Though the location is somewhat hidden and has a barren parking lot (with no customers), we'd thought we'd look around for a fire pit and pool table accessories. We bought our pool table from this store approx. 30 years ago and are satisfied with its quality though it's seen better days. Inside the store looks pleasant. They have a nice selection of merchandise. They greeted us and David R. was the one who helped us find a model sufficient for us. He's knowledgable and engaged. I found something I liked, but he showed me a smaller model that actually fit our patio footprint. We agreed to it. He knocked a couple of hundred off because it had scratches on the top. And we were ecstatic. Careful! If you buy a floor model, it's 'As-Is' and it's noted on your sales receipt. Returnable within 30 days and still packaged they'll give you a full refund. We purchased it early August under these Terms. They helped us load it onto our pickup and we took it straight home not 7 mins. away. Though my gut told me to buy a propane tank and fire it up to see if it was working, we put it in the backyard on a rug and didn't buy a tank and try it until October 7th. You have to take the plastic wrap off to light it but it wouldn't stay lit. My husband, who is handy, looked underneath and found a broken wire to the Thermal Coupler. Argh! He quickly went back to the store, and of course, they nonchalantly said, there's nothing they could do. My husband was fuming, and after a little while, him threatening to return the unit for a full refund, someone found a part from another unit in the back. My husband came home, replaced the broken, and now it works. Otherwise, it would have been $800 wasted. read more

The Great Escape - Broken cable on our never used Fire Pit. - Hot Tub & Pool Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Update 6/8 It's been 6 months since we made the purchase. Chairs are still useless. Still no refund. Still haven't replaced missing parts. read more

The staff are courteous, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. The manager Chris , is very professional and accommodating. He and the staff address all your concerns and resolve any issue and are always polite. I highly recommend this location if you are looking for a pool, hot tub or outdoor patio furniture. Matt and Jerry Finnigan read more

My husband and I ran in here an hour before closing to buy 3 pool sticks. Mike took his time explaining the best options for us. We were there with our 2 toddlers and Mike & team were very patient with us. We migrated over to the hot tub area and fell in love with one. Mike explained all the benefits and took his time ensuring we understood everything about the tub. We went past 8p having to take care of some details but he took his time to do it right. The schedulers called me first thing in the morning the following day and scheduled delivery 3 weeks out. We couldn't be more pleased with our decision to work with this team! Thank you! Highly recommend! read more

The Great Escape - New Hot Tub!! Can't wait!! - Hot Tub & Pool Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

If I could give this place 0 stars I absolutely would. It's 2021 and we don't tolerate racism. My dad went in there to get a new ladder for my pool and all they had left was a floor model that they told him they would sell it to him and when he got there they thought he didn't speak English and didn't hear them say "ring him up for 200$" when the floor model is worth is 170$ and was told that. The manager was an elder white man and he was the one to say this. On top of this he was incredibly rude to my father and disrespectful. They thought they can up charge him to make a loser 10$ commission. I can't wait to contact corporate. This establishment is run by a white man who thinks he's superior and I'm not here for it. He does it cause he thinks he can get away with it. I strongly recommend going to a different pool store for business. read more

We purchased 6 new sling back style chairs from this store. When the delivery people came, they removed all of the plastic from the chairs with box cutter style knives. it took us a couple of weeks to notice, but we see after using one of the chairs for the first time that they cut through the sling back material with their knife. we called the store and were told there is nothing they can do for us. A several hundred dollar chair is now worthless as this is going to tear when someone sits in it for the first time. Chris and everyone in the Great Escape customer service department failed us. There are much better places to shop for your outdoor furniture needs where they don't ruin your furniture as part of their delivery service. read more

