Thomas Boulton did our pool inspection back in November of last year and 7 months later, we are realizing how poorly he inspected the pool. One clear example, I recently went to backwash our sand filter. I go to do it and the valve isn't even connected to the plunger that switches it from filter to backwash. And not only that, but the plunger has been jammed too far in to reconnect it to the valve arm and is completely stuck. I've spent the last two days trying to free it and still have not been able to. If I'm not successful in getting this plunger out, it's likely I will need to replace the entire backwash section which is at least $200 just for parts, probably at least $400 when labor is considered. The whole point of an inspection is to identify problems like this so that I can either be prepared to get it fixed, or fight for the prior owner to have it fixed. Looking at the pool inspection, the backwash valve was marked "A" meaning Acceptable, or "functional with no obvious signs of defect. This is a pretty evident sign of defect especially if he would have taken the time to switch the valve from filter to backwash, as you should to check functionality. I know these inspections are pretty surface level, but if you can switch the filter/pump on to check functionality, you should be doing the same for the backwash function.
How do I know this was misrepresented on the inspection report by Thomas Boulton? Because my husband and I didn't even know what backwashing a sand filter was up until yesterday. Hell, we didn't even know that we had a sand filter that was capable of being backwashed up until yesterday! That's how little I know about pools and how much I've figured out this weekend alone. This is gross negligence from a business that claims to be a pool service and conducts pool inspections for home buyers. I don't know how these inspectors are selected, but I will be reporting this the the BBB as well as my real estate agent as a heads up that they should NOT be utilizing this company for their home inspections. Insane. I was going to reach out to the company prior to posting this review, however it's not even worth it. One, they will find any way to avoid claiming their negligence, and two, they wouldn't do anything for me and even if they did offer to I wouldn't accept.
Avoid this company. read more