Sonoma Valley Pool & Spa

I have a house that I am turning into a vacation rental in the springs. Not knowing exactly what is needed for the high turnover of guests, I needed help. Saul, of Sonoma Valley Pool Service, was one of the most honest, knowledgable and straight forward contractors that I have worked with. I have learned quickly the value of knowing quality service providers in the valley. Highly recommended.

I have a small pool that I take care of myself, but whenever I have I problem Saul comes out and fixes things. He is always prompt, friendly and very helpful.
Lately the algae has been out of control which I was unable to remedy myself. Saul explained that everyone was experiencing this problem due to the drought and the low water table. He treated the pool and it looks beautiful. My pool supply store also said that business is way up due to the algae and confirmed Saul’s reason.

Unfortunately, my wife and I found out the hard way that Saul is dishonest and a liar. We just purchased our home and soon after Saul took over, just like the other disgruntled Unilocalers, a green algae slime developed. It got worse and worse and we spent almost the entire summer with a smelly, green slimy problem that prevented us from using our pool all summer! Saul blamed it on the water in Sonoma and had us buy all kinds of alleged solutions, some expensive, like a salt-​water system, but the problem only got worse. He just made excuses but never fixed the problem. I checked his activity on our surveillance cameras and saw that he only spent a few minutes on most of his visits. Finally, when the green, smelly slime problem got so bad, I suspected he wasn’t doing anything or skipping visits. So I checked the cameras for that week, and he did not even come but charged for a visit. When I confronted him, he said he came. When I told him I had camera surveillance, he was caught off guard and then stated that he changed days. When I then told him that the cameras showed he wasn’t there on any day, he came up with some ridiculous excuse that made no sense. I immediately fired him and also told his wife the whole story. I then called Gary’s Pool Service. Gary was truly a godsend. He was shocked when he saw the condition of the pool. He treated the pool on 3 consecutive days, following which everything cleared up and we have had crystal clear, clean water since. Regardless of the good reports for Saul, so many bad reports that sound almost the same about the green slime should be enough to use someone trustworthy and competent. Saul may get by with the easy stuff, but when a problem arises, he’s either incompetent, negligent or both – and lies to cover his negligence. I’m sure he will make his usual untruthful excuses, but I’ve got the digital video that doesn’t lie.

Saul is the best guy around for pool service. He services our pool and we are extremely happy with it.
We have a giant pool that requires a lot of attention and tweaking and he is always around to make sure it looks great everyday of the year. He is honest, and we trust him completely. When we call for help he reacts immediately and lets us know what he will be doing to fix it and when he will be doing that work. Saul is the standard for all contractors to compare themselves.
We will continue to have Saul service our pool as long as he is in business.

It saddens me to write this review, but we are only as good as our word and our service. When we hired Saul, we explained in detail what we wanted and needed from his service. He was upbeat, interested and cordial and we felt comfortable. That was as good as it got. As time progressed our pool sweep hoses became slimy and water murky due to inadequate chlorine levels, then he failed to show due to illness without any notice, then his services did not include brushing the pool or sometimes cleaning the skimmer basket and pool sweep bag. On his last visit, I was home and timed his visit… exactly 7 minutes! We are done… please beware.

We moved into a house in Sonoma with a spa, and of course didn’t know anything about spas, but got Saul’s name as someone who had serviced it previously. He came by and gave me a detailed «inservice» on maintenance, chemicals, red flags, use parameters. Then he gave me a bromine dispenser that he happened to have as an extra, and refused to charge me anything for any of it. Mind you, I didn’t hire him to do regular maintenance on our spa, as I think I can handle it based on his inservice, so he didn’t so this with a regular client in mind. (But if I go wrong on it, Sonoma Valley P&S will be where I go!)

Last year, I used Sonoma Valley Pool service and was so extremely disappointed that I feel I need to warn others. First of all, I called to make an appointment. Saul arrived, was pleasant, and then weeks passed because he forgot to return. He later admitted that this was the case — just forgot. When he finally got the pool serviced, I made the mistake of then entrusting him with the job of keeping it clean while I was gone for a couple of weeks. I returned to find it DEEP GREEN with algae, and the neighbors complaining. To his credit, he did come back everyday until it was clean again but that took over a week. I would not trust him to keep your pool well maintained!

Saul is amazing. He has been taking care of my family’s pool for years, and is hardworking, contentious, and one of the most honest people I know. I would trust him, and his company, with any job.
I have worked in the service industry for many years, and I know great service when I see it. Integrity is hard to come by at any price, and yet, Saul is surprisingly affordable.
I don’t give many 5 star reviews. I’m picky, fussy, and demanding. Saul consistently exceeds my expectations and I’d give him 6 stars if I could.
Simply put: the best in not only the pool business, but in any business.

We have used Sonoma Pool and Spa since 1999 and have nothing but praise for him. Saul is honest and good natured and goes above and beyond the call of duty to try and squeeze us in even on crazy holidays like 4^th of July or Memorial Day, and that despite the fact that he has over 100 customers who all want their pool cleaned «yesterday.» He hones in on problem issues quickly and takes care of them and we find his prices reasonable. Best of all, he takes the time to explain exactly what the issues with the pool are, the work he did, and even instructs us as to how we can continue to keep our pool as sparkling as possible. We highly recommend Saul and Sonoma Valley Pool & Spa!

Sonoma Valley Pool is HORRIBLE!
Saul is not only unreliable, unprofessional, inconsistent, and clueless about caring for pools, he is a liar.
DO NOT waste your time and call an actual company to do your pool service… in this instance, you most definitely do get what you pay for, and if you want to have a clear, sparkling pool to swim in, this is not, I repeat, NOT the person you want to rely on.
I, unfortunately, had to give a ‘1 star’ rating because Unilocal requires it… I would rate Sonoma Valley Pool as a –5

Before I hired Sonoma Valley Pool and Spa… I had a cess pool. No seriously… it was a scary disgusting green slimy swamp. It was unsanitary and embarrassing. I didn’t have the time, knowledge or inclination to maintain it and assumed that hiring a pool service would be waaay too expensive. I was referred to this local family run business by another ecstatic customer and I can’t tell you have relieved I am.
For less than my daily latte habit, Saul comes once a week and works his magic. Imagine my surprise when one day after a big storm Saul showed up unscheduled «just to check on things». This is why I will never stray. If ever I have a question or issue Saul or his super helpful and knowledgeable wife Jolie are available 24/7…she returned one of my calls while she was away with her kids at Lego Land.
These are honest, RELIABLE, hardworking folks and I cannot say enough about how much I value their service!