Local business · Peabody, MALocal business · 28 Washington St #8330, Peabody, MA 01960, USA
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Three point one stars across 32 Google ratings, and the written reviews mostly aren't arguing about the pools — they're arguing about getting hold of the man who installs them. Dave's Above Ground Pools works out of Peabody and, per its own site, is owner-operated by David Thibodeau: above-ground installs, liner replacements, repairs, and seasonal openings and closings. Its BBB page describes a sole proprietorship started in 2012 and adds excavation, pool removal, fencing, decking and walk-around installation. When the work happens, the praise gets specific. A homeowner writing this April had a 15-by-30 pool taken down and hauled away for exactly the quoted price, said he phoned the night before to confirm, and noted the yard was left without so much as a screw on the ground. Another this March said he recognized their pool as a discontinued model, explained why parts had dried up, and offered to look again once the liner came off. In a 2024 review a customer who had him install two above-ground pools called the work meticulous, and a 2022 reviewer who was himself a pool installer said the job was done right. The complaints rarely dispute the workmanship. They dispute reaching him, and twice they involve money. A 2023 customer says a deposit was taken, no install date ever came, and the deposit was never returned. A 2024 customer says $500 was charged for a dig-out that was never finished. The sharpest is from September 2025: a homeowner who says they were strung along for months and left with a yard in shambles after an excavation they paid for. BBB rates the business B-, marked down for not responding to the one complaint on file. Even the enthusiasts spell out the terms. Two of them say the same thing — he is buried in spring, he returns calls after his workday, and a reply can take weeks. The most recent negative, from June 2026, is about price rather than performance: a homeowner who called the quote the highest they received and the conversation difficult. He is the right call for a straightforward above-ground install, liner swap or takedown from someone who does only that and quotes it flat, if you are willing to chase the scheduling. Pin down the install date, the total, and the deposit terms in writing before any money changes hands, and ask what happens if the date slips.
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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Added 18 new comments, added 18 new photos, established rating 3.0