My experience with Sunkist Pools was extremely disappointing and ultimately resulted in litigation…read morethat ended with a judgment in my favor.
The problems went far beyond a simple disagreement over the finished product. In my experience, the project was plagued by missed deadlines, repeated delays, days when workers were supposed to show up but did not, poor workmanship, and an unwillingness to correct work that I believed was clearly unacceptable.
### A 60-Day Project Took Approximately Five Months
I was told the project would take approximately 60 days. Instead, it ultimately took about five months to complete.
Throughout that period, there were missed deadlines and occasions when I was told work would be performed on a particular day, only for no one to show up. The repeated delays and uncertainty made an already significant construction project much more frustrating than it needed to be.
### Workmanship Issues
I also had serious concerns about the quality of the finished work.
One of the most significant problems involved a masonry wall. In my opinion, the workmanship was unacceptable. Among the issues I observed were uneven grout lines, misaligned masonry, almost every block was damaged, the wall was not plumb, and a portion of the wall appearing to sit partially off its foundation.
Rather than satisfactorily addressing my concerns and making the work right, I felt I was repeatedly expected to accept workmanship that I considered substandard.
I had similar concerns about tile work. When I pointed out what I considered shoddy workmanship, Al Braun's response to me was:
"That's the way we do it in the desert."
That response summarized much of my frustration with the project. I wasn't asking for perfection; I expected the work I paid for to be performed professionally and for legitimate workmanship concerns to be corrected.
### Demands for More Money
The payment issues were equally concerning.
Despite the fact that I had already paid Sunkist Pools for work that remained incomplete, Al Braun threatened to stop all work on my project unless I paid additional money in advance.
I found it particularly troubling to be pressured for additional advance payments while work I had already paid for remained unfinished and I was still raising concerns about the quality of the work.
### Equipment I Had Already Paid For
I paid over $10,000 in advance for pool equipment. Several weeks later, it had still not been delivered.
Despite Sunkist already having my money for that equipment, when I questioned when my equipment would actually be delivered, Al Braun told me that he decides when my equipment gets delivered.
As a customer who had paid for the equipment weeks earlier, I found that attitude and response unacceptable.
### The Dispute Ended Up in Court
The dispute ultimately resulted in court proceedings, **Case No. CVPS2505486**.
The court entered judgment in my favor, awarded me attorney's fees, and the mechanic's lien against my property was removed.
Prospective customers do not have to rely solely on my description of the legal dispute. I encourage anyone considering Sunkist Pools to look up Case No. CVPS2505486 and review the public court record for themselves.
### My Experience
I hired Sunkist Pools expecting a professionally managed construction project that would take approximately 60 days. Instead, my experience involved a project that stretched to roughly five months, missed deadlines, no-shows, workmanship I considered unacceptable, resistance to correcting that workmanship, demands for additional advance payments while previously paid work remained unfinished, disputes over delivery of equipment I had already paid for, a mechanic's lien, and ultimately litigation.
Based on my experience, I would not hire Sunkist Pools again.
If you are considering this company, I recommend documenting everything, getting all schedules and promises in writing, carefully monitoring payment requests against the work actually completed, inspecting the workmanship closely, and researching the public court record before signing a contract.
