BBB Gives Tips On Hiring Contractors
BBB Serving Central Indiana is warning consumers to exercise caution before doing business with Smarter Pools, LLC, a pool contractor headquartered in Greenwood. The company currently has an “F” rating, the lowest on the BBB scale, due to unanswered complaints and a pattern of collecting deposits, leaving projects incomplete, and failing to respond to consumers’ concerns.
“They will take your money,” said a local complainant.
He told BBB the business offered him what he described as a “good deal” in June 2025: a pool installed in six weeks. To secure the project, he paid a $5,000 deposit, followed by $46,000 a few days later. The company promptly cashed the $51,000 but did not begin excavation until the second week of August—well beyond the promised timeline.
As work appeared to move forward, Smarter Pools requested another payment, totaling more than $24,000. After receiving that third payment, the complainant said the company never returned.
Despite paying Smarter Pools more than $75,000, he was left with an unfinished pool. “No bonding, no coping, no cement, no equipment, and no idea when it’s going to be completed,” he said.
BBB followed up with additional complainants during winter 2025 and found similar concerns involving unfinished projects and lack of communication.
“I would not trust these people with my money,” said Keri, an Indiana consumer who contracted with Smarter Pools in July 2025.
Several months into her $82,000 project, Keri said she had seen little progress. When she attempted to reach her salesperson, she learned he had resigned and was advised to contact the owner, Justin Carter, directly. She described Justin as “hard to get ahold of” and said he eventually told her he was “not going to finish [her] pool.”
They “only dug a hole in our yard,” Keri complained.
The consumer reported paying two deposits totaling $39,000 for what she described as an abandoned project.
A Fishers, Indiana consumer told BBB he contracted with Smarter Pools in April 2025 for a $95,000 pool. After paying his initial deposit, he reported not hearing from the company for a month. Following excavation, the site sat untouched for weeks. A crew later returned to install pool walls, but progress stalled again.
He said he tried to “give [the owner] some leeway,” but the project was plagued by delays.
“Work kind of stopped,” he told BBB. “Nothing but crickets.”
He added that while construction remained stagnant, Carter continued to request payments. “I wrote him checks for approximately $75,000,” the consumer said. Ultimately, he hired another contractor to complete the project.
BBB has made several attempts to contact Smarter Pools, LLC, but has not received a response to consumer concerns. BBB has been unable to reach a complaint handler for the company, leaving five unanswered complaints and reported consumer losses totaling approximately $413,000.
More information, including the company’s complaint history, can be found on its BBB Business Profile at BBB.org