After having the Riverbend Sandler pool for 4.5 years, some things are starting to happen that make me wonder if this pool is going to endure in the long run. Pool lights are supposed to last 1000 hours. I noticed a week ago that the light had become very dim. I unscrewed the one screw holding the light in and even though every internet site says there is enough cord to take the housing to the surface and up on the coping to work on, my cord is not more than one foot in length. To make matters worse, I noticed that there is water in the housing, which may account for why the bulb's life is prematurely ending.
My neighbor, who had his Riverbend Sandler pool built the exact time I did also mentioned to me water in his pool light housing. I talked to Josh in service at Riverbend about the light and he transferred me to supervisor Tom. I asked Tom why the cord is only a foot long and he said, "Sometimes those electrical contractors only put in the necessary length of cord and not put the longer cord in because of cost." That's funny. I thought the contractors work for Riverbend Sandler. Do the contractors operate under their own authority and specifications, or those imposed by Riverbend Sandler. How about a Riverbend Sandler inspection to ensure the contractors are doing their job right, which will reduce the cost of warranty service after the job is done? Just a thought.
I'm sure that had I checked the light cord length prior to the warranty expiration, I could have had the issue corrected. But who checks the light cord length? So, now, a simple do-it-yourself maintenance project for a $20 light is up to $170 to have them fix it. According to Tom, theyd have to disconnect the wiring from the JBox, taping a rope to the wiring and pulling it through so that the light can be put on the coping for work. Then pulling the cord back and reattaching the electrical cord to the JBox. Those Riverbend service guys must really love the electricians who don't seem to think about maintenance.
But let's be honest. The job is not done with the bulb replacement. The true issue is water in the housing. According to Tom, replacement of the housing is going to run me $500. I asked if because it is a defective housing, should I have to pay for that - I did mention my neighbor who had opened a ticket about it. Tom said that they haven't gotten any complaints about the housing, so it is not likely that it is a manufacturing defect. I find it coincidental that two Riverbend Sandler pools two doors from each other just happen to share the same lighting problem.
This $500 news came one week after I opened a ticket for three pieces of dark colored coping that is crumbling away. Another issue that my neighbor dealt with, which involved the entire coping being torn off and replaced under warranty. Unfortunately for me, my coping started to deteriorate after the warranty. The quote for the three pieces of coping is $550. According to the tongue studded young guy who appraised the issue, when dealing with natural stone, these issues can occur.
I'm not feeling great about the decision to go with Riverbend Sandler. I saw their pools represented in numerous home tours where Riverbend Sandler pools were proudly displayed and touted as being a great quality product. The Frisco Rough Riders built an enormous water feature at their ballpark using Riverbend Sandler. So, they must be good, right? I wonder if the water feature is starting to flood the baseball field, since that pool is almost the same age as mine. I hope this isnt the beginning of some of the awful things Ive seen on this site about Riverbend Sandler pools. Time will tell.
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