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Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises consumers to use caution if doing business with Premiere Exterior Solutions, a contracting business based in Nixa, Missouri. Consumers reported to BBB St. Louis that they believed the company performed inferior workmanship, did not finish projects, failed to provide refunds, and provided poor customer service.
Premiere Exterior Solutions has an “F” rating, the lowest on BBB’s scale, due to numerous recent unresolved and unanswered complaints.
A woman from Golden, Missouri, told BBB she paid Premiere Exterior Solutions $4,900 to remodel a deck at her residence in April 2022. The woman said no work was done on her project. The woman said her 79-year-old husband was trying to do the job alone since they did not have money to hire another company to do the work professionally.
Premiere Exterior Solutions owner Richard “Ricky” Gillette responded to the woman’s complaint by saying the business had suffered a cyber-attack in August 2022. Then he had health issues early in 2023. The woman said she received an email from Gillette in late May 2023 where she is promised refund payments with 10 percent interest beginning on Jan. 1, 2024. The email indicated early payoffs could be made during 2023.
“This is strictly a good faith agreement at heart,” the email read.
The woman said she was not hopeful of receiving any refund from the company.
“It’s just another gibberish letter,” the woman told BBB. “Anything written in it is not what he is going to do.”
A Galena, Missouri man told BBB he paid Premiere Exterior Solutions $80,000 in June 2021 to build a sunroom over a basement at his residence. The man said the business completed between 50 to 70 percent of the project before leaving the work unfinished. The man told BBB he had to pay another contractor an additional $20,000 to finish the work.
The man said the new contractor “had to redo all kinds of stuff. It was a total nightmare.”
A Strafford, Missouri, woman told BBB she paid Premiere Exterior Solutions $4,383 in June 2022 to work on her deck. The woman said no work had been done on the project.
“He’s done nothing for me,” the woman said. The woman, who is 81 years old, said she can not afford to have the work done without getting her money back from Premiere Exterior Solutions.
According to Missouri Secretary of State records, the business was incorporated as Premier Ext Solutions LLC in January 2021. Gillette is listed as the registered agent for the business, which does business as Premiere Exterior Solutions. The business uses an address on E. North Street in Nixa.
In an email to BBB, Gillette wrote that he would be in contact with his affected customers by May 31, 2023. He said he would pay customers back with interest.
“Hence a personal guarantee they will be paid back every penny they had plus interest,” the email read.
“We are not on the run nor are we hiding from shame of any kind,” Gillette wrote BBB in the email. “We do feel horrible that we have not been able to directly connect with our customers sooner.”
A search of Missouri CaseNet files found four civil cases against Richard Blay Gillette or Premiere Exterior Solutions. He owes various creditors and customers more than $120,000 according to allegations or judgments in cases filed in St. Charles, Christian, Stone, and Taney counties.
BBB offers these tips on hiring a contractor:
- Research any business and its owners carefully before paying any money. Check the company’s BBB Business Profile at BBB.org or by calling 888-996-3887.
- Ask for references and contact them.
- Before paying, ensure you have a signed contract outlining what work is to be done, a timetable for completion, and an explanation of what happens if the business or consumer reneges on the agreement.
- Ask the contractor for proof that he or she is bonded and insured.
- Pay by credit card whenever possible to challenge the payment.
- Do not pay everything in advance. It is a good rule to pay a portion when you sign the contract and the final payment only after you are satisfied with the work.
- When work is completed and the contractor has been paid, request lien waivers showing subcontractors and material suppliers have been paid for the job.
- If you have a complaint, file it at BBB.org and with your state’s attorney general’s office.
