BB Winter 2010 - United Pool Association

The
UPA
Bulletin Board
“ Freedom
the Chapter
Level….Simplicityatatthe
theBoard
Board Level”
Freedom
at theat Chapter
Level….Simplicity
Level
Priceless (but free to all UPA members)
WWW.UNITEDPOOLASSOCIATION.ORG
WINTER 2010
The Million Dollar Truck Policy is Here!
Inside this Edition
Insurance Information
3
Insurance Claims Report
5
Chapter 59 Makes…...
7
The Late Newsletter
10
Don’t Educate Yourself
12
Another Huge Claim
13
Associate Members
14
Contact Information
15
Senior Editor and Writer
in Absentia
The Great Rick Osburn
Editor and Writer
Steve Homer
Contributing Editor and
Writer
Jeff Dowding
UPA
P.O. Box 15605
Newport Beach, CA 92659
The UPA E-mail Address:
[email protected]
The UPA Bulletin Board is
published quarterly to inform
and marginally entertain its
members. The Bulletin Board
does not reflect official UPA
policy
except
where
specifically stated.
UPA does not guarantee any
claims made by its writers,
editors, or advertisers. The
editors are on their knees
begging UPA members to tell
us what you think!
Stay Up To Date
Read pages 3&5 regularly to
stay informed about your liability insurance policy. Being
informed will keep our
insurance premiums low. You
owe it to your brothers and
sisters!
USI Insurance Services
800-339-2218
In the last newsletter USI Insurance Services announced
that UPA’s new auto program
would be up and running as of
1/1/2010. Well, there was one
“glitch” we had not anticipated
arising out of new legislation in
the State of Nevada. A new bill
was passed there requiring insurance companies operating in
Nevada to confirm coverage on
any insured they had coverage
on in the state. Just one problem, the bill didn’t explain exactly how the companies were to
inform the state!
We had hoped that this would
be cleared up quickly, but it still
has not been addressed. As a
result, the decision was not to
wait any longer for an answers
and launch the new program in
all UPA states except Nevada
until answers to this problem
are available there. Unfortunately, this backed up the
launch of the program to
2/1/2010.
By the time you read this article you should have received
information from USI Insurance
Services covering the new auto
program including an application for a coverage quote if you
are interested. Again, the program will provide the following
coverages:
Liability Limit:
$1,000,000 per occurrence of
loss for Bodily Injury and / or
Property Damage to others.
Uninsured Motorist / Underinsured
Motorist
Limit:
$1,000,000.
Medical Payments:
$5,000.
Comprehensive:
Actual Cash Value / $500. Deductible*
Collision:
Actual Cash Value / $500. Deductible*
Hazardous Chemical Clean
Up Coverage:
$25,000 Limit
Cargo Coverage:
$5,000 Limit (excluding theft
coverage)
Coverage for physical damage
can be waived.
Please be aware that no coverage is only provided on vehicle
drivers that USI has had the
chance to review Motor Vehicle
Driver Reports on. IF USI
HAS NOT APPROVED A
DRIVER FOR COVERAGE,
NO COVERAGE WILL BE
PROVIDED.
Please also be aware that no
coverage will be provided for
NON-OWNED
AUTOMOBILES OR HIRED AUTOMOBILES.
A non-owned
automobile exposure arises out
of someone using their vehicle
on behalf of your business at
your direction. A hired auto
exposure arises out of a temporary vehicle such as a rental
vehicle being used in your
business.
The reason to covered specific
drivers is to be sure of who will
be driving the vehicles UPA’s
program provides coverage for
to be sure they are safe drivers. We are not interested in
providing coverage for a 16
year old joy riding in Dad’s
truck perhaps because his vehicle has been in an accident
as an example. Non-owned
and Hired Automobile coverage is not being provided so
the program does not provide
coverage on any other types of
unanticipated loss exposures.
If we are careful in providing
coverage under this program,
and keep it focused strictly on
business related exposures, we
should be able to keep the program profitable for all concerned which will keep the
rates down as a result.
Ron Carlson USI Insurance
October Joint Board Meeting Recap
Our fearless leader Jeff kicked
it off by advancing the idea of
printing the Bulletin Board in
Spanish and Korean. It would
help our Spanish and Korean
speaking brothers and sisters
stay informed about their insurance. What do you think?
ten into the pool service business.
Kevin from Alan Smith Pool
Plastering came in to stomp out
the rumor Alan Smith had got-
Ron Carlson talked more
about the new truck insurance policy for UPA mem-
There was more discussion
led by Clint Combs, Chapter
31, on contractors licensing
and Bulletin Board verbiage
pertaining to contracting.
bers. A letter will go out to
everyone when it’s available.
And we talked about raising
the limit of our liability policy
to $3 million.
