Tampa Bay Pools — Local services in Brandon

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW OF TAMPA BAY POOLS.

I hope people read this review because getting pool quotes and building a pool can be a little daunting. It's an enormous investment and a complex construction project. Where do I start. My wife and I live in the Riverhills neighborhood in Valrico and decided to look into building a pool / enclosure in April of 2015. We met with Olympus, Larsen and Tampa Bay Pools. With Tampa Bay Pools, JC was our salesperson and was great. I liked how he was very straightforward, clearly an expert with tons of experience and consulted with us vs. trying to sell a pool. This was key for us. I learned first hand why they maintain an incredible reputation in our area. It was very evident from the very beginning and that started with JC. JC visited our house, suggested a few things that we're really thankful for and gave us a design and quote. We chose a freeform 14-28 pool, 800 sq. ft. paver deck and enclosure. (No Heater, No Spa)... Price - 45K. The upgrade items JC suggested were : a sun shelf with a bubbler fountain, waterfalls and the step up part of our deck. Minor adds that do not cost much. We would have never known!

From the beginning through the end the back office employees we dealt with throughout are wonderful. Amanda, Kristal and Gail. Great support staff! Very responsive, and professional. A key element I was impressed with from the start was - they didn't guarantee a finish date. They aren't like other companies who farm out the contract work during peak building seasons just to get the work done. They prefer to use the contractors they have established long standing relationships with and they're willing to extend a project a little bit to maintain the QUALITY of their work. Another key element regarding our experience with Tampa Bay Pools. There were no surprises in construction or cost. They provide an ""Expectations Sheet"" that describes each step of the process. Again, this is a complex process where the pool company contracts each step of the work. I can't stress this piece enough. Each and every contractor clearly viewed Tampa Bay Pools as their primary client and it showed. Each phase was handled professionally by true experts in their craft from the dig, to the concrete, the tile, the shell, the electric, the enclosure etc... You'll see on Angie's List and Google Reviews where customer say weeks went by between pool build phases. Someone from Tampa Bay Pools was here working each week. Something was done each week. Remember, it's not about how fast a builder will get the project done, it's about the quality of their work and the support they provide after you're pool is done. Ken was our construction Superintendent. Very knowledgeable, likable and like JC, direct and confident, about the work they propose, perform and their final product. They are all very responsive if you have questions. I chose to give them periodic updates via email (usually to Kristal) as courtesies from time to time regarding when the bigger evolutions occurred.

If you choose Tampa Bay Pools, you need to just sit back and let them do their thing. Ken won't be at your house weekly, you won't get calls each time a contractor is coming to your house, you wont have your hand held but trust me when I tell you. You can sit back, relax and let the best builder in Tampa builder your pool. Our pool construction started beginning of May 2015. Our pool was filled with water July 7. Part of the process after completion is Pool School. Pete taught us how to maintain our pool and remains a resource for us today. They also provide great practical reference documents. Maintaining a pool is a bit more work than I anticipated but Tampa Bay Pools has been incredibly cool about answering questions and responding to different things when I have questions.

So, HUGE THANK YOU to JC, Ken, Amanda, Kristal, Gail and Pete.

We love our pool!!

We will absolutely continue strongly recommending Tampa Bay Pools. We brag about you all the...

We made the right choice! After contacting a few pool companies, we chose Tampa Bay Pools as our new pool builder. From the first telephone call (a friendly receptionist Britney), through to the build completion, the entire team did what they said they would do, and wow does our pool look amazing! It matches the concept and is visually stunning to us.

Their entire team was friendly, helpful and responsive. The ladies in the office welcomed us with a smile when we visited the design center, then Dan and Amanda were more than accommodating with our seemingly unending questions about "what about this, how about this, what if we did this" during the layout discussions. They provided us time, options and opinions while we were choosing but they were never pushy. Pricing was transparent from the start. Drawings were provided for a better visual and for us to provide to our HOA.

