Apair of White Knight construction companies have come to the rescue of a Florida family who were left high and dry by their previous pool builder.
Tempool Inc., a pool plastering company in Jacksonville, and Call The Screen Guys, located in Atlantic Beach, have decided to step in and finish a swimming pool renovation job that was left incomplete. And they’re doing it for free.
The construction companies heard about the Brydges family’s pool, and they don’t appreciate the bad name some pool building companies make for Florida small businesses.
“We see a lot of this happen where these guys come in, and they just make our industry look bad,” said Cliff Carter, owner of Call The Screen Guys. “So we want to make sure that we can come in and help get everything put together usable — the way it’s supposed to be.”
A year ago, Robbin and Steven Brydges decided to upgrade their aging backyard swimming pool for their adopted sons, and they hired Mike Ardolino, owner of A-1 Patio Solutions LLC, after reading some positive reviews on Facebook.
But their experience was anything but positive. After paying Ardolino $7,000, the company’s workers stopped showing up. A year later, the family is out the money and is also looking at an additional $2,000 in damages in a ruined pool pump and broken screens. Plus, their pool is a mess.
The Brydges aren’t the only dissatisfied customers. Customers in Clay, St. Johns, and Volusia Counties are also out thousands of dollars.
But the Brydges have an important reason for wanting to fix up their backyard pool.
Eight years ago, they adopted a pair of brothers, Dalton and Dawson. Dalton was born with cerebral palsy and is quadriplegic. Before the brothers were adopted, they had been living in foster care. With such special needs, it was difficult finding someone who would care for him and keep the brothers together. But then the Brydges came along.
The family chose their home in Mandarin because it had an inground pool, which is a nearly essential part of Dalton’s physical therapy.
“He loves being in the swimming pool and being able to take the pressure off his legs and his arms,” Robbin Brydges said. “So the pool is huge for him.”
Last year, the family decided to upgrade the pool.
But after paying Ardolino several thousand dollars, they have been without a usable pool for a year, and they’ve had to take Dalton to a rehab center ever since.
So when Jon Temple, owner of Tempool, and Char and Cliff Carter, owners of Call The Screen Guys, heard about the Brydges story on a local news channel, they wanted to do something about it.
The companies decided to surprise the family with the news, so the Brydges had no idea what was going on when the two companies showed up on their doorstep and announced that they were going to finish the project.
The family was blown away. “I’m completely speechless,” Robbin said. “I don’t even know what to say except thank you, and Dalton is happy.”
Temple told her that what they’re going to do for the family doesn’t compare to the work she does by taking care of her son.
“We’re taking care of each of you. Don’t worry about the costs,” Temple said. “This is how Jacksonville really works. We all know each other, and when something needs to be done, that’s what we’re going to do.”
The contractors from Tempool and Call The Screen Guys said they are reaching out to other families who were left in the lurch by A-1 Patio to see what else needs to be done.
They want their community to know that the majority of Jacksonville pool companies do the right thing.
