Beware the Air Conditioning Bait and Switch

The Sarasota Summer is here, and the southwest Florida heat seems to bring out the bait and switch con artists.

You’ll start seeing air conditioning special ads appear in your mailbox.  One is the usual $19.95 tune up special.  The air conditioning company will offer a very cheap price to get their foot in the door.  They claim they will check out your AC system and make sure it’s running perfectly, but usually they find problems, parts that need to be replaced, or even suggest the whole system needs to be replaced.   That $19.95 checkup turns into hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.

Just ask yourself this; If you owned an AC company – could you afford to pay a technician and send a truck out to someone’s house for only $19.95?  The person who shows up to perform the $19,95 special is likely to be a salesman working on commission.  It is to their advantage to take you are as much money as they can.

Another ad you will see is the scary mold and dust mite duct cleaning ad telling you that the air you are breathing is deadly, but for only $49.95 you can get your ducts cleaned and save your family from a horrible fate!.

The Better Business Bureau warns against duct cleaning "bait and switch" scams.  Not only is duct cleaning itself usually ineffective, once inside a customer's home, technicians routinely mislead homeowners into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for additional work.

Unless you are in a commercial setting with ducts that are designed to be cleaned, there's no scientific evidence that regular duct cleaning improves air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
So what is the best thing you can do for your air quality?

Checking and changing filters, keeping systems maintained and having regular maintenance performed on your AC System will do far more good than trying to clean the ducts.  Also, installing UV lights can help to rid your home of bacteria, viruses and germs that reside in the air you breathe. UV lights will also prevent these and other particles from building up on the indoor coil which can inhibit airflow and reduce heating and cooling efficiency.

Many of these “bait and switch” companies have only been in business a short time.  They operate under one name, then close and reopen with a new name a few months down the road.  Sometimes, it’s even hard to know who actually owns the company.   This is why it is important to do a little research before you let anyone in your home.  See how long they have been in business, read reviews, and even look up their license and make sure it is in the owner’s name.

Remember, cheapest is never best!  And anytime you get a price for any work, it is always a good idea to get a second opinion.

If you are looking for an Air conditioning company that has your best interests at heart, please consider Sean McCutcheon's Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc.  Feel free to call us anytime for a complimentary second opinion or estimate on a new system. 

Even if you don’t end up using us, we’d still like the opportunity to earn your trust while providing you with the information you need to make an educated decision.

Sean McCutcheon's Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc.  “The quality and service you deserve”