Duke built the most amazing custom built pool you can imagine he did the change orders that I requested so that we could have the vision that this location required. I can't imagine working with any other contractor and look forward to our next pool build on HI! read more

I was building a Owner Builder Pool. I was using Lost Dutchman pools & Spas or they also go by Flying Dutchman Pools. They were recommended. I regret now. From the beginning he Knew it was Owner Builder. I was going to used him for the first two parts. Part #1 plans, permits, and Engineering and part #2 Custom excavation. I made the mistake and pay him $2400.00 for the first part. We wanted $6800.00 on the spot for the second part the first days of excavation. When I told him NO, he decided to terminated the first part and just gave me what he had. Which it was the Engineering and took $1600.00. He return only $800.00. I will be reporting him to the CA contractors Licensing Board. I was working with Paul which I believed his using Lost Dutchman Pools & Spas license. Be aware. I'm still investigating before I reported him with his insurance company Navigators Insurance Company. Don't use him and if you do make sure you only pay 10% to begin the work. read more

Lost Dutchman Pools & Spas - Pool Cleaners Near Me - Lakeside, California

What a shameful experience we had with this, what then seemed to be, very nice man....In April, we tried to refinish our swimming pool and needed to do work on a pump as well as repouring concrete after moving the pump. Duke seemed to have it all nailed and confidentiality explained that this wouldn't be an issue as he has done it multiple times. I reiterated that I found him on yelp and I would leave a good review if he did a good job....little I knew about this man's work ethic. He was dragging with the job, showing up for a hour, unprepared.... leave while saying he would come back and he wouldn't show up. He was like that for 5 weeks. He moved the pump with poor engineering (bad access to open the filter etc) so my husband had to draw it to him and Duke had rework. Then he poured the concrete badly as it had low spots and wasn't leveled. My husband told him it was unacceptable, so the guy instead of breaking it and repouring, he poured more concrete on the top of it which cracked. This was unacceptable as well. When my husband took a picture with a level and showed him hollow spots via phone we got the attached text message (supposedly from Dukes wife). At first we didn't know what to think of it as we don't believe people would be joking about heart attack....but little we knew. I asked my friend the next day to call his number and ask about services and Duke picked up the phone with his friendly and enthusiastic pitch.....this is when we decided to respond to his text (in attachment). Its a shame he walked off the job....oh...and we had more problems because of his poor coordination with contractors and resurfacing of the pool, but that would be too much to write. This guy is nice and sweet with BAD underlying form or desire to provide good customer service so FORGET ABOUT HIM. One thing I will add that he practically walked off the job he was contracted to do probably because he couldn't handle it and should have simply correct it by hiring someone else as he proved not to have experience. In CA contractor can loose his license for walking off the job site, but I didn't report him to the licensing board. It was a disappointing experience considering he seemed to be such a nice man. read more

