The only reason I am writing this report is because I want to warn all the students trying to come to come to this beautiful country only to be taken advantage of by the most awful and heartless man Greg Gochoel. Who is known for running Palm Pools into the ground (seriously, I checked this website out and there are 3 other rip off reports with his name in the title saying he never paid them) I only know him by his renamed, still terrible: American Pools. I was an American Lifeguard that couldn't find any other job. I worked with some of the nicest foreign students who were packed into houses (like nine in a nasty 2 bedroom apartment with no furniture, internet or cable)
When the student first arrived from the airport, American Pools failed to pick them up like they said they would so they had to wait there for 8 hours. When someone finally came and got them, thats when they saw what their living conditions were really like. Even though they are crammed into these little apartments they have to each pay $100 a week to live there. Because it takes two weeks to process and get paychecks they spent all their money on uniforms that they had to pay and rent.
Most if not all didn't have food, I saw them eating raw hotdogs and cheese blocks. The foreign students wake up at 7 a. M to see if they have to work that day, if they do they either ride on a bike 3-5 miles to the pool (some of the roads don't even have sidewalks) or the one regional manager who has an old pick up truck drives them and he has to pick them up as well so if your pool is a 11am-7pm pool they will get there at 7am not get paid for the 4 hours they wait around (outside the pools because half the time American Pools has communicated with them on how to even get in the pool) they wont get paid for.
American Pools pays the foreign guards minimum wage and outrageously overworks them (60 hour work weeks) And sometimes 10 hours in a day, I have witnessed a foreign guard so hungry so he left to get food, there were 3 other guards at the pool at the time. It was storming and the pool was closed, not even being gone for ten mins when he gets back hes almost fired. I know of at least 5 foreign guards getting fired and apparently in the contract it says that if you get fired you wont be paid for the last 2 weeks of their paychecks so each of them lost abou $900 each.
I have been sent to other pools that are so gross I wouldn't ever advise anyone in their right mind to swim in but American Pools keeps them open. I have also had to keep close track of my hours because I have have multiple times where I wasn't paid for certain days I have worked.
Please beware of this man & his awful company, they are crooks.
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