Customers Of All Seasons Contracting Seek Refunds After Long Delays, BBB Says

St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 11, 2012 – St. Louis area homeowners say they are frustrated and angry because of lengthy delays in getting repair work done by All Seasons Contracting, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns.

Several All Seasons customers have told the BBB that the Creve Coeur business took down payments for roofing and other repair work more than five months ago, after their homes sustained damage in the April 28 hailstorm. Some have been notified they should not expect work to begin until March or April next year.

Those who asked for refunds said they were told they would have to pay a cancellation penalty of 25 percent of the total contract price.

“I want my money back,” said a woman from Hazelwood. She said she gave All Seasons a $3,000 down payment on June 14. Recently, the company notified her that the work had been pushed back to spring 2013. “I don’t feel I should reward them for running a bad company,” she said, referring to the 25 percent penalty. “They were in a hurry to get my money, but that’s about the only thing they were in a hurry to do.”

The BBB has logged more than 60 complaints and reports involving the business in 2011 and 2012. More than 20 of those complaints have been filed since Oct. 1.

An official with All Seasons blamed the delays on a variety of problems, including inclement weather, an overselling of jobs and issues with employees.  “We’re plugging away as fast as we can,” said Patrick Richard, who identified himself as the company’s general manager. He added, “It’s not like we’re running out with anybody’s money.”

Records with the Missouri secretary of state list Carol Richard of Manhattan, Ill., as president, secretary and director of the company. Brandi M. Sampson is listed as operations manager.

Michelle Corey, BBB president and CEO, said customers may experience delays of several weeks for repair work after a major storm.

“But delays of five, six months or longer seem excessive,” she said. “Asking people to wait through the winter, without giving them an opportunity to cancel and find a new contractor, doesn’t seem fair.”
Several consumers said they have phoned the company repeatedly in recent months, but received little satisfaction.

“I thought I could trust them; it’s just not right,” said a Breckenridge Hills man who paid All Seasons $3,800 for roof work in August. He said the company notified him that the work will not be done until spring 2013.

A St. Louis man said he hired All Seasons after the April hailstorm because the company had done a good job in repairing his roof the year before. On June 5, he paid the company $2,600 as a down payment for window and siding replacement, but no work has been done and the company has not given him a date to start the work. When he called the company last month, an employee there could not locate his file. “I don’t even think they know I exist,” he said. “All they wanted was my name on that contract and my money.”

A homeowner from Vinita Park in St. Louis County, said he signed a contract in July for roof and guttering work that he was told would be completed by October.  Recently, the company told him it could not get to his home until next spring. “I have completely lost faith in this company,” he said. He wants his $3,200 deposit returned so he can hire another contractor.

A Lake St. Louis homeowner said his roof had been damaged prior to the April storm. He hired All Seasons in April. A work crew finally arrived to do the work in late November. “It’s been absolutely terrible,” he said. “I will never do it again, not with this company.”

The company’s website, www.allseasonsinc.com, said All Seasons “has built a solid reputation for being one of the most reliable roofing contractors in Creve Coeur. We do everything in our power to be on time, do what we say we’re going to do, follow through, communicate and treat others with respect.”

Patrick Richard said the company recently sent notices to between 50 and 60 customers, apologizing for the delays and advising customers that their jobs may not be complete until spring.

Richard said progress will depend on the weather. “When it gets below 36 degrees, we can’t put roofs on,” he said.  He said the company has stopped soliciting new business until it can take care of its current contracts. In good weather, he said, the company can complete seven or eight jobs a week. 

BBB tips for consumers dealing with roofers and other contractors include: 

• Take time to confirm that the business is local and has a track record of reliable workmanship. Visit www.bbb.org or call 314-645-3300 for a BBB Business Review, which includes the company’s BBB rating (A+ plus to F) along with the complaint history and company contact information.
• Ask the company for references and call those property owners. Ask them if the jobs were performed as agreed and whether they were satisfied with the results.
• Ask whether the contractor has all required licenses and insurance. Ask your city whether it has experience with the business.
• Ask for a written contract and read it to ensure that everything mentioned by a salesperson is included.  Make sure the contract includes all details of the job as well as when and how payments are to be made and when the work should be completed.
• Find out if there is a cancellation penalty if you terminate the contract.
• Do not pay the entire amount in advance.  Suggest a payment plan that would include a third of the money in advance, a third once work is underway and the final third when work is completed to your satisfaction.

Contacts (News Media Only): Michelle Corey, President & CEO, 314-645-0606, mcorey@stlouisbbb.org, or Chris Thetford, Vice President-Communications, 314-584-6743, communications@stlouisbbb.org, or Bill Smith, Trade Practice Investigator, 314-584-6727, tpc1@stlouisbbb.org