Starling Pools

Fantastic service and staff! They gave me more information in 10 minutes at their store than any other company has in 10 years. We booked them for our pool closing and were incredibly happy with the job they did and how pleasant the guys were while at our home.

I have to say that this is probably the worse pool company in all of Durham region, I called them to open my pool like I do every year, so on a Saturday they sent two young guys who by the looks of them they had no clue what they where doing, I had to prepay for the opening and paid extra because I have a spill over tub into the pool, so they proceed to open it when it came to the spill over they had no clue and they for some reason popped it out of the ground when the proceed ed to pit it back into the ground they put it in in level so now I had water spilling over the back of it, when I called them to complain the service Manager said it wasn't there responsibility to fix it that I would have to pay more to get them to come back after a whole lot of arguing I agreed to pay the fee that he requested he said they would be out to fix it on Wednesday that was 2 weeks ago and I am still waiting, after all the money I have giving them over the years this how they treat loyal customers. I would never use or recommend starling to anyone by far the worse pool company

If I could give this company a worst rating I would. This company installed my pool a a few years ago. I started noticing first cracks in the concrete pool suround the next year. Within 2 years the concrete had heaved. I spoke to a friend in the industry who suggested I have an inspection done of the pool installation. It turned out that in some places the concrete thichness of the surround was less then 1/2 inch. Not suficient to withstand the winter weather. The inspector also pointed out that Starling had not used PVC piping rated for exterior use ( not UV resistant) or for underground installation. Starling refused to take any responsibility for these issues. I paid another cpmpany over $2K to rectify the problem.

I had been purchasing chemical at starling for about 2 seasons. Mainly just the silk sticks b/c they carried them, and they were convenient to pick up at their store, but yes over priced.

This summer, I was in a bit of a jam at vacation time, as my long time neighbor, here in Whitby, had moved to the north to enjoy his retirement. He had always been there to tend to my pool when I was away, as I returned the favor for him.

So, thinking ahead I spoke with Ken from Starling pools to arrange pool maintenance for the 2 weeks I'd be away. He suggested coming in twice, each Wednesday Aug. 5th and Aug 12th, to proving service. I also thought this would work well as i was to return on the 16th. His Weekly Maintenance Service as advertised is:
• Vacuuming
• Backwashing
• Surface skimming
• Water testing
• Weekly shock treatment

He quoted me a price which I thought was excessive, but at least I would have peace of mind knowing I wouldn't have to worry about it. My pool filter and pump are in a tidy little shed, the in-line chlorinator mere feet away at the outlet of the heater, and all the chemical stored at eye level on a shelf by the filter. I had left the pool in top condition when we set out Aug 1st.

Upon return from what turned out to be a really bad vacation, I'll spare details other than to say my Dad sustained serious injuries from a fall, required surgery, (not the way you want to spend family vacay). I found my pool in a condition which was resembling a swamp. The only thing missing was wildlife had not shown up to feed yet.

Fueled by anger, I proceeded to the store Monday morning. I first spoke to the clerk at the desk, and asked to speak to the manager. A second lady was called out from the office. I gave her the quick run down, showed her the lovely swamp pictures on my phone, and asked her for the report on what was done to the pool, as my CC was billed $130 for the service. I obviously demanded they refund me. Who wouldn't?

She told me Ken was not in, he was on a job site. I asked for his Cell phone number. She told me he doesn't always pick up when he's on a job. I again demanded a refund and a report of the work provided. She then went in the office and called Ken, who then walked into the store 30 seconds later, (from a job site. Ya right!) Gave me a stare down look inches from my face as i stood at the counter, even before he spoke to me. He then immediately said no refund.

There were two other customers in the store at the time, one with a boy, maybe 10-11, and another man. I then demanded with the use of profanity my F*ing money back. I then Proceed to rant about the condition of my pool and the lack of service, knowledge or caring Starling Pools provided. I obviously hit Ken's nerve because he again jumped into my face and told me to leave or he'd call the cops. I told him to go ahead. I wouldn't leave without my refund. Seeing I would not back away from him, ( he's a larger man than I am, and appears to try to intimidate people) he then told the clerk to refund my money and not come back to his store, or I would be charged with trespassing. I then asked the clerk processing the refund for a copy of the report of work provided. She laughed and refused.

Ken then proceed to wait for me in the parking lot, again in my face, only repeating the same message, get off property, don't come back. I felt he was trying to insight some sort of physical confrontation, When I wouldn't back down to his intimidation tactics, he stormed off into the store.

My return to this store is highly unlikely to happen, as I wouldn't waste a dime or a minute of my life dealing with this moron again. I am only writing this review to warn any, and all potential customers that, customer service is an easy business when there isn't a problem, but when a problem arises, the onus should be on the company providing the service to accept responsibility, make right as best as possible for their mistakes, and negligence. A company's reputation should be based on quality, and customer service. My experience Starling Pools and Mr. Ken can offer neither. Nor will he try. The man's arrogance if unbelievable. People spread the word and sink this P.O.S. in his own pool. Let his poor reputation sink his business.

I wish I had taken 15 minutes to look at a few of these reviews prior to dealing with starling pools. I will learn from this, hopefully a few other do to!!

Chad Sampson

Whitby, ON

With a couple exceptions for the store staff, these folks should not be allowed out of the house without adult supervision and that includes the owner! My pool installation was so poorly done that within a few years I was forced to spend over 2K in repairs. The staff who open and closed the pool were untrained, unmotivated and uncaring. The owner, when questioned or fielding complaints, hides his lack of knowledge and ability to manage his business behind a mask of rudeness and arrogance. There are other pool companies in the area that want your business and work hard to keep it. Run do not walk away from Starling to one of them!

We have been longtime customers at Starling pools and have found them to be very helpfull and knowledgeable.

The maintenance crews for this company are untrained and unsupervised. The owner is unresponsive and unwilling to work with his customers to resolve problems.

The owner of the company has no interest in providing service to his customers. We had been repeat customers for over seven years. When his workers damaged our liner while opening our pool the owners response was to deny any responsibility and suggest we take our business elsewhere if we didn't like the service.