The Great Escape - This is where the box cutter knife cut through the fabric. It is about to tear to the edge and back up through the middle. - Hot Tub & Pool Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I've shopped here a few times and I thought the experience was great until I left the store. I was helped by Steve the store manager both times. The first time is when I bought a sofa set along with a 5 year warranty. Everything went great until I had to make a claim. Steve could care less on the phone. The only thing he did was look up an 800 number and told me to deal with them...whoever they are. The second time is when I bought a pool. Steve told me about the "promotion" which is great and it included everything. And told me how easy it was to get a permit. I put my deposit down. Later on when the village was looking for all the info about the pool including people doing the service, etc...Steve again could care less about helping. I had to look up all the info the village wanted. And on top of that, hidden costs like running electricity for the pump was never mentioned. I'm no longer shopping here. read more

I called to inquire about the availability of some products. The guy who answered the phone rudely said "we don't have anyone available right now". I said I understand and it's no problem - let me give you my number so someone can call me when they are free. He said he was too busy to take my number down and to try back another time. Umm... What? So I need to keep calling hoping to catch someone VS someone just calling me when they are free? No thanks. Not 10 minutes later I gave my card to purchase all of our patio furniture elsewhere. Good thing this guy saved himself the 15 seconds it would have taken to grab my name and number. read more

You'd think trying to find heavily discounted patio furniture in mid-late September in Chicagoland would be a breeze. Not so much...and, unfortunately, The Great Escape was one place on my list that made me run for the exit within 15 minutes of setting foot in the store. The Good: 1) The furniture quality seems pretty solid. 2) Hubs and I spied a decent variety of patio goods - wicker, wrought iron, large tables, small tables, chairs, etc. Considering the time of year, this was pretty impressive. The Bad: 1) Location: From the outside, The Great Escape looks oh-so-sad. Shoved into a barren parking lot, it has practically no appeal. 2) Prices: I'm usually fine with paying what's necessary for good, quality merchandise. However, in late September I don't expect a small, four seater patio table and chairs to cost $1800...and that's after the "special" 50% tags are applied. What?! After we walked around for 10 minutes and couldn't find one set (even small options) we liked for less than $1500, we were out like (sad) trout. 3) No one seemed to work here. While we were only in store for 15 minutes or so, I didn't hear so much of a peep or a hello from anyone who worked here. Meh. Sorry, Great Escape, it's just not going to work out between you and my patio. read more

The Great Escape - Hot Tub & Pool Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Great job! Things started off rocky, but Steve made sure the pool was perfect. I really appreciate his help.

We ordered thousands of dollars worth of patio equipment from the 'Great Escape' in Downers Grove, Illinois. The furniture when delivered, had the wrong cushions, we were told that we could come back to the store and 'pick up' different cushions to use until our cushions arrived, then drive back and pick up the correct ones when they arrived so instead of the store delivering the cushions to us as I believe they should have,, we had to drive all the way there and back, also we ordered a very expensive Hot Tub, the first week in September and were told it would not be delivered until late November. The first week in November we asked someone at the store to check on our delivery date, we were told sometime between November 23 and 29th! Shortly afterward we checked for a closer delivery date because we wanted to have all electric connections ready, to our surprise NOW WE WERE TOLD "MAYBE" THE END OF DECEMBER AND THAT DATE MY VARY BECAUSE WE WERE THE NUMBER 38th DELIVERY OUT OF 40! There were other disappointments on our purchases, but too many to list here. In my most humble and personal opinion after witnessing our sales treatment, and the fact we put down a $500 deposit to hold the purchase my suggestion is right there in the store name, we are 'locked into' whatever dates they intend to deliver our purchase,, but you should look elsewhere, then make your "GREAT ESCAPE" and look elsewhere! read more

This is not a good place to do business with. Most of the staff is incompetent and unknowledgeable about properly maintaining pools --perhaps 1-2 guys there know what they're talking about. If you call in and ask for a part (in my case a pump) they will stay they have one in stock, make you wait for 20 minutes and then try selling you a more expensive model. Unacceptable. Go to the Oak Brook location. They won't lie to you and the staff there are very knowledgeable and will not try to upsell you. read more

