Fraud bill to include pool installers, hopes to close gap in consumer protection

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - State lawmakers are considering a bill that would update consumer fraud prevention laws with new requirements for pool installers and contractors.

The goal, lawmakers say, is to close a gap in the legal system that has allowed pool contractors to operate with little to no oversight, possibly leaving customers out thousands of dollars.

Rep. Leon Stavrinakis (D-Charleston) has been working to update the existing law for almost four years, which he says is necessary to protect customers.

“This is not an area where we’ve only seen isolated incidents of problematic behavior, this is an area with pool builders where there’s a lot of problems,” Stavrinakis says.

House Bill H.4086 was read for the first time on March 7 including updates to the credentials that pool contractors need to install, a requirement for contractors to have a surety bond and additional styles of homes protected legally, which should provide more protection to consumers.

The current gap means that customers who experience fraudulent results in pool installations are often stuck in civil court with no way of receiving legal justice or their money back.

“There will still be bad actors out there who are running around building pools without meeting these requirements, but as a consumer, you can require of yourself that you only hire people that meet these requirements, and then you’re going to have some protection,” he adds.

The House bill comes after multiple Live 5 investigations into pool contractors throughout the Lowcountry that left customers without pools or with pools installed incorrectly.

Evan and Amy Gernant lost $26,000 to Lowcountry Fiberglass Pools after they paid for a pool that the company never even started construction on.

“It was stressful because we were wondering, ‘Are we going to even get a pool?’ And then at one point, ‘Are we going to see any of our money back? Is there going to be any sort of justice for us?’” Evan Gernant says.

Stavrinakis is hoping for a full house vote by the end of the week to ensure that customers can be protected in the future.

“As a result of this with some kind of law in place, I think people have at least something to refer to if they find themselves in this situation going forward,” Gernant says.

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