The Great Escape Downers Grove — Attraction in Downers Grove

Why didn't I believe people when they called this place "The Great Mistake." They were right, it was a HUGE HUGE mistake buying my pool from them. The WORST service and outright customer disrespect I've ever experienced. STAY AWAY.

It all started with installation. Their installers (A&J Recreational) broke the fittings on the pump when they installed it, which I didn't find out until we filled the pool and found water spraying out of the pump. I called Great Escape and immediately got attitude. Apparently if you have any issues, it's your fault for shopping in their store.

I pushed on them to get someone to come look at it, and sure enough, the sales guy who came out told me their installers installed it wrong which broke it and they had to replace the ENTIRE pump. They told me the installers would be out that night or in the morning. When the installers never showed up, I called A&J Recreational directly and they told me that Great Escape never told them to come out. WHAT?!

So when the installers finally DID come out, they hooked everything up and told me they were going to leave the pump running. Great. Fast forward 10 hours later and I come out to check the pool at 10 pm at night and realize the pump is making a horrible rattling sound. Obviously something is wrong. I open up the skimmer basket to check and find that the water inside is BOILING. After some internet searching I find out that this means the pump was running dry the whole day and is RUINED. I couldn't figure out how until I noticed that there was NO water coming out of the return jet. I look down and realize the installer never opened the chlorinator valve, so my pump was running ALL DAY without being able to pass water through. WHY would the guy turn on the pump and not make sure water is coming out the jet? Total incompetence. I call Great Escape again, the sales guy Steve (who sold me the pool) won't even let me talk. He interrupts me the whole time, tells me I'm wrong, (he hasn't even heard what the problem is yet), tells me that it's "water under the bridge" (um, NO it's not, the problem isn't solved) and flat out tells me that I've been difficult since we purchased the pool, etc, etc. He will not take any responsibility for his installers ruining TWO pool pumps and just keeps talking over me. I finally got him to agree to order a new pump but he won't tell me when it will be in and won't tell me when he'll call me back with more details.

We spent $5,600 in this store and this is how they treated us. Save yourself a hassle and Steve's huge attitude problem, buy from...

Don't let these paid 5 star reviews fool you. Horrible customer service. They're fast to tell you about their return policy after the product they delivered is incomplete. They're fast to mislead you about how their products will be delivered, then quick to tell you what's written in their sales contract which contradicts what they told you. Run, buy someone else, anywhere else. I have two chairs that we can not use. We cannot put them together due to missing parts. They will not take back, they will not exchange and now want us to wait 6 weeks for parts. Don't buy here! You're better off buying from Amazon.

If customer service was first priority, it wouldn't matter if you had them in stock. You should have taken them back and refunded the customer. The product you delivered was incomplete.

Update 6/8

It's been 6 months since we made the purchase. Chairs are still useless. Still no refund. Still haven't replaced missing parts.

Update 6/16

Still no refund, still haven't replaced missing parts. No real attempt to resolve issue. Contacted BBB. We know what's next. Do yourself a favor. Order from Amazon. China is easier to deal with.

Update 6/20

Received this email on 6/17

"Please accept my sincere apologies for the continued lack of response from the manufacturer regarding the parts for your ASTORIA SWIVEL GLIDERS. I understand your growing frustration as we reach the seven to eight-week mark without the necessary components, despite our repeated attempts to contact them.

Despite our efforts, we have not received any updates from the manufacturer. I have been made aware that Rob Dorf will be reaching out to you directly to provide further assistance and discuss potential solutions.

Once again, we do apologize for the ongoing inconvenience and lack of progress. "

6 Months after we purchased these chairs (that we still can't use), someone is finally going to call us to discuss a resolution.

Here's the funny part, today is Friday 6/20, he never called !

Wow!!!

Update 7/5

Seven months after purchase, finally...

STAY AWAY! My husband and I have had nothing but headaches after dealing with this location. Lie after lie. When we go to deal with the problem all they do is blame it on the guy who doesn’t work there anymore or blame the Oak Brook location. Situation: We bought a pool table back in September and paid for it in full so we could get the deal. The sales guy promised us delivery mid October which is why we went with this particular table. We never heard anything. I called around Halloween and was told mid November. Thanksgiving came and I called and was told maybe March or April. I get things are delayed but to never get a call or communication or lied to about dates is frustrating. Finally, we had our last straw. We decided to check out the Oak Brook store. We bought a similar pool table and had it delivered 2 days later!!! Before we bought it we asked about the refund. We were told the Downers store had to do it-probably because sales guy wanted commission. We were told by the Downers Grove location that we could get a refund. They did via the phone as we were purchasing the new table. We waited a week. No money has been refunded. I go out of my way to visit the store in person. They said we can’t get refunded over the phone and they don’t know why I was told that- again they put blame on the sales guy who doesn’t work there anymore. They claimed to have put my refund through and then told me to expect a check within 10 business days. It is day 11 and no check. I call the store and they have no idea where the refund is. There is no record or email if the check has been cut. At this point I am hoping to get a refund. We are about to contact customer service and anyone at a higher corporate level. Please STAY AWAY. Horrible customer service. Zero responsibility. No one knows how to do anything and they pass off everything. It is not worth the hassle. The Oak Brook store had more selection, cleaner, and staff that actually knew what...