So after originally being upset with the original outcome, I was able to connect with the owner who was outstanding and we came to an agreement. He handled this professionally, polite and we will again do business with them. Thank you Rick... Chris Original post.... We had always had a good experience with this group. Bought 2 hot tubs, a massage chair, pool and a fuse-ball table and multiple other games/stuff... spending thousands of dollars over the past 10 years. Last night I called looking for a replacement hot tub cover which they had in stock and could ship. All I had to do was put down "whatever"deposit I wanted and come into the store and settle the balance... then they would ship it. I explained we lived about 40 mins away and wanted to pay the full fee (about $550) over the phone. The ordinal guy (Alex) was very pleasant to deal with and I explained not really wanting to drive an hour and a half just to settle the bill (when he said I could pay $300-400 now and the balance when I come in) and would prefer to pay in full over the phone. He said he would need his managers approval. No problem, please put him on the phone I said. Basically that was a waste of time, the manager, who got on the phone by saying "how can I help you", came on with an attitude. I said "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name". He said responded xxx (can't remember as I really wasn't impressed at all". I tried to explain as a long time customer who's spend lots of dollars there, that I would really appreciate his "approval to allow full payment over the phone". He said "absolutely not", didn't care what sort of customer we had been and was willing to have a good customer walk away. So I said that's "unfortunate and you've now lost a sale". I can't believe that is there hard policy when they were willing to take $100-400 down as a deposit. Not sure why having someone personally come in to pay a small balance matters. Again, look at the amount we have already spent with you if you are concerned I was a fake/fraudulent caller. You had my purchase history on your screen. Not sure I will go back, but more hoping the owners or corporate leaders see this and consider more flexibly when dealing with good customers and your payment policies. Sad to think you lost a $550 sale because you couldn't be flexible. Chris B. Ps... thank you Rick for reaching out. I would love to connect. When is a good time to chat. Not sure how to reply to your reply on here. read more

Excellent place to get high quality outdoor furniture -- Nothing here is flimsy. The staff is pleasant and will help you with questions about your pool and spa. You can get chlorine and shock for your pool along with picking out a new Saber grill. (Saber grills are the best!) There is also an extensive hot tub and billiard section for that family cave. read more

The Great Escape - Outdoor sectional - Hot Tub & Pool Near Me - Merrillville, Indiana

nothing but issues, no support. Replaced our 25 yr old pool last year and had it installed with their contracto/installers, immediately we noticed 2 round spots were the liner shriveled and was rough. Sent photos they immediately responded that it was chlorine tablet damage and installer confirmed, even though told them we do not put tablets and would not even come look at it and wouldnt respond after I asked if someone could look at it. Opened the pool this year and it is leaking around the main drain and sand has sunken in around the drain and the 2 spots. one year old and now have to spend 2,500 to replace the liner, if I could give then 0 stars I would, no interest in any customer service, once you pay they are done with you. Beware and go elsewhere, if you have an issue they have no interest in you anymore as they already took your money. Update: Rick responded and blamed the main drain leak on a cracked pipe, of course it's leaking around the outside of installation not the direction of the pipe and not from the pipe and the 2 spots have now sunken into the ground, how is that from chemicals on top as he says? Just excuses and never bothered to ask or look at the issue. read more

Purchased patio furniture 2 years ago. Everything is falling apart. Sent in photos of all pieces. Service department said manufactur only has a one year warranty. Apparently The Great Escape doesn't stand behind the garbage they sell. I've spent thousands over the years, but no more. I was told the manufacture no longer makes this furniture set. I wonder why. Will not be going back there ever. read more

The service Department is a joke Starting with service Manger Linden and the tech guy Mike . I have new hot tub they came out to find a leak three times to figure it out . the hot tube under warranty, they charge me 100$for service call . then he said i have frozen pipe which is not under the warranty. They charge me 200.00$ .He tore up the foam to get to the pipe ,after he fixed it ,he said he will be back to put the foam, he wants to make sure there is no leak . I received call from him a month later to inform me I will be charged if he comes to spray the foam . Remind you he took the foam , and he said he will be back to spray the foam . They are Con artist and terrible costumer Service . avoid them . use third party if you can read more

2022 update. The installation company, Pro Pools and Billiards, was contracted by Great Escape, has an interesting article in the NWI times. Terrible experience years ago so I am pretty sure nothing has changed. You can google Pro Pools & Billiards and Northwest Indiana Times and read the article for yourself. Horrible experience years ago and it looks like nothing has changed. Make sure to do your research and purchase a pool from another company. Great Escape will not help when the contractor is terrible. Have a great day! read more

