English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Gilbert, AZ

Unity Pools’ license revoked by Arizona’s contracting board

Published: Oct. 23, 2024 at 7:56 PM PDT|

GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — When Brandon Mader and his family step into their backyard, they’re greeted with a giant concrete hole. And it’s been like this for three long years.

“Well, this was supposed to be your paradise out here,” On Your Side’s Gary Harper said. Mader replied, “Yeah, it was supposed to be. I refer to it as a bunker that looks like a pool.”

Mader hired a company called Unity Pools.

Mader says that at the time, the owner, Travis Scott, bragged about being a competent pool builder and gloated about something else.

“Did he sell himself as a big NFL star?” Harper asked. “Yeah, I mean, he definitely spoke about it a lot,” Mader replied. I remember when I opened the door, I was looking up at him. I mean, he’s just a big guy.”

According to this contract, Scott agreed to build Mader’s pool, a fire pit and other amenities for $138,000.

But before he started the project, Scott demanded and received $40,000 upfront.

Some progress was being made on the pool, and over the course of a few months, Mader wound up giving Scott a series of checks totaling around $125,000.

At this point, Mader says the project was 90% paid in full, but only 50% of the work had been completed before Scott stopped showing up.

“You know, he boasted he is a person of integrity. He’s got integrity tattooed across his chest. He should probably get that removed,” Mader said.

And Mader isn’t the only victim. Blake Carbonatto tells On Your Side that Unity Pools and Scott also abandoned his pool project. “I think he knows exactly what he’s doing,” Carbonatto said.

According to Mader, he wrote checks totaling $223,000, but after 50% of his project was finished, he says Scott stopped showing up. “We’ve met almost two dozen other families that have had a similar experience to us.”

He’s right. In fact, the Arizona Registrar of Contractors revoked Unity Pools’ license after racking up 15 consumer complaints. And those are just the homeowners who filed official complaints.

In addition, Scott has four pending lawsuits filed against him for his pool-related antics.

I went to Scott’s Gilbert home for answers, but he reportedly wasn’t home.

“It’s pretty important that he calls me because a lot of people say they paid him money to build pools and that he never finished,” Harper told Scott’s wife. Is he recording me?” she asked about our camera. Harper replied, “Yeah, we’re doing a news report. So, it’s pretty important that he calls me.”

Well, five minutes later, Scott called.

“You’re the man with integrity,” Harper told him. “You have it tattooed on your chest, yet I don’t see any integrity. You took the people’s money and you didn’t finish the work.”

Scott didn’t have much to say and hung up. But On Your Side has discovered he’s now opened a new pool company called Swell Builders, which is not licensed.

According to his website, potential customers must select how much money they’re willing to pay for Scott to build their pool.

Mader said, “In reality, you know, I had no clue about him. The guy has all my money and I’m at his mercy. And that’s where he gets people. He takes their money quick. Makes it seem like things are progressing and bounces. And before you know it, you’re stuck.

Homeowners who have filed a complaint with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors can recoup some but not all of their money from the agency’s Recovery Fund. However, the total amount doled out per licensed company is capped, and there are numerous complainants.

Scott and Unity Pools issued the following statement to On Your Side:

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The Town of Gilbert approved the project. The family is now fighting multiple construction companies and the Town of Gilbert to get help covering the damages.

GILBERT, Ariz. — A Gilbert family is recovering after their home was flooded with sewage. It happened on Oct. 29 and the family is still displaced.

Nicole Flood, who recognized the irony of her last name, said it happened when crews were installing fiber in her neighborhood and punctured their pipe.

Flood noticed markings on the street in her neighborhood near Ray Road and Power Road on Oct. 28. It meant construction for fiber optic network materials was headed her way.

The fiber plan was approved and permitted by the Town of Gilbert in an effort to deliver residents high-speed internet. Records show the company working with Gilbert is called Gigapower, an AT&T venture.

Soon enough, workers had dug holes in her and her neighbor's front yards and driveways.

Signage in Flood's neighborhood shows a company called Tilson was conducting the construction work on Gigapower's behalf.

Around 6 p.m. on Oct. 29, chaos ensued.

“[My husband] came home from work and flushed the toilet and it just exploded," Flood said. "He's trying to shut off the water. We had to Shop-Vac four entire Shop-Vacs full of sewage out. It was coming out faster than we could even get it. It got to about three inches.”

Flood and her husband quickly called out a plumber who placed a camera into their pipe. Records show the plumber found that the sewage line had been drilled through, which caused the line to break.

“It's one thing if you think it's your own family. It's still not fun to get an undone toilet, but then to know that you're in somebody else's waste and sewage," Flood said. "I was covered head to toe.”

They got an emergency hotel room and came back the next day to speak to construction crews. They recorded their interactions.

