Forget what you may have heard: duct cleaning has much to recommend it. In fact it’s hard to imagine a sensible HVAC maintenance routine that doesn’t include a complete duct cleaning every two or three years at minimum.
But duct cleaning has gained a bad reputation, thanks to scores scammers, chiselers, ne’er-do-wells and fly-by-night operators who’d rather cheat clients than provide them with useful services. It’s a crying shame when reputable companies are lumped together with shady dealers, but that frequently happens when the subject is duct cleaning.
The only way to shame the shameless is for legitimate HVAC contractors who provide effective, professional duct cleaning services to call out the fakes and phonies, and at All Air that is exactly what we intend to do.
Easy Ways to Spot Duct Cleaning Rip-offs
If it were in our power, we’d put all the snake oil salesmen out of business by tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there are so many of them around its impossible to identify every suspicious company by name. But we can give you a general idea of what to look out for, so you can avoid getting sucked in by all the Toms, Dicks and Harrys who run the various duct cleaning cons.
Here are some signs that might indicate a duct cleaning company is not on the up-and-up:
• Shockingly low quotes: Its normal for an HVAC contractor to offer special rates and discounts to both new and established customers (at All Air we do it all the time). But if you get quotes for duct cleaning procedures that seem outrageously low, instead of jumping on them you should grab your wallets and hold on for dear life. With scammers those initial quotes always include multiple extra fees, which you’d need a microscope to find hidden away in the small print.
• An unimpressive inventory of equipment: High-powered vacuums and other specialized equipment are required for proper duct cleaning. But some cut-rate contractors will try to get by with a standard shop vac and little else. If what they show you doesn’t look like it could get the job done it probably couldn’t, so don’t take any chances.
• Horror stories following initial inspections: Your ducts may indeed need cleaning. But if a technician proclaims your whole family is in danger of long-term hospitalization if you don’t have your ducts cleaned in the next half hour, politely (or not so politely) invite him or her to leave the premises immediately.
• Bad online reviews or red flags from the Better Business Bureau: This is the easiest thing in the world to check for these days, and you absolutely should do so before you hire anyone to do anything.
• A lack of an established online presence: No reviews at all is just as bad a sign as a history of complaints (real businesses get reviewed by their clients, whether they like it or not). At All Air we are proud of the great reviews we’ve gotten from satisfied customers, and we display them prominently for the benefit of those who are considering using our services.
• Your instincts tell you they can’t be trusted: The contractor you’re considering may, at first glance, appear to have all their ducks in a row. But if the little voice in your head tells you something isn’t quite right, by all means listen to it. You’ve had plenty of experience dealing with service professionals, both good and bad, over the course of a lifetime, and if your inner alarm bells are ringing there is probably a good reason.
Need Your Ducts Cleaned for Spring? Then Spring Into Action and Call All Air Today
Are you a resident of Sacramento or another nearby city? If you are, one of the best ways to ensure your ducts are properly inspected, evaluated and cleaned if necessary is to contact All Air Heating and Air. Our technicians have extensive experience with this procedure, and if it turns out you do need a duct cleaning it will get done right and affordably, this we can assure you.
In an industry where everyone is not what they seem to be, All Air is the epitome of the no-risk, high-reward HVAC contractor. We invite you to contact us right away, before air conditioning season begins in earnest, for more information about our duct cleaning services and other spring maintenance procedures.