Have used 1st Direct for years and years, best prices and advice on tap whenever required. Would highly recommend!!

amazing service received new pump 20 hours after ordering can't beat that

excellent service

APPROACH WITH CAUTION! if considering this company to build or fix your swimming pool! 1st Direct Pools and Ambassador Pools and Spa is essentially the same company, owned by the same Bailey family. We commissioned them to replace our pool liner which once removed revealed maintenance work required to the pool base and screed which had broken down. This repair work was agreed and paid for in advance to secure their schedule. The day before the work was scheduled to commence a severe thunderstorm was forecast for that day, so I contacted them to question the suitability of screeding a pool with such a pending downpour? Their response was one of complete dismissive concern with no option or consideration to reschedule, so without any choice or compromise the work went ahead. They began by removing the old screed and then commenced with rescreeding the base of the pool as the storm clouds so evidently began to form. As the fresh wet screed lay naked to the elements the storm so predictably broke - violently washing all their efforts into a floating sludge! If it was not for all the distress that was to follow, the comedic sight of the workmen scrambling frantically to cover their work from the torrent of rain would have been quite hilarious. This concluded the days events as the storm ran its course and the workmen retired for the day. It was then in the aftermath of the storm that the true fate of things to follow began to unfold... Having inspected the pool site in the aftermath of the storm we contacted them to establish when they would be back to re-do the work and begin over? This was met with a very concerning and nonchalant “oh don’t worry there is no need for that, we’ll just bring some quick dry cement to fix the base on the day of the liner installation!?”. Really not the response of a professional trades company?? Our response being “but there is no pool base to fix, its a floating mess! You really need to come and remove it and start over?”, echoing our previous concerns that the storm was likely to have been an issue! Sadly this is when the tone from Ambassador Pools became very unsavoury and adamant that no work to rectify matters was ever going to happen and that the liner installation would continue as planned! In short they would come and install the new liner upon what can be shown in the picture as a swamp pond! Naturally not content with this response but faced with little option we decided to decommission Ambassador Pools from the job before they could make matters any worse. And having pre-paid for the so-called ‘work’ to be done, requested a full refund on the basis that no value had ever been gained from their efforts (in fact their efforts had resulted in extensive damaged to the pool)... Ambassador Pools refused to acknowledge their failures, offered no means of resolution and refused to refund any of the hundreds of pounds given to them in commissioning the work. Thankfully this story did come with a very happy ending along with total appreciation and admiration for our new pool supplier Neptune Swimming Pools in Hampshire, who thankfully came to the rescue and did the most fantastic restoration of our destroyed swimming pool. (Our swimming pool restoration is proudly featured upon their website) Ambassador Pools are simply a bunch of cowboys with no regard for customer service or any duty of care. They are all about doing the bare minimum and quick fixes, hiding a multitude of sins that will ultimately cost you dearly. I strongly advise any one to reconsider any plans to engage with Ambassador Pools or 1st Direct Pools and should you choose to do so agree payment only upon satisfactory completion. In case there was any doubt this was not a consequence of Ambassador Pools work, I have their comical job-sheet to prove (check Google reviews)! And you have to love the absolute irony in their strap-line "Making Leisure A Pleasure" - if only! Update: Since posting this review and exposing the truth to assist others in not becoming victims of such poor service, shocking workmanship and financial loss, I have received threatening demands to remove this review. What does that tell you about the nature of this company? I rest my case your honour…

Outstanding company. Great service.

Im a regular buyer of the StaRite Pool Pumps and this is my go-to supplier. good service quality parts and quick delivery Oh' and the price is right too! Thanks again

I ordered this for my friend Kathleen, she instructed me to write this review on her behalf as followed: I am absolutely amazed with the very quick delivery and the product (Sauna) I received. In my experience, this is a very good exceptional company. Customer service second to none. Big thank you for your service and the quality of the sauna at the very good price I paid (cheap). Thumbs up

BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE...ITS COSTING £200 TO CHANGE A POOL LIGHT...I purchased a LED astral pool light in April 2020 at a cost of £165. I had the cost of the light to be fitted £50. It had a two year warranty so I thought the product would last longer than 9 months. In January 2021 the light has stopped working. It has cost me another £50 to have the light and electrics checked by the electrician who reported the light to be faulty. The manufacturer will replace the light when I return the broken one. I requested that the replacement be sent out first so I would only have one removal/fitting charge rather that having to get the electrician out twice saving £50..The answer was a flat NO...terms and conditions and this is what Astral had insisted on... not looking after a repeat customer. 1st Direct have said that its the manufacture stating I have to return the item before they will send out a replacement. I just spoke to Astral Pools who told the responsibility is with 1st Direct Pools as that's the company that supplied the light. I had already said this to Corinna at 1st Direct Pools....Corinna's response was yet again Terms & Conditions. It amazes me that 1st DP over a what cost them probably half of what I paid are prepared to loose a customer and receive a BAD review. I have tried to be reasonable with 1st Direct Pools and have asked them to try and reduce the costs of having the new light fitted...I just don't like wasting money or peoples time... in the future I will take my business elsewhere.

This package was delivered on time and Covid safe.

Pre-purchase telephone Q&A - great. Help with online account misbehaving - great. Purchase process - great. Delivery as promised - another great!