Consumer Watch: Hot Tub Businessman Leaves Family Boiling Mad

Amanda Taylor, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Shonna Gore had been wanting a hot tub for a long time.

"This was my big birthday present," Gore said. "This was the big secret surprise."

So as a birthday present, her husband responded to an ad on Craig's List from a businessman named Frank Jescavage.

He sold refurbished hot tubs under the company name, The Pool and Spa Guys.

Her husband even went to the company's Edmond warehouse to pick it out. While the hot tub looked fine, it was another story once you got in the water.

The temperature gauge read 93 degrees, but the thermometer said it's over 100 degrees.

"We put 14 bags of ice in here one night just to be able to let our kids get into it," Gore said.

And the hot water didn't filter either. Some of the jets also didn't work.

"It makes me mad. We waited a long time to do something like this," Gore said.

While Gore said Jescavage made some repairs, getting him to repair everything has been impossible, which is why she called News 9's Consumer Watch.

"We had a warranty but you can't reach him in the warranty period," Gore said. "And when you do reach him, it's one story after another, after another. And then you're money's gone."

The Consumer Watch Team uncovered the Gores aren't the only Oklahomans unhappy with Frank Jescavage. A quick search of court records found several other customers who've taken him to court, saying they paid Jescavage for work he didn't do, and they won. But the people the Consumer Watch Team has spoken to said they haven't seen a dime. And collecting now may be even harder. Jescavage recently filed bankruptcy.

Yet, he is still posting ads on Craig's list

The Consumer Watch Team first talked to Jescavage over the phone about a month ago, specifically about the Gores. That's when he promised to make repairs.

"If they wanted it fixed within the next three week period, I'll take care of it," Jescavage said.

But the month's up and the Gores haven't heard from him.

So we waited for him at his bankruptcy hearing. He was a no show.

Since Jescavage didn't show, the court plans to dismiss the bankruptcy case.

So what should you do next if you win a judgment in small claims court, but the defendant doesn't pay? You can file a hearing on assets. That means the defendant will be placed under oath to find out his or her ability to pay you back.