RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A resident in Richland County has been having trouble getting her pool fixed. She tells News 19 she felt like she wasn't getting anywhere with a solution, so she reached out to our on your side phone line.
Since May of this year, Dru Frederick's pool has been a point of frustration. She said it's been months of back and forth between her and American Home Shield.
"My pool person came out, doing the regular maintenance on our pool. She indicated that there was a leakage in the pool, or next to the pump, that I needed to have that corrected and I contacted American Home Shield and they sent a representative out, and from that process on, it has been a nightmare," Frederick said.
Frederick tells News 19 ultimately the problem was stemming from the pool joints.
"In the contract, it states that the joints is covered under the contract. The representative told me via email, in a couple emails, as well as voice message which I have, that that's covered under the contract," Frederick said.
She explains the warranty company told her to fix the bonding on her own, which she says she did through a local contractor. But she said she notified American Home Shield of this, and since then, the joints have not been fixed. Only the circuit board for the pool heater.
"So I was trying to deal with getting the pool fixed so my daughter can have some summer vacation," Frederick said. "It's an eye sore as well."
Frederick tells News 19 now the pool has algae and mold that needs to be cleaned out in addition to these original fixes. She adds she wants that cost compensated too.
News 19 reached out to American Home Shield to learn more and they sent us this statement saying in part quote, "We sincerely apologize for the delay and frustration Ms. Frederick experienced. Our customer care team is working closely with Ms. Frederick … We will also cover any above ground plumbing joints that are found to be leaking upon installation of the pool pump. In addition, we are reimbursing her service fee."
According to the Better Business Bureau located here in Columbia, there are lots of issues they see arise with third party warranty companies. They add it's important to check the BBB reports before signing any contract. If you run into issues like Dru Frederick did, the BBB suggests reaching out to them to file a complaint or calling the SC Bar Association for pro bono help
If you have an issue that you feel you're not getting resolved after taking steps yourself, you can call our On Your Side line at 803-695-3730 and leave a voice mail.