Lost Dutchman Pools & Spas - Pool Cleaners Near Me - Lakeside, California

We honestly gave Duke every opportunity to take our pool problems seriously (8 months). Duke seems very friendly and personable, and I think that is why we let our pain go on for so long. He sounded competent, but when DE started leaking back into the pool after the daily pump run shut off starting in late January, it didn't get fixed until early June when we called in a second company for a second opinion. Yes, per my request, Duke finally installed a check valve (may 30) in the inlet to the filter to prevent DE backwash, but that was just a band-aid for a long-standing air leak in the system (pressure running at only 2 psi and air bubbles in the pool return). RTV was everywhere on the plumbing joints, and what should have happened is all gaskets changed, removal of the RTV and permanent repair to the inlet to the pump. The new company diagnosed the problem in 5 minutes and had it repaired within the week. Now the filter runs quietly at 12 psi and It's a wonder the pump never burned/seized up under Duke's care. The other problem we had is no show appointments for repair and never a phone call to explain or reschedule. My poor dog had been locked up in anticipation of these appointed visits because I didn't want him getting in the way or into the DE dust (Duke had promised for several weeks to change the DE grid to troubleshoot the DE leak). The weekly maintenance at times consisted of leaf skimming and chemicals, while the DE sat on the pool floor for another week, and then another. I should not have had to request a vacuum. The pool was unusable for 5 months, and with each promise to make a repair or "try something," it waited until his regular weekly maintenance day unless I prodded him to come sooner, in which case usually ended up in a no-show anyway. It also took from Oct.-April before the the landlady's pool crawler vacuum/replacement showed back up after Duke had it "in the shop" for that long, "awaiting parts." I read these other reviews and it appears that homeowners might get better treatment, which I hope isn't the case. Just because we are renting the house does not mean our pool is a lower priority. I do need to add that on the day he was told his services were no longer needed, he went into the back yard before the padlock was changed and retrieved the automatic pool vacuum without announcing his presence or discussing the ownership status of the vacuum. Now after using another company for three weeks who repaired the air leaks to the system and has our pool sparking clean, I realized I should have seen the warning signs far earlier with Duke. I feel taken advantage of for giving him the benefit of a doubt time and time again and bending over backwards and waiting for months for the pool to be usable. Also, readers can check current license status at https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/checklicense.aspx. Search for "Lost Dutchman Pools" read more

Lost Dutchman Pools & Spas - Maintenance day is Friday. This was taken on a Monday, Jan. 23... and the pool looked like this for months.. - Pool Cleaners Near Me - Lakeside, California

Duke provides a great service and goes the extra mile to make sure that everything is working just right. We had some problems with our pool vacuum which he was able to take care of. By far the best Pool Service we have ever used, dependable, thorough and professional. We highly recommend his services to all Pool and Spa owners in the San Diego area. read more

Lost Dutchman Pools & Spas - Pool Cleaners Near Me - Lakeside, California

Duke was unable to maintain our pool. He had only worked for us for about two months before our pool turned green. Unfortunately this coincided with our 4th of July party. Although we called him several days before hand, our pool was still green on the day of the party. I took a sample of our pool water to Leslie's pool supplies. They tested the water and told me how to fix it. I had it fixed in two days. Once Duke began to maintain the pool, the water turned green again. I had another party planned at the end of July and called him 5 days in advance to fix the green in the pool. Not only was he unable to fix it, but complained about how much money he had spent trying to get the green out. He then proceeded to tell me that our pool was not worth his time and quit. I have attached a picture of the pool the way he left it. Notice the goggles and toys at the bottom of the pool. His cleaning and maintenance does not include removal of those items. We had to manually take those out ourselves. I have hired a new pool service that knew what the problem was immediately. read more

Lost Dutchman Pools & Spas - Algae in pool that Duke was unable to remove. - Pool Cleaners Near Me - Lakeside, California

Wow is all I can say! Pool is always a mess and I am always calling to fix. Has damaged the equipment and was it would be fixed Months ago. I was told tonight it the busy season why don't I find someone else. Too much. Is there a 0 stars? Now I have to pay for damage done. Lawsuit over pool service unreal! read more

We are having a fiberglass pool installed and everything has been wonderful . Paul and duke are great guys and the crew has worked hard to makes us happy . I like that they clean up at the end of each day leaving things as tidy as possible . So far we are happy with most everything and it's turning out to be beautiful! read more

We had major pool problems (green, vacuum/pump issues) that three service companies told me would be costly to fix. Duke came and figured out lower-cost, effective solutions and also went above and beyond in helping me get the pool running again. Highly recommended! read more

I was at a loss having not serviced the pool in a few months. I looked on yelp and saw the Dutchman's reviews and found out he was EC so I called and he was out the same day to diagnose my swampy pool. He said he could have the pool up and running in 3-8 days depending on how long it took for the chemicals to clear up the pool. He was very nice and funny about it (amid my embarrassment about my pool science experiment in grime!) and even introduced himself to the family pets checkin him out. He came out Monday, it's Wednesday and it already looks 100x better! I took pics but I'm too horrified to show you! The price quote was very reasonable and is a little cheaper than my last pool company! THANKS DUKE THE DUTCHMAN! read more

