Anthony & Sylvan had been around for so many years and I chose them to build our pool because they seemed to be a good choice. Tom, the salesman, came out and was very personable. He projected a sense of his knowledgeable and he's confident about what he had to say in the sales presentation he makes for customers. I had complete confidence in him. However, once the construction started, it seemed as though everyone that showed up was a sub-contractor and sometimes the work was not always performed as well as the customer might expect. What happened was, when the pool started taking shape and different sub-contractors came out to do different aspects of building the actual pool, I would come home from work and walk around the pool as it was progressing and I would find things that were not correct and I would have to call the project manager and have it corrected.
But once the pool was done, it looked great. They also gave me reading materials about how to take care of the pool and different things about it as well as how to enjoy it. But when I would ask a sub-contractor for any suggestion about how to do such and such, they’d tell me that I didn’t have to do that. So there was a conflict between the written material and the spoken word about my responsibilities as a home owner and taking care of the product that they produced and that was frustrating.
The pool was finished the end of September of 2016 so we kept it open for a few more weeks, then we told Anthony & Sylvan to come and close it because the weather got cold. So this year when they opened it March of 2017, was the first year we got to enjoy the pool. Then they closed it the second time recently. Since we didn’t have to deal with subcontractors or aggravating things, our experience has been more enjoyable. If I had a problem with the pool, I would call the service department and they would come out and fix it. Things seemed to be much better. I had a problem with a computer board in my power center and Sean came out to fix the problem. He did a very good job, answered any questions that I had and provided a bit of information about tips on some things to do if I have issues.
However, my overall sense is that Anthony & Sylvan does not talk to their customers in a way that is helpful for them taking care of the pool or knowing what to do if they have an issue. Basically, they build the pool and they leave the customer on their own to figure things out. That’s discouraging because they brag about they’ve been in business for 70 years and you’ll be happy when they build your pool, but they don’t follow through on the fact. If they’ve been in business for so long, they should have better customer service and more helpful conversations with their customers.
They should also give out better literature because the one they gave me needs to be updated. Things that were said in there are not correct. They had a pool testing program in there that I called and asked their rep if I should get on it, but I found out that they don’t even use it anymore. Other than that, I’m happy with our pool and I have recommended Anthony & Sylvan to a friend. But I told my friend that he’ll have to keep a watch on what they do because the job isn’t always done right unless he is there to make sure that what’s supposed to be done is being done.