The Cover Guy Pool Covers: What the BBB File Says Before You Order

The Cover Guy has been trading since 2004 and sells hot tub covers, solar pool covers, cover reels and pool accessories. Twenty two years in business is a real track record.

It also holds a Better Business Bureau rating of F, and there is a documented reason for that which almost no review mentions. That comes first, because it changes how you should approach the purchase.

The BBB File, Stated Plainly

1. Not BBB accredited
2. BBB rating: F
3. Stated reasons: failure to respond to 22 complaints, and 4 complaints left unresolved
4. An active alert on the profile for a Pattern of Complaints
5. BBB file opened in 2006, and the business has traded for 22 years
6. Registered as The Cover Guy-East at 6405 Inducon Drive West, Sanborn, NY 14132
7. Other listed locations: Niagara Falls, New York and Burlington, Ontario

An F is the bottom of the BBB scale. It is worth understanding what drives it here, because the reason is not simply that customers complained. It is that the company did not answer 22 of them.

The 2023 Advertising Review, Which Is the More Serious Item

BBB ran a formal advertising review and wrote to the company three times, on 8 September, 22 September and 18 October 2023, asking it to substantiate or modify specific advertised claims.

The claims BBB asked about included:

1. Free shipping
2. Quality described as second to none
3. Zero water absorption
4. Number one selling hot tub covers
5. Warranty terms
6. Environmental claims
7. Best price guarantees
8. Sale pricing on cover lifters
9. Filter performance

The company replied that it was reviewing the information. BBB reports no further response and no changes to the advertising.

That matters more than a low star rating. A star rating is customer opinion. This is a consumer protection body asking a company to back up its own marketing claims, including its free shipping and zero water absorption claims, and recording that it declined to do so. Several customer complaints separately describe unexpected shipping charges despite the free shipping advertising, which is consistent with what BBB was asking about.

The Customer Review Picture

1. Trustpilot: 1.7 out of 5 from 179 reviews. 79% one star, 8% five star. 60 reviews in the last twelve months
2. The company does not appear to reply to negative Trustpilot reviews
3. A separate consumer complaints site carries over 220 reviews

The recurring complaints

1. Warranty claims denied, with reviewers saying the denials blamed chemical exposure, normal wear or owner habits
2. Foam cores becoming waterlogged
3. Vapour barriers failing
4. Covers, straps and stitching deteriorating well before the advertised warranty period
5. Slow or absent support responses
6. Wrong sizes, missing items, late or incorrect deliveries
7. Fit problems on custom covers
8. Condensation and mould forming under the cover
9. Plastic enclosures deteriorating within a few years

What the positive reviews say

1. Custom covers that fit well and look good
2. Packaging arriving undamaged
3. A straightforward online ordering process
4. Occasional reports of excellent service and early delivery

An Important Distinction: Pool Covers Are Not Hot Tub Covers

Read the complaint list again and notice what the durability failures describe. Waterlogged foam cores. Failing vapour barriers. Those are hot tub cover components. A hot tub cover is a rigid insulated panel with a foam core sealed inside a vapour barrier, and when that barrier fails the foam soaks up water, gets heavy and stops insulating.

A solar pool cover is a completely different product. It is a thin sheet of bubble material that floats on the water. There is no foam core and no vapour barrier, so the specific failure mode behind most of the one star reviews cannot happen to it.

So the honest position is this. The severe durability complaints are concentrated on the hot tub covers, not the solar pool covers. If you are buying a solar cover, that particular risk does not apply to you.

What does still apply to you is everything about the company rather than the product. The warranty denial pattern, the 22 unanswered complaints, the support response times, the wrong sizes and missing items, and the unsubstantiated free shipping claim. Those are company wide, and a solar cover buyer is exposed to all of them.

What the Solar Pool Covers Actually Are

Shapes and starting prices

1. Rectangular solar pool cover: from $79.99
2. Round solar pool cover: from $69.99
3. Oval solar pool cover: from $79.99
4. Described as available in five performance levels, though the collection page does not name them

Reels and handlers

1. Above ground solar cover reel: from $289.99
2. Signature inground solar cover reel: from $429.99
3. FeherGuard blanket handler: from $339.99

The claims made

1. Raise and stabilise water temperature by up to 10 degrees
2. Reduce night time heat loss and evaporation
3. Help keep debris out

What the page does not tell you

1. No dimensions are listed
2. No thickness in mil is listed, which is the single most important spec on a solar cover
3. No materials are described
4. A three year hassle free warranty appears as a site wide banner rather than being tied to the solar covers specifically

That missing mil rating is a real problem. Solar cover thickness is normally stated in mil, commonly 8, 12 or 16, and it is the main predictor of how long the cover lasts. A thicker cover costs more and survives more seasons. A collection page that advertises five performance levels without publishing the thickness of any of them is asking you to buy blind, and given the BBB advertising findings that is worth noting rather than shrugging at.

