Departed pool firm’s license revoked

Thursday, Feb. 12, 1998 | 10:25 a.m.

RENO -- The state Contractors Board Wednesday issued an emergency order suspending the license of a defunct Las Vegas swimming pool construction company.

But one distraught victim complained the order won't help homeowners who were defrauded of thousands of dollars.

"To say the least, I'm not satisfied," said Annette Laffey, one of the first to blow the whistle on Esquire Pools which packed up, closed shop and left Las Vegas.

The company left nearly a dozen swimming pools unfinished in Southern Nevada.

Laffey, flown at the board's expense from Las Vegas to Reno to testify, said the disciplinary action isn't going to help the victims get their swimming pools finished.

"They're just trying to make themselves (the Contractors Board) look good in front of the public," she said following the 30-minute hearing.

At one point during the hearing, Laffey said, "I don't understand why I'm here. All I hear is about the equal rights of Esquire."

Laffey told the board she paid $22,400 of a $23,000 contract to install a swimming pool at her northwest Las Vegas home. The first deadline for the pool to be completed was Dec. 19. Esquire then extended its completion deadline to Jan. 20. But Esquire, despite repeated promises, never finished the work after the company received a final payment of $7,000.

Laffey says other contractors now quote her a $9,000 price to finish the work.

"Esquire stole our money and stole a lot of people's money," Laffey told the board before breaking down in tears.

Laffey said a lien has been filed on her and her husband's home by the tile setters who did the work but were not paid by Esquire.

Eleven complaints have been filed with the board against Esquire, which closed its doors sometime in January.

After the Contractors Board heard Laffey's testimony, it voted to suspend Esquire's license. Board attorney David Reese said a transcript of the hearing must be prepared before the board can take further action to revoke the license of Esquire pools and its owner, Lisa Marie Noll.

A tough swimming pool contractors law was pushed through the 1997 Legislature but Gov. Bob Miller vetoed it. Instead he and the Contractors Board adopted regulations for the industry, which has been the target of numerous consumer complaints mainly for unfinished pool construction.

Homeowners have been left with nothing but large holes in their backyards after paying -- sometimes in full -- to have their pools built.

The Contractors Board has asked the state attorney general's office to investigate Esquire. Senior Deputy Attorney General Richard Linstrom said it must be determined if the company should be charged with civil or criminal fraud, which will require a financial investigation.

No representatives of Esquire, which reportedly has an office in Florida, were present at the hearing. The board sent notice of the meeting and the allegations to the owner, who refused to accept it.

Laffey said she was disappointed that the board didn't discuss the fate of its Las Vegas inspector, Dean Williams, who is on administrative leave. Laffey had asked Williams about Esquire and he told her there were no pending complaints.

She said Williams also advised her to make the final payment to Esquire in an attempt to get her pool completed. But under the new regulations, the final payment is not supposed to be made until the work is completed.

Deborah Sheltra, a consumer representative on the Contractors Board, said the contract between Esquire and the Laffeys was no longer valid. She said representatives of Esquire had certified they knew the new regulation was in effect at the time the contract was signed.

Outside the hearing, Laffey said the state inspector lied to her and should have warned her the payment schedule in the contract was invalid.

"I want my money back," Laffey said. "I don't care if they have to take it out of his (Williams) pay or his 401K."