Air Duct Cleaning Scams Raleigh, NC Questions

The Environmental Protection Agency ranked indoor air pollution in the top five risks to the public, many companies are popping up to combat the risk. While some are trustworthy, others are not. In the past ten years scams have been on the rise. Unfortunately, this has cost consumers millions of dollars. These companies usually target the elderly and have used many tactics to lure them in.

If you look at your home like a living, breathing organism, the air duct system is a lot like the lungs. It provides your Raleigh home with oxygen. Unlike our lungs, air ducts become dirty over time and need to be cleaned regularly. Most homes should be cleaned every few years. Recent studies have shown that the average home collects 40 pounds of dust and dander per year. When you use your furnace or air conditioning the dust, dander and airborne spores are blown around the room. Ultimately many of these airborne pollutants will be breathed in by everyone in your home, including your pets.

Knowing all of these facts scares many families, which is what scammer companies thrive on. They use your fear to sell their services. They will exaggerate all of the risks just to earn more money. Many families can see right through these scare tactics, but those who can’t could face a hefty fee.

Before and After Duct Cleaning

Sometimes Raleigh air duct cleaning companies will offer services at a price lower than all of their competitors. Although to most this may seem like a great company to choose, more often than not, this is not the case. Usually these companies will do a subpar job. Because of this, they will have to come back sooner and charge you again. After adding up those costs, you are likely to have paid more than if you would have went with a more expensive alternative company. Another reason to be wary of companies that offer to rock bottom prices is that they will try to sell you more services once they are in your home. Not only do they trick you with their low prices, they will also instill fear. These types of companies will scare you once they are inside your home, which is much more likely to get you to buy. They will tell you that you have a much bigger problem than initially expected and your air ducts will need to be treated for those problems as well. Usually they will claim to find mold and other toxins.

One way to determine if you are choosing a legitimate company is to have them show you what they found before even getting out the hose. They should be able to point out debris from a register, take a picture with a digital camera and explain it to you thoroughly. In addition to this, they should also clean out your HVAC components not just your air ducts. You should also go over a checklist with the company before having the work performed.

If you are worried about choosing a company that scams their customers, research the company well. One option is to make sure the company is part of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association. The NADCA has high standards that not every company can reach. Because of this, you can rest assure that if your home air duct cleaning company is part of the association, they will do an excellent job. They will make sure your air ducts are above industry standards and that the process is done correctly the first time. In addition, all NADCA members must have one certified air system cleaning specialist. If something does happen to go awry, the cleaning specialist will be able to fix the problem.