Columbia Water Gardens

Columbia Water Gardens did a FANTASTIC job on my pond clean-​out recently! We have a pond that is fairly young (about 1 year old), but gets heavy run-​off of silt and debris when it rains… this was not part of the plan, but certainly happens regardless…
So you can imagine after a year of some nice rainfall, our pond was looking pretty nasty. They were here right on time, and worked tirelessly. It turned out amazing. THANK YOU, COLUMBIA WATER GARDENS! Will do photos later…

I took advantage of their spring cleaning special for my pond.
Two friendly folks arrived on time, and immediately got to work (they charge by the hour with a minimum). They got the job done promptly within the minimum payment amount. Some folks take their sweet time when charging by the hour, not these two, quick and efficient.
They were also enthusiastic in answering a number of questions I had (I’m a new pond owner), which I appreciated.
Lastly I enjoyed their overall passion for the fish and the pond, they talked about enjoying watching the fish explore the new pond, and how docile my frog was (that I didn’t know I had). But their passion /​enjoyment was infectious, and it left me feeling more enthused about my pond and fish /​frog that came with my new home.
Needless to say I was very pleased.
Thanks!

i been working with Carl going on 7 years now, from buying koi to all sorts of different water plants, and introduce me to the new and improved pond filters that works with beads instead of sand keeps this pond nice and clean thanks again Columbia water gardens.

Carl and his team were fantastic! They installed a waterfall and landscaped the adjacent slope for us this past winter. They were totally professional, explaining fully what to expect during the construction up front. And the final result was the best of all It looks totally natural, like something you would hike to in the Sierras. They clearly take pride in their work and stand behind it. When we had trouble with a faulty GFI they came right out and replaced it. I highly recommend them.

Stopped in to see about some pond plants and the owner took the time to teach me the ins and outs of pond filters and bacteria of different kinds. I can guarantee you I will go no place else for my pond needs in the future, this is no the only shop for me.

Carl to answer the question in your last paragraph:
YOUR QUESTION:
One more interesting observation… since you left this review, you have made many purchases in our retail store. How is it that such an unhappy customer would continue to do business with us? I just don’t understand. Please help me with this, as I have many unanswered questions regarding this matter.
MY ANSWER YOU REQUESTED:
When I canceled your service I had paid in advance and was due a credit of $ 232.34. I was told I could not receive a refund I could ONLY receive the credit by taking it in service or products. Since I had just canceled your service… my only option was to purchase products from your store. If you check your records you will see I paid for the items I ordered from you with the CREDIT due me. Hopefully this will clarify your understanding as listed in your reply.
I did see you listed for me a 5 star review from someone on your route unfortunately my experience was not the same. I have relied on Unilocal to contact many other services and I always leave a review. In the past 3 years your review is the ONLY negative review I have left on Unilocal.
I will say that I received EXCELLENT customer service on the telephone from Brian who works for this company.

I went to Columbia Water Gardens looking to add a water feature to provide a natural drinking feature, and enviroment for my Newfoundland dog to enjoy on the hot Southern California days. Carl visited my site and inspired us to let him design and create a landscape that everybody, as well as the dog, would enjoy. For far less cost than I imagined, the crew, in only a few days, put together something that looked like something that you usually have to hike somewhere to see. The store is well stocked, and the staff is knowledgable on many facets of design, implementation, and maintenance of a wide variety of water landscapes. The dog loves it!

I’ve had a Koi pond for two years at my home in Palm Springs and only until recently, after hiring Carl and his team at Columbia Water Gardens, have I truly experienced the enormous joy of this water feature. I’d had others lead me down various roads with underwhelming results, and in one morning, Carl set me up with a system that was extremely economical with the absolute best results. He is an honest man with a real love for what he does, and I feel I hit the jackpot the day I called his office for help.

Columbia Water Gardens,
I have had a pond in Southern California and it has been having some troubles lately. I have not had the time to give it any attention. Thanks for coming out and figuring out why it was leaking. I am thankful for your time and suggestions and look forward to more help down the road.
Your guys were very professional and were good to work with. I was not sure about the investment at first yet knowing I have peace of mind now… There is no looking back.
Carl, you mentioned because of my interest in watching water that you could transform my pond into a pondless feature. I look forward to this happening next year. Right now I just want to enjoy that it is back to being clean and the information you gave me about keeping it balanced was helpful.
Thanks again,
–CM

I couldn’t be more disappointed. I hired Carl to install a simple stone water fountain and a paver brick planter in my back yard in Temecula. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the finished product because shortly after the install the fountain pump stopped working. I called and asked for someone to return to fix the pump which happened the day after my call. Shortly afterwards the pump stopped working again. I hesitate to write this review because in person Carl is a very nice man. But I did send an email exchange about a few minor issues that I wanted addressed such as a change in the slope of the planter and a written promise to call me back was never returned. I later found that the Auquascape Ultra 800 pump that was installed did not have all of the parts that normally come with it. At this point, I don’t want a return call. I’ll be satisfied with letting other potential customer’s know do be very specific in what is expected and that if the job is small enough, like mine was, do it yourself.

From there friendly staff to knowledgeable construction crews, you would be hard pressed to find a more talented gang of individuals. They have new and used equipment to help anyone get into this hobby and will step you through the hole process to ensure you have an enjoyable water feature or pond for many years to come.

Great place to fish! I landed an awesome 14lb black and white on a lil ripper, staff wasn’t to happy about it even when I was using barbless hooks, all in all it was a great experience after the manager directed me to a local park. Thank you Zack for the fishing tips.

