Mo. A.G. Nails Home Remodeling Firm

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon is suing the owners of a home remodeling firm that reportedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars from homeowners in St. Charles and St. Louis counties but did shoddy work or no work at all.

The defendants in the lawsuit filed in St. Charles County Circuit Court are Andre F. “Andy” Powell, of Hazelwood, and Craig W. Sebring, of St. Peters, who do business under the names A3 Design Group and Two Rivers Construction.

Nixon said Powell and Sebring began soliciting clients in person and by telephone in early 2002, offering to provide bids or estimates for home improvement work. The defendants required consumers to enter into a contract and required an initial deposit for the home improvement work.

“Entering into a contract and requiring some deposit to be paid are both accepted business practices,” Nixon said. “What is not standard practice nor acceptable is failure to perform the contracted work, or to do the work in an inferior manner and then refuse to provide refunds — which is what happened to many of the customers of Two Rivers Construction.”

Nixon said his office has received complaints from at least 17 homeowners in the area about the defendants, but noted there could be more who have not contacted his office.

Those 17 homeowners reportedly paid the defendants from $600 to $69,000 for work that was not done at all or not done in an acceptable manner and have not received refunds. Many homeowners have been unsuccessful in contacting the defendants because they reportedly change phone numbers and business addresses frequently. In addition, the lawsuit says the defendants failed to pay their subcontractors on several jobs.

The lawsuit is asking the court to order Powell and Sebring to pay restitution to any consumers who have been harmed by the actions of the defendants. Nixon also wants the defendants to pay appropriate civil penalties and the costs of bringing the lawsuit.