A local pool contractor is calling on the Arizona Registrar of Contractors to take stronger action against companies that fail to finish projects.
Earlier this month, the Let ABC15 Know team reported that the Arizona Attorney General's Office was opening a criminal investigation into Sun State Pools after dozens of customers said the business took their money and never finished their projects.
Clark Cumbee is the owner of Clean and Clear Pool Service and Repair and Phoenix Pool Specialist. He's worked in the pool industry for decades, and now he says he's taken over multiple jobs left incomplete by Sun State Pools.
"We do everything and anything. Everything that you can imagine within the pool industry, from building a pool to remodeling a pool to adding barbecues to a backyard to structural repairs and pools for other contractors," Cumbee explained.
Cumbee says the stakes go beyond unfinished projects and financial losses.
"These pools being built, if things aren't done correctly, then somebody can get hurt, somebody can get killed, especially with electricity," Cumbee said.
He believes the ROC needs to take action faster when complaints pile up against a contractor.
"I would let them know that it is about time to knuckle down on some things," Cumbee said.
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors says it received 85 complaints from homeowners and subcontractors against Sun State Pools since September of 2025 and revoked the company's license in June of 2026.
Cumbee feels that a business should not be able to accumulate that many complaints and continue operating.
"These things need to be resolved. And if they're not resolved, then their license is in jeopardy," Cumbee added.
Sun State Pools customer Edgar agrees. He says he filed 3 complaints with the ROC while he was dealing with delays on his pool, but he says those complaints were closed without any action taken against the company.
"What's frustrating to me is here I was back in December filing multiple complaints with multiple agencies, saying something's not right here," Edgar explained.
He believes earlier intervention could have protected customers who later gave money to Sun State Pools.
"If someone - I don't care if it's the ROC, state's attorneys, Better Business Bureau - would have said, 'Hey, let me look into this a little bit more.' These people would not have given their money to Sun State, you know, in May or April, and it would have saved them all these headaches, 10s of 1000s of dollars," Edgar added.
Both Cumbee and Edgar feel the ROC should also address how much time contractors are given to complete a project when they have already failed to follow the timeline agreed upon in a customer's contract.
"It infuriates me that somebody doesn't show back up for a month, or even two weeks, or even a week. Once you take a half down payment, it should be up to the contractor to knock their job out, not open up 40 of them, and then barely touch down all over the place, and just make people frustrated," Cumbee said.
Edgar believes the ROC currently lacks the tools to enforce contracts.
"At this point, I don't see anything where they can actually go to a contractor and say, if you don't do this, if you don't follow a contract you sign, here are the repercussions: we either put you on suspension, we fine you, we pull your license, so now you can't do any business," Edgar said.
Edgar is also hoping the criminal investigation by the Arizona Attorney General's Office leads to justice for customers.
"I mean, that's their job. Their job is to protect consumers against fraud," Edgar said.
We have asked to sit down with the director of the ROC, and he has agreed to do an interview.
We extended that same interview opportunity to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Her office sent us a statement saying: "The Attorney General's Office is conducting an active and ongoing criminal investigation into the matter so we cannot comment."
We have never been able to get in contact with anyone from Sun State Pools. We called and emailed multiple times, and when we visited the business, the landlord had put a lock on the door. We were told the business was delinquent with rent.
If you are a Sun State Pools customer, it is not too late to file a report with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors or the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
File a report with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors here.
File a report with the Arizona Attorney General's Office here.
Learn more about the Arizona Registrar of Contractors Recovery Fund here.
Do you have a consumer problem? Let ABC15 Know! Email Consumer@abc15.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
