Stardust Pools — Local services in East Brunswick Township

HORRENDOUS SERVICE! Walter the owner came to give me the estimate for a new pool liner on 3/31/2016. Informed me that if I placed the order with him that week he could do the install mid to latter part of April. I placed the order with him shortly after (that week) and then he informs me that since it was getting late in the month NOW the install would have to be the 1st week of May. I has stated to him that I needed the new liner installed before Labor Day since we were planning a BBQ at the house. Excuse after excuse later..blaming rain for the delay in the install...we finally got them here the last week of MAY!! They installed the new liner..NEVER RANG MY BELL TO INFORM ME WHEN TO TURN OFF THE HOSE IN THE NEW LINER!! at 5pm I called Ashley at Stardust to ask her when I should shut off the hose..and then she informs me that he had put a tape line in the pool to show where I should stop the water! She stated to me that it would not be an issue. They arrive the next day...and then inform me that they could not fix the creases in the new liner because the pool had too much water in it and that I needed to drain the water ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL! Seriously??? do these people know the waste and cost of emptying out gallons of water from this ridiculous mistake!!?? and of course they were blaming each other. The truly amazing thing was that Walter had promised me a free pool opening (valued at $400) with the purchase of the new liner. THEY LITERALLY SHOWED UP AND JUST PUT LIQUID CHLORINE..PUT THE POOL STAIRS AND RAILING IN. They never vacuumed the pool as advertised on their website...even though we had visible debris of leaves in the pool. This is a $400 pool opening?? The really astonishing issue was that Walter then tries to sell me over $500 dollars of pool chemicals to correctly balance the new pool water!! IT is fresh new water! I walked out of their store totally disgusted and feeling totally taken advantage of. I took my water sample to Leslie Pools and they said I needed only $60 dollar worth of chemicals to correctly balance the new pool water!! UNBELIEVABLE! Talk about being ripped off! Stardust Pools should be out of business ! I really cannot believe they operate a business like this! I should have kept with my existing pool company and not have been sucked in to their $300 off coupon for a new liner! You truly get what you pay for. Subpar service ...tremendous about of finger pointing...no accountability...and then asked to purchase chemicals from them that you don't need..TRULY OFFENSIVE TO TREAT YOUR...

Even though I've been in and around pools my entire life I never really thought of how they are constructed. To the average consumer it's a technical mystery. The reality is in modern times installing a pool is not rocket science. The tried and true methods have been around for decades. All the installation companies are basically orchestrating a variety of third-party contractors. So if you think one pool company is "better" at installing pools than another I would argue you are wrong. Any pool company around for 5-10+ years should be experts in pool installation.

What I learned installing a pool with Stardust is that the real differentiator is in customer service.

In their 40+ year history I may have been the most annoying customer they ever had. I questioned nearly every single step of the process. And I'm happy to say Walt and Ash and Dennis and Patrick and their whole crew didn't bat an eye. They explained every single part of every step. Not a single call went unanswered. They came to our house just to check on things and make sure the install was going smooth.

We had our pool installed during a very challenging time of year - late fall. The ground was saturated, mud everywhere, two torrential rains, even snow. And Stardust timed the installation perfectly.

We couldn't be happier with the install. The Stardust crew answered every single one of my calls. They proactively kept us updated at every step and most importantly helped keep me calm :)

So I can't say our pool was installed "better" than others - but what I can say is that Stardust's customer service was exceptional. And to me that is the true differentiator when embarking on such a project. I would whole-heartedly recommend them in a heartbeat!

PS - I see another recent review from someone complaining about the install date - our experience was complete transparency from Stardust on the timing. Given the demand for pools right now and scarce supplies anyone thinking they will will be swimming in their pool 4-12 weeks after signing a contract is not being realistic. We had some delays at the end of the winter but it was due to weather and the fact a million other people were waiting for their pools to be completed as well. Walt and co. were upfront on timings though and set...

Buyer beware: shoddy workmanship, nonexistent customer service

Save your money and go somewhere else. We have had nothing but headaches since Stardust Pools completed our in-ground pool in Spring 2021. We had a leak in the first year they said was “normal” (untrue) and they failed to successfully address it. They left it uncovered, without connecting the filtration system, causing filthy water to sit for months, which left permanent stains in the liner and stairs, which they have not remedied.

We asked them to come back the following year after we noticed the leak was not fixed, which also subsequently caused the liner to detach from the concrete wall. They also attempted to convince us this was “normal,” but the pool kept losing water after it was refilled. The owner, Walter, said he fixed it, but that was not the case.

Sure enough, the problem emerged again this year, and the effect was worse. Water had entered the space between the liner and the concrete wall, causing the liner to detach from the top and bulge inward from the sides. Walter again dismissed our concerns, saying this was “normal,” and he encouraged us to refill the pool yet again. The water kept leaking at a rate of an inch a day. He sent workers to our home, and they cut the inlet pipe to the heater (which was also leaking for the second time), detached the pool light, and have left it like this for weeks. As a result, there is no longer any filtration in the pool. The water has turned green and we will — yet again, at our expense — need to treat it with chemicals.

Walter does not respond to our messages or phone calls. We have photos, emails and text messages from the inception to document our attempts to remedy the issue, to no avail. I leave this review reluctantly, but I don’t want other people to have the same experience. Shame on us for giving Walter the benefit of the doubt for this long. This was a significant investment that we made and we have been unable to enjoy it since we’ve had it. Don’t waste your money with...