Mike was so helpful in helping us pick out a cantilever for our patio. He gave us great service and took the time to find out if he could find the item we wanted. He made a great recommendation that allowed us to select one that was easier to use. read more

*1st time pool owners* Dave and Steve were incredibly patient and helpful in the selection, delivery, installation and opening/maintenance of our new 18'x33" Oasis pool. During installation, Steve moved mountains to get us a replacement when we thought we may have a ripped liner (false alarm). Dave knows his stuff and provided sound advice through vast experience in the purchase of the pool and later, guiding us on pool chemistry which enabled us to open the pool just in time for the July 4th holiday. These guys are in demand but patience is rewarded through their knowledge and willingness to go out of their way to make things right. We couldn't be happier with the size of the pool for our family and our yard and we're happy to be return customers. Treat people the way you want to be treated and you'll be happy with their service! read more

The Great Escape - This 18'x33' Oasis, Semi-In-ground pool went in during a separate patio and shed pad project. We sunk the pool as much as safely allowed. - Hot Tub & Pool Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I had a problem with a disrespectful employee the other day, but I spoke to Sean on the phone and explained the situation to him. He quickly remedied the problem for me. read more

I ordered and placed a deposit for patio cushions on 4/22/21 with a verbal promise of arrival in 8 weeks while the paperwork indicated 10 to 16 weeks. Called the store this week looking for my cushions and was told they would call the vendor and call me back. Never got a call back. Went into the store and was told the vendor did not return the call. When I asked if he called the next day he told me he was busy taking care of other customers. Refused to give me a refund. I have waited for 23 weeks and counting. read more

I have always loved the Great Escape. They have an excellent reputation and go above and beyond. Yelp has gotten so negative lately. It's a shame. I can't wait to save more money and spend it at The Great Escape. read more

I prefer Great Escape to Amazon. Steve is a big reason why. He gives such great customer service, and I appreciate his advice on helping me maintain my hot tub and long after I purchased it from them on discount. And Amazon can't beat Great Escape's prices. I'm a loyal customer! read more

We have shopped this store for approx 20 years. Great products at great prices! The sales staff at The Great Escape in Downers Grove is awesome! They are helpful, courteous and kind. All of our items were delivered as promised. Special thanks to Michael S and Steve! read more

Mike Was great to work with he explained everything in detail when we bought the pool we had no surprises everything went very smoothly. we would recommend go here to buy products. read more

Once I made my downpayment on my order, the customer service ended. I was misled about delivery dates, never heard after the second date was missed and when I put a call in to the manager, he never returned it. Overall, a very poor experience and would not do business with this location again. Joe R read more

Went in for our annual pool opening supplies. Service was great - as always! However, left without one of the items purchased (not noticing until a couple of days later). Went in with my receipt and it was not an issue at all. They retrieved the identical item for me without any doubt. Thanks Steve & Mike! read more

I purchased a pool from The Great Escape (Downers Grove, Il.) two years ago. The service was suspect then (no follow up, bad communication), it is worse now. I called yesterday at 11:00 a.m. for a part for my pool, I was told the salesmen were "too busy to speak to me" and I should leave my number and they'd call me back. They never called. I called again today at 11:15 and was told "I probably won't get a call back, they're too busy". The blatant lack of customer service is unbelievable. The only time you will get any customer service is when you're handing over your money. There will be no such service afterwards. Buyer beware. read more

We dealt with Mike as well. He comes across as very informative, but in key areas, such as the actual terms of the protection package sold, he is grossly and intentionally deficient in disclosure. We bought Great Escape brand Baran Ash furniture. Our initial order was wrong, and took a while to get corrected. When the furniture came and the fire pit did not work, customer service was a drag - hard to get a hold of, follow up yourself. Mike then promised a pool cover for the furniture due to our headaches - seemed a nice gesture - months went by and nothing, tried calling to follow up. Never a response. Found the only way to get a response was to drive to the store and find Mike. He promised the cover again, nothing. Drive over again. Finally got the cover after several months. Had damage to the furniture and Mike advised to file a warranty claim with the manufacturer vs filing under our protection plan with Montage - nothing came of the warranty filing and on follow up a supervisor told me after some time to file with Montage because the manufacturer was slow to respond (months) due to COVID. Montage, of course, denied the claims due to delays in filing. Great Escape remains largely unresponsive. I cannot stress enough, do not buy from this store. read more

