We had an initially positive experience with Cameo Pools, but the quality of the customer service deteriorated as the work continued. In the beginning, it was really quite good. Joe Delora came to the house and gave us an estimate. He went in the backyard and did the measurements for the estimate. We then had to go into the office to review his bid, which was a little inconvenient. We know half of the companies do it that way, but the other half do that portion over email, which really is more convenient though more impersonal. So we understood the need to go in.

We were getting estimates from other companies, but in the end we chose Joe's over a few others. We went into the office a second time to sign the paperwork and give them a deposit. I guess that day Joe had a sales meeting, so we weren't given a copy of the agreement that day. Joe said he would email us a copy, but he never did. That was the first let down in the process. It was the first promise made to us that wasn't kept.

The process of getting the pool started moved smoothly. I was in contact with a girl at their office via email, and overall it went pretty decently. Unfortunately our sprinkler system for our front and back yards were destroyed in the process.

A few times the contractors who were doing the work didn't realize what were our belongings and which were the company's. At one point they used a rake from our neighbors yard and left with it. Our neighbors were pretty upset, so that we in turn had to deal with that problem. Another time they left with one of our shovels, and Cameo had to replace that as well as another piece of our plywood that was used.

I spoke with the foreman at one point, who said that when they were done working they would do a temporary barricade around the work. They didn't do it, so I couldn't let my dogs out when I got home from work. Instead, at six months pregnant, I had to move around some of the cinder blocks to get at the plywood that was in place. It was frustrating to say the least.

The rest of the process was pretty decent up until the end. We set up an appointment with Anthony, who said he would come back out and show us how to take care of the pool and put in the swimmer that cleans the bottom of the pool. He never did that. We had to contact them and say it hadn't been done yet.

At that point we also were asking again for the copy of the signed estimate Joe promised us. When Anthony did come out to do the set up, he told us the variable speed pump and the ozonator were not installed with the system. We were surprised because we told Joe were interested in having those two pieces, and we thought we elected to have them. But since we never received a copy of the estimate, we didn't know they weren't included.

We still don't have a copy of the signed estimate. We were given a copy, but it's not the signed version. If we had received the copy at the very beginning and discovered we weren't getting the equipment we wanted, this could have been corrected. We would happily have paid for any difference in price to get the two pieces we wanted.

Also, in the end, despite our brushing the pool four times a day like we're supposed to, it seems that because the swimmer wasn't installed right away, plaster particles have adhered to the bottom of the pool. We contacted Cameo to have that addressed, but they haven't gotten back to us yet about getting it fixed. The girl I spoke with said she would have to talk with someone in the warranty department, but with the holidays, we haven't heard back.

When it came to getting the our business, Cameo Pools was good to work with and very friendly. But the level of customer service dropped off, and continues to drop off, once they had our business.

If you end up using them, make sure you get everything in writing before you leave the office. Don't leave without a copy, because otherwise you won't have proof that you are getting the equipment you wanted. Be on top of it, because what's said and what's done with Cameo is not always the same thing.

- H. Welch