A&S, seriously, you should keep to your word, although you are quick to remind your customers that they signed a contract - you should remember that yourself. Shame on you.

2. Caulking crew came out 3 months after promised date.

This is the worst company I have ever dealt with. It's been 3 years since we put in our fiberglass pool. For one, it came scratched. They never walked us through opening it. It has faded. These two were the most important things I asked the salesman, "Will it scratch or fade?" Naturally, he said no. Well, I'm a phone call away from a lawyer & they had the nerve to send me a bill for the last $250 payment. They will get their payment when I get some sort of satisfaction. We went with them because they have been in business for so long. Huh, I don' know how they managed that. This isn't over yet!

Skip forward to July 2012, the concrete decking (adjacent to the exact area where the pool wall originally collapsed) began to sink; thus causing the brick coping to pivot and pool wall tiles to pop off. We had a concrete mason come out, dig up the decking to find that not only had this 'area' been back-filled with 3/4 stone and not fill dirt (an industry no-no), but also revealed that the concrete wall (yes, the area that collapsed) was crumbling! Upon seeing the 3/4 stone back-fill and crumbling concrete, the concrete mason immediately paused and said, "Somebody's got some explaining to do."

We notified Anthony & Sylvan's Warranty Department on Monday, July 16th. Terry (from A&S) came out to inspect the problem on Saturday, July 21st (initially challenging that this is an A&S issue and then became 'neutral' after I exerted my engineering background). We were told that he would file a report with the Warranty Department, and have not heard anything since (I've left 2 messages with Terry in the last 3-5 days inquiring on the status). We've consulted with a geologist, who agrees that this is an Anthony & Sylvan issue. The geologist recommended hiring a civil/structural engineer for their expert opinion/evaluation on how the concrete wall should best be repaired. FYI, I have no plans for this repair to come out of my pocket, and will pursue the next level if forced to go in a legal route.

Original Review: June 29, 2012

They installed a new swimming pool 4 to 5 weeks ago. I am running test on water and it's showing high chlorine - so high that it was off the scale. A pool supply store sold me something that was supposed to reduce it - didn't work. I removed all of the chlorine tablets from the chlorinator, flushed it with fresh water, ran the pump/waterfall for 24 hours; chlorine dropped to less than 4. I placed one chlorine tablet in the chlorinator and within 4 hours, test showed chlorine to be 10. I told Anthony and Sylvan that the chlorinator was a problem and they have not responded. I have a 3-year-old granddaughter and other members of the family that were exposed to excessive chlorine and these people seem to care less.

We lost a summer of swimming a few years ago due to this company despite the contract. I'm still piping angry! I registered a complaint with BBB, the NJ Consumer Affairs dept and the Attorney General's office, and was told that 49(!) other families that year had registered complaints with them formally about Anthony and Sylvan pools just in New Jersey alone! It's the worst company I have ever dealt with, bar none. They are not gentlemen or ladies working there - not people of their word! Use any other company, I implore readers. Stay away. They are damaging and toxic to your health and marriage, I'm just saying.

Find a good little pool company in your area, and don't listen to architects and other pool companies who recommend this sleazy nationwide hoax and shell of a little outfit with an 800 number that you have to give money to. Stay away from them. I wouldn't let people I dislike use them! They are below whale scum! Maybe they are syndicate people? Don't let them enter your lives or properties - on pain of near death.

Original Review: June 9, 2012

Sylvan built my pool over 15 yrs ago. When it was time to resurface, I contacted Anthony/Sylvan expecting to get the same superior product that I got before. Much to my dismay, the results were a disaster and worse yet, they have refused to do anything about it! After a complete re-plaster job for over $7,000, there was a leak around my pool light. A/S came out to repair this, only to have the new plaster around the light fail again the following season. Then, enormous and ugly cracks appeared in the new plaster surface and A/S said it was "normal crazing". Now, 2 years after the re-plaster job, and getting no satisfaction from A/S whatsoever, I have stains all over the entire surface of the "new" plaster in my pool. They have turned my backyard asset into a liability and I am totally dissatisfied and very angry. Anthony/Sylvan obviously used sub-quality materials, because for 15 years, I never had cracking (crazing) or staining of my pool surface. I would like them to take some responsibility for their botched workmanship. I would not recommend Anthony/Sylvan for any pool renovations.

I have and still been patient with everyone involved. I've been nothing but polite and friendly with everyone, believing everything they say, because I'm raised the old-fashioned way and I trust a person. Well, that has cost me, because a big company like this take your kindness, as they say, for weakness. I've been told I pissed them off, accused of things, or told I'm making things up.

From the start, I told them I didn't know what I've done, but these two companies have never been there for me. I have had several representatives come out. People of these companies who tried to help were no longer at the companies. And I don't know why, but Uno and Anthony & Sylvan showed that they are very adamant in not helping me or trying to make the situation right. It's like they hate me for some reason. I've talked with some people, and they have heard and seen this. No matter how wrong these companies are, they will not admit or correct the simple issue it was that they let get out of hand.

After 2 years, I think I finally filed with the BBB, and they did re-plaster. But it was just a makeup, and the issue started right back. And from an email, both companies lied. So now, they came back and said it's the water. Nobody started me from the start. Uno, the plaster company, said it's over-processed. Well, this accusation came after they didn't correctly re-plaster.

I asked for my money back of the re-plaster, not the pool, just the part they can't correct the right way. And that's when now it's all my fault over chemicals. Well, like I told them, all my instruction came from Anthony and Uno; and I was told to use a warehouse pool. I'm not the type of person to ask or take something that I didn't pay or work for.

Now that I'm reading the complaints or issues others are having, I wished I never dealt with these companies. I've ask them to sit down and go over the messages. I was promised, but again, nobody showed. I talked with chemical companies, and everyone I talk with said they just giving you the runaround. From the start, all somebody had to do was return my call, and this issue could have been resolved 3 years ago. But they don't care and said to just take my money. Please help.

Original Review: Oct. 28, 2011

Anthony Sylvan's sales representative assessment was inaccurate from day one. First, I was told no retaining walls were required but after signing the contract, I was told a retaining wall and steps were required. The sales rep could not confirm how many steps I needed but said I could make any necessary adjustments once the project began.

Second, I was told about a retaining wall required where the equipment would be located and the equipment (heater, pump, etc. ) would be located on the backside on the wall. After down payment received, I was told the equipment would have to be placed on the front side of the wall which would affect the entertainment area of the pool decking area.

