A poor buying decision.

I would like to discuss the most important aspect of swimming pool construction which applies to all trades and business.  Truthfulness to your client is the easiest part of owning your business, but it is overlooked by many.  I have to share a personal experience about being the consumer and dealing with an untruthful company.  Currently, I am building a new steel building for my office and warehouse location at my residence.  I live on a farm, and with the amount of land available and the lack of neighbors, it’s a no brainer.  So long to the days of paying rent.

I am a licensed commercial general contractor and I know a few things about commercial construction, so why not build my office.  I searched the internet looking for a reputable steel building supplier, and like many business, I had a hard time receiving a call back or any pricing structure.  Out of three companies, only one called back and informed me that they could sell me the building, but they did not have an authorized builder in my area.  Sounds good, I’ll be your authorized builder and if we can build a building or two over the course of the year which could become profitable, I’m in for it. 

The salesman said the right thing, I’m looking at the bait and like a hungry fish I jump and make a wrong discussion.  He claimed that I needed to commit and pay a deposit to lock in the steel rate.  The price seemed fair, he had what I wanted, so let’s go!  Now being a contractor, I not a total idiot.  My rebar and other material prices jump all around constantly from job to job, so I normally round my steel prices to the nearest fair price so that I can sleep at night knowing that my next job will be priced close enough to make a profit.  I’m in, sign the contract, summit a deposit and then I wait for a next day delivery of color samples so they can get started.  I was told I would have the building with-in eight weeks so I needed to get started clearing land, building retaining wall, etc. 

They assign me a project manager, and soon after they receive my color selections, I receive a component order for all the extras such as: doors, windows, insulation, weather-stripping, closure seals, gutters, etc.  I’m trying to build this building on a budget and we discussed all of this stuff.  It was listed on the contract, but after review noticed how they made it look like it was included, but it was not.  I was relying on the salesman’s word, not combing over the contract.  It’s amazing how similar the swimming pool business can be.  The building price has now doubled in cost and I’m mad as Hell.  My project manager acts if he has no control, he doesn’t know what the salesman told me, and it’s not his problem.  I demand to speak with the President of the company, and it’s not going to happen.  I finally get a hold of the Vice President, and he does give me a discounted price on the components, but still my project is over budget.  He guaranteed that the building would be in my hands by June 12, 2011.  That date is two week past the salesman’s delivery date, and I need this building completed due to my wife and I are having our first child sometime in July.   

I receive the blueprints, everything seems to be fine, and then I receive a phone call from the shipping manager claiming that the freight cost was going to be $2,000.00 since they cannot find a joint shipment to the Carolinas from Colorado.  Well, shouldn’t have they figured that out before now?  Again, I call the VP wanting to know what that was all about, and warned him that we agreed on a new price and I wasn’t going to pay a dime more than we discussed.  After threatening attorneys and BBB complaints, he informed me in writing that they would absorb the freight charge. 

That’s where we stand today, and hopefully my building will arrive in time.  I do have my doubts and will discuss this later, but this is the same bait and switch tactics that some custom pool installers play in our industry.  Salespeople receive their pay as soon as a swimming pool is excavated.  They will tell you anything to get you to sign a contract.   Once the contract is signed, you will not hear from them again.  You will get assigned a project manager, and most likely you will get approached with change orders and unforeseen issues that are initially left out so that the contract price looks appealing.   Once the pool is excavated, what are you going to do?  Most of the time the contractor knows that most custom swimming pool clients have the money to spend, so they know they will get paid to continue or stop construction.  Most companies have large advertising budgets, so they don’t rely on word of mouth referrals.  Their phone will continue to ring based on billboard, radio, internet, and yellow pages ads. 

I have a completely different approach to building swimming pool project, which starts with dealing with one person, the president of company from start to finish.  I recently received a referral from a past client from 2004 to their neighbor across the street.  We walked across the street to view the pool I built years ago and was very impressed with the upkeep my clients have provided over the years.  I explained to my new clients the procedures for designing the pool and made clear statements that my pricing will include allowance for rock removal (which they warned me about), soil removal, complete waterproofing, proper plumbing size and distance from the pool to the equipment pad, etc.  They received a complete turn key price which included options that they may or may not want or have budgeted for.  If they were to compare my proposal with other companies, we may by thousands of dollars difference.  I know that I can build the project for my price, and I know if I did not receive the project, another company would end up charging the same, if not more for the completed project.  I rely on referrals like this example, and normally they already know what to expect based on the referral client’s experience with Falling Water Custom Pools, Inc.  Hopefully, my new clients and Falling Water Custom Pools, Inc. will become a good match and we can move forward with their project. 

I hope that my bad experience with my building and my dedication to truthfulness in sales for my own company strikes some reality for you who read this.  Don’t think that you are receiving a deal if the price is lower.  In many cases the highest, more through estimate may have less of a margin and may be your best deal. I fault myself in not dealing with a local company for my project, and have recently found that I could have worked with a more locally owned steel building company, but they did not pop up on the internet.  This has been one of my largest purchases beside my home, and I have learned my lesson.  Unfortunately, they same as happened to swimming pool cusumers who will never own another swimming pool after the experiences that they have encountered.  Do your homework, deal with a honest company and if you make the right decisions, you will get a well built project that it fair to both you and your contractor.