Paul Hammel
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, reacting to multiple consumer complaints, has sued an Omaha-area pool company, contending it has deceived homeowners and left some with “dangerous, ugly, unfinished pits” in their yards.
The lawsuit against Stanger Enterprises, which does business as Premier Pools and Spas, alleges that the company requires thousands of dollars of prepayment for work that is ultimately left unfinished, and that the company uses an unlawful “gag clause” to retaliate against customers who complain.
“Nebraskans expect and deserve to work with honest and ethical companies,” said Attorney General Mike Hilgers in a press release.
“Today’s action sends a clear message: our office will not tolerate unlawful efforts to gag consumers from raising complaints with the Nebraska Attorney General,” he added.
A request for comment from Stanger Enterprises, which lists addresses in Valley and Omaha, and its owner, Aaron Stanger, did not elicit an immediate response Tuesday.
According to a 29-page lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lancaster County District Court, the attorney general accuses the company of:
- Deceptive payment scheme: Premier Pools requires customers to pay 45% of a pool’s cost upfront and then, after digging a large hole, refuses to do additional work unless another 50% of the bill is paid. After getting the money, the company “disappears,” the AG alleges, making “empty promises” about returning and evading requests for a refund.
- Misleading marketing: Pictures of finished pools on Premier Pools’ website are of jobs completed by other companies. The AG said that despite claiming the company had built “thousands of high-quality pools since 2009,” there were no examples of that on its website.
- Unsafe neglect: Consumers are left with hazardous, empty pits and unkempt worksites for extended periods, putting their families, pets and others at risk. Jobs are left unfinished for a year or more, the lawsuit claims.
- Refund refusal: Grievances and pleas for refunds are ignored and evaded. Many consumers, the AG’s lawsuit said, need the refunds to hire alternative contractors to finish the pools, which initially cost $80,000 to $140,000.
- Gagging consumers: Contracts with Premier Pools includes a restrictive gag clause against filing consumer complaints or posting negative comments on social media. One customer was told that work was stopped because they had complained to the Attorney General’s Office.
The lawsuit asks that the company be required to repay customers for unfinished work and be fined for violation of consumer laws due to its “pattern of deceit and misleading consumers.”