Dozens of homeowners say Mesa pool company took large sums of money and abandoned their projects

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - His name is Jack Vinson Smith III, and as you can see, he’s not very popular with some folks.

“You stiffed people,” one On Your Side viewer can be heard yelling at Jack Smith outside his home. So why are consumers tracking down Jack Smith to his Mesa home and trying to confront him? Well, here’s the answer. Phoenix Shirk is a homeowner who hired Jack Smith in April to build a swimming pool. Smith owns a company called Outdoor Luxury Living Incorporated, which also goes by OLLI. “They seemed competent. We liked what they gave us,” Shirk said.

The total cost of the pool came to $45,530, and Shirk said he paid several cash payments totaling $30,000. Suddenly, just as quickly as construction started, it stopped three months ago, and that’s when he says Outdoor Luxury Living and Smith abandoned the project. “It hurts your family,” Shirk said. “We’re just a middle-class working family, and that’s a lot of money to us.”

Another On Your Side viewer sent us pictures saying she had the same problem with Smith. Angela Hampton used her cell phone to show us her unfinished project. It’s a pool that Angela says not only has horrible workmanship, but she says Smith installed the wrong equipment and abandoned her project. She said it all happened after she handed over around $54,000. When the OYS team asked Hampton if Smith did anything right on the pool, she said, “He did not. The only thing he ever did well was to show up and collect payment.”

The number of Jack Smith’s unsatisfied consumers continue. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors told On Your Side that Outdoor Luxury Living has racked up 36 complaints, totaling more than $1.9 million. The complaints appear to center around poor workmanship and abandonment. Online, consumers are leaving reviews such as, “Don’t give Jack any money. He’s a fraud.” Another person wrote, “Stay far away.”

After Smith failed to respond OYS’s emails, the team went to his Mesa home. When Gary Harper tried to talk to him through the doorbell camera, Smith never answered. Harper said he left his business card on top of a notice that was taped to his house telling frustrated pool customers, “You are to leave the premises immediately and not return.”

Frustrated customers like Shirk and his wife say that they’re now financially devastated. “There are going to be some concessions,” Shirk said. “We’re probably not going to be taking vacations for the next few years to cover the cost of this.” Smith has reportedly told many of the homeowners that he intends to file for bankruptcy for his business.

If that’s the case, it won’t be the first time. The On Your Side team has confirmed that Smith filed for bankruptcy in Nevada in 2016. Due to the large number of homeowners and the dollar amount, the Arizona Registrar of Contractors told the team that they’re investigating Smith. When there’s an update, On Your Side will provide a follow-up report.

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