BBB warns of air duct scam
Updated: Monday, 07 Feb 2011, 8:09 PM CST
Published : Monday, 07 Feb 2011, 8:09 PM CST
- Paige Malone
PENSACOLA, Florida (WALA) – The Better Business Bureau is telling homeowners to beware. They say scammers are luring customers in with extremely low prices for air duct cleaning services. BBB says watch out, the services may end up costing you thousands.
Forty-nine dollars for air duct cleaning may sound like a good deal, but the BBB says homeowners beware; you may end up paying a great deal more.
According to the BBB, scammers use mass mail, local advertising and roadside signs to lure customers in with extremely low prices for air duct cleaning services. Once the sales agents are in your home, they pretend to run a series of test and, as it turns out, they have found a mold that is a serious health risk and will cost thousands to take care of.
If their scare tactics work, you end up paying well over the normal rate for air duct cleaning for a problem the BBB has discovered is non-existent.
The BBB offers some tips on how to avoid this scam:
- Check out the business with BBB and see if they are an accredited business before allowing them into your home
- Read the fine print in any contract of on any advertisement and ask questions to make sure you are paying what and for what they say
- If they say you have a thousand dollar problem, get a second opinion before shelling out the cash.
- Report it if you are a victim of a scam.
For more information, click here .