Very professional service. Duke was on time, charged me exactly the quote given over the phone. Found my pools problem, little rocks had gotten trapped from construction. Fixed problem and my pool looks great. Wish I called him first. I was sold a new motor, $350. told it was a leak in line. Paid to have line cleared $100. Bought a new vacuum $250. Finally a honest company. $75 charge and my pool looks great! read more

We've been using Duke for a while now and couldn't be happier. We have a 20,000 gallon in ground plaster pool / spa that has been in need of some serious attention. Duke has gone above and beyond tackling the many problems we have had including an impressive black algae monster. He is currently replacing our pool pump with a variable speed pump which will save us money, and replacing our broken filter with a higher end one. I can't speak for everyone, but at least for us he has been awesome. We highly recommend you give him a call. Plus our two huskys love him more than they do us... read more

It was so hard to get a pool contractor. I found Duke and I give him perfect marks for his competitive prices, work ethic, workmanship and his communication. He removed and replaced an inline chlorinator and acid washed my filter in a prompt manner. He also fixed my heater where others wouldn't because of location where I live, age of heater and evidence of rodents. Thanks Duke and looking forward to my next project of blower installation. I should add that Duke is welcome to offer pool advice from his years of experience in pool construction and pool maintenance. read more

Duke started a job to replace our solar panels over a month ago. He just came by today and abandoned this job. Took the pannels that he had installed and were leaking down my roof and the back side of my house and gave me back my money. I insisted on cash because of the trust that was broken in this job. Said this job was too much for him. Now I have a non-working pool and I am scrambling to find a contractor to clean up his mess. I will be reporting this to the CA Contractors Licensing Board, if he even has a License. He is a nice guy, but ened up being very unprofessional and really screwed me over. Do not use him and if you do, be warned. What a headache!!! read more

Our new pool was completed in November 2008. Duke has been taking care of our pool since day one. He is very dependable and does a great job of keeping everything running correctly. Our pools is always sparkling clean. read more

***DO NOT USE!!!*** ***DO NOT USE!!!*** Hired this company to clean my pool on 7/8/2011 in the aftermath of the sandstorm. They didnt get the pool cleaned, they broke my pool pump, and then told me it was my fault and they wouldnt fix it. Now I am looking at $600 in repairs and a dirty pool. Small claims here we go, yay! ***DO NOT USE!!!*** ***DO NOT USE!!!*** read more

Duke is the man! He has provided us excellent service. We got the pool retiled and re-finished and he busted his tail to make sure it was done in time for a big party we were having. Our pool is always clean and we couldn't be happier with the service and price. Highly recommend. read more

Duke is a great pool contractor. Super nice, super polite. He fixed and re-tiled our lap pool. All the guys that worked for him were very good and nice. I highly recommend him. Kudos duke. read more

Duke is AMAZING!! I thought my pool could not be saved, but he did it and for the price in town! If you need a great, friendly, and honest man to care for pool call Duke! read more

Duke is GREAT. Last summer our pool was green, cloudy and we were unable to use it most of the time. We tried everything to get our chemicals right and could never figure it out. Duke saved our pool. Within 1 week the pool was clear and beautiful and we could swim again!!! I highly recommend Duke, he is timely and super cost efficient. read more

Great service! Lost Dutchman Pools & Spas is very knowledgeable and customer service friendly. He saved me so much money. Any questions or concerns he actually returns all call promptly and personally arrive on scene the very next day to evaluate the situation. He keeps month to month running status sheet. He is truly a friend of the family. We are happy to use your services Lost Dutchman Pool & Spas! read more

Good service and professional always fixes problems and takes care of pool. pool looks great and ready to enjoy. read more

Duke goes out of his way to make sure my pool is clean, sparkles and that the equipment is always working properly.

