Air duct cleaning is an important job that needs to be performed by experienced and certified professionals, and not by amateurs. Over the past few years, many industry professionals have reported problems with other companies or individuals posing as themselves. On the other hand, individuals and businesses have been experiencing their own share of air duct cleaning scams.
You may encounter air duct cleaning scams in different forms. More often than once, scams are difficult to recognize from the real deal. However, there are certain factors that should immediately draw your attention to the authenticity of the so-called “professionals”, and here are some tips for identifying those impostors:
- Just like with all other things in life, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. That essentially means that you should not let yourself be deceived by lowball prices, as appealing as they may seem. In fact, such prices should be a red flag when it comes to duct cleaning and you will immediately see how these fraudulent companies use bait and switch techniques upon arriving at your home. So when you are offered whole house air duct cleaning at an amazing price, check out the fine print. It usually states that “whole house” really means just some of your vents and returns. To really get your whole house done will cost you a fortune with that same company.
- Serious companies do not go door to door to sell their services. This is another good way to recognize air duct cleaning scams from professional services. Well reputed and established organizations are true professionals and they don’t chase potential clients, but promote their services through the typical advertising and marketing channels without luring clients into working with them.
- Companies that pretend to represent well established organizations are another red flag in the air duct cleaning industry. In fact, that is one of the most common air duct cleaning scams. You should be aware that a serious organization will not work through other companies or hire subcontractors, and only send out their own employees.
- In the same category of air duct cleaning scams, you can include those who telemarket or call out to the public to solicit business posing as a serious company. When you are not sure whether or not a company markets via telephone, you can call the company yourself and check that the calls and deals offered are legitimate.
Air duct cleaning scams, just like all scams, are well-disguised and made to seem like a great deal. If you have even the smallest doubt about the legitimacy of an air duct cleaning deal, do your research online, and check out the possibility of it being a fraud. Also, be prudent when choosing a professional for your air duct cleaning job and don’t allow scammers to approach you, but seek a professional yourself.
At Ontario Duct Cleaning, we never telemarket, go door to door, or contract other companies to perform our duct cleaning services. If you think you’ve encountered another company posing as ODC, we’d like to hear from you. Only trust a professional company like Ontario Duct cleaning to provide you with the best in air duct cleaning services.