Initially we really liked Gil, but as we got to know how this company operates, our minds changed. First, I want you to look at every photo on his google business page- what do you see? An owner supplied permanent pool vacuum, in every pool. The three things that a pool company does as part of weekly service is 1) check the water/chemical levels and adjust, 2) brush the waterline tile so it does not develop calcium or permanent stains, and 3) vacuum the pool. Gil wants his people in and out in under 10 minutes. At $150 +/- per month for 4x per month service, thats almost $40/hour; thats a great rate for him. If he has to brush the tile, it could take an extra 10 minutes. If he has to vacuum the pool, that could take an extra 20. So his profit goes down. He will force you to use your own vacuum, that runs all the time. Its ugly, its inconvenient, and it gets in the way. So now you're paying $150 per month for him to check the chemical levels? This is a waste of money- find a guy who will guarantee that he will take care of your pool correctly.
After we repeatedly asked Gil to do the job we hired him for (brush, vacuum, and check) every week then he started to lean into the fact that our home will be operating as a bed & breakfast in the future. And that we will have guests in the future. So, despite that nobody is at the house and nobody uses the pool (yes, we still want it to be clean and look nice), he decides he now needs to switch from $150 per month to $450 per month for "commercial" service. Which does include vacuuming and brushing the tile, not just checking the water- yet when hiring him for residential service he said those things we included. Unfortunately, profit is the only important thing to Gil and if you are not willing to have a permanent vacuum floating around inside your pool, then you will need to look somewhere else, and you should. read more