Finding A Pool Contractor | Pool Design Guides
Buying a Swimming Pool: Is it Always a Gamble?
Pool roulette is an expression I heard my business partner Marcus Sheridan once use. And it makes sense—all homeowners play swimming pool roulette when they invest in a swimming pool. In life, we play roulette in a lot of situations that involve us putting our trust in the person/company we are doing business with.
The question is:
What are the odds of you, the customer, losing this ‘gamble' and being unhappy with your decision?
In the pool business they are often higher than you, the homeowner, would like them to be.
Buying a swimming pool is much like playing roulette because it has the best odds in the casino for you to win. But let's face it, even with roulette's odds being the best for gambling they are still stacked against you, as 50/50 is not a sure thing by any means. If I could be assured that the wheel would stop on black or an even number when I bet I would not only bet a lot I would bet often. The truth is I only have a 50/50 chance of it landing on where I put my money so I do not put a lot down and I do not bet often because I know that in the end I really have a better chance of losing than winning.
I would never put more than 10 dollars down on a number (as you can see I am no high roller) and I would surely never put down $40,000 on a number, but I do see consumers put down that much and more when they buy a pool, and thus they are playing pool roulette. So I pose these 2 questions:
- Can you remove the risk in pool roulette or is it always a gamble?
- How do you remove the risk in pool roulette?
As a shopper, you are the one with all the power. You hold the money. You can choose the number of the pool dealer you wish to bet your money on. You have an advantage though because you can ask to see a reference list which will help put the odds back in your favor for making the right decision. But it would help to have some inside information to make sure that you are making the right decision even with the reference list.
Any pool company can give you a reference list. Even a company that is not very reputable can come up with a few people they have made happy. If company A puts in 25 pools a year and they have been in business for 5 years then the math adds up to 125 customers and that should be the number of people on their reference list. If a pool company puts in 100 pools a year and they have been in business for 10 years then they should have 1000 references.
Why would you, the homeowner, expect anything less? I see homeowners all the time taking 5 references from a company that has installed 500 pools in their time and saying, "Well, they gave me 5 references and they are all right around my neighborhood (which would be a 25 mile radius)." Frankly, this homeowner is basing their buying decision on 1% of the company's customer base. I don't know about you but I wouldn't bet $1 on those odds, much less $40,000.
Why don't pool companies give you all their customers on their reference list?
I know that a lot of companies will have their excuses. Heck, I don't put everyone on mine as I have a couple of customers that asked to not go on the list for privacy reasons. But other than that everyone else is on there- the good, the bad, and the ugly. This makes up about 99% of our previous customers.
You, as a shopper, should have the right to talk to the customers that are not happy just as much as with the people who are happy. Not all people can be made happy, but the vast majority can and when all does not go well on an installation it's how the pool company handles the problem that makes the difference. If the problem is handled with integrity and in the end the homeowner is treated honestly and respectfully than you will have not only a satisfied customer but a customer that will refer his friends, neighbors and family—and certainly won't mind being on a reference list.
Remember, if you shop for your swimming pool and do not truly ask for and research a company's references, then you really are playing pool roulette. In general, companies should have no more than a 5% dissatisfaction rate, with 1% being the most ideal. If the pool company cannot supply you with such information, then it's your gamble.
So, good luck with your pool purchase. I hope it is a pleasant and enjoyable one wherever you may be.
If you'd like to learn more about the different pool options available to you, be sure to check out our free eBook, "Comparing Fiberglass, Concrete, and Vinyl Liner Pools in the Modern Age."
At River Pools, we manufacture world-class fiberglass pools for customers across North America. If you'd like to get a fiberglass pool for your home, you can browse our catalog, try our pool pricing calculator, or request custom pricing using the button below. Happy swimming!
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