The owners of Piscines Élégance and Excava-Plus, who reportedly threatened customers after charging them tens of thousands of dollars in extras when installing their in-ground pool, have just started new companies.
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The manager of Piscines Élégance, Dominic Flamand, and his subcontractor Patrick Laurendeau, a former drug trafficker at the head of Excava-Plus, allegedly gave several customers a nightmare during the installation of their inground fiber pool. of glass, revealed in January our Office of Investigation.
Nearly twenty civil lawsuits now involve Piscines Élégances, and at least two complaints to the police have been filed, according to our information. Following our reports, the Piscines Élégance website and Facebook page disappeared from the web, and the commercial premises, located in Quebec City, were closed.
New companies
However, the installation of swimming pools and the excavation do not seem to be finished for Messrs. Flamand and Laurendeau, who simultaneously registered two new companies with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec in recent weeks.
On March 30, Patrick Laurendeau started with a shareholder Les Constructions Rosa, which provides excavation, leveling, construction and renovation of residential buildings. The next day, Dominic Flamand incorporated Fiber de verre Pro, a company specializing in the installation of private swimming pools.
In a brief telephone exchange, Dominic Flamand admits having registered the company Fiber de verre Pro, but maintains that he is unable to operate it for the moment. He confirms that he is taking steps to permanently close Piscines Élégances.
The contractor said he was unaware of the existence of Constructions Rosa, the new company of his subcontractor, Patrick Laurendeau. He did not return our calls.
RBQ on file
It should also be noted that, in the wake of our reports on Piscines Élégance, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) took an interest in the case of Patrick Laurendeau, head of Excava-Plus. The latter holds a specialist contractor’s license.
“This file is of interest to the RBQ,” commented spokesperson Sylvain Lamothe.
Mr. Lamothe also specifies that Patrick Laurendeau’s new company, Les Constructions Rosa, does not currently hold a license.
“To act as a contractor and work in the construction industry in Quebec, a license is required,” says Mr. Lamothe.
Extras and Threats
Remember that several customers who were ruined after doing business with Piscines Élégance and Excava-Plus had agreed to recount the ordeal experienced during the installation of their fiberglass pool.
Photo Didier Debusschere
From the start of the work, Piscines Élégance would have mentioned complications to invoice tens of thousands of additional dollars. Customers had to pay these extras, otherwise the work would be suspended, the company would leave with the pool or take their house as security through a legal mortgage, among other things.
A Quebec couple was charged $177,000 for a pool that was originally supposed to cost them $95,000. Another, from Roberval, had received an additional invoice for more than $91,000, while the amount of the initial estimate was some $37,000.
Dominic Flamand maintained that these extras were justified and he denied having threatened anyone.
With Marc Sandreschi and Philippe Langlois