NOT A GREAT ESCAPE TODAY FOR THIS UN-VALUED CUSTOMER!!!! Cashier was rude beyond belief- But it was the manager's dismissal of my complaint that BLEW MY MIND!!!!! What happened? I needed hot tub chemicals and a quote for a pool for my new house. I started unloading my cart- I had 5 or 6 items. I sat one on the counter, Nasty Cashier girl: "Is that all?"ABRUPTLY Me: I set my second item on there reaching for the next. Nasty Cashier girl: "Is that all?"NOW RUDELY (SERIOUSLY? What's the attitude? I haven't had a second to say a word yet???) I continue to unload my cart. I told her that I needed to speak to someone about having a pool installed. Nasty cashier girl: "We don't install pools. You'll need an outside contractor". (I guess I used the wrong word, I needed to buy one then have it installed- geezzz). I am now angry, I can't believe how she was speaking to me... I'm at a freaking pool store to buy chemicals and a pool. What's the problem? She gave me my total for my chemicals, I slid my card in the machine and I looked at the cashier next to her. I asked her "Do you not sell pools anymore?" She said "I'll get you a sales person." (Nicely) Nasty Cashier girl: "Remove your card! You hit a wrong button!" I hadn't even touched the thing... I think it timed out when I asked the other girl about a pool. I removed my card and in a low tone, just to nasty Cashier girl I asked "Are you rude to all your customers?" She didn't respond, just DEMANDED that I put my card back in. I repeated my question, "Are you this rude to all your customers?" GIRL: "PUT YOUR CARD IN!!!" I grabbed my stuff off the counter and went to the next register. The manager came out. I was shaking I was so mad!!! Me: "That girl was so rude to me!!!" Manager: "I've never had a complaint before, she's been her 5-6 years." HE COMPLETELY DISMISSED ME- DIDN'T ASK ME WHAT HAPPENED- DIDN'T CARE THAT I WAS OFFENDED BY HER ACTIONS- DIDN'T CARE THAT I WALKED OUT WITHOUT AN ESTIMATE FOR A POOL!!! (BTW: if that girls been there 5-6 years she must have been 12 when they hired her- lol) The follow up phone call I made to him- I told him that I was the angry customer that was in the store- I informed him what happened (because he didn't care to ask while I was at the store). I told him that I had been a customer for decades- 2 pools- a hot tub and countless $$$ on liners, ladders, furniture, toys and chemicals!!! He defended his own actions and his dismissal of my complaint!!! Not until toward the end of the call did he even say "That was not appropriate, if it happened like that". He was condescending and dismissive and completely disrespectful!!!! I have A.S. Coming tomorrow for a quote- I will simply find another store to get another quote. GREAT ESCAPE MUST NOT CARE WHERE I SPEND MY HARD EARNED MONEY- BUT I DO!!!! read more

DO NOT BUY YOUR POOL FROM THIS PLACE. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. If there were negative stars I could rate them properly. 1. You cannot even get through to anyone when you try to call in. Phones off or they won't call you back. 2. If you do decide to waste your time getting through ..and get to someone..they are clearly teenagers who could care less about you or helping you. 3. There is also Rick, the "manager", who you can speak to. Once you get to him, he will give you some bullshit excuse of why his employees are terrible at their job and unable to help you with your needs. He then will threaten to cancel your order. (After months of planning for a pool) because he can, and knows you aren't going to get one sooner anywhere else. He cares about as much as his teenage entourage. Thanks Rick! You were a great actor when you initially sold us the pool They are a great escape from customer service. read more

Went in today to look for some pool supplies and look at saunas. Not 1 person greeted us when we walked in. The first couple salesmen were busy assisting other customers, so we proceeded to look around. 15 minutes went by of us browsing, we seen 5 more employees....5....sitting around on their phones. Not one person asked if we needed anything. I don't mind asking employees, but when you're sitting and standing around all the patio furniture playing on your phones you obviously don't want to be bothered. We left and went to American Sales. Great experience, lots of help! read more

I recently purchased a pool from great escape Merrillville Indiana and really disappointed with the customer service. During the installation process, we had a few issues. After calling the manager at this location and attempting to explain our issues, he told my husband and I that it was not his problem and fuck my pool and sewer line that had been damaged. watch out for this company. They will take your money fast and degrade you when you have any concerns especially if you are African American. Be careful. read more

The Spa showed up on time. The delivery crew was professional and fast. They put it right where I wanted it. Overall great experience. Thank you. read more