Once we got our approvals and moved forward, we were seamlessly introduced to Eddie (our Pool Project Mgr) by Dan. It wasn't like a "don't call me, call him", it was an in-person introduction & handoff, which was nice. Eddie pretty much carried us from that point forward. He walked us through the process, kept us updated via texts and things happened as scheduled. And recently he was out sick w/flu and I had a concern, but he didn't ignore my text, he provided me with another contact to assist since he couldn't get out there to help me that day (i.e customer first focus). Yes we had a few hiccups along the way of course (no project is perfect) but they were addressed and fixed. I believe I was a pest early on with a barrage of stupid questions/concerns, but he never made me feel that way and he always answered me. I swear every time a sub finished a job, Eddie was by that same day or the next to check things for himself. It was nice to know that he was throwing his eyes on everything and wasn't a PM that blindly signed off on stuff.

Probably midway through the project, he brought on Aron as his apprentice/second. Aron was then with him any time Eddie was on site. Aron too was very attentive to our project and provided pertinent information. He seemed to be a sponge for learning how & what Eddie was doing. I felt that the two of them represented TBPools VERY well out in the field and to me their attention to detail meant they had pride in their work.

There are a lot of spinning plates & logistics & timing that go into building a pool on a schedule when there are alot of other builds at the same time. I am very glad we chose Tampa Bay Pools. I would recommend them for the people and the results, and also because our yard threw a lot of constraints at them but they still worked their magic. They told us what to expect, they did what they said they would, and they have been willing to answer questions at any time.

PS - shout out to Sean who helped with pool startup (separate review), shout out to Deb in accounting who provided my partial lien waivers without being asked after the initial request, and a shout out to Don who answered my newbie questions with politeness & humor, calming my nerves as he set up a “pool school" date for me. See? I told you the whole...

Reply to: Tampa Bay Owner: Sir, It would be in your best interest to take a serious look and inquire "HOW" after a pool customer contracts with your company....they are treated. My pool is still being built and every time I ask a comment or draw attention to shoddy work, My pool project gets delayed. If you will not address my questions and concerns "while" my pool is being built and you are taking my money...would you once I have paid in full? I wish I had this info before signing on....its simple questions...none you can deny...and none you choose to address head on by your answer. I am aware you have little control over your outside contractors who have built every inch of my pool so far, BUT you can Be more diligent/quick response in reference to your office staff/ project managers communication (lack of it) treatment/respect of your pool customers. Sam, Current Tampa Bay Pool Customer

Ask yourself these questions before choosing this company. 1)If you have never built a pool and your needing good advice, direction and guidance....Do not hire Tampa Bay pools! 2) if you cannot be home or available everyday from 1st day of dig to last day of inspection...Do not hire Tampa Bay Pools! 3) if you want ALL your questions/concerns answered in a reasonable time frame...and most times answeted at All......Do not hire Tampa Bay pools 4) if you expect decent customer service from office to project manager...if you expect when " they" make a change they adjust the price accordingly.....do not hire Tampa Bay Pools. 5) if you expect the contractors to leave your property in a decent condition and have Project manager hold them accountable for picking up garbage and not leaving tons of packaging/plastic/globs of cement in areas that have nothing to do with your pool.....Do not hire Tampa Bay Pools 6) if you dont want your sprinklers and wiring no where near pool equipment pulled up and unnecessary damage to lawn...Do not hire Tampa Bay pools. 7) if you cannot document Every conversation/concern/inquiry via text or email....Do not hire Tampa Bay Pools. 8) if you need to know "exactly" when contractors will show up...And they will just show up and walk onto your property or sit on the edge of shell and then leave without doing any work....Do not hire Tampa Bay Pools 9) if you find you want to add on anything after signed contract and do not want to get taken....Do not Hire Tampa Bay Pools. This company charges 1st class prices for sloppy, inadequate, disrespectful, inconsistent, poor quality, inconsiderate, used car saleman treatment....if you want an experience that matches their pool prices 65k and over....Do Not Hire Tampa...