Homeowners spend thousands on unfinished athletic courts

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SOUTH WEBER — Getting a new basketball and pickleball court installed has been anything but a slam dunk for Erik and Skye Thompson.

The South Weber family told KSL they hired All-Courts in March 2022 and paid a 50% deposit of $18,000.

"They said they would start the court within 30 days," said Skye Thompson. But, she said months went by before work began and trying to get her job scheduled was a nightmare.

"Fighting with them, trying to get a date," she said. "They kept saying there was cement shortages. After threatening, calling weekly, monthly, they would do a little bit at a time. Finally in October, they poured the cement."

The Thompsons paid an additional $7,000 for the pickleball net and lights, but said neither has been installed. The court also still needs to be painted.

"It's been a year-and-a-half on something that should have taken maybe three or four months," said Erik Thompson.

That wasted time was precious to the Thompsons, as Erik battles ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord for which there is no cure.

"Pretty soon, he's going to be in a wheelchair," Skye Thompson explained. "We just wanted something in the backyard so he can sit out there and watch."

The Thompsons' experience was similar to another family's frustrations.

Broc and Sarah Neagle said they paid All-Courts over $14,000 last October to build a pickleball court.

"Nobody's ever even come out to our house," said Broc Neagle.

The Neagles said when they called the company to set up their job, an All-Courts employee told them he would simply look at their yard on Google Maps to make sure the court would fit their yard.

"Neither of us have put a pickleball court in before, so we didn't know," said Sarah Neagle. "I was like, 'OK, sounds good.'"

In the months since, the Neagles said appointments were made and repeatedly broken. They've asked for a refund.

KSL Investigators heard from six more All-Courts customers, each alleging similar treatment from the company: thousands of dollars paid in down payments, and little to no work being done.

We tried numerous times to reach All-Courts — via calls, texts, and emails to various company employees. One employee responded by email to say we needed to speak with the owners. But they, too, did not return messages.

On Thursday afternoon, KSL visited the corporate headquarters in Provo. All-Courts' trucks were in the parking lot, but no one was inside the offices. The lights were off, and the door was locked.

The Better Business Bureau gave the company an F-rating after nine complaints were made to the agency.

In response to a BBB complaint dated May 22, All-Courts said they were going through a "large expansion prepping for the coming summer," which coincided with a "concrete shortage." The business asked for "understanding from our customers as we cannot control these types of circumstances, we can only weather them and need time to catch up."

But our investigation found even when the company did get concrete poured, they are accused of not always paying for it.

Court filings from July show five different lawsuits against All-Courts, filed by Staker and Parson Companies.

The suits allege Staker provided All-Courts "$147,063.59" in concrete supplies from "Aug. 18, 2022 through Dec. 16, 2022" for which they were not paid. The balance included accrued interest.

The Thompsons said they have moved on and have contracted with another company to finish their court. Like other customers who spoke with KSL, they want a refund for the unfinished work, but they're not holding their breath.

"It doesn't seem like we're getting our money back," said Erik Thompson.

If you've paid a company for work that hasn't been completed, the Utah Division of Consumer Protection can investigate. You can file an online complaint here.

Have you experienced something you think just isn't right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.