Mar 19 2007
As the snow continues to fall, swimming pool contractors have already started their marketing campaigns for the year. These contractors are eager to cash in on the billion dollar industry. Swimsuits are out in the stores, and people splashing around in their pool are already showing up on TV.
A new website that refers pool installers to qualified contractors, SwimSTL.com, boasts that many contractors are already using bait-and-switch methods on radio commercials, offering pool installations for as little as $99.00.
"No one can expect to really pay $99 for a swimming pool installation," says the website owner. "No reputable pool installer is really going to touch a job that pays $99 bucks."
There are, of course, plenty of fly-by-night pool installers that start to show up this time of year as well. Just like the many roofing contractors that show up after any bad storm, these guys are out for the quick buck, and you'll be the one that ends up getting soaked.
Don't dive in with the first contractor you contact. Always get a qualified contractor, and check their references before you give them the ok to start digging up your yard.