Problems with the site itself come to us: a request that went astray, a worry about how your details were used, or a mistake in what a page says. Use the contact form, and give your name, your part of town, the rough date of your request and a short account of the issue. We'll check into it and get back to you.

A contract for basement work is only ever between you and the contractor, since the site signs none. So if the work, the price, the paperwork, the billing or someone's conduct disappoints you, put your concern to the contractor first, in writing, keeping your own copy.

Still stuck? The Missouri Attorney General's Consumer Protection hotline takes complaints at 800-392-8222. For contractors working inside the City of St. Louis, the License Collector, (314) 622-4528, oversees City business licenses, and the Building Division, (314) 622-3313, handles permits, plumbers and drainlayers. In St. Louis County, go to the building or licensing office of your own municipality.

We'd also like to hear if a contractor who got your request through this site treated you badly. Settling disputes and ordering refunds is beyond our power, yet such reports do affect which firms can go on advertising here.

Missouri law governs this complaints policy.