OCD customer Rob* said he’s out of pocket $115,000.
The pool he envisioned was for his grandchildren, he said.
He had felt confident paying the lump sum upfront after Hulse visited the site, discussed the project in detail, and assured him there were no barriers to the work going ahead.
OCD’s status as the Compass Pools franchisee and its highly commended award at the 2024 Swimming Pool and Spa Association Awards were also reassuring, Rob said.
He grew concerned as promised start dates passed with no work beginning.
“All of a sudden, there were no phone calls, no return, no nothing.”
Rob said he later went to the company’s Port Rd premises, where the only person there was another aggrieved customer who claimed he had paid tens of thousands of dollars for a pool that had not been delivered.
Other affected customers also reached out.
He said he went to police and sought legal advice. His lawyer cancelled the contract and issued a statutory demand but warned recovery may be unlikely.
“There is nothing there to get – that’s the problem.
“I feel very angry … the disappointment on realising there is no recourse.”
Rob later learned the company had briefly been placed into receivership in March over a debt of about $132,000.
He said he raised this with Hulse and his father, whom he knew as a reputable local business owner, but claimed he was told there were no issues and the business was continuing to trade.
Online records show the secured creditor was Prospa, a business lender, and the debt was later repaid in full via the receivers. During their short appointment, the receivers did not receive any other claims.
Another customer, Lucy*, said she and her husband saved for several years for a pool for their young children.
The family chose a Compass pool and was referred to OCD Pools and Landscapes, as the company’s Northland franchisee.
Hulse “knew a lot of the same people as us in Whangārei”, Lucy said.
“We were very excited … we were going to get our pool before the summer.”
They paid a deposit of about $20,000 but later learned no pool had been ordered in their name.
Lucy said she became concerned after hearing others had paid money but not received pools, prompting her husband to contact Compass directly.
A Northland couple say dreams of seeing their children cooling off in their own inground swimming pool this summer have been dashed after a local contractor took their deposit and then went silent. Photo / Sarah Curtis
In a follow-up letter to the couple and other affected customers, Compass informed them OCD’s dealership had been terminated.
The couple said they have since gone to the police and filed a claim with the Disputes Tribunal.
“But even if we’re successful, we probably won’t get any money out of him.”
Lucy said she was concerned about Compass’ lack of accountability, as customers were directed to Hulse.
“Anytime you contact them … they refer you to their dealer. So the only dealer north of Auckland was OCD Pools.”
Assurances from other Compass franchisees at a national pool expo gave Lucy confidence to proceed.
Lucy said they sung Hulse’s praises and informed her that deposits were paid directly to Compass and would therefore be protected.
She has since learned that was not the case and that other customers had raised concerns with Compass as early as February last year about Northland projects not progressing and difficulties contacting Hulse.
“If Compass had acted then, we wouldn’t have lost anything,” Lucy said.
“I just don’t want him [Hulse] to take people’s money, and there be no consequence,” Lucy said.
The family could no longer afford to proceed with a pool.
“We were already going to be stretched,” she said.
A Compass Pools New Zealand spokesman said the company took the matter seriously and was concerned for affected customers.
He said OCD Pools was an independently owned dealer, with all contracts and payments made directly between the business and its customers.
Compass said it was working with affected customers to assess their situations and explore “practical pathways forward”, including discounted options for those still wanting a pool.
The spokesman said the company was confirming the number of affected customers and cross-checking information against its records.
After responding to the Northern Advocate’s inquiries, Compass sent another letter to affected customers, including Lucy, offering a goodwill payment – about half the deposit amount in her case, though there was no explanation of the criteria used.
The offer was conditional on proceeding with a pool through a replacement dealer, Ultimate Pools, and still required full payment before completion.
Compass said payment would be made only after installation and emphasised it was not an admission of liability.
Police declined to confirm if any investigation is under way, citing privacy obligations, while the Commerce Commission said it had found no reported concerns about Hulse or his associated companies.
OCD Pools and Landscapes’ roadside advertising has been removed, and its website, phone number and Facebook page are now inaccessible.
*Names have been changed as customers did not want to be identified.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent reporting on the courts in Gisborne and the East Coast.