Tried to buy a patio set! Delivery attempts 1 and 2 had chairs with oil stains on the fabric. Delivery attempt 3: received a call from the trucking company that the store didn't release the merchandise. Disappointed. Wasted 1/2 a month waiting for it and have to start shopping all over obviously elsewhere. read more

We have been shopping for patio furniture for over a year. Mike was incredibly helpful, patient and knowledgeable. We couldn't believe the amount of time he spent helping us make sure we were making a good decision on the quality and price of the product. We shopped many different stores and feel we received the best value for our money and the best customer service of all the stores we shopped. We can't wait to get our patio set. Thanks Mike for all of your help! read more

I've been to this store in the summer when there are 20 people in line and it's crazy busy and I've been in during the late Fall when the store is practically empty. I don't review a lot but I felt compelled to write something about my recent visit. I happened to stop in on a Thursday night in early Fall and the store was basically empty. There were several people doing various things around the store and I think each person said "hi" or "how can we help" as I walked around the showroom. I was considering a sectional sofa once before last year but never bought. I think the manager recognized me again when I went in - his name was Joel. Even though I said I still wasn't necessarily ready to purchase, he still spent time with me explaining things that he had already explained once before. This is key to me because often times when someone knows ahead of time that you probably might not buy, they have a tendancy to give less attention. Joel kept saying "we" do this and "we" do that leading to believe he was an owner or something. I am a business owner myself and if I could get my employees to take ownership like it was their business, life would be so much easier. In any case, Joel did ask me if I was ready to buy something this time around and I actually felt guilty for saying no, but when I am ready - I will be back. I like that I can ask questions and not feel pressured, although I was asked several times if I wanted to "hold pricing" - apparently a small deposit holds sale pricing for awhile even if I change my mind. I may not be ready yet, but when I am then I will be back - I've alreayd made-up my mind where I will make my purchase. read more

Update 6/29/16: the refund was appreciated but too little too late. Also, I didn't mention the chemical so I'm not sure how the makeup can be the same if I haven't mentioned it. There is a big difference in the chemicals according to the ingredients listed on the back. Either way my review stands the same. 7/5/16: still haven't received refund. The response of the owners update below is why you should not do business with this store. All I can say is "wow." I was as appreciative as I could be given the previous service I had received. Responses that are insulting to customers are why you won't see them back. I am still weary that I will receive my refund but at least I am done doing business with his company. read more

I've been shopping at this Downers Grove location since 1997 when I got my pool lve had nothing but courteous help , knowledgeable employees always ask me if I need help to the car . I purchased what I thought was the right pool cover for my 24 foot round pool but I mistakenly got a smaller one , when I called the manager he told me to come in and he gave me the correct one for nothing that was awesome !!!! Who does that anymore for their customers?!? read more

Great store! A+ Customer Service! Worked with Mike Spatafora for buying a new patio set. He was very friendly and very knowledgeable about the products. This store is a little drive for me but it is worth it. I will be shopping there again - without a doubt. read more

this review is for the oak brook, Il. facility. We purchased a pool with the outstanding assistance of Sean Sullivan. He listened to our needs and went out of his way to help us achieve our goals. He said he wanted us to be happy with the purchase and even offered to help us if there was any problems. Any organization would and should be proud to have him on their staff and he isn't even related to us. Sean, we've sent another couple over to your store and told them to ask for you. In the future, we plan to buy all our outdoor needs from your location. Thanks again for fantastic customer service. read more

