DONT PAY Bryon Dante Guyton until he FINISHES THE JOB.
6 people have submitted complaints to the Better Business Bureau & on his LLC license at the AZ Registrar of Contractors. DO YOUR RESEARCH.
DOES HE HIDE HIS BAD YELP REVIEWS BY HAVING FRIENDS MARK THEM "NOT USEFUL"? Hmmm. See real reviews for yourself on the BBB and the AZ Registrar of Contractors (links below).
Better Business Bureau (1 open complaint, 1 pending)
http://www.bbb.org/phoenix/business-reviews/swimming-pools-maintenance/element-pools-in-chandler-az-1000029978
BEWARE: THIS BUSINESS IS NOT BBB ACCREDITED.
AZ Registrar of Contractors.
See his LLC LICENSE (He has 4 open complaints, 1 pending.)
http://www.azroc.gov/forms/details.asp?license=288013
PROBLEM:
The owner (Bryon Dante Guyton) of Element Pools gave me a written estimate, required money upfront, came to work on my hot tub a few times (but rarely on time, and only when I kept hounding him), required more money (upfront), avoided my calls/texts/emails, required more money (upfront), and in the end he couldn't finish the job. He eventually said he didn't know what was wrong with my hot tub heater, and that I just need to get a new heater. In the end I paid over $1500 and was still left with a broken spa.
DETAILS:
I first contacted Bryon Dante Guyton of Element Pools in November 2012 to have work done on my spa. He arrived, looked at the issues I had, and emailed me a written quote. I was to pay upfront as he worked and purchase propane in order for him to test it (paying over $1,500 total). Paying upfront went against my better judgement but he seemed so friendly, and he explained that he is unable to front the cost for the parts needed because of his situation with his girlfriend and kids at home. Seemed suspicious and unprofessional, but he seemed to know what he was doing and was quite personable so I foolishly paid up front. He said he knew what had to be done to get everything back in working order, and told me which days he would be here to get it done. I paid him (the first of three large payments upfront) and he began the work a few days later. He came back again at the end of the week to do more work. He wasn't able to finish in the originally planned time frame, as he needed to repair some parts and was waiting on "obsolete parts that had to be sent back to manufacturer for repair" and other excuses. He kept adding to the original price, as he came across parts that needed to be repaired/replaced. There seemed to be a reoccurring issue of parts needing to be ordered or sent back, and he would get back to the job when he got the parts. Seemed like he was buying time because he wasn't able to afford to work on the spa (he said he needed to service other customers and get their payments first, to afford to continue working on mine. --huh?!) I got concerned as the time went on, and was barely able to contact him. But I had already foolishly paid him about $1,300 so I had to rely soley on his promises. This went on through the spring of 2013. He would "swing by to work on it for a bit" when I insisted, he'd work on it for an hour or two (many times he would come by briefly while I wasn't home and leave again), then he'd vanish for a week or so. He didn't give me set times or time frames. He avoided my calls and emails and I got angry and scared. In August 2013 I told him I was going to report him to the BBB. Then suddenly he was answering my calls and he admitted that all of the work he had done wasn't able to fix the issue, and he didn't know what the issue was (even though he already charged me upfront to fix it, among other things). He then told me he couldn't fix the heater and that I should just get a replacement heater! So he took out my broken heater, put in a refurbished replacement, which also didn't work. Then he said he couldn't do anything more to help me, and tried to take back his refurbished heater, after he had already taken my original heater. August 15th was the last I heard from him.
So, essentially, it took $1,500 and 9 months, for the owner of element pools to work on my spa (when it was convenient for him), blow off my phone calls/texts/emails, take my old spa heater (he couldn't figure out how to fix it), replace it with a (used) heater that still doesn't work, realize he didn't know how to fix it, and abandon the job.
I expected him to quote the job, do the job, and get paid. Instead he required payments upfront, started the job, realized it was beyond his expertise, and left it broken. It was very unprofessional how he dragged it on for 9 months and avoided my contact until I threatened to tell BBB.
Good thing he is bonded now... though I'd hate to have to go that route.
UPDATE: 6/1/16
Bryon texted me today asking me to edit my review. According to him, he has proof that he paid me back for the heater and extra labor. I do remember him giving me $ back after I threatened with the BBB.
Still, IMO, not worth it.