This is an update to my last review. I gave him a 5 star review last time which I definitely regret. I recently hired the lost Dutchman a.k.a Duke to install a new pool filter. It was supposed to be done on a Tuesday. After several no-shows and empty promises that he would come later that day (in which he never did) then he promised to come the next day (also which he never did). Then Thursday he was a no show when I called he didn't answer so I had my husband call. His excuse was he was in a minor car accident. Finally on Friday, he was again supposed to come but said he was late because he was stuck in traffic. 2 hours later and still a no show, I called him and he said he was still in traffic? This guy is something else. He is so unreliable it's a miracle if he can keep any customers at all. read more

We bought a new house and has a pool in it. Duke has been doing it senice we got our new hous senice April 1st and now its July so 2month and he has missed alot of appt and not called to re sch. I would have to call him day or two after. He always says sorry I forgot! Well its fifth or six time. Doesnt work the best part of it all the 4th of july we have a pool party missed his appt again and on vac without letting me know and my Pool has yellow all over the wall. and stuff all over it. VERY Disapointed. read more

I have had service for my vinyl pool for about 2 years now. I find Duke is very professional, prices are very reasonable and if you ever do have a problem, Duke stays on the problem and I guarantee that he will resolve it. I know this for a fact! I give this company 5 stars and I highly recommend. read more

Duke has been servicing my pool for eight months and does a great job.He is very knowledgeable in all aspects of pool maintenance and repair and understands saline pools,which my previous pool service did not.Very reliable, professional and pleasant to deal with.Highly recommended. read more

I highly recommend Lost Dutchman Pools for service and repairs. Duke provides excellent service, he promptly returns calls and answers any questions without delay - in other words, he does whatever it takes to resolve any issues/repairs. Duke is always courteous and professional. I appreciate the fact that he is attentive to owning a service-oriented business and actually services his customers. read more

I recently obtained a rental property in Santee, CA. The pool was in bad shape and after contacting several pool companies we came across Duke and Ziggy at Lost Dutchman. They have cleaned up the pool and my tenants are very happy with it. I would highly recommend them to everyone!! I live in another state it is nice to know things are taken care of without me having to be around. read more

Showed up at my house unannounced and then sent an invoice to AHS and now I'm getting a bill for $75 for you to stand at my door and do nothing. You've got to be crazy to think you're going to get anything from them or myself for doing this. A phone call, actually getting in touch with someone, is what a decent company does. If you don't get a hold of someone you don't have the right to just show up at their house. read more

I had hired Duke to remove an older existing pool that I had in my house,and build a new pool, which he had assured me that he was capable of the job with the help of his partner Paul maple. These Duke and Paul came across as honest people, with good work ethics. In the first three weeks of the job everything appeared to be going fine. After collecting the first payment and they were working according to the plans. When it first phase was done the issues started during the 2nd phase of the job,my husband made the second payment according to our agreement with Paul and Duke, it's when your knee deep is when Paul uses his over charges tactics. When you complain about the overcharges is when they start sitting on their feet. Once we started questioning about the extra charges, Paul maple had every excuse in the book to cover the lies that he had came up with. So I immediately called Duke thinking that he would be a reasonable man, at first he would answer my calls and pretend that he's trying to solve the problem. After a while he stopped returning my calls. I was frustrated with the way he had handled everything. My husband and I had decided to hire a different company to finish the job. At this point I needed my permit back from them. I left Duke several messages so I can get my permit for the project, of course he stop answering my calls, and they both did not want to give the permit back until we threatened with a lawsuit. We were able to get our permit back and we had hired a different company to finish the job. These two guys are unethical and I hope no one hires them. If you do, be prepared to hire an attorney to sue them. read more