Unfortunately, My story is similar to others listed here. I too, am one of Charlie Fusco's and Melody Dyson's victims.
My saga began in February when I approached Ms. Dyson at a home show at the Chantilly Expo Center in Chantilly, Virgina. I took their information and a brochure home. My wife and I had been discussing the fesability of having an in-ground pool installed in our yard for about a year, so we had Charlie Fusco come out and give an estimate. We picked out the pool we wanted, a Barrier Reef Pool, and he said the pool was on the next shipment from Australia. We informed him that we would have to get approval from our HOA, which could take up to 60 days, and he assured us that once approval was granted, he would place us at the top of the list for instilation.
We told him up front that if the pool could not be put in right away, that we would wait for the following summer because we did not want to have a pool installed in the middle to the end of the summer, only to have to close it shortly there after. Again, he said that we would be put at the top of the list for instilation and the instilation would only take two weeks.
His estimate was much lower (first warning sign) than any other estimate I had received from any other pool instilation company. We signed the contract and faxed it to them on March 6, pending financing. We received financing about three day later, and I phoned Charlie to tell him that it was a go. Again, he assured us that we would be put at the top of the list for instilation once we got HOA approval.
We could not submit our paperwork to the HOA until we received the permits and other paperwork needed from Charlie. It took over a month to receive this paperwork (second warning sign). Of course, the HOA took almost the full 60 days to approve the pool, and it is now late May.
When I was informed by our HOA that approval was granted, I phoned Melody, who informed me that we would not be put at the top of the list for instilation (third warning sign), and that they no longer had the pool that we ordered (fourth warning sign). I was able to reach Charlie, the owner of the company, and he said that they were only able to hold on to pools for so long (which is B.S., he owns the company. He can hold on to a pool for as long as he wants). He showed us another line of pools, and we picked one that he said he could get much sooner. Obviously, we were very displeased, but we felt we had no other choice.
Fast forward to late June. FINALLY, excavation begins in our back yard and the pool is delivered. Charlie appears out of nowere to collect his first payment and disapears not to be seen or heard from again for about a month and a half (fifth warning sign, but he has our money now and we are screwed!). We could not reach him by phone or any other method. All attmpets to contact him were fruitless. The only contact we had was with Charlie's cohort/girlfriend, Melody Dyson via e-mail.
Not only were we not put at the top of the list for instilation, but his laborers would appear only periodically to work on the pool. They would not show up until 1:00 in the afternoon, work for a couple of hours, and disapear for sometimes weeks at a time.
They finally got the pool in the ground about two weeks later, but it was very unlevel. Again, they disapeared for about a week, in which time, my pool turned into a cesspool. It looked like it was filled with water from the potomac river. They finally showed up again, drained the pool, and raised the unlevel end of the pool with a bob-cat, instead of taking the pool totaly out of the ground, resetting the grade and replacing the pool.
Of course, when only one end of the pool was raised, the fill dirt located at the mid point of the pool fell under the pool. The set the pool down, and back filled it with dirt instead of self compacting material as instructed by the manuafacturer of the pool; and of course, the pool was unlevel again on the opposite side of the same end of the pool. I was not aware of how unlevel the pool really was until the concrete was poored and it was filled with water and I was able to get in. I was not able to get into the pool until a couple of days after Charlie received final payment
It should be noted here that when Charlie appeared out of nowhere to collect this check, he tried to get an additional $3,000.00 out of us for some brick work that he approved, but did not OK with me or my wife.
Finally, in mid August, the concrete was poored, and here comes Charlie again to collect his final check. He is paid, and after I get in the pool, I feel like a complete fool. I see how unlevel the pool is and I am pissed off!
Fast forward another month. The pool now has a crack in it and obviously does not hold water. The crack appeared where the pool goes from an extremely high area of unlevelness to a low area. It is obviously a stress fracture.
I contacted the manufacturer, who then contacted Charlie and Charlie's installer. Both Charlie and the installer admitted to the manufacturer that the pool was installed imporperly and that Charlie would pay for the repair and for the cost of having the pool dug up and reinstalled correctly.
This will never happen of their own accord. I will see him in court.
Bottom line. Never, never, never, never do business with prestige pools, barrier reef pools, charlie fusco, or melody dyson!!!
They pulled the bait and switch, completely lied to us throughout the entire process, and they have the worst customer service I have ever experienced. I will probably never see a penny of what I feel is owed to us, but I will make sure, after the court finds in our favor, that these two people do not do business again in Virginia until we are paid.
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