The Board voted to give Greg
Patino $2,000 so he can send
more goodies to the troops in
the Middle East.
The Newsletter Monkey
PAGE 2
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
WINTER 2010
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WINTER 2010
USI Contact Info
For policy questions and clarifications
contact the UPA Account Executive:
Ron Carlson
800-339-2218
818-251-3003 direct
[email protected]
For general questions, additions and
deletions, insurance certificates, additional insured certificates, address
changes, contact:
Matthew Creith
800-339-2218
818-251-3025 direct
818-251-1825 fax
[email protected]
To file a claim contact:
Lauren Menefee
800-339-2218
818-251-3049 direct
[email protected]
USI Insurance Services
21600 Oxnard St. 8th Floor
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
Your UPA Insurance
Your liability insurance is issued by Fireman’s Fund through USI Insurance Services. The policy covers the operations of
service, repair and maintenance of
swimming pools and spas only.
Two important exceptions to the policy
are as follows:
1. You are not covered for the repair,
maintenance, installation and/or removal
of diving boards and slides. Bottom line:
DON’T TOUCH ‘EM!
2. Acid Wash coverage will pay up to
$25,000 to correct damage to a pool that
turns out badly as the result of a member
“Acid Washing” a pool and, of course, is
subject to the usual $500 deductible.
YOU WILL NOT BE COVERED IF
YOU ACT AS A CONTRACTOR!
Fireman’s Fund requires all chapters to
meet a minimum of 9 times per year. If
any chapter is not meeting this basic requirement the entire chapter will be
dropped by UPA.
PAGE 3
UPA Health Insurance
Check out the UPA health care plans.
Major Medical Health Insurance
866-633-6322
Limited Medical Benefit Plan
800-975-7724
Discount Health Card Program
800-975-7724
www.affinityhealthplans.com/upa
Ask for the Healthcare Solutions Group
and be sure to tell them you are a member of The United Pool Association
Filing a Claim
When filing a claim make sure you do it
in a timely fashion. If you screw up and
flood some guy's house for example, DO
NOT hope, pray or take his word for it
that he will not file suit against you. Call
Lauren Menefee ASAP. Waiting could
cause the claim to be denied. Fireman's
Fund needs to be involved from the git go.
1. DO NOT ADMIT FAULT ! This
cannot be stressed enough. You may feel
obligated to cleanse your soul, but you
will do yourself and your claim harm by
doing so. Button your lip and let
Fireman's Fund do the talking.
2.
DO NOT TALK TO ANY
ATTORNEY THAT IS NOT FROM
FIREMAN’S FUND! Never ever go to a
deposition without legal representation
from Fireman's Fund. No matter how
innocent it may seem these guys will eat
you (and our policy) alive. Fireman's
Fund has a whole squadron of attorneys
to represent you. You have to let these
guys do the talking.
3. Prepare a complete statement of all the
facts immediately and call Lauren
Menefee. Fireman's Fund must be
brought in early so they can investigate
while the evidence is fresh.
4. Inform your chapter President and
Treasurer that you are filing a claim and
keep them informed with the progress of
the claim.
5. Make arrangements with your chapter
Treasurer to give him the $500
deductible. Your chapter is responsible
for paying the deducible. If you don’t pay
it your chapter is on the hook. If your
chapter doesn’t pay it the entire chapter
will have its insurance canceled.
6. If you have any problems or questions
or need assistance call Matt Creith and
Lauren Menefee at USI.
PAGE 4
WINTER 2010
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
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I have personally sold more routes than anyone in the world
Read testimonials
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WINTER 2010
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
PAGE 5
Member and Employee Info
Insurance Certificates
Membership
UPA members that have anyone
including employees, family members,
friends, repair people, vacation service
people, etc., that are not under the
direct supervision* of the insured
member are not covered by the
Fireman’s Fund policy. You must see to
it your help has their own Fireman’s
Fund policy. Matt Creith can get you set
up.
*Direct Supervision means they are
working with you in your presence. Not
the next house, not a phone call away.
All Insurance Certificates are mailed
every July to every UPA member. If you
don’t get one by the end of the month call
Matt Creith and she’ll take care of it. Be
patient though, she sends out close to
10,000 certificates every year. A pile of
work like that can take time.
Servicing swimming pools must be your
primary occupation with repair work
being secondary.
Make Sure You Are Registered!
All members should make sure their
chapter has a current roster with their
name on it registered with USI. A claim
being filed by a member not registered
with USI will not be covered by
Fireman’s Fund. Check it out so you
don’t get left out in the cold. It's
happened.