Thirdly, I was told after the contract was signed and down payment received that I would need to have additional dirt bought in to level my yard. I asked how much dirt was needed. I was told don't worry about it, that can be taken care of once the project begins, I can negotiate that with the project officer. I would think if you're in the business there is a process or calculation to determine soil/dirt estimate/requirements.

Then I asked the rocket fuel scientist question, "how much does a truck of dirt cost?" I was told by the representative he was not sure but it wouldn't be that much, but I can ask the project officer when they begin. Unbelievable that a company that's been in the business as long as they claim not knowing how much a truck of dirt costs.

Anthony Sylvan is a joke and if you deal with them, ensure you get confirmed information because once they dig the whole in your yard, you have minimum to no options. Luckily, we didn't allow these clowns to dig. They think its a done deal, but we will see them in court. Be aware!

In 2002, when someone was selling me the construction of the pool, I was told what the longtime warranty covers and it is in the contract. I was losing water for almost three years by the crack the pool shell had. I finally put the money together and I fixed it. I mailed to you the amount of money that cost me to fix all the damages the crack caused to get my money back and pay the water bill. I asked you about warranty that the pool had. You just gave me different excuses. Anthony & Sylvan pool owners should keep their word about what they promise.

Here is our experience: We had our pool built in the winter/spring of 2007. That particular year was an extremely rainy year. Our pool measures 42x18x6. If you can imagine after it was raining for weeks at a time, how much water was in the bottom of this hole in the ground. We joked that if it didn't stop raining, we would forget the pool and take a pond and go fishing in our own backyard. Anthony & Sylvan came out several times to drain the excess water, put plastic protection on the walls, so they would stop falling in.

After such a rainy season, Anthony & Sylvan finished our pool at the exact time they said it would be finished, the exact way we designed it to be. We checked on the status of the building every single day, from one step to the next, to the inspections being done etc. Our salesperson was so professional and eager to sell us a great pool. He threw in a few "free extras", two lights instead of one, and two skimmer baskets instead of one. Our lights change colors and can be changed to disco lights if we want.

One thing we made sure of was the fact that he actually owned a pool that was built by the company he was working for. We had someone that wanted to build us a pool, worked for a pool company, yet thought having an in-ground pool was a waste of money. Why do business with someone who doesn't own a pool by the company they work for?

The crew that came out was very professional and cleaned up each and every single time after they worked on it. The first year after having the pool, we discovered we had a leak. We called the warranty department. They sent a crew out immediately and it was resolved.

The pool we had built costs us around $60,000, so we decided to purchase the lifetime guarantee warranty. We put in a salt water pool with a pebble finish, instead of the typical white bottom finish. And we purchased pop up head cleaners instead of the typical pool sweepers. I grew up with the typical white bottom finish. My parents had to have it refinished after owning it for about 8 years. Then another 8 years, once again it’s another refinish. They had the typical pool sweeper, which they had to have replaced several times. They were so glad they finally sold their house, so they wouldn't have to put up with that pool again. They used a different company than Anthony & Sylvan.

We have always been very pleased with Anthony & Sylvan.

Three years ago, the pool installation was complete and it was a waiting game to decide whether we chose the right company. Two years ago, we contacted Anthony ** about the caulking of the capping and decking. They sent a crew that apparently never applied expansion joint sealant or had forgotten their glasses in the van because sealant was everywhere, from the fence, decking and the side of my home! Worse yet, the sealant bubbled up and now looks horrible!

One year ago, we had cracking issues and we were constantly losing water. After calling Anthony ** they sent out a play dough artist. Needless to say the finished product looked like a 5-year-old had done it! It solved the problem, but it's appearance along with the bad sealant, wasn't what I paid for.

This year, well lets say, when we opened the pool, I was ready to rent a billboard outside their office with pictures of my pool on it! I lost 13,000 gallons of water over the winter and massive cracks lined the pool along with huge gaps in the capping. They sent a play dough artist, but this time they were armed with a caulking gun! It looked worse than a 5-year-old, I would venture to say my 3-year-old would have done a better job.

Today, I had to call again for the third time about the unsatisfactory nature of the work. Anthony ** has not addressed the cracking in the capping on a 3-year-old pool. I'm amazed that they are still in business at this point! I would never recommend this company to anyone!

Original Review: June 28, 2011

After 35 years of marriage the dream of putting in a pool was about to become a reality. I must mention that they were quick to come out and meet with us. We designed the pool with Anthony & Sylvan and I wrote the deposit check for $3500. We were told the pool would be completed last week of June or first week of July 2011. We didn't plan our annual one-week stay at the Jersey shore this year because of this major purchase. Today is June 28th and they haven't even been out to start construction. They do not even respond to your phone calls. My husband called everyone including the president of the company but did not get a response. So no pool, no vacation. I guess at this point the only thing to do is to find an attorney and try to get our deposit back. Dream killers!

Can you believe a company makes a mistake and does not fix it immediately? You would think there is someone there explaining or apologizing for the mistake. There is no one who will take my call and Ian ** won't answer any direct question. At the Consumer Affairs, I hope you are an entity that can protect individuals like myself from false advertising. I believe telling someone 60 days for completion and have it go 4 weeks over (3 weeks due to things under Anthony & Sylvan's control) is unacceptable. I'm not sure how you want to quantify having the expectations for a certain completion of a project and that being missed by 50% due to negligence. Thank you for listening.

The contractors they sent here couldn't speak English and the workmanship was like I said, unacceptable. My patio had to be completely dug up and re-tiled and now to my knowledge, I discover they didn't seal the tiles. Now every time it rains or gets wet, dirt comes up from the seams and water collects in areas. I've taken pictures and sent them to the warranty guy Daryl and he just wrote me a nasty letter saying he had no idea what was causing it and neither did anyone else in the office. Imagine that. How do they get away with this? The huge pool pump/filter system was installed in the wrong place, outside my bedroom window, and I had to battle with them to get it moved. They told me it would be fine there and that I wouldn't be able to hear it. Yeah, right.

