Absolute Disaster: Avoid Sportsurfaces.com at All Costs (Rating: 0/5)…read more
If I could give zero stars, I would. My experience with Sportsurfaces.com has been a catastrophic failure defined by incompetence, bait-and-switch tactics, and sheer negligence toward my property. I wish I could get back the past two years I have been dealing with this self-proclaimed "Florida's #1 Sports Construction Contractor". The only positive note in this entire ordeal was the initial sales staff--once the contract was signed, the entire process became a nightmare.
The Void of Communication and Incompetence
The operational leadership, specifically Maria Terentieve (maria@sportsurfaces.com) and Paul Gold (pgold@sportsurfaces.com), proved to be completely uncommunicative and utterly incompetent. When the surface started blistering within 24 hours, Maria dismissed the catastrophic failure, claiming the bubbles were "normal" and would "go away in a few weeks." She vaguely promised they would "be back in the spring" to fix it if the problem persisted. Aside from this single, dismissive interaction, attempts to get status updates, clarify installation issues, or address scheduling changes were met with radio silence. We were lucky to get a response once out of every four or five emails, and we are still no further along with a resolution.
Installation Failure and Material Deception
The installation crew itself was fundamentally lacking in basic competence. During the first attempt at the court surface installation, the crew forgot the required cushioning layer entirely. This critical oversight highlights a massive failure in process and supervision.
When they finally returned two weeks later, they executed a cynical bait-and-switch most likely just grabbing what they had in their warehouse. The final acrylic surface installed was a cheaper, inferior solution--not the high-grade, cushioned material that the sales representative had explicitly promised which would be "the same as what they used at the Davis Cup" and that I paid for. Just to make matters worse, they trapped moisture under the surface by pressure washing the surface but not sealing any of the expansion joints and blew it dry only waiting 45 minutes in the shade before applying the cushioning. The extreme poor quality was immediately apparent, as the surface began to blister severely within 24 hours of completion.
The Final Insult: Fast forward to the following spring. After providing pictures and videos clearly documenting the ongoing surface failure, Maria and Paul's team had the audacity to deny the warranty claim and present me with a new, astronomical quote for $16,000 to "fix" their incompetence. Comically, they claimed this new quote was for a "far superior solution" that wasn't covered by the warranty--a solution that is, in fact, the cushioning solution the sales rep promised originally. To compound the unprofessionalism, the quote even required me to rent my own dumpster for their failed job.
Adding insult to injury, after presenting the $16,000 quote, Maria began offering contradictory and shifting explanations for the surface failure. Her latest excuse was that the moisture barrier had failed, suggesting a pre-existing condition, even though their shoddy installation trapped the moisture. To verify this, they promised to send out an independent third party to test the court's moisture level. True to form, this was another bait-and-switch: they sent their own staff, who only tested half the court, and we have never received the results of this testing. This pattern of obfuscation, non-response, and avoiding accountability is indefensible. This fraudulent use of cheaper materials and catastrophic workmanship is unacceptable.
Disregard for Private Property
Beyond the failed court installation, the installers showed a stunning lack of respect for my property, causing significant, documented damage.
Front Yard Destruction: The crew repeatedly drove their truck over my front yard, treating it like a construction dump, resulting in tire ruts and broken ground.
Damaged Sprinkler System: During their cavalier driving, they broke multiple sprinkler lines, leaving me with immediate repairs and future water damage concerns.
Paint Spillage: They left a large, unsightly spill of surface paint on my driveway, which is now permanently stained.
Environmental Negligence: In a truly baffling act of disregard, the installers chose the middle of my lawn to clean their paint barrels and equipment. The chemical runoff from this cleanup has killed a massive patch of grass, leaving a permanent, dead scar on my property.
Conclusion: Sportsurfaces.com provided poor workmanship, used fraudulent materials, and negligently damaged my home. My court is ruined, my lawn is scarred, and I am left thousands of dollars out of pocket. Save yourself the headache, the money and the property damage - find a genuinely professional contractor and avoid Maria, Paul Gold and SportSurfaces.com.
