Attorney General's News Release

May 9, 2008

Nixon seeking thousands of dollars in consumer restitution in lawsuit against Springfield roofer

A Springfield man whose shoddy work in installing roofing and siding caused thousands of dollars in damages to consumers' homes and then failed to honor warranties to redo the substandard work is facing a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Jay Nixon. Nixon filed the lawsuit against David Harlow, who did business as Harlow Roofing and Siding, on Wednesday (May 7) in Greene County Circuit Court, seeking injunctive relief, restitution for consumers and civil penalties.

Nixon says that since at least September 2004, Harlow has violated state consumer protection laws in the operation of his business, including accepting payment from consumers to perform a job and then failing to complete the job to the satisfaction of the consumer; failing to honor warranties made to consumers; causing damage to consumers' property and not repairing that damage; failing to complete a job when promised or in a reasonable time period; and performing shoddy work and failing to make the necessary repairs to the consumer's satisfaction.

One consumer who paid the defendant to install a new roof, siding and gutters on his house ended up losing $7,926 when Harlow damaged the roof edge and failed to complete the work, making it necessary for the man to hire another contractor to finish the job. Another consumer made a down payment of $3,400 to Harlow to have his roof replaced, only to have the defendant keep the check and never begin work on the roof.

In all, the Attorney General's Office has received 11 complaints from consumers about Harlow, with monetary losses ranging from $1,000 up to $7,926 and the average loss per consumer approximately $4,500.

"The only thing that was more leaky than the roofs this guy installed were his faulty promises to consumers," Nixon said. "The bottom line is, if you accept thousands of dollars in payment from consumers and then perform either shoddy or no work at all, you had better promptly refund those payments or we will promptly hold you accountable."

Nixon's lawsuit is seeking an injunction to stop Harlow from continuing to violate Missouri consumer protection laws, restitution for those consumers who suffered financial loss and appropriate penalties.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to the Communications Office.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818