Reviews of Poole & Associates Investments (Travel Agency)

Rachel

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! Spoke to about 6 different people before finally getting a manager who told me he will call the owner and call me back. An hour and a half later I call back and they are CLOSED!! No call back to even say we'll call you tomorrow.

Walt Duminski

Great service. Professional staff.

Robin B

Such a wonderful place to do business with. Kept in contact with us and was everything we expected. Staff is absolutely amazing and we will most definitely do business with them again. I highly recommend Them. It was so nice knowing that we got our money’s worth with our rental. We stayed in gulf shores at island shores condos. Plenty of room for our family. Everything was clean and very well kept.

Shawn Brace

Pros: Our kids loved the loft area with the twin beds. The owners had games up there and it was just an overall cool space. Everything you need comes with the house. They even provided some dvds and the tv has Netflix. The decor was very bright and all related to being at the beach. Cons: As soon as we got there on a Saturday I noticed that the tub in the main hallway was cracked down the middle. We sent pics to the office and the next day maintenance came out and asked that we not use that tub “extensively “. This house also has a serious spider and ant problem. The ants aren’t just ants they are the large red ones and they are everywhere including what we found in the master bedroom bed. An exterminator came out and laid bait in the kitchen and told us “the problem will get worse before it gets better” because the ants have to take the bait back to the nest for them to die. I also took a shower with a spider the size of a nickel. That same day (Monday) maintenance came back out to measure for a new tub insert and told we couldn’t use that tub at all. This was a problem since we had 4-6 people in that house all wanting showers after sweating and being at the beach all day. Our guests ended up leaving early... At this point the ladies in the office (they were wonderful) said there was nothing more they could do and that a manager would have to contact us. We waited until Wednesday morning after still hearing nothing from him, and called the office and he was out. The Manager (Jason) called back that afternoon to let us know that he would have to get with the owners to see what they were willing to do. We assumed that they would want to do something or make other accommodations available for having large ants and spiders everywhere and a cracked bath tub. We ended up leaving Friday when we woke up to ants all over the kitchen counters and kitchen table. We weren’t supposed to check out until Saturday morning. I really hope the owners see this so they know their property needs some maintenance. My question is how does the cleaning crew not catch these issues? How do periodic inspections of the house not catch these issues? After posting review on Facebook and VRBO, we did finally get a call back from The Manager (Jason), saying that he felt like there was a miscommunication. Let me be very clear, I want my week back. Time is something that I can’t get back with my kids and the friends that left early. Due to Poole & Associates lack of follow through, we ended early, a vacation that I was truly looking forward to.

Stephen Carlin

They rented me an under construction condo, that was unsafe and didn't refund my money. Didn't know til we got to the condo and it ruined my families vacation. They kept $2000 of my money for a trip. Do not rent from these guys. scammers and terrible customer service.

Nic Smith

i know exactly what the old reviews are talking about. my family and i just rented a condo through Poole & Associates for our summer vacation and here's our review. we were given a key pickup window of 3-5p. we arrived at 3 and were told the condo wasn't yet ready. ok. no problem. between 3 & 3.30p, we watch about 12 other people come and go, picking up their keys. at 3.45p, the associate tells us the cleaning staff broke the key off in the door and so they must call maintenance to repair. this could be a truthful story, but i'm not sure i'm buying it. we left the office to grab a coffee since we had been waiting in our cars for 45mins, and around 4.15p, they text us to let us know the key is ready now. so we turned right back around. i understand the pickup window was technically 3-5p, but they really dropped the ball here and seemingly lied about it. but hey, we're on vacation so we let it go and headed over to the condo. the first thing we notice when we walk into the condo is it's dirty. the kitchen counters and floors are filthy. it doesn't appear the cleaning crew cleaned up at all between the last renters and us. i'm not sure where to place the blame on this one, but Poole should really look into whether or not their cleaning staff is doing their jobs. my family and i visit Orange Beach every year, and this is the first year that we have been disappointed with our accommodations. i always read online reviews to help me make a decision and so i'm returning the favor. PROS: *beautiful condo. *spacious common areas. *very comfy mattresses. *awesome boardwalk to the beach! CONS: *no WIFI password. this means that all of your network traffic travels unencrypted over the wireless network (usernames and passwords are visible). although truly, this might not be a huge issue since the wifi NEVER REALLY WORKS. *the 2nd bathroom is so pitiful. they spent the whole bathroom budget on the master bathroom. also, the 2nd bathroom shower drain was clogged when we arrived. **don't expect the staff downstairs to help you if you need a plunger. they'll let you know that you need to contact Poole for all requests. *balcony has no privacy. the building is constructed in such a way that the balconies are on a diagonal. so you can see down-the-line everyone's balcony. and they yours. *the whole unit was dirty. the cleaners are not doing their job. *no cable in the 3rd bedroom. come on, we would like to catch the news also. BOTTOM LINE: i would not stay in this Phoenix East condo again. you've been warned. Orange Beach rocks though! Tacky Jack's has a killer bushwacker :-D

Ashley N

Great company to work with!

