Mar 2, 2010 10:00 am US/Central
Beware Cheap Duct-Cleaning Offers
Better Business Bureau Says Complaints Have Spiked
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
They promise to clean your air ducts and make your home healthier and dust-free. But are discount air-duct cleaning services a bargain or another case of something too good to be true?
2 Investigator Pam Zekman reports.
Vivian Schwan found a mailer in her mailbox offering her a deal for unlimited duct-cleaning for $99. The mailer, from a company called American Pure Air, also warned about health hazards associated with dirty air.
The $99 turned ended up being $664, Schwan said.
Once they got inside her house, she says one man started to do some work while another tried to sell her hundreds of dollars in additional services besides cleaning out the air ducts.
Schwan agreed to pay $299 for an additional furnace cleaning, which the American Pure Air workers told her she needed.
But she was also charged $276 for four different kinds of sanitizers. She says she told the workers she did not want any.
Schwan also wonders how good a job they did cleaning the ducts. Just six months later, the duct covers are still dirty and her furniture gets dusty just days after cleaning.
"They opened up two air ducts only," Schwan said.
That's just two of 18 vents she has on three floors of her house.
Steve Bernas, President and Chief Executive Officer with the Better Business Bureau his organization has seen a 59 percent increase in complaints about duct-cleaning companies.
American Pure Air Inc. has 17 complaints and an "F" rating.
"It basically means that the company does not meet our standards and that there's a pattern of complaints and unresolved complaints," he said.
His advice? "People really need to become educated before they do this," Bernas said.
Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning has an A rating from the Better Business Bureau. Manager Ryan Bruinsma says the typical duct-cleaning job should take between four to five hours and costs between $450 and $1,000.
Four Seasons uses two workers who open and clean every vent. A giant vacuum attached to the furnace collects all the dust and particulate matter.
Gal Yarmini, the owner of American Pure Air, said that in 90 percent of his jobs all the vents in a house are opened to clean out the ducts. But sometimes it can't be done, he said.
He also says most of the time the company does a job for the $99 special rate. He says if customers are unsatisfied with the work he will redo it or give them a refund.
He says Schwan authorized the additional work and costs, but he refunded the sanitizer charges.
And Yarmini says he regularly works to resolve complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
You can find more information on air duct cleaners on the
Better business Bureau website. You can also check to see if a company is a member of the
National Air Duct Cleaners Association.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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