A South Holland homeowner says a bargain swimming-pool repair turned into a $5,425 loss, a backyard full of chlorine and a yearlong chase for a refund. The contractor she knew as Brian McIntosh allegedly vanished after promising to return, leaving another company to finish the job for $11,000.
Venus Scott told CBS Chicago that she hired Joliet-based SunLife Swimming Pool Care after its quote came in far below a competitor’s. She paid a $1,000 deposit in 2025, but after two missed appointments, the crew did little more than pour roughly six bottles of chlorine into the pool before disappearing.
Illinois homeowners are specifically warned to treat bargain prices, large upfront payments and contractors who cannot provide clear business information as red flags. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office says home repair and remodeling complaints have repeatedly ranked among its most common consumer complaints and advises getting written estimates, checking a contractor’s identity and documenting the terms of the job.
A Contractor With An Old Trail Of Complaints
Scott’s alleged contractor was not Brian McIntosh but David Sroge, a name CBS Chicago had previously reported on in 2015. The station says Sroge spent a year in prison for Cook County home-repair fraud in 2016, had a 2012 Indiana conviction involving $9,000 taken from a senior citizen for work not completed, and is named in at least nine complaints submitted to the Illinois attorney general.
CBS Chicago also reports that a warrant was issued for Sroge’s arrest in Will County in May and that he has an active warrant in Kane County, while police are searching for him. In a separate 2015 report, Patch reported that prosecutors accused Sroge of taking $13,000 from a Palos Park couple for deck work that was never substantially completed.
What Illinois Homeowners Can Do Before Paying
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office says consumers should get multiple written estimates, verify the contractor’s full name and business address, and avoid paying the entire project cost before the work is finished. For many home-repair contracts signed at a residence, consumers have three business days to cancel, while homeowners age 65 and older may have up to 15 business days.