They told me I was going to have to pay to have it moved and I said they were nuts. The original drawing showed where the system should of been placed and they never even looked at the drawing. So I contacted Mr. Wertman and they had to move it. Now here it is almost a year later and I am still battling with Anthony & Sylvan to get things done on this pool. I have not paid them their final payment because I know that once I do, that will be it. I will never hear from them again. They are threatening to turn me over to a collection agency. On top of that my $1,000 deposit which had been waived by one of the many project managers, has to be paid now. I was just informed of this yesterday. T

They are also saying that if I don't pay that now, they will turn me over to a collection agency. I have also learned that a final inspection has to be done by the city of Katy, where I live, to close out the permit. This is something that Anthony & Sylvan is aware of and they have never even mentioned it to me. If you don't have the inspection, there are consequences involving your property that can occur. So be sure to check and make sure that a final inspection has been done.

My advise to anyone is, if your pool is not complete do, not pay Anthony & Sylvan their final payment until everything is completed. It is your only recourse with this incompetent company. I am a divorced, working mom and this has been a nightmare for me. The employees of this company have bullied me in every way. I have been treated so disrespectfully and the letters that I have received are proof of this. I lose sleep over the issues involving this pool. I am having problems with the lights not working and now they just refer me to their warranty group who, of course, I never get any response. Yesterday the business accountant hung up on me.

I have been very patient and kind. I don't know what is going to happen and I am so sick and tired of this no response customer service. I would love to get involved in a class action law suit against Anthony & Sylvan. The only problem with this is that they would probably file bankruptcy and it would be a waste of our time and money.

The pool, even after you vacuum, looks dirty. I immediately phoned Anthony & Sylvan Pools and told them we were not satisfied with the finish and we had a problem with the surface. They said no problem, they would send someone out. I asked them for a letter that stated we were not satisfied and a promise for them to return the next swimming season which would be in 2010 to correct their mistake. Following this phone call, I sent emails, left voice mails and sometimes weeks would go by before they returned any of my calls. With the opening of this season in 2010, I called them again to remind of the letter. Still, "No problem, we would send someone out."

They sent several individuals, some looked at the surface took notes and some didn't. One person came out and after he looked at the pool, I asked if he would be satisfied with this pool at his house and he said "Absolutely not." I don't know where to turn. I've invested thousands to get the pool repaired and I'm not asking for anything more that was originally promised and what I agreed to with the contract. We stood behind our word and paid them in full. There is a three-year warranty on the job. What good is having a warranty if Anthony & Sylvan Pools is not going to stand behind it and make good for it.

I don't know where to turn. This has caused nothing but anguish for me and my family. Help! Please help! One final note: they mentioned that there might be iron in the water or minerals. We have the pool tested weekly with the reports in addition, I have a purifier in the house. They kept saying to call them back but they never planned on helping to resolve the issue.

I can't express enough. Do not deal with these people. Over 50 phone calls have gone unanswered and everyone involved has no knowledge of the pool renovation system or even a clue on how to do it when they had sent a professional out to look and they agree on how bad it looks but they do not have any answers on how to fix it. They need to talk with someone from the higher up, who never is there.

Now, they say it is not a crack in the gunite that it is the coping. They don't want to honor the contract and warranty service. I have sent them photos to show the crack, their own people told me it was a major crack that needed to be fixed and that it was under warranty. Those people can't speak directly against the company at this point but any good attorney can subpoena them to get their statement. I am not the only one in this situation, the web is full of unhappy customers with Anthony and Sylvan.

Seems to me that we should have enough for a class action suit. They get away with it because people get tired of getting the run around. I hope I can get help to get justice. Once they got paid, they forgot about their contract. And their own gunite company admitted the problem before they craw fished their way out to avoid paying to redo their job.

Also, we contracted for the pool to be 7-foot deep. When they dug the hole and put in the gunite, they realized it was only 5.5 feet. They also cut our FiOS line, leaving us without cable, internet, and phone for until Verizon could come out. And after signing our original contract and depositing our downpayment, they informed us that they couldn't do the job for that amount and hit us with another $1,500.

They promised that we would be swimming on July 4, 2010. We are nowhere close to swimming in our backyard despite 2 1/2 months since we signed our contract. Our dogs are unable to go into the backyard, and our kids also can't play out there. Weather is not a problem as last week was the only real week that we had any real rain. Prior to last week, we only had 8 days where we had any rain, and many of those days, it was a "trace" according to the League City Weather office.

Original Review: June 26, 2010

I am disabled and asked for an ADA compliant therapy pool. They know nothing about Americans with Disability Act guidelines. I had to get them to carry a wheelchair out to the sidewalk frame to prove that 27" is not enough for a chair to turn around. They also left off the curved safety coping, which makes a place to grip at the edge of the pool, instead using flat bull nose brick. They want to pour our decking 2" below the original patio threshold they tore out. The doors are suspended above the cement with no way for the wheelchair to get in and out.

The rest of my story is similar to the others. No customer service, slow to respond, now that the money is paid, lots of promises never put in writing, damage to drainage and sprinkler systems, poor communication with project manager, and revisions without putting them in writing. Extra cost to us for everything they messed up. We still don't have our decking poured and our neighbors are getting tired of all this, too. We are still hoping for a good resolution to the pool problems. I and my paralyzed brother are looking forward to aquatic therapy in our own yard. At this point we are waiting to hear from the Houston Office for 'support'.

Everything is on hold. They are to pour a pad with footers for Olshan Foundation at the same time as the decking, $2000. They want $600 to replace a rain drain they crushed. This was to be paid from the 'bobcat' not being used. They want extra for steps and rails to make the spa accessible, they were not drawn on plans but requested originally. They want extra to pour a ledge for the thresholds. My sprinkler system is completely compromised and is not usable. I am on a fixed income. I refinanced my home and acquired a second mortgage to pay for this medically necessary pool/spa. I am single and feel overwhelmed by their way of doing business.

Follow up to original complaint. It is 08/30/2010 and our pool is still just tile and granite. The project manager quit and a new man is in. They lost our permit package showing all the notes and changes. Both spa and pool did not pass plumbing inspection after it was granited and just last week was jack hammered and repaired. They have been dragging their feet getting us a final cost amount and dropped a side contract with Olshan foundation after it was half finished. So now we have a 15' x 25' open area with rebar on it and no concrete. This company is horrible.

The schedule to complete it was 45 days and it has been 8 months! We are now in litigation and I cannot divulge further details other than to implore you to run as far away as possible from these people. Their customer service is "non-existent" and the corporate office is "non-responsive."