Victoria Bills

I wish I could give them no stars. Terrible company EXTREMELY poorly managed company. Courtney, Jason (stated he was the manager), and Amy have no clue about fair housing laws. Everyone I dealt with who has represented this company is a joke. I spoke with Amy and she was raising her voice towards me in an extremely disrespectful manner, her tone was belittloing towards me regarding my issue. In addition to Amy raising her voice, she kept interrupting me and I could not get a word in. DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM! My goal was to take my family on a relaxing vacation but this was the start of anything but that. I have NEVER in my life dealt with such incompetent imbisuls. After I asked for a refund (because who wants to deal with a company during your vacation that has zero skills in customer service) I was told I WOULD NOT get a refund after two days of going back and forth with them. I have had to contact Home away to get my full refund and now there is an investigation on this company. THIS HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A NIGHTMARE. Please do yourself and your family a favor to not book with this joke of a company.

Jamarion Eldridge

We rented from them, we were told they had a room with a full size bed and a twins size bed. When we arrived they only had a full size bed. Soon found out the fridge had no power. We called back. Brought an air mattress 2 hours later (husband missed the first sunset waiting on them) and it took up the entire room. Had to walk on beds and store all clothing under bed and in closet. Power out on one side of kitchen. They said they were sending electrician the next day. We had to call and remind them. When he came out he fixed electricity but couldn’t move fridge so had to use extension cord for four days. An air mattress will work for two days but after four it’s painful accommodating for electrical issues and spending the time with vendors to get stuffed fixed is not vacation. I paid as much for one week as a whole moth st home expect not to do their job. The Poole and associates told us the owner sold and updated from the time we rented. They are still advertising the same space with the same pictures minus the twin bed. The pictures are not what it looks like today. Most sites say It sleeps 6 but if it says 7 it’s not true. They said they would refund partial fees it’s been 2 weeks. They told us multiple times they would call us back and we have contacted them every time since the day we had to call to remind about the electrician. Last time we contacted they said we hope you don’t stay with us again. Probably because they don’t want to be accountable for anything. Owners get with this company to make sure they are representing the business you want them too.

Chasity Boettcher

Absolutely loved our villa! Upon arrival, the young ladies were phenomenal. Went over everything with us. The unit was perfect. Orange beach Villas is only a few minutes from everything! Several different public beaches, the Wharf, shopping, you name it. The pool was crystal clear. Very quiet and peaceful. We spent an entire week here. Would highly recommend Poole & Associates as well as Orange Beach Villas.

phyllis loken

Very disappointed in that they cancel your booking after you book. They still leave the time open for others to book those same dates. If they really only want to book for two months they should print that.

Billy O'Bryant

after a rough start and a condo that was nothing like it appeared in the vrbo ad.. the great folks at Poole & Associates bent over backward to do everything they could to make our stay wonderful.. Phillip was amazing at helping us when our car broke down and tried his best to help us find a mechanic on a busy holiday weekend.. Jeff jumped into action to find us another condo at 9pm on Labor Day weekend when the one we rented originally was not what we had expected.. put us in another one and it was great.. can't say enough about how nice and friendly and sympathetic they all were any time I called with anything or just a question.. again.. they bent over backward to get us happy!

Debra Chapman

Wonderful rental. Condo very clean and roomy. Exactly as described. Easy to deal with.

Patti White

They have great people in the office and I appreciate the helpfulness.

Kristian Wilson

My family and I vacationed with Poole and Associates over the summer and I would absolutely suggest them to anyone and everyone. Their customer service was perfect and check in was a breeze! We will be returning next year!

donna price

We stayed in 301 Sun Chase. We knew the stairs were the only way up. The unit is very old. No place to store your belongings. Having always gone to Destin/Ft Walton I was prepared for more. Customer service was good. But the beach is never cleaned. People sit on top of you and we’re rude. Good bye Alabama. I left Two days early. And will not be back

CORIE HOWELL

Horrible customer service . Wish I would have read the reviews about this company before using them for our rental !

Rebekah Gipe

Rude and completely unhelpful. Had some questions when checking in and was told by the agent that "That landlord only pays us 10%, so all we can do is give you the key - you'll figure it out when you get there.

