Hiring Clarkson Pools for our renovation was the single most frustrating and costly mistake of our existing pool remodel. We chose them despite cheaper options, paying nearly $10,000 more because we thought we were buying superior quality and expertise. Instead, we got delays, rework, unresponsiveness, and constant battles just to get what was promised in our contract.
Once the contract was signed and the deposit was made the whole pace and tone of the project began to change. The deposit was paid on December 16, 2024. The contract required work to start within 6 weeks (by Jan 27, 2025). Clarkson didn't begin draining the pool until Feb 10.
The pool was supposed to be plaster-ready within 6 weeks of mobilization (by Mar 21, 2025) and fully complete by Apr 4, 2025. In reality, the pool was not swimmable until the first week of July -- three months late. Deck work dragged on until August 2025.
Clarkson blamed permitting delays, even though only one inspection (the final safety/electrical) was required. In truth, there were weeks of inactivity with no real weather justification.
Almost every major phase of the project had to be redone at least once. Reinforcing dowels were installed without cleaning the drilled holes; I could pull them out with my fingers. The reformed pool beam and waterline tile were both installed incorrectly and had to be ripped out and redone. The new pool drains weren't set square initially. When they finally pressure-tested (months after I began asking), the system failed because pipes hadn't even been glued together. Both drains had to be cut out and replaced, causing further delays.
The resurfaced deck bubbled and cracked almost immediately because existing cracks weren't properly remediated. Low spots caused water to pool. Correcting these issues dragged on until August before it was finally completed.
Our original contact, David Mauney, was chronically unresponsive. As an example, during the week of Feb 17th, I sent him 3 texts, 2 voicemails, and 1 email with no reply until I escalated with a blunt message that weekend. This was not unusual.
His supervisor, Shannon Phifer, avoided direct communication. I left multiple messages that went unanswered until I physically showed up at their office. Only after this visit did I get a return phone call.
Clarkson Pools also attempted to hold the job hostage on more than one occasion. First by refusing to schedule plaster until I paid the full remaining balance, even though the job was incomplete. The second was during the completion of the Punchlist, which included the retexturing of the bubbled and cracked deck. Only after escalating to senior leadership, Judson Clarkson (COO) and Jordan Clarkson (CEO), and negotiating additional partial payments did work resume. Though it should be noted that neither Judson nor Jordan ever formally responded to my emails.
In contrast, Lance, a newly hired but experienced project manager who Clarkson Pools brought in half-way through, was the only person who showed consistent responsiveness. While not perfect, he made a genuine effort to keep things moving despite little support or resources from his own company. The failure of this project rests squarely on Clarkson Pools' leadership and systemic mismanagement -- not on Lance.
Bottom line, while the final product looks good, it is in spite of Clarkson Pools, not because of them. Every step forward required me to catch errors, push for corrections, and escalate to management. As a construction professional, I understand that challenges happen -- but this wasn't bad luck. It was a pattern of poor scheduling, poor quality control, and poor accountability at every level.
We hired Clarkson Pools for their reputation, paid a premium for what we thought was professionalism, and instead endured one of the most painful construction experiences we've ever had.
Future potential customers think very carefully before signing a contract with Clarkson Pools. The polished sales pitch and higher price did not translate to quality or reliability. read more