Original Review: June 10, 2010

Much like the others, I have had nothing but the worst experience dealing with A&S. Our experience began in 2007. Initially, it was good. Our pool designer Brian ** was great. The first part of the build and design was a quick 2-week turnaround. Then when concrete was to be poured and inspection of the driving board happened, we had to fire our project manager, because he was unresponsive and did not know the proper tools to use and delayed inspection by a week.

Due to the delay, we did not get a plaster crew out there for days. When they finally showed up on a Saturday morning as a nice gesture by A&S, they were hung over, sleeping in the job and throwing plaster all over each other. My entire job was completed in 29 days which was great. But I think because they rushed, the plaster was the worst we/they have ever seen. The tile and grout look as if they had been in the pool for 10 years. We immediately started contacting A&S and demanding answers and someone to fix the plaster. We also had a mosaic dolphin put in, and it was crooked. I spoke to anyone and everyone--calling, emailing, leaving voice mails, threatening to seek legal counsel and sue.

Finally, Jim ** came out and inspected the plaster and did determine that it was their obligation to re-plaster my new pool. It was arranged that they would do this opening in 2008, and I was also promised a $100 gift certificate which I never got. We had issues with the re-plaster as well. The team did not show up with a new mosaic dolphin, and the pool went over 4 hours without continuous water fill. So again, I emailed and called to report the issues, and again, the plaster looks awful and the tiles were starting to pull away from the grout, crack, and break.

I contacted them again opening 2009, and finally, someone came out and inspected the plaster and determined it has what's called Iron Pyrite. And if it does not take of itself in 3 years, they are supposed to, but nothing on my broken tiles. There was supposed to be on a work request for 2010 season. In May 2010, I contacted them again about the broken tiles, and still since May, I have had no response. I will keep trying to call and email.

Every year, I must enlist a tile person to repair the coping and tiles that have fallen off. We cannot allow children in the pool for fear of the sides (coping) could fall off on them. The top skimmers were never usable, because they cemented around them too much, leaving the opening for the flaps too small for them. Future repairs will run into the thousands, and frankly, I do not have the money to sink $10K or more into this.

They left a pump in the pool draining water and there was NO water left in it and at the same time left me a voice message that the "repairs were complete and the pool was refilled". The service has been non-existent. I finally got my neighbor’s yard and fence fixed by showing up at their office and not taking no for an answer after numerous emails and phone calls. They have been horrible to work with. The foreman that built our pool no longer works for them "due to issues" like ours but the entire company seems to have the same attitude. Once they get all of your money it is customer NO service.

The service manager sends out the builders to drain, cut the dolphin out and insert another one. I told them, "Won’t this ruin the look of the settled gunite if you put a new one in?” “Nah, it'll settle right back in over time,” he says! The dolphin now looks horrible until I get the entire bottom of my pool replastered, which will be no time soon! If you can get a visual, the dolphin now sits a little lower in the concrete instead of matching right up to the surface of the pool! Shall I go on? Sure, why not!

When my pool was done there was a pipe sticking out from the deck next to the spa. It took many stubbed toes and complaints before they came out and cut the pipe out of the ground, which in turn left a rusty metal hole in the deck! How do you think they tried to "fix" that? Well, they came and poured acid over the hole to "clean" the rust away and then proceeded to fill the hole with gray concrete (my decking is a beige color). Well, the concrete oozed all over and made a mess and of course did not last long. Over time the rust from inside the ground has eaten that concrete away and now the hole is back with the rust and all! There are many other holes around the decking where the pebbles come out and leaves a hole where kids are stubbing toes and stepping on pebbles!

Why am I wasting my breath even complaining when I know they will do nothing to rectify any of these problems I'm reading here? It just sucks to give a company $40,000 cash and be stuck with something not even worth that! I recommend Quest Pools to anyone building! Anthony and Sylvan needs to be shut down!

Wow. No joy from A-S. Not covered after 1 year is poor workmanship. Next, why put a rubber check valve right next to chlorine dispenser? Not only does it not make sense, it causes water to go back up the tube and destroy a $350 ozonator. So total fix due to uncovered poor workmanship was $1200. Sorry, I expected more from a $30,000 investment in my home. What next? Who knows, it is only 2 years old!

I called Anthony and Sylvan on Saturday, the 12th of September 2009 and received a call from them on Monday, the 14th. I started to tell what was going on and as soon as I told this guy that the pavers were sinking because of the area not being properly water-piped, he went off on the phone on his tangent. He told me that the paver company was not qualified to make that kind of comment. Now, he does not even know what company came out to fix the problem. Then, he went on about what they are not covering and what they will not do. He was very rude and disrespectful, which left me in awe about how unprofessional they can be.

He even told me that he should not talk to me at all because I am not the original purchaser and that he has not reason to continue the phone conversation. He then rudely says, "I will tell you what we cover but it will do you no good." So, he begins to tell me what is covered, which all he could say is cracks. Well, nothing about the surface coating being applied incorrectly or water seeping through the concrete, just cracks.

Now, I understand that I may be liable for some things since the pool was put in around August or September of 2006. He told me that I cannot even have the warranty information because the original owner only have 5 years where he can transfer the warranty over to me from the original install date. I may be wrong but August or September of 2006 to September of 2009 is nowhere near 5 years.

All I can say is please don't waste your time with a pool company of this character. You are investing a lot of money for something you should enjoy for years to come and if something was to go wrong, then you have to deal with this headache. The warranty is supposed to be in place to make it painless and to get something corrected. However, it is just there to get the company exposure that "they stand behind their products." Well, don't be fooled. I will not use them in the future for any pools that I may want in any of my future homes.

We have lived with an increasing section of our backyard filled with construction debris which just gets bigger day by day. All the trades that come to your home leave all of their trash behind in your yard, construction debris and food debris. A-S response was, "Leave it, I will make them come and clean it up." No one showed up.

The main issue is the lack of supervision in the quality and progress of the subcontractors by A-S. It just doesn't exist. And they continue to lie about it! As of this morning, my pool is scheduled to be plastered this Friday, Aug. 15th. The final clean up was supposed to be done today. Again, no exaggeration, A-S has once to inspect or look at the pool for integrity. We have a plumber who screwed up the sprinkler system in our front yard. A-S says, "not our problem." One of the electricians fell through our garage ceiling - A-S says not our problem.

We will live through this and learn from our stupidity. We will never recommend Anthony & Sylvan nor will we use them at our other properties.