New Members
You should receive your Insurance Certificate within 48 hours after USI Insurance is notified by your chapter treasurer. If you do not receive your Insurance Certificate in a few days call Matt
Creith at USI Insurance
Additional Insured Certificates
All you guys with commercial accounts
that require additional insured certificates, let Matt Creith know if you no
longer need those certificates sent out. It
will save these folks a pile of unnecessary work.
Claims Report
#14 - West Covina: Claimant alleges that the member
used too much algaecide which cause pool to discolor
#34 - San Fernando Valley: Claimant alleges member
failed to maintain pool causing discoloration to pool.
#47 - Azusa: Plaintiff sustained injuries in an unattended pool; their lawyer named member a codefendant.
#48 - Orange County: Zinc Ball got stuck in the skimmer of the pool.
#61 - Rowland Heights: Claimant alleges Insured
member left water running in pool, flooding home.
#62 - Torrance: Claimant alleges insured member
failed to paint pool properly causing damage to same.
#63 - Los Angeles: Claimant alleges the chemicals
used by insured member stained the plaster of the
pool.
#75 - North Scottsdale: Claimant alleges insured
member drained pool an it blistered.
#9 - San Diego: Claimant alleges insured member
used to much chlorine causing damage to the heater.
One year experience servicing swimming pools is required. Individual chapters may ask for more experience.
Go to the Chapter Contacts page and
contact a chapter near you for more details.
New Chapters
New chapters may be formed and existing chapters can split off with a minimum of ten members.
The proposed new Chapter President
must make arrangements with the UPA
President to appear at a UPA Joint
Board meeting and request admission.
Special accommodations for new chapters more than 200 miles from the Joint
Board meeting place are possible.
For more details call Steve Homer.
PAGE 6
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
Hayward Takes Steps to Limit
Warranty on Equipment
Purchased Over the Internet
CSI Tile and Stone Restoration
Descaling and Removal of Calcium Build-up on:
I heard a rumor from a UPA member in northern California •
that Hayward was no longer going to warranty any of their •
equipment purchased over the internet.
So I went to my local Hayward rep, the great Jai O’Neill and
asked him what he knew. Jai told me all the details weren’t
available yet but the basic plan from Hayward is to warranty the part for one year and not the labor. Unless the
part is installed by a “pool professional”.
Now Hayward may require the pool professional to be on a
list they keep but as of publication Jai was still trying to
ferret out all the details.
This will come as good news to all you guys that are trying
to compete with some of the internet low ballers.
Personally I won’t install the stuff that is purchased over
the internet because as the installer you’re the last on to
touch it. And, as we all know, the last guy to touch it owns
it.
The Monkey
WINTER 2010
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Fireplaces
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Call us at:
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WINTER 2010
WWW.UNITEDPOOLASSOCIATION.ORG
PAGE 7
Chapter 59 Makes Lake Havasu a Better Place
It was maybe eight years ago when I
was not only a member and chapter
Pres. of the UPA chapter 27 in the
wonderland we call Lake Havasu City
Arizona. I was also a member of the
Kiwanis club of Lake Havasu City. At
this time Kiwanis had been working
with the Marine Corps league for the
last 25 or so years helping with Toys
for Tots. Toys for Tots started in 1956
in L.A. by a retired Marine Corps Col.
When his wife had made a doll and
wanted to give it to someone in need.
This is the short version If you would
like the full story go online. It is a wonderful story.
Anyway back to our story. Kiwanis
needed help with transportation of the
toys. Well I thought who has trucks?
Pool Guys! So I went to our membership and asked can anyone help? I wasn’t surprised. We had all the trucks we
needed. One thing I have to say about
our members they are always there
when someone needs help. Now don’t
change that dial it gets better.
The following year transportation was
a no brainer. So we decided to take it
to another level. We came up with the
idea to put a small flyer in with our
November billing. This flyer was a
story about the local Toys for Tots effort and a request for our customers to
give a donation of $ 20.00 (Checks
made payable to the Kiwanis Toys for
Tots) or a new unwrapped toy. The
Toys can be left on the patio and they
would be picked up by their pool tech.
Well we had no idea how this would
go. The first year I’m proud to say we
collected $ 2,400.00 and lots, lots of
toys. That year over 600 Children were
helped in our community. Again don’t
change that dial. Yes it even gets better.
Now last year we thought with the
economy being the way it is we may
have a problem with donations. So we
went to our brothers and sisters at
UPA Chapter #59 and ask them to
participate and again they stepped
right up .Another great group of giving
people. We also asked some of our non-
affiliated Pool Guys to step up; and
they did. Well last year we did even
better than we thought. With all the
extra help we collected $3,400.00 and
lots and lots of toys. Over 900 children were given a Merry Christmas
last year even with the economy the
way it is.
Over the last six years we have collect
over $15,000.00 in donations and Lots
of toys. By putting a piece of paper in
our billing we were able to make a
difference in our little town. So I say
to all of our brothers and sisters of
the UPA you can make a difference
with just the smallest of efforts.
