La Grange family pays $95,000 to contractor: police

According to one report, the company repeatedly demanded more money to install a pool. No calls will be accepted now.

May 7, 2024, 6:36am CDT | Updated May 7, 2024, 6:39am CDT

LA GRANGE, IL – A La Grange family told police they paid more than $95,000 to a contractor they hired to install a saltwater pool in their backyard.

The project is still unfinished, and a hole and exposed pipes serve as evidence, police said.

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The family, who lives in the 200 block of South Spring Avenue, filed the report on April 13. Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.

Last summer, the couple signed a contract with the company, whose name was redacted in the report. A neighbor referred her to the company.

The couple told police that the contractor kept calling for more money, saying they needed it to buy materials. The seller constantly wanted to sell them more expensive and improved products, police said.

When they requested installation updates, sellers gave the excuse that they needed more money for unexpected expenses and blamed warehouses for not having the necessary products, the report said.

The family called one of the warehouses, where an employee said the contractor never placed an order, police said.

On April 17, an official spoke with a representative of the contractor who said he no longer worked there.

The person stated that bankruptcy proceedings were imminent and that the work would most likely remain incomplete. The person said the family would likely have to hire another company to complete the work, police said.

The family last communicated with the company on March 20 and learned that they were waiting for materials to complete the work. The company has not returned calls since then, the family told police.

The investigation is ongoing, the report says. Police are classifying the case as a home repair scam.