Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has taken action against two Cole County home-remodeling companies he says are defrauding consumers who hired them for repair or remodeling projects.
Ronald Spielman, doing business as St. Clair Windows & Doors, in Cole County, is accused of taking at least $9,000 from two consumers and did not complete the jobs as promised or did substandard window replacement that requires repair.
Paul Kremer, doing business as Kremer Construction, in Cole County, is accused of taking at least $4,000 from two consumers for roofing, gutter and siding replacement and performed little to no work. Kremer pleaded guilty previously to stealing by deceit in Boone County and provided a refund to another consumer.
Complaints about home repair and remodeling are consistently among the top 10 complaints received by the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. There have been 334 complaints this year alone and over 2000 complaints since Jan. 1, 2012.
Many of these complaints stem from storm chasers - people who follow severe storms such as those that swept through Missouri in the past several weeks - who stay long enough to collect initial payments from homeowners or their insurance companies but rarely finish the repairs.