What a pool service should actually include
Some pool services are twenty minutes of skimming and a wave. Here is what you should be getting for your money.
The assumption we're testing
“They all do the same thing”
Testing, not guessing
Every visit should start with a proper water test — chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and calcium and stabiliser at least periodically.
If nobody is testing, nobody knows what to add. Dosing a pool without testing it is just hoping.
The bits people skip
Brushing the walls and steps matters more than it sounds. Algae starts on surfaces, not in the water, and a vacuum does not touch it.
Baskets and the filter need checking properly. A pump straining against a blocked basket runs hot and dies early, and that is an expensive thing to replace.
You should know what happened
You should get the readings and a note on what was done, every time. If your pool is being serviced while you are at work, that record is the only way you know what you paid for.
It also means you can see a problem building — a reading drifting the same way three visits running tells you something is about to go wrong.
This is Regular pool servicing territory.
See the brigade