Awful customer service. If you think trying to get help there is hard before you've actually bought anything, wait until you need help after the purchase. Bought an above ground pool from here and everything was fine until we had to install the ladder that came with the pool. Was given the wrong hardware assembly TWICE. Now, that the season is over and we've closed the pool, guess what. Theres a hole in the liner, exactly where the ladder was. Similar to the other reviews, they offered 0 help or assistance now that our pool has lost half its water. Would absolutely not recommend this place to anyone. read more

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY. I was lied to flat out by the salesman. Within 2 hours of receiving my chair I was on the phone trying to figure out the adjustments he told me it had. After realizing it was not adjustable in the way he had told me I said I wanted to return it and they told me it would be a 700 return fee. This company has 33 complaints at the better business bureau for similar reasons do not purchase anything from them read more

This was a super ridiculous experience. I am upset because they took advantage of me as a senior. The tech that was supposed to be from the great escape who came out didn't measure my yard right or give the proper assistance. I spent an extra amount of money to make sure the pool I wanted was able to be installed properly, but they made me wait for months to make the install and the measurements for the pool that they did still wasn't right so they made me down size because they claimed that it wouldn't fit then the the second crew came out to install again and they told me the measurements still weren't right. I am disappointed in the unprofessionalism and incompetence that these experts at the great escape pretend to be. I will never do business with these dummies/idiots again. read more

My dad ordered a hot tub, service in the store was amazing. Delivery, not so good. They broke a part on the bottom on delivery, he waited months for it to come in. Guy was supposed to fix last Friday, he comes, doesn't have the right tool for the job. Doesn't care attitude. Now scheduled for the 20th. Wow. Talks to a supervisor, he could care less. They got their money. So now he has to be out of his hot tub for a month for a part they broke and won't fix anytime soon. My husband and I were going to buy a hot tub, but not from this company, customer service is a joke. read more

I would not recommend this store. First off the second you walk in, the vibe is very underwhelming. You can tell this store won't last long (consider warranty issues for anything you purchase). I purchased a pool table 6 months ago and just noticed that the felt is already starting to bubble and come loose. I called my sales guy Mike, and he was zero help. All he stated was to contact service department. No sympathizing, no effort, just pass the buck immediately. When I got in contact with service they said I was out of my 90 day warranty so they could not help. For the amount of money I spent this is ridiculous. It's obvious that the felt was installed incorrectly, I've had pool tables all of my life and never had this issue. That's not the only issue I've had, just the most recent one. When I first purchased the table 6 months ago the delivery process was awful as well. I was told it would be delivered in a certain timeframe. When that time frame was up and I received no updates I called the store for status and they said "oh we actually have it ready for delivery. We'll call you tomorrow to schedule". Of course, no call. When I finally got a date scheduled I took the day off work and turns out the delivery crew was a no show. I was so mad at this point that I showed up the store to discuss. They offered me a pool cue as consolation. After looking through racks and racks of curved and broken cues I finally found a decent one. But here we are, I have a damaged table and have to front the bill. TL:DR Service is awful, they work only to make a sale Quality is subpar This store will definitely be closing in the near future DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE There are plenty of other places that will work to make the customer happy, this is not one of those places. PS - I work in sales, I know things go wrong all the time. What makes the difference is the follow up service. I am in the market for all kinds of things...outdoor furniture, more game tables, maybe even a pool. If TGE would have treated me as a priority I would buy all of this stuff from them, no question. I am a loyal customer to companies that are loyal to me. read more

The Great Escape in Merrillville, IN. Not sure where I should start... Well I guess from the end. I had a terrible and traumatic customer experience with a sales agent (BC2JOV TW SLS #866). I purchased my pool in 2008 from you 'The Great Escape' and I have always purchased all my pool products from you. I returned a pool liner and your sales agent insisted that he sold me the one I asked for... I have an oval pool NOT round. But your sales agent was very argumentative that I asked for a round pool liner, when I asked for an oval. It's still boggles my mind when I think about it! He pretty much said 'you don't know your shapes'. All I was looking for was acceptance! Acceptance - from your sales agent that he sold me the wrong liner. Acceptance - that he did not confirm the item with the buyer before purchase. Acceptance - from your Great Escape sales agent that maybe, even in the slightest, he was wrong and the customer was right! But no I didn't get acceptance or an apology from your Great Escape sales agent. Instead I got a pissed off, aggressive guy in my face. That's what I got and that's what I am now. You, 'The Great Escape' have forced me to purchase all my products elsewhere. You will no longer be my great escape. read more

If I could take back the 12,000.00 I spent with this place I would. Horrible customer service. Last time my money pays their staff salary.

