Buyer Beware if you are considering Jason Spencer of Bella Pools. This company will only cost you time and money. Jason Spencer will show up to your house with a sales pitch about getting a pool built for cheaper than a pool company. Here is why it's a sales pitch and not much more. Jason Spencer is no a licensed pool contractor. He is not an engineer and cannot provide an engineering design. He is not an architect and cannot provide a design that can be filed with the state. He is not legally permitted to file for a permit to build a pool at your house. Jason Spencer and Bella pools come with all the major Red Flags anyone spending money should avoid. Here are some of those Major red Flags you should avoid: Major Red Flag #1 - Paying upfront. Jason will want you to pay large sums of money before anything is done. He says, this is his "design fee". Pick any pool company in Orlando and call them, see if they will charge you a design fee to show you want a pool looks like. None will. While it's reasonable to pay for materials for your subs, it's unreasonable to pay before he's done anything. Major Red Flag #2 - Not a Contractor Jason Spencer is not a contractor, not an engineer and he cannot provide you with a design you can take for permitting. In fact, if you can get to the permitting stage by spending even more money with Jason, so he can hire someone else to do those things he cannot, you'll be required to pull the permits yourself or hire a real contractor. If you do pull a permit for yourself in Seminole County (similar provisions in Orange County), you will sign your name to this clause: "I understand that I may not hire an unlicensed individual person to act as my contractor or to supervise persons working on my building or residence." This clause carries the following penalty for Violation, "A violation of this exemption is a misdemeanor of the first degree punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding 1 year and a $1,000.00 fine in addition to any civil penalties." Jason is not a Contractor and cannot legally supervise work on your behalf. Major Red Flag #3 - No Due Dates Jason's "design contract" does not come with any due dates. Never sign an agreement for a service without a due date of some sort. Jason purposely does not include a due date, because every single date you will try to get him to agree too he will miss. Never sign an agreement that doesn't tell you when you're getting your design. Major Red Flag #4 - Prior History Before you bring Jason M Spencer to your house, due your diligence and do an free online Orange County Clerks Records search on him and his team (Google: myeclerk.myorangeclerk). Read the lawsuit filed by Holland Pools and Spas (case number 2008-CA-031289-O) in which Holland Pools sued Jason Spencer and Bella Pools for "bait and switch" business practices. Also read the suit filed by Suntrust bank for "breach of agreement/contract" (case number: 2011-CA-010347-O). In the case Suntrust filed for damages of $95,696.49 Major Red Flag #5 - Online Review Issues Make sure you understand what you are signing up for. On Google reviews, two of the 5 Star Reviews are Jason Spencer (owner of the company) and Carlos Lamadrid (Current or former Employee). Read his unprofessional response to a former Client Hilary: You can find it on Google, that's the review where Jason rates his company 5 Stars; and on Yelp again where Jason influences his rating by reviewing himself 5 stars). That's the way he handles clients after he cashes their checks. My experience was extremely similar. Unfortunately for me, Jason cashed his check before Hilari put her review up. Read what she wrote for yourself. Additionally, if you create a free account on Yelp you can contact Hilari and myself for more information.   Major Red Flag #6 - Does not stand behind his agreement In the agreement that Jason and I signed, he stipulated a refund process in which I had to notify him within 60 of finding a contractor who could build the pool for less money. He refused to honor this agreement. After constant discussion Jason finally agreed to refund me my money only if I either signed a an additional agreement where I would not talk about my experience with him. Instead of honoring his original agreement, he wanted to pay me to be quiet. On reviews online where I can, I have attached that waiver of rights Jason Spencer was trying to force me to sign. read more

Jason & Bella Pools are outstanding! They have worked on 2 pools for us. Jason finished our first pool in 2005 and did our entire pool in 2014. read more

Think that Jason has overwhelmed himself with work. He can be brilliant and caring and then just disappear. Our pavers around pool are collapsing and actually fell in because of this while brushing pool.I have a torn MCL and wonder if I should get attorney. Our heater is no longer working although pool was just finished. This whole ordeal was very expensive for us and I am still hopeful that Jason comes through for us because I want to believe he is the person I think he can be.It may be that he has had some employee issues but will only give him to next Monday before taking the adversarial route. read more