Joey Bailey

Our first time at Orange Beach and with Poole & Associates. Everything was exactly as shown and explained. The location was easy to get to and all we had to do was walk in pick up keys and upon leaving drop in the box outside. The staff was friendly and helpful. Condo was clean and beautiful! We appreciate the service and hope to visit again soon. Thank you!

Jule2 Burgess

House was filthy! Baseboards nasty, floors were awful. The particular house we stayed in, we were told by a maid that brought extra towels that the owners hadn't paid for a deep cleaning! Uh! WHAT? Why rent out the house for 4 nights at 2000$ then? What a rip off! Wish we had just stayed at a condo on the beach! At least we would have had ample toilet paper, trash bags, etc. AND CLEAN! Pillows everywhere, no pillow cases! My poor mother out all that money, she was so disappointed! No stars would be my actual rating! Her name is Linda wischow. Near beach house 617 22nd.

Bonnie Carr

The condo was fine. The fact that there was no mention of not being able to park, or even walk to the beach due to the set up for hangout fest...apparently the beach is closed as are all roads near the condo, so walking to get breakfast resulted in being harassed by rent a cops. Maybe would have been okay with a warning to expect this, but nothing. Also construction equipment and the requisite beeping when backing is still occurring...after 9 pm.

Charles Conrad

NEVER USE THEM BUYER BEWARE We are very dissatisfied with Poole & associates. We arrived as a late check in, when we arrived at Broadmoor Condo unit 402 in Orange Beach Alabama we did not have any parking passes in our packet. This was a huge problem this unit did not have enough parking for the amount of rentals on the property. There was an attendant in the garage that gave us two parking passes and then sold us another for 40.00 that we placed in our dashboard. The next morning early we were actually harassed by the Homeowner Association property manager because we did not have the proper parking passes.??? While I was waiting for my wife to get dressed to drive back to Gulf Shores Alabama and try to get the proper passes from Poole & Associates investments, (we had called them and notified them about what happened and they offered no apology,) they said we had to move one of our vehicles to public parking, and they also told us they were sure the parking passes were in the packet. ???? My response was if they had been in the packet then we would have used them. By the time we were dressed and downstairs there were three boots on all of our vehicles saying that we had to pay to have them removed. Or that Poole would have to pay because they knew the rules!!!! In complete disbelief a dispute between myself and the Homeowner association manager over why they would boot our vehicle when we had arrived late check in and their employee had issued passes !!!! ALSO WE EVEN SHOWED OUR PAPERWORK THAT WE HAD RENTED THROUGH THE WEEK!!! All through this process we had called Poole & Associates Investments. In this horrible situation normally a laid back easygoing person, I argued with the Homeowners Association property manager at Broadmoor Condos 402 and he called the police when I refused to pay for the boots!!!! Still NO HELP FROM THEM. !!! The sheriff came made a report and the end result was we were EVICTED!!! All of this because we did not have the proper parking passes! We will go to court over this and Jason the manager was going to check into and let me know what he could do. HE NEVER CALLED BACK. SO JASON, this is the review that I give POOLE & Associates investments.

Lynn Dixon

Poole & Associates are always efficient and courteous.

Ellie Hayes

If you like sleeping on concrete you will love the beds in 4G at Driftwood Towers. These were the worst beds I have ever slept in! Also the lady at the front desk at Poole Property was rude and acted like we were bothering her trying to check in.

alan jacobs

Great condo on the beach, very nice and clean, no issues at all except the week went too quick. We will come back and will go thru Poole & Associates next time we come for the condo

Austin davenport

Highly disappointed. Called customer service spoke to a manager about how dirty and old the room was and that she could come look and she never once came or offered to come. She only said she could send a cleaner to change the sheets. I told her the sheets was not the problem the stains on the furniture, the dirty walls, the dirt all over the base boards, the piled up dust over the fans, and also the trash we foundo all near the beds from previous renters. All she had to say was sorry. Never again would I stay here waste of my hard earned money.

Kathy Fisher

So helpful! New staff are so sweet and great to work with!

Joe S

The staff at Poole & Associates are fantastic! We highly recommend using them! We loved our stay in beautiful Gulf Shores, AL and our condo was as advertised. Ashley and Paige at the front desk were very nice and answered all of our questions. We had a maintenance issue at our condo that Jeff and the maintenance crew at Poole & Associates handled promptly and professionally. This was our family's first time doing business with Poole and we will definitely return!

Summer Scaggs

New Management and staff. Don't let the old reviews scare you. Awesome staff very helpful, clean condo, ready to help with any issues and tell you about some great local area to get a break from high traffic tourist area. Just ask!! Will use again.

