Aquarius Pool & Spa Service

I have an old spa from 1989 that keeps going and going. Aquarius always has the chemicals and supplies I need. The guys are always helpful and friendly. Well-​stocked store, convenient hours.

Shopping in the store is just fine and I have found the staff always helpful and knowledgeable. The flip side of that is the worst service I have ever had when I ordered a hot tub cover. I was willing to pay more for local service instead of just ordering online, my mistake as I never even got my hot tub cover. The guys came out to measure everything, off to a good start. One month later they bring me my new cover and dismantle the old one… when they put on the cover it is obviously way to small. I was not upset at that point as mistakes happen. They remeasured and left the cover that did not fit. I had to purchase a tarp to keep the rain out of the tub. 3 weeks later I called to check on the status. The guy told me it was not here yet, but the expected it on Thursday, which was in two days and he would call me. No call, so I call on Friday, again said it did not come in but should be here the next week and again he would call me. Ok, again I did not get a call and had to make a call on Friday, again I was told that the person handling it would give me a call. So over two months later I call again to check in and the person I speak to this time actually tells me that cover was never even ordered! What! That was enough for me. I placed and order with another dealer and got the cover in just over 2 weeks. I will not be placing any more orders with Aquarius as it seems only in store purchases are something they can handle.

Recently took advantage of a special they had and replaced our pool pump with a variable speed pool pump as well as a solar controller. It’s been only a few days but pleased with the products (super quiet), the installation (with 3 year warranty!), and most of all, their customer service.
I stopped by the store and also called for some question and both times, they were super helpful. For any pool related questions/​issues, I’ll be reaching out to Aquarius.
Only downside is you’ll have to wait couple weeks to schedule an estimate and any installations.

Their customer service is really really awesome! I always feel like they know what they’re talking about and actually care. Also, I don’t feel like I am being ripped off. Whenever I go to Leslie’s I end up spending money on a lot of things that I don’t really need.

If you’re thinking of using this company. My advice is run for the hills, The store maybe okay. But the service you get at your house is below standard for the industry. Twice they have canceled on me to replace the pool heater with a month gap in between before they can reschedule.

Too bad, I wanted to like these guys but I expected more. The first time we used this company to diagnose a problem I was impressed. The technician that came out was professional, educated me on the issue and made the repair. So when it was time to de-​winterize our solar I called Aquarius. The technician that came out to do it was in such a rush he didn’t even check that the cap on the pipe was on properly and as he drove away I heard loud splashing outside the house. I opened the front door and saw that the water from my pool was shooting out my solar pipes on the roof and flooding my driveway with pool water. Ummmm, if I wasn’t home this would have been BAD. We lost a bunch of water but luckily I was home. I called Aquarius and the technician came back later to re-​cap the pipe. Then I did not hear back from them. The next week I got a bill in the mail for the full $ 75. No apology, no sorry for the inconvenience, this one is on us. So I called them to let them know I deserved a discount. After talking to about 3 different people all the way up management, they finally agreed to discount it $ 25. Wow. Any decent company would have refunded us the whole $ 75. If I wanted to risk losing a bunch of pool water I would have turned my solar back on myself. I will never use this company again.

Staff in the store have always been helpful and pleasant, so I thought I’d try Aquarius pool service to vacuum and clean the filters to get the pool ready for summer. I’m surprised at the total disregard for our property. They left the door to the pool house open when they left. I informed Aquarius we had a dog, but they left the side gate open too and our dog got out when we let him back into the back yard. They also didn’t thoroughly vaccum the pool and left our skimmer net on the ground. They didn’t remove or clean the overly full pool sweep bag before vacumming — which dumped into the pool when I tried to empty it AFTER the pool had been vacuumed. They even left evidence — in the form of a puddle of filter debris– that the filters were cleaned next to the house foundation instead of a number of possible locations within reach of the hose.
The poor vacuuming and fact that Aquarius didn’t empty the pool sweep before vacuuming is evidence they were just lazy. I realize we didn’t ask them to do that extra step, but they were paid for the duration of the services. And that’s what thoughtful good service is all about.
While I try to support local, small businesses, I won’t be calling Aquarius again.

They are great! They are a family owned business and I have been using them for more years than I can count. I’ve used them so often now, that on the day I need their repair service, I give them my credit card number, they show up, fix the problem and I dont even have to take a day off. If the problem is beyond what they can fix they refer me to somebody equally reputable. I have brought little problems in, like a frozen valve, and they even fixed that for me, no charge. I have never been overcharged, in fact the work they did the other day, was less than the bill I paid at IHOP for breakfast for 5 people.

These folks helped me understand how to maintain my pool each month. I have spoken with three different folks in their Walnut Creek store and each one was responsive, helpful and knowledgable answering my questions. I detracted a single star for the price of the chemicals they sold me that I know could be obtained cheaper, but I understand that as a small business they have to make money somewhere. I have been consistently impressed by how helpful these guys are.

Not sure of their prices vs. Leslie’s but I’ll pay more to use them any day! While I live within a mile of a Leslie’s, I will always drive the miles to get to Aquarius! They have the best customer service with the most knowledgeable staff of any pool supply store I’ve gone to. In the past (before I discovered Aquarius), I would take a part into Leslie’s and they would give me the correct part about 40 percent of the time and would never help repair the item. The first time i went to Aquarius, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was in for a pleasant surprise. Not only did they know exactly what I needed, but they took off the old part and installed the new part. I can’t say enough about how easy they make it to take care of maintenance issues that come with pool ownership!

Very knowledgeable, always have the parts I need.
Prices are high – about twice what they are online.

These guys have been great every time I have gone in. I bought a house with a pool and, knowing nothing about pools, I have relied on this store to keep my pool healthy. I have gotten a lot of very helpful advise and the APSS staff is extremely knowledgeable and eager to help. I cannot speak to their prices, however, because I don’t have anything to compare them to.
2÷16÷2010: I can take now speak to their prices, so I have knocked them down one star. I had them come out for a quote on replacing my pool pump. They were the highest bidder on the work so I went with a cheaper installer. They were very professional and courteous, but I found a place that had the pump on sale and who charged ½ the price on the installation.