BELTON, Texas — Homeowners across Central Texas have been left with no answers and they're out thousands of dollars after signing construction contracts with Belton pool company, Ocean Quest Pools, they say.
They told 6 News over a dozen families reached out to Ocean Quest Pools to have pools installed in their backyards.
They were required to pay a lump some of money for each phase of their projects, but at some point, they all reportedly lost contact with the company. Now they're left with an unfinished project in their backyards, they said.
"Both me and my wife feel violated and and it just hurts. We let these people come into our home and we trusted them," Belton homeowner Zaal Paymaster shared.
Shana Brader, who claims to have paid $180,000 to get her pool installed since she signed her contract in October 2021 is now forced to pay an additional $20,000 out of pocket to get the pool finished.
"We have a temporary electric line laying on top of the ground. There is all of the pool equipment is exposed, none of the pumps work, we don't have lights, we don't have jets for the spa, we don't have the control panel which is a pretty expense," Brader explained.
Others affected like Tara Moore and her husband -- who signed their contract to get their pool done in September 2022 -- are worried about what this might mean for them in the long term.
"The situation we're facing at this time is that it's going to cost us more money to finish the project that Ocean Quest Pools started," Moore said. "Because of the unfinished work, we now have a lien on our home and we will not have a warranty whenever all of this is completed."
Just recently, Brader made a Facebook page dedicated to their pool issues with Ocean Quest and almost 30 people have joined with similar claims.
6 News contacted the owner of Ocean Quest Pools to ask about the situation. His response was that his lawyer advised him not to be on camera.
However, he did share that he is filing for bankruptcy this week.
For right now, these homeowners are banning together to find a lawyer that can help them either get their pools finished or just get their money back.
"The Texas Construction Trust Fund Act is kind of what we're leaning on right now and we would like to go after them criminally for that," Brader said.
The Texas Construction Trust Fund Act, when state regulate the misallocation of funds by providing penalties designed to keep the project’s funds in the right place, is what these homeowners hope will help them in their cases.