Well, let me tell you, these days, Anthony & Sylvan has become the one pool company from which you should run as fast as possible! Under the leadership of Jerry Strauss, who is their Vice president and General manager for the Northeast Division, this company has lost its way, and has been on a downhill slide. Maybe it is a result of the downturn in the economy, but they are now routinely trying to find ways to cheat their subcontractors, and not stand behind them, rather than focusing on building a quality product. These guys are nothing but a bunch of clowns! Through their own arrogance and stupidity, they have lost the ability to attract and keep the best quality subcontractors, who are the backbone of any good pool company. Like the saying goes, garbage in garbage out! I highly doubt that this company is going to be around for very much longer, at least in the Mid-Atlantic region. Warning! Stay away from Anthony & Sylvan Pools! Beware! Don't buy a pool from them. You will only regret it!

We were warned to not use Anthony & Sylvan by another pool contractor. We thought maybe he was just trying to get us to use his pool company instead. We should have listened to the warning, because our experience has been troubling. We will never use this company nor refer any friends to use Anthony & Sylvan ever again.

The straw that broke the camel's back is when no one showed up at our house for over a week and we were told that the deck builder would be out on Thursday. He even came out and told my wife that he would be out the next morning (Thursday). It was a no show. We called and got no response from our salesperson's construction manager.

On Friday, I finally got ahold of our sales rep the following day. After I asked where the deck guy was, who was supposed to be out yesterday, he said, "I'm not a ** babysitter to a grown man." I asked where our construction manager was, and he said that they had just finished laying out and measuring a pool that they had just sold. He said that he would talk to the manager and call me back. Of course, there's no phone call back. I guess that they were drinking a few beers after measuring the new pool that they had just sold.

On Saturday afternoon after no shows again, I called the sales rep, fired A&S, and told them to stay off my property. Of course when that happened, everyone under the sun started calling me. I was just told that today they were going to enforce the contract on me and go legal. This is what you can expect from this company. Do not hire Anthony & Sylvan Pools! Run!

The customer service is awful! It seems that their representatives are reading from a script. There has been no result when contacting them. Oh yes, our pool light stopped working within three years. They sent someone to fix it when no one was at home to check behind them. The pool light still does not work; it is stuck between the colors red and clear. Terrible! My advice, never buy from Anthony and Sylvan. My husband and I have concluded that we can't make or break them, but we will never recommend them to anyone. Run when you hear Anthony and Sylvan Pool. Do not do business with them. I, too, believe that there should be a class action suit against this company. They should be liable to pay for their shoddy workmanship.

It gets worse. We were sold an expensive stone coping for our saltwater pool. Within months, the coping started falling apart. It turns out that saltwater corrodes this stone. Now the company states that you can't have this stone coping and a saltwater pool, but they didn't tell us that upfront. They are stating that they will replace the stones and that they will likely corrode again, but that we're on our own. They have also offered to change from a saltwater system to an ozone system, but ozone is far inferior and no one uses it in the US. Now Anthony & Sylvan is ignoring our calls and it looks like we'll have to get legal. Do not use this company.

Within 2 years, cracks started to appear in the plaster and I was told that as long as water was not leaking, it was normal. By the time one of those cracks bubbled and broke exposing the cement liner, I was told that my 3-year warranty on plaster had expired. I recently received a quote for 10,000 dollars to replaster the pool. I'm not even mentioning the numerous grout repairs I have made to the spa. The pool light also stopped changing colors after 4 years and I replaced the control pad by the spa last year as well. I can't wait for pool opening this year to see what else will go wrong.

The company is completely unwilling to stand by the product and stand by the 3-year warranty. It is completely shocking that this company is still in business. I tell people who are looking to put in a pool to either go with someone else or join a community pool.

Cracks: Pool opened the first year in 06; it looked great. In 07, Anthony Sylvan came out to open and said it looked great. I walked out after they finished only to find numerous cracks throughout the deep end, steps area and small cracks throughout. Why didn't he see it? The Anthony Sylvan guy spent 10 minutes watching the Polaris while smoking his cigarette, of which the butt was thrown on the ground.

Warranty: I was told Lifetime Warranty when purchased. Now they tell me it has to leak first, and it's only 3 years. Staff: They had more people quit, get fired during the process that you never spoke to the same guy twice. They also sent me a letter stating cracks were structural and pool needed replacement. The following year 08, they missed the date to replace. Otherwise my pool would have been torn up all season. So they pushed to Fall 08, at which time they said cracks were not structural. They finally came out, ripped out half my pool and I haven't seen them since. It is now March 09. Also, I had structural engineer fail the pool when he saw the rebar was not high enough.

Other pools: I sold 4 pools for Anthony Sylvan the same year. 2 of 4 have the cracking problem and need the pools replaced, 3 of 4 hated dealing with them and had problems and 1 of 4 was satisfied. Bottom line - don't walk from them, RUN.

I called 2 other pool contractors to get estimates from $25,000 to $40,000 because the entire deck needs to be torn out and replaced correctly. I will loose the stone and spillway work along with the tile around the inside of the pool, which means that the pool needs to be re-plastered as well. I contacted Anthony and Sylvan pools today and was told that they do not have a warranty on the deck.

We have since replaced various parts again ourselves. Then the cracking of the plaster and decking began! It started as a small crack from the steps, and now it is cracked through the decking, the coping and one whole side of our decking has sunk about 3-4 inches from our patio. We have all tripped over that step down, as have our guests, and have had to place a large pot there to keep people from falling on it! As I have read in other complaints, the same plaster people have been out four times, and it looks horrible! They have filled in the cracks with large globs of something, and now there are large seams all over our pool. The cracks are everywhere. We have called and called, and never receive a call back. You get someone's voicemail when you call. We must constantly put water in our pool due to all these cracks. This is our first (and last) pool. It has been a terrible experience from the start. I would never recommend A&S to anyone!

The mental frustration this has caused is the the worst. We constantly worry about getting this investment fixed like it was promised. It has been horrible! Let alone the money we have spent adding water and extra chemicals to our pool. We must constantly be aware of the 3-4 inch drop on our deck from our patio, as we have all tripped on it and so have our guests! This alone is a physical danger!

All I want is a quality pool like they promised. The warranty guy, Daryl, was actually trying to help me and he too was getting aggravated with the whole deal. But if they keep using the same contractor, they are going to get the same results. I think we should all try to act together and stand up to them. I'm going to try. Wish me luck. If anyone reads this and wants to help, I will gladly give them my 14-month story.

