Arizona homeowner facing family tragedy gets lifeline on unfinished pool project
PHOENIX - An Arizona woman’s pool project recently turned into a consumer nightmare.
Big picture view:
Robin Crase is yet another former customer of Sun State Pools left high and dry by the company earlier this year. But it is far from the hardest trial her family has faced, making an act of kindness from another Arizona pool company that much more of a blessing.
"I was frustrated, disappointed," Crase said.
Abandoned Remodel:
Crase says 2026 started with a plan to remodel her pool.
"I got quite a few estimates and decided to go with one of the companies that have a bigger name in the Valley," Crase said.
That company was Sun State Pools. Crase says she signed the contract in February and experienced similar delays in progress to other former Sun State Pools customers FOX 10 has interviewed.
She says the process was into its fourth month, with little progress made, when she heard the news that the company was no longer operating.
"I was still waiting for them to come back out when the ROC revoked their license," Crase said. "I felt very scared because I didn’t know where I was going to come up with the money to have the pool redone."
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Stepping in to Help:
Luckily, Crase had a family tie to The Pool Magician, another Valley pool company.
"I know Robin’s brother, he has done some repairs for me, all kinds of things in the past, he called me and said ‘Hey, something happened,’ my sister was doing a remodel, I know you do pools, can you help?'" said William Telekesy, owner of Northwest Pool and Spa and The Pool Magician.
"Once they found out about my situation, they offered a substantial discount to come out and finish the work that Sun State didn’t finish," Crase said.
What they're saying:
For The Pool Magician team, this kind of gesture is just part of the company’s mission.
"We are a family-owned and operated business and that’s what we rely on is the community and to have one of our community members go down because someone took their money is just unacceptable," Telekesy said.
A Deeper Impact:
For Crase, it goes deeper. The stress from the unfinished pool project came just a few months after police say her niece was murdered.
"We had already endured the unimaginable loss of our niece," Crase said.
Police say Paxton Wallace was killed by her boyfriend in November 2025. The case is still going through the Maricopa County court system.
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Faith in Humanity:
As the family still works to get justice in that case, Crase says this generosity from Telekesy, after such a tough year, helps restore her faith in others.
"It was nice to see a company come out and show compassion. It was really nice to see humanity and people acting in good ways," Crase said.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is investigating Sun State Pools after receiving an overwhelming number of complaints from customers like Crase.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Robin Crase, former Sun State Pools customer; William Telekesy, owner of Northwest Pool and Spa and The Pool Magician; police; the Registrar of Contractors (ROC); the Arizona Attorney General’s Office; FOX 10 reporter Nicole Krasean and previous FOX 10 reports.