A Tilson employee told them they had hired a subcontractor to do the work. That subcontractor told them they had also brought in another company, claiming it was employees from that company who caused the damage.

“That’s the person who will pay the bill," an employee said. "This is not the homeowner’s problem so let’s get this clear.”

Weeks after the mess, the flood has become Flood's problem.

She is a teacher and has had to miss work. She has also paid more than $8,000 out of her own pocket to repair the pipe and is still not back inside of her home.

Her husband and son have medical needs, making this stage of limbo even more challenging to navigate.

Much of the first floor of their home now has the flooring and walls torn out because it was contaminated with waste. Fans are still scattered throughout the home in an effort to dry it out.

“I'm really hoping that Gilbert and Tilson do the right thing," Flood said.

When asked for comment, a Tilson spokesperson declined to answer specific questions about Flood's home.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson said:

"At Tilson, we work directly with homeowners whenever there is a potential damage claim related to our construction activities. Once we are notified of a possible issue, we prioritize investigating the situation to address and resolve any concerns as quickly as possible, ensuring any necessary repairs are completed in a timely and effective manner."

The Town of Gilbert denied responsibility altogether.

Jennifer Harrison, a spokesperson for the town, said Tilson does not have a license with Gilbert. Gigapower does.

"Tilson does not have a license with the Town of Gilbert for this work. Instead, Tilson is a contractor to a utility provider who is licensed by the Town. Permits issued to Tilson to conduct work as the contractor for Gigapower. Under state law, the utility has the legal right to do work in the right of way," Harrison said.

Harrison said this is a civil matter between the private utility, its contractor and the resident.

When 12News asked if the town bears any responsibility for damage done during town-approved projects, Harrison said, "No, this is not a town project."

“They were the ones that gave them a permit to be working here," Flood said.

As Flood waits for answers, she and her family are staying in an Airbnb. Her homeowner's insurance agreed to cover one month of accommodations. She is struggling to get insurance to cover anything else.

She hopes the town and the companies involved in the construction make things right.

“Help. Please. I mean, not even a sorry, but cover the finances of it," Flood said.

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GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — As an intense fire erupted from a van in a Gilbert neighborhood, a town garbage truck driver jumped into action to extinguish the flames.

“I didn’t know if someone was in there. My biggest thing was let me help put this fire out and see what I can do until the fire department gets here,” said Drew Porter.

He was running his regular recycling route across town when he noticed someone panicking in a neighborhood near Baseline and Greenfield roads.

“We came around the corner and I kept just picking up cans, but I saw him kept running around his truck,” said Porter.

He took a closer look into the van from the windshield and saw flames beginning to grow. He knew he had to help.

“I could have kept driving if I wanted, but my thing is, I’m here to serve the people in the town of Gilbert and not just Gilbert, wherever it’s at,” said Porter.

Porter quickly pulled over and sprang into action.

He worried the fire might spread to a nearby home and hurt someone.

“It was going to go because in that little cul-de-sac, there’s a park right there. Kids go through there to get to the bus stop,” said Porter.

Gilbert’s garbage trucks are equipped with fire extinguishers in the event a fire is sparked inside the truck from people’s trash, which came in handy for this very situation. “That fire extinguisher put the whole fire out so I put the fire out before the fire department showed up. They came down to make sure it was under control and sprayed it down.”

Arizona’s Family spoke with the family where this fire happened, they didn’t want to go on camera, but said they are grateful for Porter’s quick actions to help them out.

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Published: Oct. 22, 2024 at 7:01 PM PDT|

GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) —With the help of On Your Side, a Gilbert homeowner is finally getting what he wanted. New windows.

“It wouldn’t have been done at this point without your guys’ help,” Jack Martin said.

In previous On Your Side reports, Martin shared how the $20,000 windows he purchased through Lowe’s Home Improvement were terrible. The hardware didn’t match. Many of the windows that Pella Windows manufactured were warped and installed incorrectly. Some windows would barely open or close.

Martin says he couldn’t get anyone at Lowe’s or Pella Windows to understand how bad his $20,000 windows were. But things changed after On Your Side got involved and contacted Lowe’s and Pella.

New windows were fabricated and finally delivered to Martin’s home. And this time, everyone wanted to ensure things were done right.

Nine installation technicians from three different companies, including Lowe’s and Pella, were on site. In fact, the chief engineer from Pella flew in from Iowa to ensure that the windows were removed and installed correctly.

Martin told On Your Side, “We’re pretty happy here today. With the amount of activity that we have, and also with the quality of the construction workers that are here. It’s night and day from before.”

This time, the windows and installation were perfect, methodical and professional. Martin says that’s the way the first installation should have gone. And with the help of On Your Side, it finally happened.

“It wouldn’t have been finished at this point without On Your Side’s help. So thank you, by the way because we couldn’t have done it without you, Gary (Harper). It’s a big deal,” he said.

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