When I wrote this story this years
numbers weren’t Talleyed (Ha Ha )
yet. Thank you to everyone who
helped. I am proud to be associated
with such a great group of people. So
from Lake Havasu City we wish you
all a Happy and prosperous NEW
YEAR.
Mark Talley Chapter 59
PAGE 8
WWW.UNITEDPOOLASSOCIATION.ORG
WINTER 2010
Set Me Free From…...
I've been thinking about the stuff that
really irritates me. The thing that’s
grinding my butt these days are my
neighbors and their pools and spas. When
the neighbors see me driving up and
down the street with the cart hanging off
the hitch and the pole sticking out the
back (which I affectionately refer to as
"the tools of ignorance") most of my cheap
ass neighbors see an opportunity to
shake down the pool man. "Hey, I've got a
minor problem with my water chemistry"
or "The motor is making a little noise,
maybe it just needs a little WD-40."
On some dumb level I’ve always obligated
to be neighborly and help out. I go over
and of course the water chemistry is so
screwed up the pool has to be drained.
We all know no motor is ever repaired
with little squirt of WD-40. I explain "We
have to drain the pool" or "The motor on
that old Purex series A pump is seized up
and you really should replace the pump
and motor." Then comes the shocked look.
The look that cries "You mean I have to
spend money on the pool?" Followed by
the inevitable "Can you get me a good
deal?" I admit it, I've been a sucker, I
cave in and offer to work for nothing or
next to it.
I just got done with one of these neighbor
charity jobs and that’s it! I'm done! What
a friggin’ nightmare. It was a garbage
installation of an antique pump that I
had to stand on my head to work on. The
pump was shot and the motor had seized
up. The neighbor, a retired fireman, was
reluctant to spend any money. (I don’t
know how many firemen you know but
these guys put a whole new meaning to
the word CHEAP) This guy is whining
about parting with a few bucks while the
wife is looking at me like I'm running
some kind of scam on them.
When I finally get the okay to replace the
pump and motor I get the joy of fronting
the money and they can't understand
why I can't do the job at that very moment. Why in the world would I pass on
taking care of my regular profitable clients to work for this cheap screw for
chump change?
Here’s the equipment I’m looking at.
The plumbing that has been cut and
coupled so many times I’m going to
have dig down into the dirt to find
clean pipe to plumb to. A little tiny
decrepit stainless steel filter that looks
like it will crumble on contact. And the
heater is one of those antique blue Raypaks! What junk!
Well this job goes south immediately.
The copper pipe underground is so thin
you can read the newspaper through it.
Mr. Cheapo winces in pain when he
finds out the suction line from the
skimmer must be replaced. I told him,
“And while your at you’re going to have
to replace that old skimmer too.” The
skimmer was completely lined with tile
mastic to plug the leaks. The fireman
was proud when he told me he did the
mastic work.
Continued on the next page
WINTER 2010
WWW.UNITEDPOOLASSOCIATION.ORG
PAGE 9
…..Those Mooching Neighbors!
So I get my favorite leak detector (who
is an Associate Member and advertiser
in this newsletter) to cut the concrete
and install a new skimmer and suction
line while I carefully try and figure out
how I’m going to install this new pump
and motor without breaking the tiny
decrepit stainless steel filter.
I’m cutting the pipe between the pump
and filter with the light careful hands of
a surgeon but it didn’t matter; the weld
on the intake fitting on the tiny decrepit
stainless steel filter cracks.
This is now getting stupid. I knock on
the door and Fire Boy and Mrs. Fire Boy
both answer. Her nasty scowl is now
more pronounced than ever. I know that
shouldn’t bother me but it does. I smile
and say “Good news, bad news! The good
news is when I’m done your pool is going
to be as good as new. The bad news is
the tiny decrepit stainless steel filter
must be replaced.”
We go out so Fire Boy can inspect the
tiny decrepit stainless steel filter. The
guy actually asked me to pull out the
tiny decrepit stainless steel filter and
try to get someone to weld the crack. Is
this guy kidding?
This is when I couldn’t take it anymore
and I let him have it. (He’s a Scotsman
named Wallace McGowen. Can’t you
just hear Sean Connery saying “Aye,
Wallace McGowen, it’s time to part with
a few shillings”?) Back to the story. I
said “Wally, all this equipment and
plumbing is garbage. It’s total crap!
There are Cubans driving 1954 Plymouths that are in better shape than
this junk.”
Wally hung his head and asked how
much while his scowling wife rolled her
eyes, threw me a dirty look and marched
away.
So the skimmer and suction line were
in. I did a super clean job installing the
pump. I wired it to the 110 volt service.