Tara Martin

Arriving to the rental office, we were greeted with kindnesses. Questions were answered. I have experienced no rudeness like these reviews are stating. The home we rented for our family was named My Serenity. The beach is right across the street!! The house was very impressive, and beautifully decorated! High end appliances, hugh kitchen island, and plenty of area seating. There is lots of little touches that bring it together. The kitchen is fully stocked with EVERYTHING you need for cooking. Just bring the food. The bedrooms are spacious and the beds are very soft. Master bedroom provided lots of drawer space to put away clothes. Huge bathroom closet space with another tall dresser. There is also a jetted tub separate from the shower. The TVs had cable, Netflix, and YouTube for the kids down time. AC that works great. We had an opportunity to meet the owners of the property who literally went out of their way to make sure our stay was great!! I really loved it here, and have every expectation of coming back. Found my home away from home.

Emily Carlson

I don't know what those old reviews are talking about. Everyone in the office was professional and nice. Made the process easy for check in and answered any and all questions. Quick in and out and we were on our way.

Amy Mercer

My family vacationed at Gulf shore surf and racquet club 704C from June 29th-July 6th. Beds were hard as a rock. You could even feel the springs in both the twin mattresses. The queen bed also leaned so you felt you were going to roll out of it. The couch was also very uncomfortable to sit on. I am not able to leave an honest review on pool & associates website as it is not a 5 star review. Beware of this company. They should hold their owners to a higher standard than they do. They also should allow guest to write honest reviews even if they are not 5 stars. I submitted a review to them on the condo and gave it 3 stars because it wasn’t all bad. The condo was cute, very clean, had nice patio furniture, and had a good location. I am giving Pool & associates only 1 star because they don’t allow ALL reviews so you can’t trust them. Also, maybe the owner doesn’t know their beds suck. I will definitely not be renting from pool & associate again. No, I didn’t report the beds because I was tired of calling. When we got there the AC was blowing hot air which I did call about and was told the unit was probably just frozen up. I looked in closet and noticed the filter hadn’t been changed out in a while. My husband changed that and also turned the fan to auto mode since it was left in the on position before we got there. The thermostat was also messed up which you knew about and did nothing to fix it. So it was either hot or freezing. We also reported the freezer about to go out. Your repair man came While we were at the beach which was fine but ALL of our food was left on top of the freezer and 2 large bags of pizza rolls were completely thawed out. I again called, spoke to a manager and he said they would be replaced. They weren’t. The first morning we woke up there I went to make coffee but there was a dime size hole in the bottom corner of the coffee pot. Again I called and finally that evening one was brought to us. So, no, I didn’t call about the beds because I honestly thought it would have been a complete waste of my time. I mean y’all couldn’t even splurge to replace the pizza rolls y’all ruined. Lol! As far as the review goes, I received an email from your office and gave an honest review. It has not been added to your website. On your website there are only 5 star reviews. The last one was written in 2018 on the particular unit we stayed in. So yeah, I find that a bit fish and wish I would have paid more attention before booking with you. Lesson learned.

Tracy Rice

****HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE**** My elderly parents booked a condo in Gulf Shores through this company. It stated payment was due 60 days prior to arrival. We visit Gulf Shores every year with a large group renting multiple condos but never have used them before and every other place she has used in the past the payment was due 30 days in advance. My mother mistakingly forgot the payment was due 60 days before. They called her 1 time the day it was due, didn’t speak to her or leave a detailed message, rented it to someone else, and kept her money. Then my mother called to make her payment and the lady who she talked to yelled at her and brought her to tears. I have worked in customer service and the way they treated my ELDERLY mother WHO IS ON A FIXED INCOME is ridiculous. Before I even wrote this review I read the responses to a few other bad reviews and cannot believe that the excuses they had for everything that people complained about. They definitely did not offer sincere apologies, so I’m not really surprised they did this. That is why I always read reviews before I book anything but unfortunately my mother who is not internet savvy does not. My family will NEVER rent from this horrible company again. Thankfully my mother found another place available and the people were so sweet and they told her they ALWAYS make multiple attempts to contact their PAYING customers before they would ever cancel, keep their money and rent it out to someone else. It is just really awful that she is out the deposit she put down even though they rented it to someone else before even contacting her properly. I am just really disappointed how this company handled this situation and the way my poor mother was treated. PLEASE TAKE MY ADVICE AND ALWAYS READ REVIEWS AND THE WAY THE COMPANY RESPONDS BEFORE GIVEN YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY AWAY.