We're now in our 4th year and more tiles have come loose and I learn that A & S no longer does tile repair. I've had 3 tile repair companies come to do estimates and they inform me that most of the tiles and coping are loose and that it will cost $6,000 to fix and that it will continue to happen year after year.

$6,000 to fix and the tiles and coping will continue to come loose year after year

Pool caretaker service is not working for weeks at a time.

Sued successfully; headed back to court as pool remains unusable.

Fast forward to when we opened our pool this year. In March we realized the cracks had gotten MUCH worse and called. Their one and only plaster expert was supposed to come out and look at the pool numerous times, but he never showed, never called, and each time it was pushed off for another two weeks by A&S. When the pool was opened, the water started leaking again. We strongly suspect it is in the plumbing, but of course no one will come out and look at the pitting and cracking plaster or the leak. We have called, yelled and screamed, talked nicely, and of course, in typical Anthony & Sylvan fashion, no one will return phone calls. No one answers the phone when you call and just today someone was supposed to come out and look at the plaster yet again.

The consequences thus far is a water bill that shows we are filling 10,000 gallons of water per month (versus the winter months when we aren't), plus the fact that since we put this pool in to be part of our entertaining during the summer months, all of our guests say, What happened to your pool? when they see the cracks and chips in our plaster.

We want to be reimbursed for our increased water bills, we want our pool replastered, and we want the leak fixed. If I thought we could get our $41,000 back I'd ask for that too; However, at this point just the repairs to our brand new pool would be nice. We have several friends and family members putting pools in this summer and after all of the trouble we've had with Anthony & Sylvan, thankfully they're going with another pool company.

The pool lights never worked for the previous owner (he had it put in) or for us. We tried remedies suggested by other pool companies. We are sure we'll have to dig up the lines to fix their shoddy electric work. We would never use Anthony Sylvan for a new pool or to repair an existing pool. They price themselves so high for repair work because they probably don't want the work.

The pool is still cracked and now tiles are falling off. Our house is on the market and not showing well because of the condition of the pool. I want all of my money back - all $23,000 of it!

They never installed it, refused to install saying it was no longer their policy, 6 months later they still advertise this. They owe me a quality pool with their tile.

I want a quality pool consistent with the published A&S website and their quality tile that represent they install.

They destroyed my irrigation system by driving large equipment across the yard right after a large rain storm. This cost over $9000 to replace. I am having to pay an electrician $1500 to replace the wiring to the pool which was done incorrectly. It was installed 6 inches underground without a conduit to cover it. I am having to pay another company to install the cover gromets and make a cover for the pool despite the fact I've already paid to have this done.

I would never use this company for anything. There are a lot of other companies that provide as good a product without the hassel.

January 10, 2008 Ive got a price quote by technician, Brian Colosimo, on air blower, Jandy Aqualink R56, and Jandy Aquapure chlorinator installation. February 8, 2008 Anthony and Sylvan charged deposit of $2219.76.00 March 10, 2008 Scheduled installation delayed. Anthony and Sylvan didnt received equipment yet. April 9, 2008 Brian Colosimo installed part of the equipment. He brought the wrong air blower. Blower installation rescheduled for May 13. He installed the rest of the equipment and left wires completely entangled. Complete mess. April 10, 2008 I made pictures of the wiring and sent it to Even Schwartz and Mike Meroney. They agreed that it was a mess and promised that during next visit tech will fix it. Even Schwartz is a manager, Mike Meroney, I guess, is a dispatcher. April 11, 2008 Anthony and Sylvan charged rest of the money - $1762.00

May 9, 2008 I got a voicemail from lady named Ronda at 4:00PM (from Anthony and Sylvan) that Technician will be on Monday May 12. Couldnt reschedule because it was Friday, and nobody at Anthony and Sylvan picks up the phone after 4:00PM even though they are open until 5:00PM. Luckily I had off day on Monday. I think Ronda is Mikes replacement. May 12, 2008 It was raining very hard that day. Brian Colosimo started filter system and explained how it works. I had to listen to him under the rain. Wiring wasnt fixed, and blower wasnt installed because of rain. Brian promised that somebody from the A&S office will call me and schedule the next appointment. I never received a phone call from them.

May 19, 2008 My son called the Anthony and Sylvan office to schedule next appointment. Ronda scheduled it on Friday, May 23, 2008. May 23, 2008 Nobody appeared or called. No apologies. May 30, 2008 I called in the A&S office trying to schedule another appointment on June 10, 2008. I planned to be off work that day. Talked to Ronda about 20 minutes trying to agree on some date. Finally agreed that technician will come on the same day after 2:00PM. My son was home that day. Nobody came, nobody called. Nobody ever apologized. June 6, 2008 Writing this letter to send it to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs, Anthony and Sylvan Customer Service, Jandy Customer service. A&S staffs rude, devious and unprofessional. the job is still not completed!

Our contract allows for first month of maintenace, and they only showed up twice, but only to add salt not to clean pool. We just realized that the block wall that they knocked down to gain access to our property has cracked, and that they used a completely different color material. They also failed to provide a list of authorized service companies (we do not want to use just any company for fear that it may void any warranty on equipment), but pool has gone unserviced, despite our many request to get a list of Service contractors. They have stopped responding to our E-Mails and voice messages. They have also failed to provide a signed release forms, as per stated on our contract. It is extremely frustrating not to be able to speak to anyone about our many complaints, and/or questions.

There is still water loss, (about 1.5-2 inches) per day, remote control seems not to be working properly, which creates a problem every time we try to use either pool or spa, just to get jets to work in spa sometimes takes up to 10 minutes because remote keeps disconnecting. Erosion has caused soil level to be uneven and we had just spend a couple of thousand dollars on new lawn. Wall with crack on it must be repaired as soon as possible

In 2008 the pool is cracked again when it was opened May 30th. In 5 years I have not have the vacation in my yard promised in the literature but 5 seasons of apool out of service while I fight with them to finish. In 2007 I filed a complaint with the NJ consumer consumer protection division. Even with the New jersey Division of consumer protection I continue to fight to get these people to respond. This was absolutley the worst purchase decision I have ever made. They use a system of automated phone directing to keep from having to speak with their customers.

