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Dave's Above Ground Pools is a one-man, Peabody-based operation — David Thibodeau installs, excavates for, and later repairs and removes above-ground pools, and handles the seasonal opening and closing calls too. The Better Business Bureau lists the business as a sole proprietorship that's been running since 2012. The 18 reviews on file, spanning 2022 to 2026 across Google and the BBB, split almost evenly between two very different experiences. On one side, reviewers keep describing the same thing: Dave calling the night before to confirm, showing up exactly when he said he would, and doing careful, professional work — a 2026 review called his communication "excellent" on a pool removal job, and a 2025 review from a customer whose pool Dave installed ten years earlier says he came back and had Dave replace the liner. On the other side, an almost equal number describe him going quiet — deposits taken with no install date given for weeks, calls and texts that don't get returned, and a 2024 review where a customer says he dug out for a pool, took a $500 payment, and never came back to finish it. A 2023 review describes chasing a deposit refund for weeks after Dave stopped answering his phone. The BBB profile backs up the mixed picture: it isn't accredited, and its grade was downgraded to B- specifically because the company didn't respond to a complaint filed against it. The last six months look better — three of the last four reviews are positive — but given how often the negative reviews center on being unreachable mid-job, it's worth nailing down a firm start date, a payment schedule tied to milestones rather than a large upfront deposit, and a direct way to reach Dave before signing anything. For someone who catches him at a good time, the work itself draws real praise — but this is a small, one-person operation where responsiveness has clearly varied job to job, so getting expectations and an installation date in writing before paying a deposit is the sensible move.
Great service, showed up when he said he would. Great company to do business with. Highly recommend.
I tried, but this guy was the most arrogant installer I asked a quote from. He groaned and Mumbled “oh boy” when asking a simple question about the install. The highest priced contractor w/o asking any questions. Very difficult to deal with and do not recommend. Wanted $3k for a replacement 24x52 above ground pool install with the foundation already in place. Don’t waste your time.
Dave and his crew came today. He showed up exactly the day and time he said he would be here. Dave also called me the night before to confirm. My experience is that his communication was excellent. He quoted me a price to take down and haul away our 15x30 pool. He did the work for exactly the price he quoted, without any BS lines when he showed up. He and his crew came to work, they did the work in about an hour and left my yard spotless with not so much as a screw on the ground. Dave is down to earth, informative and upfront. Dave will be installing our new pool, so stay tuned for part 2. As of now I am very pleased and looking forward to continue working with Dave and his crew.
Dave calls you back! He is knowledgeable and will tell you up front what he thinks. My pool was obsolete and I was unable to get parts. He knew the pool and told why it was discontinued. He even offered to come by once the liner was removed to see if it could be fixed. If you want an honest opinion and want someone to actually show up, this is the company for you!
We had the worst experience with Dave this summer. I have never "worked" with anyone so unprofessional. He strung us along for months, never came out to look or even asked for pictures of our land. He told us we needed a professional excavation, which we did but he still went ahead and excavated our yard and charged us $700 for leaving our yard in shambles. We then hired an excavation company who leveled our yard in 2 days and then when Dave decided to finally show up to "install" our pool, he left our pool unpacked with screws everywhere in the middle of our driveway and stated that he didn't install our type of pool, even though I told him exactly what we bought. If you can't do the job just say so! He was going to charge us $5,800 but luckily we ended up finding someone to do it for $3,300. Do your research and hire a professional!
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1 change recorded — last scanned Aug 4, 2026.
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from Dave's Above Ground Pools. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$280 – $550
Typical pool service visit around $420
Retile finished early3.4