recently had an experience in which a driver drove through our backyard fence and through our pool wall, ultimately destroying our above-ground pool and deck. There were no injuries to the driver or my family, but my yard was a disaster. I needed to provide replacement cost information for my insurance company, and since we had purchased our original pool at The Great Escape, I called them for help. I was fortunate to speak with salesman, Mike Spatafora, and with a series of simple phone calls with Mike, I not only had the information for my insurance company, but a replacement pool, and a date for installation of it. Mike Spatafora took care of every detail! He truly went the extra mile during a very stressful situation to make sure I didn't have to worry about a thing. Now I can look out my window and see a beautiful new pool! I hope The Great Escape knows what an asset they have in their employee, Mike Spatafora, and to anyone looking to buy a pool, my advice to you would be to go see Mike at The Great Escape in Downers Grove! He's the Best! read more

I would just like to say I had a very upsetting experience with a company I used to replace the liner in my above ground pool. When I called Steve the manger at the Downers Grove location he was so helpful and kind and made a terrible situation better for me. He took the time to hear me and give me a resolve when it wasn't even his issue to fix. Thank you Steve and thank you great escape for the superb customer service. read more

We purchased a Sundance Spa in 2012. The lights malfunctioned just outside the 2 year warranty. The service person sent out had no idea what the problem was and stated it would be over $500.00 to figure out the issue. This is after spending $10,000 on the tub. We are so disappointed. We will never purchase from the Great Escape again. read more

Extremely disappointed with customer service and sales person. We purchased a hot tub from them but they did not inform us about all the necessary items that are needed to install the hot tub. I.e. even though we specifically asked them if there any permits needed to install the hot tub they told us that no permits are needed for an hot tub installation. We just need an electrician to install the hot tub. Later on we found out that in all towns and villages of Illinois you need to have a permit for the hot tub and electrical installation adding over $300 to the hot tub price. They also did not mention that most likely we need to upgrade our electricity system to 200 Amp even though we asked them specifically how the electrical system installation works. Since we did not have enough power and room on our electric panel the upgrade to 200 Amp added another $2000 to the hot tub installation. Furthermore at the time they delivered the hot tub they did not install the lift system that we bought claiming they can not install the lift yet because we still needed to finish the deck around the hot tub. Thereby the Delivery guy told us that is no problem. We paid for the installation and they just will come back after the deck is finished. When I called them to do the installation later they told me they would charge me $120 for the installation and what the guy told us (even though he is an agent of The Great Escape) was not true. I guess you cannot trust neither the Sales guys nor the Delivery guys of this company. They just want the quick Sale and don't have their customer satisfaction in mind. I therefore strongly recommend buy from somebody else. read more

My wife and i have been shopping for a hot tub for over a year. We had shopped several different places including other great escape locations. Believe me when i say this we have been doing are research on all the different brands out there. When he walked in to the store the woman that helped us was awsome she spent over 2 hours with me and my wife. We even decided on this visit we would wet test the tubs. we decided to purchase a j-355 from jacuzzi. And since we have had it delivered back in dec of 2012 we absolutly love it. I have been in the store after are orginal purchase to buy extra chemicals and get some help with the chemisty of the new tub, and the rest of the staff there has also been very helpful. I would recommend this location to all of my freinds if there were interested in buying a spa read more

I have only had nice experiences at this store/with The Great Escape. I'm not sure what the other reviewer expected, however, they sell high end furniture....So to a person with common sense, I would expect no matter what time of year I shopped, for there to be a price that reflects the high quality of the furniture-you get what you pay for. I invested over $3,000 on my set but that is because I didn't want to be throwing it away in a year or two. That's like going to BMW and being upset that they don't have a car to buy that costs less than $20,000....It doesn't make sense. If you are looking for mediocre furniture, by all means go shop at Menards, Home Depot etc. When I get compliments on the exceptional quality of my furniture, I am proud to say where it came from because everyone I know associates quality with Great Escape. I could care less about what the outside of the store looks like-that has nothing to do with what is inside.... read more