Pool contractor accused of stealing more than $150,000 from Spring, Conroe-area families – The Henry Club

Spring – Our KPRC 2 investigation team is always working to find answers to your problems. one of the most common Complaints we receive on our tip line People who have problems with contractors hire to do work on their homes. investigator Bill Spencer is Known for Tracking some of these contractors

Now he is pursuing a man accused of taking money from families without finishing work in the Spring and Conroe area. Plus, our investigation team will explain three things to you before hiring a contractor for your home.

Patrick Bryce and his wife Tenille did their homework. He researched contractors before finally hiring one to build a pool. But still they lost thousands of dollars. She has worked hard and saved for her home in the spring and has always been very proud of it. Last April, he decided to give the final touch to his dream home by adding an in-ground fiberglass pool. Total cost: $45,900.

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A backyard paradise to celebrate your son’s joining the United States Navy.

“I told him, our son was going to the Navy and we wanted it by July 4. We were going to have a big party,” Tenille Nosworthy-Bryce said.

“It was a huge deal, except maybe the house, it was the biggest purchase ever,” Bryce said.

Contractor kept asking for more money

After interviewing three different pool contractors, Bryce decided to hire Darren Matthews Cook, the owner of Epic Fiberglass Pools.

“We went with Darren because he was really the cheapest of the three, lesson learned, you never go with a low estimate, right?” Bryce said.

His estimate was about $10,000 cheaper than the rest. Despite the low price, Tenniel and Patrick say Cook demanded a $22,900 down payment, about half the cost of the job. He says he demanded another $11,000 on the first day the workers dug a large pit.

“We paid him over $34,000 thousand dollars in total,” Bryce said.

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Conroe’s single mom Jada England says she paid Darren Cook $50,000 dollars for this fiberglass pool, a Christmas present for her two children. More than a year later, she’s paying other contractors tens of thousands of dollars to get the job done.

“The pool I paid for is not the pool I got,” England said. “The real shell is not flat, it does a lot of damage. So basically, I had to pay twice for everything, because I paid him and then I paid someone else. ,

Pool contractor arrested and accused of theft

Now, after months of investigation, Cook has officially been charged with 2nd degree felony theft, indicting multiple families for defrauding more than $150,000.

“He basically hunts down vulnerable residents here,” said Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman. “He starts work, leaves a big hole in his backyard and tries to disappear.”

The alleged victims told investigators that Cook “presented himself as a professional and devoted father and devoted Christian.”

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Investigators believe there may be more people who hired Cook and left the job unfinished.

Herman says that Darren Cook’s next court appearance will be next month and he expects more cases to be filed by that time.

You can contact investigators by calling (281) 376-3472 or visiting Online.

3 steps to take before hiring a pool contractor

Epic fiberglass pool is given a F-rating by the Better Business Bureau.

Consumer watchdog Leah Napoli (with the Better Business Bureau) has three steps to prevent this from happening to you.

1. Before hiring someone, check whether the company is rated by the Better Business Bureau.

2. 4 Ask for other clients the company has worked for, then call or visit those customers for feedback.

3. Follow the “rule of thirds” when it comes to payouts.

“That’s why you pay the initial third up front before you do the initial work,” explains Leah Napolilo, the Better Business Bureau for Greater Houston and South Texas. “Another third in the middle if you are still satisfied with everything and then the last third only if you have thoroughly reviewed the work and are happy and satisfied with everything.”