1st Direct Pools Reviews 224

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.8

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 55 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the excellent service, highlighting the helpfulness and knowledge of the staff. Many people appreciate the prompt delivery service and the overall ease of placing orders. The products are frequently described as high quality, and consumers often find the prices to be very competitive. However, some customers also noted issues with payment processing, experiencing difficulties when trying to place orders with different cards. A few other people also felt that when a product was faulty, resolving the issue was challenging.

What people talk about most

Service

Consumers consistently report positive experiences with the service. Many reviewers praise the immediate and... See more

Staff

Customers consistently note positive experiences with staff. Reviewers frequently praise the team for being... See more

Delivery service

Customers had positive experiences with delivery service. Many reviewers praise the swift and prompt... See more

Order

Reviewers mention positive feedback about order. Customers consistently praise the ease of placing orders,... See more

Product

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of product. Many customers praise the excellent product advice and the... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Having been a loyal customer for many years I wanted to say a big shout out to Hayley, Iain and the wider team who simply over deliver time and time again. Nothing is ever too much trouble, any rare i... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I run a private swiming pool which is used by local swim schools and families etc. 1st Direct have provided excellent servide to me over the years with pumps, chemicals, AFM, water testing equipment,... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Have been using 1st Direct Pools since setting up a small swim school recently and with every plant modification we make they are our first port of call for parts. Delivery is always prompt and parts... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Have dealt with 1st Direct Pools for a couple of years now and always had great service. If a part isn’t obvious on the website, a quick phone call and one of the great sales team will find it. If... See more


Company details

  1. Online Marketplace
  2. Hot Tub Store

Written by the company

Large UK Discount Swimming Pool & Spa Online Shop with Price Match Guarantee, Free Support, Free Next Day Delivery & Huge range of products carried in stock - 1st Direct Pools. Low prices on swimming pool covers, chemicals, heating, pumps & filters, li...


Contact info

4.8

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

224 reviews

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Next day despatch.

21 October 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for your feedback, much appreciated. Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic customer service

My daughter ordered a hot tub she is autistic and it's a long story but .....
The staff were brilliant and stopped the order and refunded her straight away and kept in contact with us really happy they listened to us and acted straight away! Many thanks for your fantastic customer service I'm very grateful x

2 September 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you so much for your feedback. We are pleased we were able to assist and resolve the situation for you.
Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Start of 2024 I decided to build a pool…

Start of 2024 I decided to build a pool for the first time.
I tried a few other pool suppliers before I found 1stDirectPools.

I can honestly say the other suppliers I ordered from previously have nothing on the customer service and wealth of knowledge Iain at 1stDirectPools has to offer customers.

All deliveries have been fast and efficient so far.

22 August 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you so much for your great feedback and we look forward to helping you again in the future.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Order a replacement pump with the same…

Order a replacement pump with the same part number having being told via email that the fittings were identical.
on arrival they are clearly not.
No offer of contribution to pay for the plumber to rework the pipework.
Terrible customer service.

My response from their reply.
Both the plumber and myself measured and the connections are most definitely different to the original pump!

29 July 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback on your recent purchase.
With the New Aquaspeed Pump, the inlet and outlet fittings are in the same place and have remained unchanged for many years.
I am sorry that you are unhappy that we will not contribute to your plumbing costs, however, any changes changes required to pipework is the responsibility of the customer and would not be covered by 1st Direct Pools.
Kind Regards, Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding service

Ordered after 2pm on 1st August. Delivered this morning. Outstanding service. Very happy customer. Thank you so much.

1 August 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for taking the time to leave such great feedback on your recent experience with 1st Direct Pools. Please come back to us if we are able to assist in the future. Many thanks, Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary Service

You can best gauge a company when there is a problem. Minor damage in transit on a pole received a full refund without quibbling and no need to return the item which I have to admit I was able to fix. They now have a customer for life! Huw Walters.

18 July 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for leaving feedback on your recent experience with us. We do everything we can to resolve any issue as smoothly as possible, so it is great to hear you are pleased with the outcome.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Buyer Beware!

