When a viewer contacted us about a dispute with a pool company, NBC10 Boston consumer affairs reporter Leslie Gaydos dove right in to get her the help she needed.
Janis Marshall is finally enjoying her pool. Up until now, it has been a big source of stress.
“The pool was purchased new last Spring 2017 around April, and unfortunately wasn’t installed until July,” said Marshall.
After the late installation, she got two months of use out of the pool before closing it for the winter. And then, more problems.
“March we noticed, with still the snow falling, that there was not an inch of water left in the pool…it all had gone,” said Marshall.
The liner was torn. Janis says she had a warranty, so she contacted the manager at her local Namco store where she bought the pool.
“I voiced my concerns that the walls could potentially collapse without the water in there, but she agreed and stated that she would work on ordering the liner replacement, and getting it back installed as quickly as they could,” said Marshall.
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Janis says she reached out again to the manager at Namco in April for an update and got bad news.
“She was having difficulty with corporate, and they weren’t honoring the one year warranty of the liner, because of the winter weather,” said Marshall. “For a company that’s based in New England, I don’t think that should be the default for their customers. Why would you purchase a pool that can’t make it through the winter in New England, when you live in New England?”
Janis reached out to Namco corporate and the Attorney General’s office. When she couldn’t get a resolution, she contacted NBC10 Boston Responds.
“I was desperate at that point,” said Marshall. “I just needed somebody to help, and support me, because I felt like it was me against the corporation and how was I going to win?”
We reached out to Namco, and they told us they are under new ownership and wanted to make things right for Janis. Namco’s CEO, Jim Martyniuk said: “While we unfortunately can't change the mismanagement of past ownership, we can seek to correct those customer experiences going forward. That is our mission. We're ready to win back the customer with attentive, reliable and knowledgeable service, as we hope we have done with Ms. Marshal.”
Namco replaced the liner and provided some complimentary chemicals to get the pool open for summer.
“I’m happy that finally with the help of NBC that they came through and honored it, so we could enjoy the time as a family,” said Marshall.
Like Janis, always be sure what's covered by the warranty. When you’re buying a big-ticket item, it is always a good idea to go over the terms of your warranty before you make the purchase.