Once again, Carl has left a lot of excuses in his reply.
I’ve only said good things about the gentlemen that came out to my house, only good things about Carls’s wife. You can read it in my review. My beef is the communication. I don’t expect anyone to kiss my butt, just do what you say your going to do. I never said I wouldn’t use the company that built my pond, Carl was the one that told me they didn’t build ponds the right way, and Carl sold me the equipment he felt I needed. Carl says again he’s got business on the books, then why not call me, and tell me he can’t get to me for three or four weeks. That’s all I’m asking, and thats what I talked to Carl’s wife about, and she agree’s. A customer can’t get angry for hearing you can’t come out for three or four weeks, but they can when you don’t get a phone call. As for the scene in the store, nobody was in his store when I told Brian I wouldn’t come back, It’s all about communication. Just because a custmer isn’t happy doesn’t mean the business let them down, the customer isn’t alway right, but again it’s the communication. Carl admits he’s busy great call the customer back and tell them their busy, then the customer can make a decission to do what they want. Why Carl thinks he has to say some of the things he did, shows in my opionion his character as well. If you read my latest review, it’s all about the communication. That part is what it is. Look at my other reviews, and you will see, it’s all about customer service, not getting what I want.
Again, as stated in my review Carl’s wife is awesome her customer service is second to none. Brian, I know left the messages as stated in my review below, unfortunately for Brian he was at the store, and I was angry, but no call back. I wil say again, the nice gentlemen that came out, to help me, it says that in my review.
A lot has happened since last year. I give them a two star only because of Carl’s wife.
She is the only one that kept me coming back after last year when they added a pump, and a UV light that wasn’t installed correctly. The pipes kept coming out, and the clamps weren’t secured properly. I finally secured the clamps, but couldn’t fix the pipes, and set bricks on top of the pipes to keep them from coming out. After Brian said someone would call back, two weeks later when I was upset, I went in and had, had enough I was fortunate enough the owners wife was there, Carl has an excuse for everything, but Carl’s wife tells it like it is, and that’s good for business. She promised me someone would call, and they did. I decided to keep going back because of her. Then this year our UV light needed to be changed. I went in and bought a light, and a nice gentlemen said he would follow me home, and help me install it. Well unfortunately when he started digging around the pipes came out again, and he said he couldn’t fix it that he would have to talk to Carl. I followed him back to the shop to let Brian know I needed someone to call on Monday as my pond is half full and no filtration system running.
I reminded Brian twice, please have someone call me on Monday. He said I’m leaving a message now. I said don’t forget he said don’t worry.
Well after my last experience I didn’t have faith anybody would call, so I called an out of town Koi Pond company. Pat’s Koi Service from Riverside. He called and set up an appointment for Monday. On Sunday morning he called to say he couldn’t make it on Monday, and asked if he could come out today (Sunday). He was there in 45 minutes, and had my pond fixed and working. He also noticed I had two inch pipe running into a one and one quarter inch pipe. That now needs to be repaired. You notice their communication. He called back. Even if he couldn’t have made it he at least called. So I wait until next Saturday to see if Columbia Water Gardens would call back, and of course they didn’t. I went back in to pay for the light I took the previous week because I was going to pay for it when they fixed my pond. Since they never called back I wanted to pay for the light I bought there that another company installed.
I told Brian never again will I step foot in their store. I now drive over 50 miles one way to get my pond supplies. FIFTY miles to Mystic Koi in Upland to get my supplies. I would be embarrassed if I was Columbia Water Gardens. I drive out of town 50 miles to get my supplies! All I expect is a phone call. I don’t expect people to drop what they’re doing to help me, just do what you say your going to do.
This is the second time they just blew me off. If you want follow through, please be sure to ask for Carl’s wife. I apologize I don’t remember her name. I feel bad for her that I have to write this review. She really seems to care about customer service. The problem I guess is she can’t be there all the

Columbia Water Gardens rebuilt my pond. The new pond is absolutely beautiful! All the staff were so professional and friendly! Showed up on time and worked non stop to build the new pond. My previous pond was so shallow and hawks and racoons were getting my koi. The new pond they built for me has big caves for the fish to hide in and is much deeper. They even installed a hydroponic garden beside the waterfall that blends in beautifully and is growing strawberries and fresh vegetables. I signed up for weekly maintenance. Johnny is their pond technician and is so helpful and friendly! Had a problem one day and he responded to my call for help immediately and came out the same day. I was worried because I have 2 dogs in the back yard and was afraid they might get out. Johnny is so careful and always makes sure the dogs are safe and locks the gate. I could not be happier with the build and continuing support! Highly recommend!

I have been buying from Columbia Water Gardens for years. My koi and nearly all of my pond equipment are from this store. They are all very good and honest people.

Wanted to order online, but had lots of questions, so I called and not only got lots of help, but they also rushed my order so I had what I needed the next day! If I’m ever in Hemet, I’ll definitely stop by, but until then, they have everything I need online.

Carl, the owner, really went the extra mile in a tough situation… When the pump for our koi pond broke down on a Saturday morning… Carl showed up with an effective, economical replacement even though it was his day off… Great guy and great company… I would highly recommend to all my friends!

Thanks to owner Carl and his field engineer Bill, my small koi pond is now crystal clear. Originally it was unfiltered, and Carl suggested an external filter and a UV light. It’s been upgraded, and I could not be happier. I highly recommend their services — have not yet visited their showroom, but look forward to doing that soon.

This place is a great small business. No project to big or too small. They truly care about you and your fish! !

I highly recommend Columbia Water Gardens. They have a great supply for all your needs. Knowledge, honest, friendly, very helpful.
All price ranges of Koi. I have purchased several. They are very healthy Koi, and a large selection.
The address on Unilocal is wrong they moved to a wonderful new location behind Home Depot
Thanks for all your help,
RAIMUND AND PEGGY. WAGNER