(IRONTON, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a lawsuit against All Seasons of Kentucky Inc. and husband and wife owners Leo Patrick Richard and Carol Richard for failing to deliver promised services and performing shoddy work.
Approximately 35 Ohio consumers reported losing a total of more than $171,000 to the Grayson, Kentucky-based business, according to complaints filed with the Attorney General and police.
“This business targeted homeowners who had storm damage and ripped them off,” Attorney General DeWine said. “When a business takes a consumer’s money and does little or nothing in return, we will go after the business and the individuals responsible.”
All Seasons of Kentucky is a storm-damage repair company that operated in Ironton, Ohio, from December 2012 to April 2013. Dozens of consumers complained that the business did no work at all, or that the work it did was shoddy. After taking consumers’ money and doing little or no work, records show that the owners made personal car payments and yacht club payments from the All Seasons of Kentucky bank account.
The Attorney General’s lawsuit, filed in the Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas, charges the business and its owners with multiple violations of Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act and Home Solicitation Sales Act, including failure to deliver, shoddy work, and failure to give consumers proper notice of their right to cancel. The Attorney General seeks to stop further violations and to obtain full consumer restitution and civil penalties.
Attorney General DeWine offers consumers the following home improvement tips:
- Never hand over your insurance check to a home improvement business.
- Don’t pay the full amount up front.
- Get everything in writing, including all work to be performed, verbal promises, cost of materials, cost of labor, and completion date.
- Obtain at least two or three estimates from different companies.
- Research a business’ reputation, even if its representative seems professional. Check for complaints on file with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Better Business Bureau.
- Require and contact references of past customers.
Consumers who believe they have been treated unfairly should file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at 800-282-0515 or www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
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Documents
Lawsuit
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Kate Hanson: 614-466-3840