BUYER BEWARE - Especially in the St. Louis area
If this review saves even saves one person from hiring ProBuilt Pool & Patio to install their pool, it will be worth the $ they owe us under their "installation warranty." ProBuilt completed our pool in August 2024 and their contract clearly states a 1-year installation warranty from the date of final invoice. Despite this, when a major leak occurred in Spring 2025, still well within the warranty window, ProBuilt refused to take responsibility.
We paid American Leak Detection to investigate and repair it. Their professional report (with photos) showed a tension break in an elbow joint caused by pool settling--a textbook install-related issue, not a winterization problem. Still, ProBuilt blamed the pool company who opened it, as they have repeatedly blamed others for numerous issues during the install.
We tried to resolve this professionally. We shared the report with both ProBuilt and the pool service company for transparency. ProBuilt's owner, Chris Oswalt, instead became belligerent over email, disparaging us and the other two companies (with more than 30+ years combined experience), then when reported to the BBB, he threatened legal action if I did not remove my complaint, and later denied to the BBB that he even installed our pool!
Here are just a few other problems we faced:
The retaining wall was built wrong, leaving no room for the autocover. It had to be shifted 7" from the edge, and the cover overhung the concrete. Their solution? "Just landscape around it"--later "fixed" with a band-aid dog-eared concrete patch.
Our iron fence gate was damaged during removal, yet ProBuilt blamed the concrete company--despite no one touching the fence afterward.
They pressured us for final payment despite multiple failed city inspections. Then accused us of delaying them payment.
Lastly, they now say our warranty is void because we used another company to service the pool, even though it was proven the pipe break had only to do with the installation.
Our contract says nothing of the sort. The warranty is still in effect, and there is no clause that voids it if another company services the pool. This is a tactic to dodge accountability.
He's even telling us to remove our BBB complaint because it was filed under the wrong business name. We filed under ProBuilt Pool & Patio, Inc., which is what their paperwork uses. When we try to file under their LLC, the site redirects to the Inc. entity. The LLC is now listed as "out of business" on the BBB. Convenient. Yet the same owner runs both entities, uses the same branding, and the contract letterhead matches the Inc. address.
This is not how professionals behave.
We are not making personal attacks--we just want this handled fairly. But instead of resolution, we were threatened for speaking up. If you are in St. Louis or anywhere ProBuilt operates, please do your research, and do not be misled by marketing or the 1 BBB claim as they are guaranteed removed. Their St. Louis location is shown as active on their website but listed as "out of business" on BBB yet there is another pool currently being installed in my municipality.
ProBuilt: Honor your business, warranty, and contracts. At the very least, we expected some semblance of customer service--basic accountability, professionalism, and a willingness to address issues under warranty without resorting to blame or threats. read more