Had a bad experiences with installer pro pool in Hobart my pool put up bad not on deck that I pay for they took my parts to my pool and they broke my plastic peeler and there rock under my liner great escape treat me like I was complaining about nothing the manager wouldn't call back left message to call to ask questions about installer coming decide to look in to a lawyer to helps us read more

I went to the main service desk asking about spa tub maintenance, staff member directed me to man at another desk. I approached him, asked him my questions. He just said he couldn't help me and sent me to the back where spa chemicals were. Saying someone in back would help me. I waited, as I stood there two other customers (white) showed up. They were approached right away. I was still waiting and a third customer showed up, they were approached by staff also, right away. Now, they didn't say they needed help, they just stood there just like me. I'm not white but I do have a spa. Guess I will never be purchasing anything from this establishment. read more

I want to say thank you to Rick and all the staff for doing an amazing job with the sale and installation of my new above ground pool, heater and pump. What an amazing deal and even better service. If you are in the market for a pool Great Escape Merrillville is the only place to go! I will recommend Great Escape to everybody I talk to about pools and accessories! Love this place!! Thank you again! read more

My husband and I purchased our pool a few years ago. I have to say we had great customer service...and our sales person (Rick) was awesome... Since purchasing our pool, we still shop there, and we're always treated with great customer service.... read more

Bought a new used Sundance hot tub. Great Escape sells that brand. Went in for chemicals, filters and supplies. Mark Imbragulio helped with all that and more. We got an education on cleaning, startup, and maintaining. Now I'm up and running. Thanks to Mark and the store read more

I have been trying to purchase a hot tub for over 2 weeks from the merrillville store. I contacted the online department and was given to Andy Peilet and he said someone would contact me. I followed up and was told that someone would call me soon. Now he has stopped responding to emails at all. Going to store is a option now but with this type of service I dont think I feel comfortable making a large purchase at this store. I bought a pool from them 2 years ago and that was ok. They clearly are struggling with staff. read more

I purchased a 24' pool at the end of the year last year and noticed after filling it up, the water level was getting low. I called and was told it was "evaporation." Note that nobody has been in this pool EVER. So we filled it up as needed, as I was instructed to do before closing it for the winter. A couple months after closing, the cover was severely sagging. When I looked, the water level was maybe at 1/4 of the pool. I called as soon as I realized this and was told they could do nothing for me. They must've ripped a hole in the liner when installing, as that is what I concluded, and what another professional pool service suggested most likely happened. DO NOT expect any help from these people once installation is done. They took no responsibility for what has happened and didn't care to try to resolve or offer any assistance with the issue. I'm BEYOND disappointed!!! read more

Poor customer service. Stood around walked around went outside, stared service reps... nothing. I'll spend my money elsewhere. 5.23.19

The cashier trying to charge me 30% more - thankfully I caught that AND the 3 employees (including cashier) in front that neither said hello when I walked in and nor thanks when I walked out. I even think two were managers. Wednesday 9/20/17 around 7pm. I might not mind when machines take over, I'm sure companies can program them to say hello and thanks for coming and spending money. Humanoids, not so much. However, an employee named Cole saw me wandering around and without even unloading some of the things he was carrying - he came right over and asked if I needed anything. I told him I needed four items to close my pool and a quick tutorial on how to do it. He helped me as if I was the only person in the world that mattered. That was great service. read more

Bought a pool from them and had nothing but problems. They don't stand behind their products. Will never shop there again.

Not so pro pool was to install my pool 3 days ago. They rescheduled for today at 10:00. They called at 9:30 to tell me they had to reschedule for 1:00 only to call at 1:30 to reschedule for between 5:00 and 6:00. Good thing I took the day off work for this. It gets dark at 8:30 and i leave for vacation tomorrow. At this point I am considering returning the pool. read more

Bought and paid for outdoor table and chairs and sofa. They had to order everything and I ask if they would have it shipped to me since it was paid in full. They said no and had it shipped to the store so I had to come and pick up. I live 105 miles from here but I got trailer and pu truck and came and picked up. Got home and the main part of sofa was missing and ottoman base was broken. Ask if they could ship and same story. Went back yesterday as they said it would be in and the sofa cushion was not there. They said they could give me display but wouldn't because I had a cushion I should have brought back. So I have a mess and they will not make it right. My wife and I r 78 years old have been married 57 years and this is one of our worst experiences with a business. read more