(you know it’s going to be 110) I installed the new filter very carefully so I
didn’t cause any trauma to the antique
blue Raypak heater and voila! I hit the
switch and the system purred like a kitten.
I foolishly reached over and hit the
switch on the antique blue Raypak heater
and…. nothing. The nightmare never
ends! So, with Wally standing there, I
took the butt end of a screwdriver and
whacked the gas valve really hard and
that old turd fired up. Amazing. “Is that
good Wally?” He said “Yeah.”
Finally I was free. Since then I have resolved to no longer “help” my neighbors
with their pools. I got some business
cards from a young hungry poolman I
know and when the neighbors hit me up I
tell them I’m way too busy and give them
his card.
Now when I drive down the street fewer
neighbors wave at me. Wally and his
lovely scowling wife won’t make eye contact with me. And you know what? Good!
I’m free from the neighborly charity
work.
The Monkey
PAGE 10
WWW.UNITEDPOOLASSOCIATION.ORG
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UPA MEMBER REFERENCES
WINTER 2010
Why is the Newsletter
so damn late?
Sorry guys but I got kind of behind in getting the Bulletin
Board out this time.
You see I was all ready to go. I was just waiting for our president to sent me some stuff he wrote and I was waiting for the
insurance broker to write a “Carlson’s Corner”.
In early January Carlson called me and said he quit USI Insurance Services. He said he had some differences with the
company and was going to move on. “What about Carlson’s
Corner? What are we gonna fill that space with?!” Carlson
politely told me the “tough crap” rule would have to apply. I
guess, that’s the way it goes. People move on in life.
Jeff and I decided to hold up publication to see who would
replace Ron Carlson so we could report it to you guys.
Well low and behold Carlson worked out his differences with
USI, he’s back and he continues to be our “go to guy” at USI.
And he wrote us the front page story.
Jeff, however, wrote nothing. We’ve been cheated. I like reading Jeff’s crazy stuff. I miss it. If you miss it too call him and
tell him. His number is at the top of page 15.
Your Monkey
WINTER 2010
WWW.UNITEDPOOLASSOCIATION.ORG
Little Girl on an Airplane
Congressman was seated next to a little girl on the airplane
leaving from Atlanta when he turned to her and said, 'Let's talk.
I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation
with your fellow passenger.'
The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly
and said to the total stranger, 'What would you like to talk
about?'
'Oh, I don't know,' said the southern congressman. 'How
about global warming or universal health care', and he smiles
smugly.
OK, ' she said. 'Those could be interesting topics.. But let me
ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the
same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow
turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried
grass. Why do you suppose that is?
The southern legislator, visibly surprised by the little girl's
intelligence, thinks about it and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.'
To which the little girl replies, 'Do you really feel qualified to
discuss global warming or universal health care when you don't
know shit?
Submitted by an anonymous member of the Joint Board
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PAGE 11
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Pools Spas Fountains
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PAGE 12
WWW.UNITEDPOOLASSOCIATION.ORG
WINTER 2010
Don’t educate yourself
or ask any questions…. I’ll just wait
for your customer to
call me
You know as I go through my day,
swabbing pools and fixing pools it
always amazes me when I get calls
from homeowners that have rookie
poolmen they can’t wait to get rid of.
Don’t get me wrong, I like picking up
these accounts. There are always repairs lined up to get done. But I have
to wonder why these newer poolmen
don’t seek out more education or even
talk to a poolman that’s been in the
business for a while. Or bring it up in
a chapter meeting. I know I’d help
out.
MAKE YOUR WIFE, GIRLFRIEND
OR SECRETARY HAPPY
Last week I picked up an account
that had a pump that wouldn’t
prime. The customer was bad mouthing his previous guy and said he was
new in the business. After a little bit
of looking around it was clear to me
the pump and motor were shot. I installed a new pump and my new customer was just tickled.
OR WHOEVER DOES YOUR BILLING
POOL SERVICE BILLING .COM
HELPING THE POOL PROFESSIONAL
SAVE TIME AND MONEY!!!
ICON DIRECT BILLING
WITH AUTOMATED CHECK PROCESSING
AND CREDIT CARD PROCESSING
THIRD PARTY BILLING
FOR POOL PRO WHO DOESN’T ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS
CALL DON HINSON FOR A CHAPTER MEETING PRESENTATION
WHICH INCLUDES PIZZA AND B**R
888-9MY-BILL
888-969-2455
www.poolservicebilling.com
In addition to that I’ll be replacing a
3HP Whisper Flo circulation pump
with a smaller one. The builder just
flat out over-pumped the system and
the energy bills were through the
roof. And… he wants a new heater
too!
