LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
More than a dozen families said a pool company owner failed to build them the pools he said he would, and it cost them.
One of those customers is Will Sacca of Munfordville. He said he paid PrismCore Pools $47,762 to build their family pool, with three checks between October 2018 and May this year. He told us he’ll have to pay thousands of dollars more for fixes, planning work with three other contractors to repair everything from concrete to the pool liner.
“We just want to move on," said Sacca.
He told WHAS11 there was never a date in his contract about when the pool would be finished, and he’s had trouble getting information. He blamed George Raymond Hagan Jr., the owner of PrismCore Pools, based in Mammoth Cave. Sacca said he and his family are now working with a lawyer to get their money back.
“It breaks your heart," said attorney Justin Baird. These people have saved their hard-earned money to construct a pool for family and friends to enjoy, and at the end of the day they don’t have that."
On October 8, Hagan turned himself into the Warren County Sheriff’s Office on felony charges of theft relating to another pool contract. According to Sheriff Brett Hightower, a woman wrote a $12,761 check to Hagan to have a pool installed, after seeing his advertisements on Facebook. That customer said Hagan ignored her and was unresponsive when she requested her money back. According to court documents, Hagan said he was unable to start work on the contract due to rain and a blocked driveway. He’s expected back in court on November 18th for his arraignment.
Court records show in 2011, he was convicted of theft in Hardin County. Those records show Hagan issued a check to Superior Pool Products of Louisville for payment of goods and services, knowing he couldn’t pay. Superior Pool Products told us Hagan has a current account with them for his company, PrismCore Pools. He’s purchased $21,000 worth of products this year without problems.
We tried contacting Hagan directly and didn’t get through. But we did contact his attorney, Matthew Baker. He told us he’ll fight charges against his client, saying some people may be owed money, but other people owe Hagan.
Sacca is now part of a Facebook group named “Victims of Prism Core Pools.” According to the owner of the group and testimonies from multiple members, 14 people from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois said Hagan took between $12,000 and $75,000, leaving some with a hole in the ground they couldn’t use.
We dug up a story aired on WHAS11 back in January 2011, which also mentions Hagan.
Customers complained about his company, then called Southern Kentucky Pools, went out of business before finishing their pools.
We reached out to Kentucky’s Secretary of State to confirm the same person was behind both companies. They told us they have no record of PrismCore Pools since it’s not a registered business. And they said George Raymond Hagan was the owner of Southern Kentucky Pools. The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office said they’ve received four complaints about Hagan’s new company.
“I don’t want to see this happen to any other family," Sacca said.
Hagan’s lawyer told us his client is an honest businessman. According to documents and conversations with customers, Hagan was not present during much of the construction of their pools. Customers said the work was largely done by subcontractors and newly hired employees, and it wasn’t what they ordered.
According to Kentucky's Office of the Attorney General, anyone needing to file a consumer complaint can do so on its website at ag.ky.gov. For further assistance, call their Consumer Protection Hotline at 888-432-9257. Click here for a direct link to the online.
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