JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX) - More than a dozen home repair businesses in Missouri are being accused of ripping off customers on repair or remodeling jobs.
Of the 16 being sued by the Attorney General, eight are from the St. Louis area.
Chris Koster says the 16 cost at least 80 Missouri homeowners about $360,000.
In many of the cases the contractor accepted more than $20,000 in payments from several customers, and then either didn’t finish the job or did substandard work. In one case, after being paid over $26,000, James Oates allegedly left a basement in a condition that it would require more than the original estimate to complete correctly.
Koster says his office has received 330 complaints submitted by homeowners so far this year many involving so-called ‘storm chasers’ who move in following severe storms.
The local contractors named in the lawsuit are from St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties:
- Jan Johnson, doing business as Alpha Exteriors, in St. Louis County
- Cannon Builders and Remodelers and owner Robert Cannon in St. Charles County
- Finder Construction and owner Douglas Clay Finder in St. Louis County
- James Oates, doing business as Home Help, in St. Louis County
- Robert Mason, doing business as Mason Construction, in St. Charles County
- Grace Homes, an Atlanta business that set up shop in St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Webb City after the spring 2012 storms
- J&N Construction and owner John Nash, in Jefferson County
- West County Remodeling and owner Zachary Mikus in St. Charles County
You can view the full list here.
Consumers who have complaints against these, or any other home-repair business should file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office at 800-392-8222.
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