SUMMARY: I was scheduled for an early, first-of-day service appointment; roughly 9:30AM. I called…read moreat 10:45 and 11:30; got an AI robot. No callback. At 2PM I called and connected w/Svc manager and let him know how terrible they'd been. Canceled the appointment, saying "If I want to be mistreated, get no technician and no callbacks, I'll call *you*."
DETAILS: I've used Lake Norman Pool & Spa for service numerous times over the years. They haven't been perfect, but we were always able to correct and followup. This time was different. They're on their 3rd Service Mgr since we started with them, and frankly he's not great. Further, they're now using an AI agent/robot to handle calls. You *rarely* get a human. It's frustrating because she ("Sara") asks for every bit of info every time you call: phone, address, business/residential, and more. Then you get to speak your issue and hope she'll get it. VERY inhuman. Each time, she assured me a tech would call back with arrival time for my service call. Nope. For a first-of-day 9:30 appointment, I called at 10:45 (robot Sara), 11:30 (robot Sara), and then at 2PM to just cancel the appointment. I'd waited all morning, planned my errands for the afternoon, and wasn't going to waste an ENTIRE day for this nonsense.
Luckily, I got the Svc Manager on my 2PM call, whose first response to me was a chuckle and, "Yeah, well Mondays are crazy." WHAT?! Like I'd brush it off and we'd share a laugh??!! I've talked with this guy in the past, and the vibe I get from him each time is casual, laid back, whatever. He needs to be on point, have answers, and exhibit good customer service. I told him how he'd wasted my day, how the AI agent 'Sara' had been a failure, and to cancel my appointment. I ended the call with, "If I want to be mistreated, waste a day, get no technician and no callbacks, I'll call *you*" and hung up. Honestly, I'd rather get voicemail and a human callback, or even just let it ring, than this half-baked attempt at cutting the workforce by using an inhuman AI agent. Lake Norman Pool & Spa is either understaffed, overbooked, or both, so beware.
I give them 2 stars overall (credit for past performance), but ZERO stars for this encounter. Be better, guys.