If you’re new to swimming pool ownership in the Scottsdale, Arizona area you may wonder what should you ask a swimming pool service contractor? If you don’t know what a pool service contractor does, it’s difficult to even know what to ask, right? The SwimRight Pool contractors offer five things to ask a swimming pool service pro
When you work with a swimming pool service contractor you’re able to spend your free time swimming, not performing pool maintenance. When free time is at a premium, you need to decide whether you want to clean the pool or swim with your friends and family.
You may need to take on small swimming pool maintenance tasks even if you work with a pool contractor, but those tasks will be minimal and won’t take much of your swim time; it will mainly involve turning the pool pump on and off, perhaps testing the water chemistry and skimming out fallen debris from the water.
What should you ask a swimming pool service contractor?
Here are a few questions to ask a potential pool contractor before you commit to a pool maintenance contract.
- Do you have insurance? Are you licensed? Not all states require pool contractors to be licensed, but if yours does — and you can find this out with a quick Google search – make certain the contractor you’re talking to is in compliance with the rules of the state. You will want to ask for a copy of his current liability insurance policy. Why do you care about his insurance when you have your own homeowner’s insurance? Accidents happen and if the contractor is at fault, his insurance will indemnify you.
- What does your service cost? More importantly — what is included (and what’s excluded) from the service contract. How often will you visit? What tasks will you do when you visit? Will I need to buy chemicals or do you supply them as part of the contract fee? Make sure you ask more than one pool contractor for an estimate then compare them to assure they’re both the same. If they aren’t ask the pool contractor to explain the difference. Do they charge a flat rate? Is it a rate that changes depending on the service they perform on a specific visit? Are there other charges you need to potentially be prepared for? If you need an additional cleaning how much will that cost? What are their after-hours or emergency rates?
- Pay attention to their customer service before you become a customer. When you call, does someone answer the phone? Do they show up on time? If you have an emergency, are you able to quickly get on their schedule? What are their emergency service options?
- How do you feel when they show up on site? Are they professional? Do they dress professionally or are they wearing logo’d clothing? A professional swimming pool service contractor will provide professionally printed estimates and business cards. Do they have a storefront? This doesn’t have to be a deal breaker as many professional pool contractors do operate out of their vehicles, but if you feel better with a contractor who has a storefront, you need to know that about yourself before you hire a contractor.
- Does the contractor provide repairs to equipment or installation of new equipment? If so, do they sell the equipment? do they perform inspections so you can plan for an equipment replacement if necessary?
Take time when you’re hiring a pool contractor. Now is the best time to begin searching for a pool contractor for the 2018 season.
