Let me start out by stating I have nothing against vent / duct cleaning as a proactive home maintenance requirement, or the companies that provide this service. I understand it is a fairly involved process, takes several hours and costs between $400 and $1,000 for most homes.
That being said, I do have a problem with companies that advertise they will provide this service for a fraction of the cost, but really don't, at least for anything near what they advertised.
My experience is with a nationwide company called United Air Care. I received one of their coupons in the "valuepak" advertising. They advertised they would clean my entire ventilation system, including the dryer vent for $79. Their ad states they will agitate and clean the entire duct work with negative pressurization (fancy term for vacuuming). The only thing that was agitated was me!
When I called the company to make an appointment, I confirmed on the phone that they would in fact clean the entire ventilation / duct system for $79. When I asked if there were any "extras" I could expect, or any up-selling that would take place, they said no. They said it would take about an hour. I curiously asked them how they can possibly make any money for $79? They told me it was a "limited" promotion. That was my first red flag.
When they got here, there were three guys with lots of serious looking equipment. They started by taking all the vent registers off and vacuuming them out. Then they installed a big vacuum hose to my kitchen vent register and proceeded to "negatively pressurize" (a.K.A. Vacuum) the system.
Then, the lead guy said his vacuum machine was registering "low pressure, " and without the proper pressure he would not be able to effectively clean the ventilation system. This is when I saw the bait and switch coming. The lead guy needed to go into the attic to see if the vents were clogged.
He went up and came down with 2 minutes and said "no, you have 12" vents, they are big enough and are not the problem. I knew he was BS'ing me. There was no way he could look inside a sealed vent for blockage. He then says "let's go look at the furnace." After looking at the furnace the lead guy said "ah, we found your problem. Your furnace is clogged, thereby causing the low pressure throughout the system. He showed me the furnace. It looked a bit dusty, but certainly not clogged. A feather duster could have removed the dust.
He then went into what was obviously a very well-practiced monologue on the problems associated with a dirty furnace (fire hazard, dust, allergies, etc.). I let him roll for a minute knowing where this was going, and then said, "Okay, let's cut to the chase. You're obviously not here to clean the system for $79. So, what do you need to do to clean the vents?" He said he would need to remove the entire blower apparatus from the furnace and clean it. I asked how much? He said he had two programs, a "deep clean" for $545 and a basic clean for much less.
Now, I was clearly pissed. I told him that taking the blower out and cleaning the furnace was not an option and that I wanted him to simply clean the vents and entire duct system as advertised. He said that without the furnace cleaning any vent cleaning would be of limited value.
I told him to clean the vents or pack up his stuff and get out. He said he would do his best. I let it go at that because I did not want to get into a confrontation in my home, particularly when there was three of them and one of me. Besides, my peace of mind was worth more than being right or wasting $79 bucks.
By the way, the entire "vent cleaning" process consisted of a guy (the "rookie") taking off the registers and vacuuming them out, while having a big vacuum cleaner attached to one of the registers. From what I could tell, the big vacuum cleaner was more for show than performance. They finished up and left.
Classic bait and switch. All said, I'm out $79, plus my time to write this letter. Not the end of the world, but I do sincerely feel for others that got sucked in and paid a lot more!
Watch out! These guys are very slick. Again, I don't have a problem with vent cleaning. Just don't tell me you'll do it for one price, but then try to up-sell me to something else much more expensive, else the original service won't work. That is a scam!
My next letter is to the California Attorney General's Office, followed by another one to the local BBB.
Good Luck!
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