Why Being a Cheapskate with your Pool can Hurt you in the End - Tips on Dealing with Cheap Customers
Everyone
wants a good deal and it is a nice feeling when we save some money on a
purchase or a service. But always looking for a good deal can sometimes hurt us
in the end. I think the thinking that if it is not on sale or if it is not
discounted I will look elsewhere has some major drawbacks. With your pool,
being cheap can really hurt you and cost you more money in the long run.
Owning
a pool will cost you money. Simple as that. It is a big hole in the ground with
water in it that needs constant upkeep and attention. During the season you
will need to spend money on chemicals, equipment and on utilities such as
electricity and water. If you are not willing to spend money on your pool, then
the pool will turn green on you very quickly.
A
lot of people want to save money on their pool cost by running their pool for 2
or 3 hours per day. I am talking about full size 20,000-gallon pools. Yes, you
will save on electricity, no doubt. But the water quality will suffer and in
the long run you will be spending more on chemicals to keep it looking decent.
Plus, with such a short run time the water will not be safe to swim in. That is
not enough time to circulate the water and to filter out any bacteria and
viruses. Put it to you this way, a Commercial pool like the YMCA or at a Hotel
will run their pool for 24 hours straight 7 days a week just to keep the pools
100% safe to swim in. By running your pool for 2 hours per day, you are asking
for a swimmer to get sick and the overall water quality will be very poor. Some
pool owners will even turn their pools off for days at a time to save on their
electric bill. If you really want to save money on your electric bill invest in
a Variable Speed Pump.
Some
pool owners try to save by not adding water to their pool. They don’t want a high-water
bill, so they keep the water at a very low level. The problem with this is that
the pool just won’t run correctly without the right amount of water in it. And
to be honest, filling your pool once a week is about the same amount of water
as a 10-15-minute shower. And how much can you actually save verses having the
equipment burn out on you?
One
of my pet peeves are pool owner’s that buy cheap pool products, like the $79.99
suction side cleaners you see for sale online. For about just over double that
you can get a great cleaner that is effective and won’t end up in the trash
after 6 months. You can purchase the Zodiac Ranger for around $150 and this
cleaner comes with real hoses and a real cleaner head that can pick up dirt and
debris. The $79.99 price tag looks inviting but, in the end, you are throwing
your money away. The same goes for the cheap bargain pool equipment, use only
high-quality pumps and filters, otherwise within a couple of years you will be
spending even more money replacing them.
On
the flip are those homeowners who have pool service but are always trying to
shave off a nickel or dime here or there. It is a common thing we run into in
the industry where a customer refuses to replace non-working equipment or doesn’t
want their filter cleaned on a regular basis to avoid the cleaning charge.
There isn’t much that you can do as the pool service company except try to
replace your cheap customers with good paying customers as you build your
business up. Once you have enough good customers you can gradually drop all
your cheap customers off your route.
And
last if you are planning to get your pool remodeled or built be aware that
there are many unlicensed contractors out there that will build a pool or
remodel a pool for you on the cheap. Just be warned that the chances are you
will be rebuilding or re-remodeling the pool sooner than later. These fly by
night companies use poor construction standards and their work is suspect at
best. If you want to have your pool built or remodeled correctly hire a license
contractor and pay the premium for that. It is worth the extra money to have a
real professional do your project.
Visit
my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/
Comments
Post a Comment