I have the pool style mini 5kw heat pumps. The heat pump has been used for around 6 weeks last year then set up again around end of may this year and the error code PL keeps coming up, but after the pump has been on for a few minutes it starts working normally again however now it just has the error code PL. I’ve used this heat pump for about 3/4 months in total. Not even continuous mainly on the weekends but I thought no problem it’s under a year old so guarantee and warranty will be fine. Contacted 1st Pools Direct annd was told to open it up annd check the troubleshoot page, which is just annother language to me as I’m not a heater technician and apparently the warranty company they use expect me to send the heat pump back at my own expense! When I questioned this I was told it was in the T&C’s. I don’t have the money to send something that heavy and big back to the company and even if I did they won’t refund me so I’ll be out of pocket for something 1st direct sold me and isn’t even a year old or even been used for more than 4 months.
I now won’t have a heater and I’m really upset as my dad bought me the heater last year and he passed away in January.
I just wish this review had been here when I bought it as I wouldn’t have bought it if I had known. I just don’t want anyone else to get caught out by the warranty company as if anything goes wrong with your heat pump you will be paying to send it to be checked And it’s not cheap.

10 July 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for your feedback regarding an issue you have been experiencing with a product purchased from us in August 2023.
Firstly, we are sorry to hear you have an issue with this item and we have tried to assist.
A returns note was supplied in early July in order that you could return the product to the supplier for inspection under the manufacturers warranty. Without the heat pump being returned, the issue cannot be identified or confirmed.
We are very sorry to hear you have an issue with a product purchased from us and are willing to assist further with the supplier should you decide to send the item to them as required.
Kind Regards, Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Customer services are brilliant

Customer services are brilliant. No wait, sorted zproblem in no time.

1 July 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for such positive feedback on your recent experience with us at 1st Direct Pools. Many thanks, Customer Services

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY

Please don't use this company! Their customer service is appalling! I had an issue with the delivery of my replacement pool cover which was caused by their own system in the first place as it put a random address as delivery address. I corrected this with the original order and got acknowledgement email confirming that this random address had been taken off my account. I was asked to approve and pay the proforma quickly for the replacement as lead times would be long in the summer. I quickly checked my name and address and approved and paid it. I never thought that they would again put the incorrect address. I had no delivery notice or timeline. After a few weeks I e-mailed to ask for an update and was told that the cover had been delivered 2 days ago to this random address. I begged them to help me recover the cover even saying that I would pay in full all delivery charges but they were so rude and unhelpful and just said it's your problem and you need to contact the address and get it back. I have never dealt with a company with such bad customer service and after sales care. Please DO NOT use them.

Thank you for the response below but again you have not given the correct information. There was no quote with the incorrect address - just an e-mail with the cost. It's not about the £ 49 delivery cost it's about the principle and how unhelpful and unprofessional your company is with issues. I can see a common theme in the reviews below that if things go wrong then you are the MOST unhelpful company. The negative remarks are what I think of your company and I would not want anyone to face the anxiety and stress I faced on Thursday 13th June trying to get this pool cover picked up (from an office block) and redelivered to me. You have still not acknowledged that once I had corrected the delivery address once it should not have gone back to the random address that you put. I have also written to your directors and will see if they respond but I doubt it!

13 June 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for leaving feedback on your recent purchase.
Your pool cover was delivered to the address shown on both the quote and pro forma you received from us prior to making the payment for your new order. We were not made aware the address was incorrect until the delivery had taken place.
As a gesture of goodwill, even though it was out of our control, we offered on more than one occasion to cover half of the redelivery charge you had arranged, this was declined.
We have tried to resolve the situation with you however, we were informed by you that if we did not refund the complete redelivery charge, you would leave negative reviews.
At 1st Direct Pools we pride ourselves on providing a high level of customer service and have tried to assist you with this situation.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional service

Right from initial enquiry,helpful and knowledgeable to quick delivery then concern about size (unfounded,my mistake) to accepting a return of unused fixings ....and a brilliant price to upgrade my pool cover,service has been exceptional. Thanks,Richard

18 June 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you so much for leaving feedback on your recent purchase with us. It's great to hear you have had such a good experience. Many thanks, Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent customer service

Excellent customer service with my recent purchase. Corinna responded promptly to my queries, found answers from the supplier and sorted everything. Would definitely recommend.

