Every service industry contains some unscrupulous service providers who apply various schemes to extort money from their clients for substandard services. The duct cleaning industry is not a foolproof to such fraudsters. Complaints are often heard from homeowners about companies who offer to do a clean-up at $40 but then pile up the charges that was way higher than what an average duct cleaning service costs.

Talking about such fraudulent companies, NADCA executive director John Schulte says -"From the moment they pull up to your house, they're looking for ways to upsell you". Remember cleaning the ducts of a moderately sized house will not cost more than $400. Many incidents were reported in the media about such shoddy cleaners. A Worcester-based company was made to pay a penalty of $18,500 after it failed to provide services and merchandise to consumers that it had promised. A Connecticut- based service provider was convicted for violating the laws of home improvement. It was gulling customers with an attractive offer of $70-duct cleaning service and the providing a second-rate service. There are two main types of scams found in duct cleaning sector. Here’s a look:

Low ball offer

Most shoddy service provider are on the look put for opportunities to get a foothold in customer homes and then persuade the homeowner to get their ducts cleaned by them. They post ads offering duct cleaning services at unimaginably low prices. They would often send mailers too. Most homeowners to save a bit of their heard-earned money respond to these ads. Once the work begins the cleaner will point out thousand faults in your duct system, which may not be existent. He will pile up the cost in the name of carrying out this and that repair. In the end the homeowner ends up paying close to $1000 or more to get the ducts cleaned. These companies being small and obscure do not have experienced staffs, up-to-date tools and are not familiar with NADCA rules and regulations about duct cleaning, In other words they do not possess the infrastructure to offer proficient services.

Every service comes for a particular cost. And you should be willing to pay it to get it. If fall prey to such providers you pay more for no results. You r money get flushed into the toilets.

Mold inspection scams

This is a very common scam in duct cleaning service sector. The cleaner will “inspect” for mold, and they always find it. Removing molds will shoot up the charges by several hundreds. They will use fake tests to convince you. They will point at black patch and call it a sign of mold. But every patch of black is not mold. The matter of the patch has to be tested by a microbiological laboratory to confirm it. Therefore not get the wool pulled over your eyes. Take a small portion of the patch on sticky tape and send it for lab testing. These days there are professional mold testing companies. Place a call with one such service providers. Remember they will only do the testing. As for cleaning and treating the ducts, it will be performed by professional duct cleaning service.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a non-profit organization focused on advancing marketplace trust. The BBB stipulates certain norms that you should apply before hiring a duct cleaning company-

• You can call up the BBB and ask if the company you are likely to hire is accredited by them. Or at least ensure if it has a good rating with BBB.

• When you check out the background of the company type the name properly. Many obscure and unscrupulous service providers have their names and logos that closely match to the reputed ones. This is a gimmick to fool customers. With a minor typos error here and there you can reach the website of one such service provider.

• If the cleaner spot molds in your duct get it confirmed through a laboratory report or by a mold testing company.

• If you are misled a service provider, file an online complaint with BBB. If the BBB is unable to resolve it, it will be an eye opener for another customer.