However it is now 5/19/08 and every time they say they are going to come repair my pool (3 times now) no one shows up. And when I contact them they just give me a new date (another week later) and just say there's nothing they can do about the schedule. By the way they're ispector Terry said this is only a weeks worth of work.

the pool is currently drained and usuable

I was told I wouldn't need a retaining wall but when they started to dig it was a 5 ft ledge dropping into the decking. I ended up having to pay over $60,000 for a retaining wall to hold back the earth from spilling into the pool.

The pool was finally completed in September 2006. I closed the pool in October to get a few more weeks out of the pool. When I opened the pool the following spring the coping was cracked, the tile was falling off around the sides and it took over 10 calls and emails to have someone fix it. They cancelled on me a number of times and I asked to speak to the GM and or the VP and they gave me the run around and passed me on to someone else (Dana) I told them the plaster was splochy and looking discolored they told me it was nothing.

I used the pool in 2007 with the intention of having them fix the plaster at the end of the season. It took over 3 months to get them to replaster the pool and I ended up keeping the pool open until December.

I opened the pool this past week and the plumbing is leaking around the filter. I called AS serice department and they told me it was not under warrentee. This is the worst company as far as customer service I have ever dealt with. I will be seaking legal advice because of all the problems I have encountered. They just don't care about thier customers, all they want is the money up front. I have refered my friends not to use them.

Pool is still not 100% the plaster is pitted and discolored. The pump is too far from the pool itself. The PVC is leaking around the filter and loosing water every day.

Well, after the last payment it became extremely difficult to get any work done on the remaining punch items. We would leave calls and not get a return call but I'd say it wasn't horrible, I was determined to be patient and polite. That spring, we noticed a rather large leak coming out of the raised wall to the spa, at about 18in. and the underlying wall was 'weeping'. I called the supervisor over our construction, Rock. He came out and re-grouted the tile interior edge of the spa saying that it was most likely infiltrating from there. The leak continued. Over the next two months I continually called and could never actually speak with a person. I left multiple messages and none were returned.

I finally called the GM, Chuck. He and the construction manager, Bill, came out to look at it one Saturday morning. Bill suggested that it was water infiltration from capillary action on the stone, saying, the flow from the spa in to the pool was rather weak and so ran against the wall and was drawn in. I suggested a pressure test but they both seemed this was the likely culprit and so I didn't push further. They said they would get a contractor to come over, smooth the stone that the water flows over, from the spa and re-mortar the stone on the wall fascia, which had deteriorated as a result. I think it's important to note here that we have a salt pool and the salt does seem to cause some of it's own issues in that regard. The sandstone installed seems to be constantly 'disolving' In any event, a couple of weeks pasted and I never heard back. I had to hound them to get it going and about five weeks later it did.

I can't be certain the time intervals, they never gave me any paperwork and I didn't have the foresight to document it. I'm sure they have records though. So for several months everything appeared fine with the exception of a large buildup of calcium-like material on the tile; tile only directly under the wall. It was told to me, at the time, that was a normal thing and was only a little lime as a result of the efflorescence but to my mind resembled calcite; so hard that a pressure washer couldn't take it off. We continued to try and get other items fixed without success. We were beginning to become very, very unhappy.

Last year, I learned that Chuck was let go. In one year, they had three or four different people handling warranty work and I was told they were the only folks I could speak with. However, most of them NEVER returned my calls. A couple months after the re-grout of the wall, the leak started up again but different. Prior to the leak, I'd already noticed that the wall was weeping and the mortar was degrading over it's prior state. I called A&S without any return calls. I finally tried to reach the new GM, Pete. I left a few messages for him and finally received a return call Easter Monday(4/8) a year ago almost now. I spoke with Pete and he assured me that things were different. I was very direct with him. He told me he would take a look at our file and call me back in a couple of days. I waited and waited and finally called him a week later and left a message. He returned my call a week later and that process went on and on.

I finally called him on 5/20 and left a message saying that they had two weeks to do something or I had no choice but to contact our attorney. I received a call from him the next Monday. I spoke with him and he wanted to come out. He called back a week later and said he would be out that Friday. I told him I would meet him and he said it wasn't necessary. I called late that Friday to tell me that he wouldn't make it and would be by Saturday morning at 6:20 am. I never saw him, never heard from him again, etc. After that I contacted out attorney who contacted A&S and tried to get any sort of response without success.

So, two and half years later, we still have a leak, the mortar is ruined and the salt system they shouldn't have installed with natural stone has deteriorated all the stone. A month ago, I decided to avail myself one last time before legal preceedings. Since then I have encountered the same issues of unreturned calls, unkept promises and I have only myself to blame this time.

There is very poor communication about anything from this company. I really do not think it is my responsibility to call 2 days after an inspection to let them know whether the work has been approved or not. I have actually had to do this just to move things along. I was 2 weeks trying to get the brick coping replaced that was agreed to by the project manager. After getting no one out to replace the damaged brick, I contacted Bill, the sales rep. again yesterday. He came out marked and took pictures of approximately 50 brick that needs replaced. Once again, it was 3 weeks at least and no one attempted to resolve that issue. All that I received was a lot of talk from the project manager.

On August 21, 2007, I received an e-mail from Lisa Hartman stating that she would make sure all parties were aware of my problems. On August 24, 2007, I sent pictures of my coping to Jerry Strauss for him to review. Jerry reviewed them and forwarded them to Jay and asked Jay to come to my house to look at the coping. Finally on September 4, 2007, they agreed to replace all of my coping. Now, after 6 months, my pool liner became stained and very rough. I called the service department to get someone to come and look at it. After about 4 weeks they finally show up. I then receive a phone call telling me it was my fault that the liner was stained.

I contacted my sales rep again, Bill McCallister. He came out to look at my pool and agreed that it has nothing to do with my care of the pool. After several days, the service dept. manager came out and agreed to acid was my pool. Now afte the acid wash, my liner looks a lot better, but it has small holes in the plaster that collectd dirt. It also is still stained but not as bad. I have had nothing but trouble from the construction of my pool to the service department. If it wasn't for my sales rep. I probably would not be swimming in my pool today even though it still is not right. I would definitely not ever recommend Anthony Sylvan Pools to anyone.

Everything turned out exactly the way it was supposed to. It rained a lot during the time they were building the pool and still finished it when they said they would too.

It has been a nightmare trying to get anyone to listen to me, return a phone call or do anything to correct the problem. They offered me $750.00 to forget about the problem and go away. I know it will cost a lot more than that to fix it. So i told them No I want you to ccome back and fix my light. They said the same thing they always say someone will get back with you next week. We told them if they could not fix the light then we would settle for them installing a mesh cover for us. They said No Way.

