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Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) St. Louis advises consumers to use caution if doing business with S&H Video Surveillance LLC, a Quincy, Illinois-based security installation company. Consumers reported to BBB the company failed to start or finish projects, did not issue refunds, and provided poor customer service.
S&H Video Surveillance LLC has an “F” rating, the lowest on BBB’s scale, due to recent unanswered and unresolved complaints and has received one negative customer review. Before March 2024, when the business filed registration papers with the Illinois Secretary of State, the business used the name of SH Low Voltage. The business appears to be owned by Scott Hicks.
“If you are going to hire a company to install a surveillance system, it’s vital that you research the company,” said Don O’Brien, BBB Quincy regional director. “Consulting BBB and getting references from other consumers who have used the company can help you make an informed buying decision.”
A Granger, Missouri consumer told BBB he hired S&H in May 2022 to install cameras at his business and residence. The man said he paid the business a deposit of approximately $5,400. The man said no work was done on either project.
“He never did anything,” the man told BBB. “He made up many excuses why he couldn’t come do the work.”
The man said he saw the business advertised on billboards and decided to hire what was known at the time as SH Low Voltage to do the work. The man said the business cut off communication with him soon after it accepted the deposit.
A woman from Fowler, Illinois, told BBB she paid S&H approximately $2,000 in July 2022 to install a surveillance system at her residence. The woman said the system was not installed properly and rarely works. She said she was told at the time of the sale that there would be no maintenance charges, but that when she asked the business for assistance, she was told there would be a fee for its services.
The woman, an 82-year-old widow, says she bought the system to help protect herself in the rural area where she lives.
“I couldn’t recommend him to anyone,” the woman told BBB.
According to Illinois Secretary of State records, S&H Video Surveillance LLC was registered in March 2024. Scott Hicks is the owner of the business.
S&H did not respond to a BBB letter regarding how it plans to address its pattern of customer complaints. In an interview with a BBB investigator, Hicks said the business would address its unanswered and unresolved complaints. He said one of the complaints and a negative customer review were “personal issues” between him and those who filed them.
Hicks admitted he did not do any work for the Granger, Missouri, consumers but planned to “make him good.” Hicks said he also would pay back the consumer from Hannibal, Missouri.
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, make sure 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 in case you need 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, make sure to file it at BBB.org and with your state’s attorney general’s office.
