Mobile County District Attorney investigating unlicensed pool contractor

MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — The Prim family paid for a backyard oasis. What they got instead is anything but.

“It looks like a bomb went off,” said Ty Prim.

Prim says demo debris littered his yard for months, the pool pump was incorrectly installed, and for well over a year, they've been waiting on the decking.

“You've got mostly dirt back here that turns into mud when it rains. It's just a disaster,” said Prim.

Prim hired James Gill with Pool Scapes in February 2022 to install a hot tub and new pool deck, a job that was supposed to take two months. Now, he's at his wits end, and he's not alone. Prim says he and roughly 30 others are now communicating on social media in a group called "Victims of James Gill.”

“There was always an excuse why he could not be there,” said Dewayne Boatwright. “I think we've all counted up that a step parent has died 20 times, twice in one month.”

Boatwright says he paid Gill $28,000 for a pool. He says they're on their third pool liner in two years, and the pool still leaks. Prim says he's out almost $45,000.

“It's the same M.O. He comes out. He does really fast, does a lot of work in a short period of time. He gets a couple of draws, and then he just disappears. And you literally don't see him for months and months,” said Prim.

Prim and others have taken their complaints to the Mobile County District Attorney's Office, and NBC 15 News has confirmed those complaints are being investigated. The DA’s office says it wants to hear from more victims.

Gill contends he's not a criminal. He says he simply couldn't handle all the work.

“I got in over my head, and I don't know, I was just trying to help a bunch of people and ended up failing doing it,” said Gill.

The State Licensing Board for General Contractors confirms Gill was supposed to have a license but never has. Pool contractors who do more than $5,000 worth of work are required to have one. Court records show Gill has filed for bankruptcy six times in 10 years between 2008 to 2018 and was arrested in 2014 for failing to pay child support.

“I’m not getting into all of that on the air with you. I had a few things I wanted to say, and that was it,” said Gill.

Click here to verify a pool contractor has a license

This isn’t the first time NBC 15 News has reported on complaints about Gill. In 2020, frustrated customers spoke with NBC 15 News.