In UPA we don’t require guys to get
on going education. Obviously it’s in
a guys best interest to know what
he’s doing and keep up with the latest advances in our industry. Why
guys don’t do this stuff is a mystery
to me.
Oh well, I guess in the mean time I’ll
just go ahead and pick up the calls
from those pissed off customers, expand my business and make more
money.
The Monkey
WINTER 2010
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
PAGE 13
Another Huge Claim
We got hit with another freak claim. We
seem to be having quite a run of these
wacky, out of the blue, high dollar
claims.
Here’s what happened. In December
1994 our member serviced the pool,
closed the gate and left the yard. A few
days later a kid finds their way into the
yard, ends up in the pool and will be seriously handicapped for the rest of his or
her life.
You say, “What a tragedy, my heart goes
out to the kid and family but why is UPA
being sued 5 years later? Our guy was
there days earlier and closed the gate.”
In addition the family told our member
at the time of the tragedy it was not his
fault!
Fast forward 4+ years. The family decides to sue. The “shark lawyer” that
took the case names anybody and everybody that had anything to do with the
house, yard and pool. Why sue everyone
in sight? To find somebody(s) with a big
fat liability policy to shake down.
(What a noble profession)
Why doesn’t Fireman’s Fund fight
this? Because, the way Ron Carlson
put it to me, if they choose to fight they
could conceivably run up a ton of legal
costs. If they fight it too hard the judge
could interpret this as “bad faith” and
make FF pay the million bucks anyway. Then the “shark” could go after
the UPA member and Joint Board for
further damages.
So the deal FF made with the “shark”
is the get the limit of the policy and no
more. The “shark” settled for one million dollars and agreed not to go after
our member or the Joint Board. A done
deal but I still want to puke.
What can we do to stop these claims?
The first $1 million claim was a diving
board somebody else worked on and
screwed up and we got hit. Nothing we
can do there.
The $560,000 claim was a freak dog
bite claim that had nothing to do with
swimming pool repair and maintenance.
Both claims were cases of our liability
insurance being in the wrong place at
the wrong time.
This most recent claim is also impossible. Our member found out a kid
was seriously hurt in one of his pools.
The homeowner tells him flat out he’s
not to blame. Five years later he gets
sued.
All I can say is we have to file claims
on anything that can even remotely
become a claim so FF can investigate.
Don’t wait until you're sued. No matter how trivial an incident may seem
call USI and file a claim. It won’t
make you look bad. It will give FF a
jump on the case in the event it blows
up into a freak claim.
The lawyer hating Monkey
PAGE 14
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
WINTER 2010
Associate Members
Support the People that Support UPA!
Water Savers Company
Independent Leak Detection
Steve & Andi Holcomb
800-543-0979
13312 Montecito
Tustin, CA 92782
USI Insurance Services
UPA Fireman’s Fund Insurance
Ron Carlson
800-339-2218
21600 Oxnard St. 8th Floor
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
National Pool Route Sales
Charles Baird
If a UPA member dies we will
sell his route for free
877-766-5757
www.poolroutesales.com
10 Bethany
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Mohr Power Solar
Sales Service and Installation
www.mohrpower.com
Mike Mohr
109 North Maple Unit #D
Corona, CA 92880
800-637-6527
Pool Route Pros
Pool Route Sales & Consulting
Tom Falvai
714-506-PROS (7767)
Office 714-974-1968
Fax 714-974-9822
5753 G Santa Ana Cyn. Road
Suite 352
Anaheim, CA 92807
Scuba Pool Repair
Specializing in Underwater Repairs all the way up to the
Equipment Pad
Drew Anderson
800-330-7068
www.scubapoolrepair.com
[email protected]
Orange County Leak Services
1195 N. Van Horn Way
Anaheim, CA 92806
Richard Navin
714-632-0117
Fax: 714-630-6219
Tradeyouraccounts.com
Buy Pool Service Accounts
Sell Your Pool Service Accounts
Trade your Accounts With Others and Tighten Up Your Route.
www.tradeyouraccounts.com
Superior Pool Products
Santa Fe Springs 562-404-9909
Monrovia 626-358-4426
Palm Springs 760-325-6555
Ontario 909-923-3600
Cathedral City 760-321-6005
Palm Desert 760-568-9661
Placentia 714-238-1203
Fountain Valley 714-965-1430
Sacramento 916-928-9988
Santa Rosa 707-588-0617
Van Nuys 818-782-2721
Canoga Park 818-340-7624
San Diego 619-283-2066
Escondido 760-489-0255
El Cajon 619-447-2466
Grand Terrace 909-825-3500
Newbury Park 805-498-9945
Raypak Inc.