What is my recourse if they now come back and tear up my finished pool, decking and new landscaping. I'm so frustrated. I do have all of my e-mail correspondence and my initial letter of complaint that I sent to the General Manager.

I have a swimming pool that is dark on one end. I was given a picture of what is would look like when the lights were on and it's not even close.

I notified A&S that very night and told them if the water continued the issue would be 100% theirs to fix. I was assured it would be fine when construction was complete. Even though I paid extra money to have drains added outside the water did not stop and I had to pay another $5000 for a sump pump for the basement, as well as tear out sheet rock, paneling and tile flooring to install it which takes damages to about $16,000.

Now all work has stopped on the pool. A&S had installed a pump in the meantime to suck out rain water, and that is shorting out some lights in the house. All we want is the rough plumbing so we can proceed with the pool instead of having a caving in gaping dirt hole in the back yard.

We were planning to sell our house at the height of the RE boom in CT but kept putting in on hold until A&S would repair the pool. Always promises never follow through.

They have been here and busted the pool apart about 12 times. I'm gettig tired of cleaning up their mess. The product quality of this pool is horrible. I have contacted a lawyer and was told there is a arbitration clause in the contract, so I'm outta luck. All I have wanted is for them to pull the coping and rebuild it right. Also, I have had 3 managers here and they all said the pool was not constructed correctly. There was no polyvoid put between the concrete deck and the coping for expansion, hence the cracking and tiles falling into the pool.

No return calls and keep brushing us off... Can't get a final CO to use the pool!

The construction manager, Brian M, proved to be very unprofessional by misleading, not returning telephone calls, and failing to supervise to make sure the work was being done properly. The warranty person, Gordon, talked down to me (at first) and tried to deflect blame from his company. It was only after I demanded service that they acted (ever so slowly). It was very obvious that they were not concerned with my problems and that they took no pride in their company or its work.

The customer service of this company is brutal, especially after they get your money. You should not have to raise a stink to get someone to do their job! I strongly recommend that a prospective pool buyer continue looking and NOT use this company. We are completely dissatisfied with them and their customer service. They will be your best friends until they get your money, then when something goes wrong, it will be your problem, not theirs! They use their great warranty as a strong selling point. What they don't tell you is how you will be treated when THEIR works fails. That so-called great warranty is a joke.

I had to hire an independat contractor to look at the pool equipment and its slab. This was after the pool company had been out 4 times, but never took care of the initial problem.

We have called pool companies & they tell us to go to the manufacturer of our pool as there are apparently some problems with the pool / lines. We get the same response. We have a spa that we cannot use. They are rude & arrogant. How do you sell something without backing it up? I'm in commercial sales *& that is not how it works. Everyone I see I tell about the non-existent customer service.

Three different times our son was brushing the side of the pool when large groups of clay coping collapsed beneath him, fortunately he is very agile and avoided falling. Twice A/Sylvan have come and "reattached" coping in a not so attractive manner, however now they claim that the pool is 5 years old and what do we expect from a pool this age? It has come to the point that the Director of Quality flew into Ft.Myers, Fl. and drove to Miami to look at the pool, this is after two law fims wrote letters of our intent to take them to court for "breach of contract" as they did not install expansion joints per contract. We have e-mails from them saying they will "honor thier contract as always".

The visit with Mr. Roberts did not go well, he stated that all decks crack, that coping is warranteed for only one year. Meanwhile we have had to replace plant material, sod, due to when heavy rains come in the summer, water seeps between the coping and the decorative tile thus spilling chlorinated water onto our yard. Tell me this is "normal"! Also we have had to advise our yardman not to attempt to fish grass out of the pool after mowing because we don't want to be liable for anyone getting injured while standing on coping, which would be a liability I would think to A/Sylvan.

I have exhausted myself with phone calls, e-mails, faxes to them as they did not have a copy of our contract. We had the pool built mainly because i have Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue with an immune dysfunction.The best form of exercise for me is in a pool, however since we cannot clean it properly, and the deck is so unsightly, who wants to be out there?

Original Review: Feb. 7, 2006

I contracted with A&S Pools in August 2005 to build a pool at my home. The salesman told be it would take three months to complete, four months max if screen enclosure material was in short supply. Well it's six months later, the pool is nowhere near completion, a screen enclosure will take another two months, and the work completed so far has some major flaws. The last time a crew worked on the pool was December 20th. When I called A&S in Fort Myers inquiring about why no work was being done all I got was the run around.

Don Blair (GM) told me the day construction started that he would be the project manager and my contact person, but so far he refuses to return any of my phone calls left on his voice mail, messages with his secretary, or emails I send with pictures attached. The contract states "Anthony & Sylvan shall proceed expeditiosly to complete the pool, but shall not be responsible for delays caused by acts of God..." This pace is far from expeditiosly and why do they ignore my calls? They built a four course stem wall with concrete mortar on the top and bottom of the blocks, but not on the sides. When I questioned why there were gaps between the blocks and expressed my concern that water would absorb through the brick pavers and eventually crack the stucco finish they sent a guy, his wife and two year old daughter over on a Saturday and put filler on the outside of the gaps.

I questioned the building inspector about this method and he told me I had good reason for concern and that this was not normal building practice. I confirmed this wouldn't work when I let a garden hose run on the pool deck and water began spraying through the cracks in numerous locations. Don Blaire told me a crew would be out this week to work on the wall. So far no call, no show. They built a set a stairs from the pool deck to my yard in the wrong location and wrong size. Do these workers even look at drawings?

Five weeks went by with out any work being done to my pool. My pool is still not close to completion today. I phoned Anthony & Sylvan to voice my complaint several times and reached no one and left messages. Don Bear who claimed to be the owner/manager of the Fort Myers Fl Office finally returned my call. When I explained the situation to him he laughed at me and said thier was nothing he could do about it. I Then called the main office of Anthony & Sylvan which was no help. After calling the office four times and speaking with several of the administrative staff I was promised a phone call back from the regional director. I have still not recieved a phone call from him.

He said "you have wasted 2 hours of my life!" I told him I was a sales manager and train 40 sales reps to NOT be like him. Had to make him leave my house and he said "you will call me back!" I told him he has lost the sale! I will put air in a blow up pool before dealing with this outfit because being a sales manager, I know the salesman sell the way they are taught to sell.