Be careful Orlando. Looks like we are the new target for some old scammers. Against my better judgement, I agreed to let my wife call Wet-x llc to have our air ducts cleaned. We called called based on an ad in the paper. Air duct cleaning for $69.95, includes 10 vents, 1 return, and one main. We have have 14 vents, so I knew it would be extra for four vents. We called and the girl explained each additional vent was $10. $69.95 plus $40 equals $109.95. Yeah right!
When the guy showed up to clean the vents he immediately started talking about all the extra things I was going to need. I was very impressed with his ability to know all of these things were needed simply by looking at a couple of vent covers. Best of all, I didn't need my ducts cleaned. Sure the covers were dirty, but the technician assured me the ducts themselves were clean. Again impressing me with his vast knowledge of my duct work after a two minute inspection.
The next step was the estimate. $1518.00. Imagine my surprise at all the work I needed to have done even with clean vents. Blower housing cleaning $189.95, A/C coil cleaning $249.95, treat all interior air passages with sanitizer $245.85, treat all interior air passages with mildicide $374.85, and treat all interior air passages with soot sealant $449.10. I kept the estimate and politely asked the technician to leave.
Since, I have done some research on the chemicals Wet-x uses. The mildicide, or Sporicidin, actually does the job of the sanitizer. That's right, two chemicals, two prices, but all you really need is Sporicidin. The soot sealant is supposed to prevent recontamination. If my vents were clean, why did I need that? The Sporicidin, which appears to be a great chemical, says right on the bottle, you must clean the area to be treated before treating, or it doesn't work. It also states, it is for use on hard, nonporous surfaces. Last I checked, fiber duct is porous, so the chemical won't work.
Looks like Wet-x uses the same bait and switch tactics used by other companies all over the country. I can't say all air duct cleaners are scam artists, but i would certainly do my research before allowing this company or any other company promising pricing too good to be true.
0 comments