Frequently Asked Questions
Some important points to consider when making decisions about your pool:
Delivery
- NEVER sign delivery notes that say “….received in good condition”. Carriers can be very unreasonable about our rights and your rights if you do. Unfortunately, unscrupulous hauliers have been known to use a signed POD (Proof of delivery) as an unfair excuse to refuse compensation for goods, however obvious it might be that they have damaged or lost them!
- ALWAYS CROSS out the words “in good condition”. If possible check goods immediately and report any damaged or missing items in writing, on the delivery note.
- Even if the driver won’t wait, only sign the delivery note after you have changed it to read “received UNCHECKED” or preferably (unless the boxes are absolutely perfect) “received DAMAGED”. This will ensure that you don’t sign away any legal rights.
Please bear in mind that with some carriers, we may still only have as little as 24 hours to report details of problems. So please let us know immediately in the (very unlikely!) event that there are any.
Diving
You are advised not to jump or dive unless the pool has been safely designed for that purpose. Pools less than 32′ x 16′ with less than a substantial 7’6″ deep end are unsuitable. Please consult us if you think you may wish your pool to be used for diving.
Swimming Pool Liners
Our liners are hand made by Aquaflex, Plastica or by Certikin in England, using the finest quality virgin vinyl materials, in state of the art facilities.
Please be aware that no other pool company can manufacture liners any quicker than we can, and we treat every order as urgent. The finished quality is well worth the slight wait that can occur in peak season. We strongly advise you to delay ordering your liner until your pool shell has been finished and accurately measured. This is a wise precaution against unforeseen ground conditions etc which might require a change of plan.
The correct way to fit a liner is to use an industrial vacuum cleaner to suck air out from behind while it is still dry, stretching out any wrinkles. It is vital that you do not mark or cut your liner until you are perfectly satisfied with its fit. If in doubt please ask. We can provide full installation instructions free of charge on request.
Pricing Policy
Our prices are transparent. They all include VAT, and virtually all of them also include UK mainland carriage, however some heavy or bulky items will have carriage charges.
Contacting Us
A G Budget staff are easy to contact by telephone. We are keen to know our customers by name and spend as much time as possible talking in person to understand your needs fully. There is no substitute for a knowledgeable one to one discussion. Even when we are closed, our voicemail runs 24/7 and we always try to ring back – although we obviously appreciate it if you can possibly make non-urgent calls during normal business hours, Monday to Saturday.
We won’t rush you. We appreciate your concerns, and we have the experience dealing with them going back long before the internet existed. We have always been a substantial family business partnership, rather than purely an impersonal discount warehouse. We are big enough to cope, but small enough to care, and we intend to keep it that way. The excellent relationships we have with our suppliers, built up over many years, enable us to pass on maximum savings, without sacrificing quality or service. See about us.
This again contrasts alarmingly with other websites, some of which masquerade behind premium rate phone lines or insist that all communications are by email. Even when you do get to speak to someone, it is invariably a person with little or no knowledge of the pool trade, just taking messages. Many do not even publish their actual contact details at all. Sometimes you don’t even know in which part of the country they are based, which could be a major problem if things turn sour. It would appear that in many cases they blindly cut prices so they can sell in large volumes as quickly as possible, and pass the buck to their wholesalers for after-sales “backup”.
You are welcome to visit us, but please do not drop in unannounced. It is advisable to phone first, especially if you have to make a long journey, to be certain that one of us is here to give you the specific help you require.
Returns
In the case of distance selling only, the buyer is entitled to return the goods to the seller for refund in full at any time and for any reason during the first seven days following delivery to the buyer subject to the following conditions and exceptions (notwithstanding goods which are faulty as covered in section 8 of our full terms and conditions)
The buyer will be responsible for all carriage charges incurred. No refund in respect of carriage charges will be made by the seller.
The buyer is not entitled to return goods that have been manufactured specifically for the buyer.
The buyer is not entitled to return goods that are not normally stocked by the seller and have been obtained by the seller specifically for the buyer.
Goods will not be refunded unless returned to the seller unused and in perfect condition and in their original packaging.
The seller reserves the right to refuse to refund goods returned to the seller after 28 days have elapsed from the original date of delivery to the buyer.
Correct Use of Chemicals
Although it is common practice to put chlorine tablets in the skimmer, we strongly advise against it, apart from very occasionally when on holiday perhaps. The strong bleach solution will quickly perish and crack the basket and eventually weaken the skimmer body itself or even discolour the pool lining. The recommended way to disperse chlorine or bromine tablets is to put them in a proper feeder designed for the purpose – either a cheap floating refillable feeder (about £12), or an erosion feeder permanently plumbed-in to the pool water return line, with an O-ring sealed screw-top lid, (around£100).
To proceed with using chemicals when you are uncertain about correct procedures can be dangerous to health and even an explosion or fire risk.
Pumps and Filters
Swimming pool pumps are water lubricated. They must never be run dry, not even for a split second. Unless there is water in the strainer pot, serious damage to the mechanical seals will result causing leaks, and the pump will have to be stripped down to fit new seals.
All electrical equipment must be installed by a qualified electrician.
All plants must be drained down for winter to prevent frost damage. The filter normally has a single drain plug at the base, with a sieve to allow water out but keep sand in. Warning: most pumps have two plugs, one for the strainer, and one for the impeller housing. Please remember to remove both!
Swimming Pool Heating
For your own protection, all heaters must be installed by qualified tradesmen in accordance with the appropriate regulations. You are advised to check that your supply is big enough to support your preferred size of heater before ordering. Gas and electricity boards maybe sometimes are persuaded to upgrade supplies at little or no cost. It is worth asking them for a quote.
Gas Heaters
Swimming pool gas heaters are more expensive than household boilers. This is because they have to be constructed to withstand a much more hostile environment. Our gas heaters can be hooked up directly to the swimming pool water circulation. If you tried this with a regular domestic gas boiler it would barely last a few months. This is not only because swimming pool water is corrosive inside unprotected heating tubes, but also because the outsides of the tubes are cooler than in a domestic boiler, and corrosive compounds from the burning gas can condense and attack the metal surfaces here too.