16 May 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for leaving feedback on your recent experience with us, it is great to hear and much appreciated. Regards, Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent experience

Excellent experience. My pool pump was not well and by chance I found 1st direct. Helpful sales person made purchase easy. Ordered around 2.30pm arrived the great comms at around 11.30 following day. Was up and running by 1.30. Highly recommended.

1 May 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Really pleased to read you had such a great experience and thank you for leaving feedback. Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Solar guard cover

We have a pool enclosure over our pool and I bought the solar guard cover as I’ve found its very good at controlling any algae growth.
The pricing of the cover was competitive and customer service was very responsive.
Recommended 👍

14 March 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

It is great to hear that you are happy with your solar guard pool cover. Thank you for taking to time to leave feedback, it is very much appreciated.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Reasonable prices as always quick…

Reasonable prices as always quick delivery and quality products thanks again

5 March 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for your feedback, it's great to hear you are pleased with the delivery service and products we offer. Much appreciated.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My first time building a pool

My first time building a pool and I found this companies website to be easy to use, very competitively priced, excellent communication on orders, and delivery time. And when I needed to talk to someone to get advice, they rang me back, and provided excellent advice

6 March 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback on your purchases from us. Great to hear our prices, delivery and communication are as we would hope. We look forward to assisting you again in the future. Kind Regards

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

guarantees mean nothing

Warning: Company Fails to Honor Guarantee

Beware of this company's guarantee policy; exercise caution!

I purchased a heat exchanger from this company, and after only a couple of months, it started leaking from the weld. However, when I approached them for repair or replacement under their guarantee, they refused, attributing the issue to our supposed mishandling of chemicals. It's worth noting that the chemicals used in pools have remained consistent over the years, and our previous heat exchanger lasted for thirty years without any problems. Hence, it's clear that there was an issue with the weld.

Not only did they fail to honor their guarantee, but they also charged me for shipping the faulty product back to them for inspection. This level of service is simply unacceptable.

I strongly advise taking your business elsewhere, to a more reputable and reliable firm that stands by its guarantees.

1 March 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

I write in response to your feedback left on our Trustpilot page.
Firstly I kindly request that you remove your review. We are a family business started in 1970 , we try our best to give the best service and supply products into an industry we are passionate about.
We have no record of a purchase by yourself. You purchased the product from another company, therefore, your contract will be with that company.

When you made contact, I arranged for the product to be returned to the manufacturer for inspection under the manufacturer’s warranty. In all honesty, as you are not a customer of ours, I was not required to liaise with you, however, as a gesture of goodwill I stepped outside of the companies procedure for a warranty claim.

The manufacturer, Architectural Stainless has been going for 45 years and is the main supplier of heat exchangers to the UK pool market.
We sell hundreds of these and in the three and a half years I have been with the company, I recall only having an issue with one and this was also due to incorrect water quality.

This product was returned for inspection to the manufacturer and their response states and shows through photos that the leak is down to corrosion of the metal due to poor water chemistry. I believe you have a copy of this evidence. This would not be covered under the manufactures warranty.

Ourselves and the manufacturer have done everything we can to assist, and I note the unit has been returned to the person who made the original purchase.
I feel it is very unfair to write such a negative review when 1. You are not our customer (we have no contract with you) and 2. The manufacturer has inspected the unit and provided a response and photos clearly showing you that it was your water quality that has caused the item to fail.

Should you wish to provide an independent report from a suitably qualified company, that shows the item has a manufacture fault , under UK law you can take legal action against the company who you purchased the item from. They intern can take this to their supplier, who intern can take this up with the manufacturer.
I have personally gone against our companies policy to try and help you even though you are not our customer and have no purchase receipt for these goods.

I would request again that you remove the review and if you feel strongly and wish to leave a review do so with the company from where you purchased. You do however, need to evidence that the goods are faulty.
Kind Regards,
Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Good price and speedy delivery…

I ordered chemicals and equipment one day and received the delivery the next day! The products were priced competitively and appear to be of good quality. Service couldn't be better. Many thanks.

13 February 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you so much for your feedback, great to hear you are happy with service we provide. Customer Services

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent service - highly recommended

Excellent service, arrived next day.

Technical support first class, will use now in the future for my Pool and Hot tub requirements

23 February 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from 1st Direct Pools

Thank you, your feedback is much appreciated. Great to hear we will be able to assist you again in the future. Customer Services

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