www.raypak.com
John Kane
805-278-5300
Contact:
David Eckman: 949-466-9187
Tom Grucky: 760-723-2191
Paul Eisler: 760-564-6698
Ken Chaubet: 805-578-3566
2151 Eastman Ave.
Oxnard, CA 93030
The Tile Blasters
Tile Descaling and Restoration
Ron Laskodi
562-865-7576
800-853-8884
11642 Telegraph Rd.
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
Emerson Pool/Spa Motors
www.emersonmotors.com
Jim D’Angelo
262-692-2001
Cell: 262-488-1426
Fax: 262-692-2009
8100 W. Florissant Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63136
Leak Detection USA
Locate and repair leaks in pools,
spas, ponds, gas lines, waterfalls
and water lines
Michael Mamula
800-652-9062
Pool & Electrical Products
Swimming Pool Equipment, Parts
& Supplies
Anaheim 714-756-8115
Dublin 925-829-9330
El Cajon 619-562-0313
Murrieta 909-600-7180
Ontario 909-673-1160
Palm Desert 760-776-1366
Walnut 909-594-8050
Pool Water Products
Garden Grove 714-638-3873
Van Nuys 818-997-6651
San Jose 408-432-9700
Santa Ana 714-973-4744
San Diego 858-565-1330
Canoga Park 818-710-9500
Concord 925-827-4300
Sacramento 916-927-2882
Riverside 909-682-7700
Hayward Pool Products
www.haywardnet.com
Jai O’Neill
909-594-1600
949-701-3205 cell
Fax: 909-598-6905
2875 Pomona Blvd.
Pomona, CA 91768
HASA Inc.
www.hasapool.com
Mary Flynn
661-259-5848
Fax: 661-259-1538
23119 Drayton St.
Saugus, CA 91350
United Chemical Corporation
P.O. Box 429
3741 Telegraph Road
Piru, CA 93040
800-524-5550
805-521-1011
Fax: 805-521-1018
www.swimpool.com
Leak Specialists
Pools Spas Fountains
L.A./Orange County
Luis Perez
800-996-5325
San Bernardino/Riverside County
Derek O’Hanlon
888-522-5325
www.leakspecialists.com
Spring Board Pool Route Broker
2756 E. Bidwell St. Suite 300-242
Folsom, CA 95630
Corey Mouillesseaux
888-998-7665
www.springboardprb.com
[email protected]
Atlas Pool Supply
Wholesale Distributors of Parts,
Chemicals and Supplies
Serving Orange County
Tulio Alvarez
27601 Forbes Road Suite 33
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
949-348-2300
Fax: 949-266-8276
McGrayel Water Technologies
EasyCareTM Products
Fresno, California 93725
Marvin J. Rezac Jr., CEO
Tel: 800-289-7660, ext. 230
Fax: 800-440-7660
Cell: 559-246-3719
General Pool Supply
www.gpspool.com
Rancho Cordova
Dublin
Rohnert Park
Fresno
Sunnyvale
Modesto
Sparks NV
800-722-7946
11285 Sunco Drive
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
Suntrek Solar
www.suntreksolar.com
Warren Davis
5 Holland #215
Irvine, CA 92618
949-348-9276
Fax: 949-348-1626
B’s Pool Supplies
Chemical Delivery
Serving Southern California
Andy MacMillan
909-274-0964
Fax: 909-274-0965
1691 Container Circle
Riverside, CA 92509
Jiffy Print
The Official Printer for UPA
Ask for the UPA member
“Good Guy” deal
3851 Birch St.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Mike Roche
949-296-1171
Fax: 949-474-9100
POOLVERGNUEGEN
The PoolCleaner People.
Call to ask about our "Try Me"
Program for UPA members.
3195 Regional Parkway
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Tel (707) 566 0400
Fax (707) 566 0430
www.thepoolcleaner.com
WINTER 2010
WWW.U NIT EDPOOLAS SOCIA TI ON. OR G
PAGE 15
The Joint Board
President
Jeff Dowding
949-586-5550
Treasurer
Greg Patino
714-401-4124
Vice President
Secretary
Unfilled Position
John Triesch
562-421-4136
Insurance Chairman
Newsletter Monkey
David Robinson
Steve Homer
951-485-3964
714-968-9545
Chapter Contact People
Pomona
Palm Desert
Inland Empire
Central Orange
Orange County
Nohl Ranch
San Diego
Mission Viejo
Whittier
Newport Beach
West Covina
Riverside/Corona
Central Orange
Palm Springs
Saddleback Valley
Long Beach
Rancho Cucamonga
San Gabriel
Apple Valley
Redding
Chico
Orange County
Lake Havasu AZ
Redwood Empire
Placer County
Hacienda Heights
Santa Rosa
Sacramento
San Fernando Valley
Pasadena
Central Valley
Concord
No. County San Diego
La Mirada
Santa Carita
#1
#2
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#21
#22
#23
#24
#25
#26
#27
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
#35
#36
#39
#40
#41
#42
Craig Holmes
Connie Mach
Craig Judy
John Oliver
Will McKee
Wally Pankratz
Ron Swonger
Daryl Bellisimo
Jay Wilson
Mike Tanasse
Bill Wilkins
Ed O’Brien
Pat Moreland
Bill Manger
Dennis Wiltanger
John Triesch
Larry McMillon
Fernando Duenas
Gregory Gehrke
Scott Phipps
Greg Lathrop
Ed Karp
Craig Burke
Gary Seavey
Joe Peters
Clint Combs
Matt Barnard
Dave Walker
Carlos Hernandez
Sherman Hudson
Paul Vizcarra
John Lyons
Ken Cunningham
M.J. Fowler
Kevin Burbank
Dates for the Upcoming
Joint Board Meetings
Remember, chapters within 200
MUST attend joint board meetings.