How to Buy a Solar Cover Without Getting Stuck

1. Ask for the mil thickness in writing before ordering, and ask which performance level corresponds to which thickness
2. Ask what the total delivered price is, including shipping, in writing. Free shipping is one of the claims BBB asked the company to substantiate, and customers report unexpected shipping charges
3. Ask for the warranty document that covers solar covers specifically, not the site banner
4. Measure your pool yourself and confirm the cover dimensions on the order confirmation
5. Pay by credit card rather than bank transfer or debit, so you keep chargeback rights
6. Photograph the cover and the packaging on the day it arrives
7. Compare the delivered total against pool supply retailers who publish mil ratings openly, since solar covers are a commodity product and several sellers list the spec

Contact Details

1. Phone: (866) 622-6837
2. Website: thecoverguy.com
3. Registered address: 6405 Inducon Drive West, Sanborn, NY 14132
4. Other locations: Niagara Falls, New York and Burlington, Ontario
5. General Manager listed on the BBB file: Ms. Lisa Kennedy
6. Trading since 2004

FAQs

Is The Cover Guy legit?

It is a real company trading since 2004 with a physical address, a phone number and three locations. Orders do arrive. The concern is not whether the business exists, it is the F rating from BBB for failing to respond to 22 complaints, the Pattern of Complaints alert, and a 2023 advertising review in which BBB asked the company to substantiate claims and reports that it did not.

Why does The Cover Guy have a BBB rating of F?

BBB cites failure to respond to 22 complaints and 4 complaints left unresolved, plus a Pattern of Complaints alert. Separately, BBB wrote three times in 2023 asking the company to substantiate advertised claims including free shipping, zero water absorption and number one selling, and reports no further response and no change to the advertising.

Are The Cover Guy pool covers the same as their hot tub covers?

No, and the difference matters. The worst durability complaints describe waterlogged foam cores and failed vapour barriers, which are hot tub cover parts. A solar pool cover is a floating bubble sheet with neither component, so that specific failure cannot happen to it. The company level complaints about warranty denials and support still apply to any purchase.

How much is a Cover Guy solar pool cover?

Round covers start at $69.99 and rectangular and oval start at $79.99. Reels run from $289.99 for above ground to $429.99 for the Signature inground model, with a FeherGuard blanket handler from $339.99.

What thickness are The Cover Guy solar covers?

The collection page does not publish a mil rating, even though it advertises five performance levels. Mil thickness is the main predictor of how long a solar cover lasts, so ask for it in writing before ordering and compare against sellers who publish it openly.

Does The Cover Guy honour its warranty?

Denied warranty claims are the most common complaint across both Trustpilot and BBB, with reviewers saying denials cited chemical exposure, normal wear or owner habits. BBB also listed warranty terms among the claims it asked the company to substantiate in 2023. Get the warranty document for your specific product before you buy.

Final Verdict

A solar cover is a simple product and this is a complicated company, so the risk is in who you are buying from rather than in what you are buying.

The one honest point in the brand favour is the distinction above. The catastrophic reviews are about hot tub covers with waterlogged foam and failed vapour barriers, and a floating bubble sheet has neither. Some customers do report custom covers that fit well and arrive undamaged.

But the company level record is hard to set aside. An F rating for not answering 22 complaints. An active Pattern of Complaints alert. Denied warranty claims as the single most repeated theme across hundreds of reviews. A BBB advertising review in which the company was asked three times to back up claims including free shipping and declined to respond. And a solar cover collection page that will not publish the one specification that determines how many seasons the cover lasts.

If you buy, ask for the mil rating and the delivered total in writing, get the product specific warranty document, and pay by credit card. Solar covers are a commodity, and several sellers publish their specifications openly, which on this evidence is worth more than a saving of a few dollars.