My entire experience was a nightmare with Bella Pools and the owner, Mr. Spencer. On August 6th, I paid Mr. Spencer $1,300 up front, to go toward his consultation fee for a pool. Due to his actions, I canceled because I could not move forward comfortably and confidently with his company. His actions and my experience have been detailed in my BBB complaint which I filed over a month ago, and he has not responded to. He has not refunded any of the $1,300 (22% of his consult fee if I'd had a finished pool). I agreed to pay him the $850 fee during our first phone conversation, but when he arrived at my house the next day to collect and start providing me "excellent service", he said another $450 was required. I agreed to pay the $1,300 because I trusted what he was saying (and I trusted the limited online reviews I could find): how he would provide excellent service, he would save me so much money because he didn't markup contractor goods and services etc. Mr. Spencer's business model is not like other Central Florida pool builders. He requires an upfront fee to provide a drawing and quote thus, as he told me, limits the amount of time he spends providing quotes to people who don't choose him to build their pool. I received drawings and quotes from several other pool builders in 1-2 weeks who required no upfront fee. I paid Mr. Spencer $1,300, and his drawing and quote took a month. At the end I continually asked for detailed (simple) questions like how much is the spa to which he said he'd get the number that day. Ten days later when I addressed that I still didn't have the cost of the spa, he lashed out at me calling my requests for details "demands" and that I was "unrealistic" with my timeframe. My BBB complaint, filed on Oct. 19, which will be available to read online once it's closed (BBB is waiting for Mr. Spencer to respond) has all the dates and quotes from texts detailing his excuses and delays during the drawing/quote time period. I will update this review should Mr. Spencer respond to the BBB complaint and/or refund my $1,300. read more

HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE!!! A COMPLETE NIGHTMARE! On August 4, 2017, we originally contracted with Jason with Bella Pools for the design and construction drawings for our Pool --at that time he said he'd have a draft plan to review within one (1) week that we would review so we could provide comment and move forward to permit plans. Note, I had done a majority of the original design myself, so we were not starting from scratch. When we measured the yard on the day we contracted with him, we noticed that we got about a 6" difference in the distance from the wall of the house to the side yard fence. He did not think that would be a problem and did not request for us to contact the surveyor or to modify the survey--he indicated that he would design within the measured distance to make sure that it would fit. We did not get anything from him for weeks. We called and emailed a number of times--we continued to reach out to him and ask the status. He came with one ridiculous story after another (complete and total lies) as to why he had not done the preliminary design. Every time we actually made contact with him, he said, oh it is almost done, I will send you something in the next day or so (complete and total BS because we NEVER got a single thing from him). Then all of a sudden after I started telling him we wanted a refund, he comes up with the story that the survey is off and he can't finish the design. He says he has the general layout done, but can't go to engineering design until he gets an update survey. I remind you we had this conversation previously and the survey was OK.... I said OK, I will get the surveyor back out here to see what could be wrong. I asked, and he agreed, to send the preliminary design to us so we could get a feel for the direction that the pool was going (yes, it was now October and we just wanted to see the preliminary design that was originally promised to us in by the 2nd week in August). He indicated that we could see the general layout and the 6" difference in the width of the side yard would be accommodated with the final engineering drawings after the survey was updated, but we could now provide feed back on the general design. He never sent us anything. Upon the request for an update Survey (2 months too late, in my opinion), I got him an updated survey within ONE (1) day of his request. Jason at Bella Pools has yet to even return a phone call or an email since the date that I sent him the updated survey... It is now November 2, 2017 and not a peep from this guy! The lack of response is unprofessional and completely unacceptable. NO ONE SHOULD EVER USE THIS GUY FOR ANYTHING!!!! COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL. He has yet to refund our money despite multiple calls and emails requesting a refund. AVOID THIS GUY and THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! read more

Very disappointed with Jason at Bella Pools. Don't expect any help after 1 year of owning your pool. They did a good job building it, but went very cheap on my pool controller. If I only knew back then that I do know, I would have gone with a different company. Jason contracts most of the pool building to Creative Waterworks (John), so unreliable, but always has an excuse. Don't tell people you will help them and not come through on your word. It has been over 6 months and counting. read more

Mike from Bella Pools is a open, honest and fair business man. He and his guys did a great job on my pool. I would highly recommend this company. read more