up early and contribute! Come on,
the hell else are you doing that’s so
important?
The 2010 dates are:
January 30
April 24
July 31
October 30
miles
Show
what
scary
909-941-0488
760-799-0100
909-862-1240
714-936-7701
714-964-7533
714-974-2228
619-985-3754
949-770-0564
909-783-4318
714-968-7205
626-335-5489
951-734-6775
714-540-1036
760-202-6005
949-595-0911
562-421-4136
909-987-4330
909-628-0016
760-242-8879
530-365-8610
530-515-6698
800-992-9564
928-486-4060
707-891-3185
916-367-2947
909-391-5167
707-829-3904
916-444-4866
818-635-2032
626-442-3266
209-499-5007
925-672-7946
760-586-3562
562-972-2292
661-299-5866
Temecula
Granite Bay
San Bernardino
Azusa
Inland Orange County
Sherman Oaks
Garden Grove
Diamond Bar
No. County San Diego
Bakersfield
Mid Peninsula
Cerritos
South Bay
Riverside
Lake Havasu AZ
Roseville
Rowland Heights
Torrance
Los Angeles
Central Coast
Rancho Mirage
Elk Grove
Santa Ana
Long Beach
Henderson NV
Dana Point
Indio
Santa Clarita
West SF Valley
North Scottsdale AZ
North Texas TX
Orange
Bullhead City AZ
Citrus Heights
Burbank
Joint Board Meetings are held
at the same place they’ve
always been:
Keno’s Restaurant
5750 E. La Palma
Anaheim, CA
Same Deal:
Breakfast at 7AM (or so)
Meeting starts at 8AM
Breakfast is $10.
Orange juice is extra and there ain’t no
wheat toast.
#44
#45
#46
#47
#48
#49
#50
#51
#52
#54
#55
#56
#57
#58
#59
#60
#61
#62
#63
#64
#65
#66
#68
#69
#70
#71
#72
#73
#74
#75
#76
#77
#78
#79
#80
Phil Johnson
Jerry Dragoo
David Robinson
Ron Sorensen
Jeff Holcomb
Scott Gilbey
Sang Gu Tark
Richard Noh
Jim Condometti
Tom Irvine
Rusty Griner
Samuel Sohn
George Guerra
Russ Rawlings
Paul Koesterer
Jennifer Bishop
Jong Ryong Woo
Scott McKeel
Robert Ringus
David Barker
Charles Allen
Kevin Rogers
Robert Fleming
Dave Henderson
Ron Marchon
Louis Benar
Adam Johnson
Bill McLaughlin
Gregorio Correa
Chuck Ulrich
Shane Price
Rod Carpenter
Tom Pugh
Brian Dittmer
Tony KIm
909-679-3454
916-224-9583
951-485-3964
626-969-6993
714-292-4488
818-725-3425
714-788-9119
909-973-5306
760-889-8850
661-808-5134
650-854-4267
562-404-1334
310-830-4407
909-780-1622
928-846-2901
916-781-7665
909-263-5329
310-522-0235
310-367-6341
805-237-2355
760-902-1184
916-396-8174
949-433-4411
562-673-9947
702-218-8295
949-276-9731
760-238-2782
661-755-1556
818-522-5664
480-488-0051
214-534-6997
714-720-3112
928-846-1313
916-679-0357
818-913-4201
Contact Changes
When chapters change their Chapter
Contact guy, send those changes to the
following people:
Matt Creith at USI and The Newsletter
Monkey by phone, mail or email.
The Monkey needs a name AND a
telephone number. Matt will tell you
what he needs.
We’re not mind readers. We won’t know
about your contact changes if you guys
don’t tell us.
UPA Bulletin Board
Presorted Standard
U.S. Postage
P.O. Box 15605 Newport Beach, CA 92659
Newport Beach, CA
The
PAID
Permit #16
WINTER 2010