My wife and I have been dealing with the Great Escape in Merrillville for over 10 years now. We have invested a lot money into this particular store. They have outspending customer service and treat everyone like family when you walk through the doors! They take a laid back sales approach, but once you have made up your mind and decide to purchase they will do their best to give the most competitive price! We have purchased everything from patio furniture, to pools, to hot tubs, to game tables as well as a leather sectional couch. When it comes to meeting your indoor or outdoor needs, The Great Escape in Merrillville deserves your consideration, you won't be disappointed! And yes we travel from Tinley Park, Illinois just to do business with them even though there is one 10 min from us in Orland!!!! read more

If you are ever in need of a product that the Great Escape sells, go and find a gentleman named Seth. First time we walked in looking for information on hot tubs, he spent over an hour with us, knowing that we weren't ready to jump in and make a purchase. We did ultimately make a purchase and the entire transaction from the sale price to delivery was exceptional. The product arrived on time, has worked great, and Seth has continued to follow up months later. Products and service have made us gone back for other products in the store. read more

Wow. Just stopped in to inquire about a purchase. The guy at the counter just pointed me in the right direction. Clearly he didn't care about treating me like a valued customer. I get better service at Walmart & great escape was completely empty. I bring my purchase up to the counter & asked if a box could be located so I could wrap for Christmas. He says he checked & no box. Asked me if I was ready to check out. I said yes. He kept typing on the computer & then walked away to measure a pool table. I'm just standing there waiting to check out & both employees not checking me out. Other one was in the phone with another unhappy customer. I walked closer to original guy & I said I don't understand why he won't check me out. He said "you were texting". I told him I am leaving. He was ignoring ME & walked away. I'M THE CUSTOMER. Me texting doesn't prevent you from doing your job. Ridiculous. read more

Purchased a pool table from Mark. We were told would be able to schedule a morning delivery. After the purchase , we were told the only delivery we could get was late at night. When they finally got here, we discovered they sent the wrong legs. Weeks later, we had to waste another day waiting for them to install the correct legs. The person they sent the second time to install the pool table said he rarely installed pool tables. After he put the pool table together, he had to disassemble the table, pull off the felt and reset the slate twice. After a couple of months we noticed a ridge where the slate is seamed. Called and asked for service to come out and make the repair. Was told the warranty was only good for 30 days and we were on our own to get it fixed. read more

The WORST experience ever!! Do NOT shop here! We purchased a bar and backbar from their salesman Mike Verduzco on 1/7/17 for $3200. We were concerned that it wouldn't fit in our basement because the stairs have a switchback and are narrow. He assured us numerous times that the tops come off and it would fit. He was so nice, helpful and reassuring. They came to deliver today and the top of the backbar doesn't come off and the backbar wouldn't fit. So we had to send it back but first we called Mike. He was so rude and unprofessional. He told us he was going to charge us the delivery fee and a 15% restocking fee!!!! What?! We were stunned! Where was the nice guy? Where was the come in and let's see if we can find something else that will work?! We are disputing this with VISA but very unhappy and feeling taken advantage of. No customer service. read more

I purchased a 24 foot above ground pool and heater here 3 years ago. I went in to see Seth who also sold my friend a pool and my bro in law a hot tub. He was very helpful then, and continues to be anytime I have needed anything. I can't speak highly enough of him! He has been great. Other pool stores want to charge to test your water as much as $15. Not here. I have never ran into unhelpful staff. The main reason I am writing this review is to tell people I have had nothing but good experiences here. If in doubt, ask for Seth. read more

My husband and I were looking for a patio set when we moved like 6 months ago and we looked around at a few places and found a patio table that we could finally both agree on from here. We ended up finding a leather sectional too while we were there which we didn't even know they carried furniture like that, but it was a great deal and looks great in our basement. So far everything has been holding up well and we can't wait to use our table again this Spring. read more

This store is huge and has everything you need for outdoor living! We were shopping for a pool and was greeted right away by a salesperson. They answered all of our questions and were very knowledgeable. Prices seemed good compared to other like stores. read more

Bought a pool there last year the installers were very rude the ground wasn't leveled properly and I have multiple high spots they hooked the pump up wrong and didn't come back for two days to fix it. There was no crash course on what to do or how to run anything from either salesmen or installers seems like all they wanted was the sale and didn't want to help after that. read more

Great customer service. We bought a Jacuzzi tub and the staff was so knowledgeable. There were 2 different people helping us at the same time and they were slammed. They never pushed us to go a certain way, just provided the information and allowed us to make our own decision. read more