What may be viewed as entertainment for some is a career and livelihood for Matthew Winkler: ping pong, or table tennis, as he calls it.
Matt is a professional player, coach, and businessman. His dream is to open the first full-time table tennis club in Arizona.
Growing that business is a big reason he and his wife, Sara, moved to their Gilbert house. It has a 6,000-square-foot building on the lot — perfect to be converted into a club. But it needed a lot of work. That's why the Winklers say it was great timing when a Realtor introduced them to Francis 'Frank' Boyle.
The Winkler family says they hired Boyle to put in two bathrooms, air conditioning, lighting, and plumbing for the club building. They say Boyle asked for a $15,000 deposit for the job totaling just over $44,000.
They paid most of the deposit using a cashier's check and paid cash for the remaining amount.
The Winklers say Boyle signed the invoice and they saw the state license numbers with the Registrar of Contractors on the invoice were in good standing.
They felt good about the endeavor.
Work started quickly, however, the Winklers say after the bathrooms were built, not much else was done.
"He didn't put any doors in, he didn't put the ceilings, and he didn't do the electrical. He didn't do the actual plumbing," Matt said.
The couple says Boyle went silent for a time. That's when they did more research and learned he wasn't licensed.
The invoice the Winklers were given does list legitimate state license numbers, but they're for a different company.
The Let Joe Know team reached out to that company. They told us by phone that Boyle was an employee with them years ago.
The Winklers say they demanded a refund but didn't get one from Boyle.
"It killed our business for a while. It put stress on us with a brand new baby," said Matt.
The Let Joe Know team did speak to Boyle by phone.
He said he was owed money from the Winklers and that a lawyer would send us documentation. That has not happened yet.
We asked if he was licensed with the state. Boyle told us "no," adding the job didn't require a license.
But, the Registrar of Contractors says that's not so. We emailed them the invoice asking if the jobs described would require a license. A spokesperson for the ROC responded, stating the jobs listed would likely require several licenses. The ROC has submitted a case regarding Boyle contracting without a license to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for possible prosecution.
As for the table tennis courts, the Winklers say they brought in other contractors to finish the job.
If you're hiring a contractor, always check the license with the ROC database
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