Customers who engaged with Waterpools Jacksonville are expressing frustration over incomplete projects and subpar craftsmanship, as reported by the News4JAX I-TEAM. The proprietor of the company attributes these issues to a recent hospitalization, echoing a similar explanation provided a decade ago.
One such dissatisfied customer is Dirk Woods, who entered into a contract with Waterpools Jacksonville in August of the preceding year. Despite making payments, Woods’ pool remains unfinished, lacking essential features like a cascading fountain and deck. Assurances of a swift completion timeline, extending to “a few weeks,” were made by the builder, yet after four months, Woods decided to seek alternative contractors to finalize the project.
Woods disclosed that he incurred an additional expense of $32,000 on top of the initial $49,000 investment, effectively doubling his expenditure for the pool. Upon encountering difficulties, Woods resorted to searching online and stumbled upon a 2014 News4JAX article detailing similar grievances against a contractor named George Vink, who later became the owner of Waterpools Jacksonville.
In a phone conversation with the I-TEAM, Vink attributed his current predicament to a hospitalization at the Mayo Clinic since December due to a MRSA infection. Despite claims of honoring contracts, Woods asserted that communication from Vink has been limited to sporadic texts citing health issues, leaving him in a lurch.
According to Florida law, if a contractor fails to provide adequate notification or ceases work without just cause for 90 consecutive days, the project may be deemed abandoned. Woods expressed frustration at reaching a point where legal recourse seems inevitable, emphasizing his inability to absorb a $49,000 loss and the failure of Vink to uphold his end of the agreement.