Becky Berwig

This was the WORST experience I have EVER had with a company! In Nov 2017 I rented a condo at Surf Side Shores, Gulf Shores Alabama for March 24-31, 2018.Two other families rented at the same time so we could all share our vacation. 3/20/18, 4PM (4 days before I am to check in for my vacation) I am told that my condo was double booked & that I have no place to stay. 3/21/18 I am told that the condo owners decided to stay there that week & so we were kicked out of our reservation. FOUR DAYS BEFORE OUR VACATION!! There was no problem taking my money five months ahead of time. My husband & son had to fight for this vacation time so that we could take, what might be our last, family vacation together. Thank you for screwing us out of our family vacation & ruining the vacation of the 2 other families we were traveling with! DO NOT do business with this company! They have no morals & certainly no sense of customer service. I would have left a 0 star rating but wasn't given that option.

Pam Gugliotta

Nice Condo/Satisfied, But Needs TLC! We have rented from Poole & Associates at least once before and they are great to work with on rentals. Our family booked a one week stay in Romar House A903 condo and we really liked the unit very much. The kitchen, living room and master bedroom are very nice. We loved the balcony and the view was awesome from our vantage point! We only had minor issues with the condo and feel that with a little TLC, the condo would receive a perfect 5-star rating!! Nothing mentioned here would prevent us from renting through Poole or this unit again and we do hope to rent this unit again next year. These minor issues were documented on our paper Customer Service Survey upon checkout on Saturday morning. 1.) Main Entrance - When it rains, water stands at the front door. There was a mat outside the front door, but it was placed to the right side of the door. (Upon checkout, the man in the office said you can’t put the mat in front of the door because it won’t open; and he is very aware of the water standing at the front door.) There were no rugs/mats on the inside of the door or in the hallway either. My husband (wearing tennis shoes) slipped and fell in the hallway. 2.) Kitchen Sink Faucet needs to be either repaired or replaced. Someone placed scotch tape around the end of the faucet because of it leaking. (Just looks tacky) 3.) Carpet in living room/dining room areas definitely needs to be cleaned OR replaced with ceramic tile. Too many stains visible. 4.) Master Shower - The bar that holds the adjustable shower head that moves higher/lower needs to be secured. It is very loose and does not appear to be safe. 5.) Both Bedrooms in hallway need better window treatments for privacy. They do not block out the exterior lights at night. Also, the vertical blinds in the twin bedroom is really bad - they are not lined up correctly, some panels may be missing. They would not close well at all. Perfect viewing for peeping toms! And I would not want children in that room without better privacy - these 2 bedrooms are on the main hallway leading to the elevator, so there is a lot of foot traffic by these two windows! The other bedroom (queen) does not have a remote for the cable box. The mirrored closet doors do not slide on the track. 6.) Hall Bathroom - The tension rod for the shower curtain is broken and does not have any tension in it. It was sitting on top of the shower unit and fell on both myself and my husband. The shower curtain liner is moldy! There is mold on the ceiling by the air vent. These are for the most part, very minor issues that could be addressed rather easily. We would recommend this unit and we will be back. We love Orange Beach and Gulf Shores!

Christina Wrinkle

The staff at Poole & Associates were very very helpful and friendly! We were able to get our keys and instructions quickly and get to our condo within 10 minutes of our arrival. We stayed at Harbour Place 512. This was our fourth year at Orange Beach and our third to stay at Harbour Place, we love it there! However, the condo did have some issues. The front door lock and keys are very tricky and frustrating. I would suggest just changing to keyless entry because it seems to need replacement anyways. The guest bedroom door is in need of repair and so is the sleeper sofa, both felt as if they would break at any minute. We loved the view from the balcony and the condo was decorated and stocked well. We appreciate the owners sharing their wonderful place with us, we just wanted to suggest those few things for future travelers!!

Leslie Norwood

We stayed at Ocean House I this year. We stayed there Saturday to Saturday and not one time was the pool cleaned all week. The bottom of the pool was covered in sand, the water had a thick white film floating on it and there were bugs in it. The pool lady only sprayed off the concrete daily. We also paid for a second parking pass. Several nights there were NO parking places left to park the two vehicles we had in except under the condo in reserved parking. We had noticed that no one had been parking in them. We had to park there over night and we had warnings on not only our two vehicles that we were going to be towed, but others also. Why charge for an extra parking pass if there are not enough parking spots for them! When you pay $$$ for a condo for an entire week, you expect a clean facility and a parking space!

David Ingram

I have used Poole and Associates for several rentals and have always found them efficient and professional. They offer a good selection of quality rentals a fair prices. The only issue I've had was actually an issue with the condominium complex where we were staying. They still handled the issue in a timely manner. We'll keep trusting them for our vacation bookings.