Is That Deal Legit or a Scam?

Recently on Facebook, there have been multiple posts in various local groups that have touted amazing deals on cleaning your air ducts. After digging deeper into these claims, some members of those groups found little to no legitimacy to their business or deal. They were running a scam, tricking people out of their money.  How can you avoid these scammers?  A little knowledge will do the trick.

The Fake Discount Scam

The most common air duct cleaning scam we’ve seen is a coupon for less than $100.  You may have seen them before, claiming that they will clean your air ducts for only $89, or even $59. What they are not telling you is that the average home takes between 3 and 4 hours to clean. If you have a business with insurance, have typical travel costs, and pay employees, the costs quickly add up.  The math on such cheap coupons doesn’t work out, so how are these businesses staying alive?

What’s really going on here is that they’re aiming for upsells.  They do a minimum amount of work, then offer to charge more for “extra services.”  Without these extra services, the basic work won’t make that big a difference. The charge for the average home in Utah would run about $250-$500 depending on how many registers, square footage, number of furnaces, or other factors.

We like a good deal as much as anyone, but if it sounds cheap, there is a reason for it.  Often they end up coming out to your home and doing an inspection, maybe running their vacuums and then telling you it will end up costing $1000 or more.

Fake Businesses Are A New Scam

Lately, we’ve been seeing a new scam pop up on Facebook: the fake business.  You come across a page advertising duct cleaning (or other types of businesses).  They may seem real, although from slightly outside the service area.  After looking at the profile, things being to look off.  They’re running the page as an individual instead of as a business page, the images all look familiar, and their profile is completely new.  There’s little to no information about the business anywhere outside of that page.  They may not even have a website.  This is because they don’t actually have a business, they just want to trick you into paying them.  Then they delete all their pages and disappear with the money.

These days, there is usually something out there about a business. Whether it’s a website, Google reviews, or even just the state business registration.  Even start-ups should have information out there. Anyone can do a search online for air duct cleaning pictures and can post them as their own, but there are some things you can’t fake.  If you’re a real business, you will be registered and licensed; you can look up that information.  If the Facebook page is all you can find, they’re probably a scam.

How Do You Know It’s a Real Deal?

That’s a good question.  How do you know if a business is real, or if it’s a scam?  Here is some information you should look for:

1. Business Info

Look for a business name and address online. Even a home-based business should have an address that can be found usually on Google, Facebook, state registration, or a website.

2. Who’s posting it?

Even companies that pay for someone to manage social media should have a little history and information that could show that they have a direct connection to the business name and even link back to their site or page with contact information.

3. Facebook page.

The cost for a Facebook profile or page is the same $0. It stands to reason that if they are advertising by posting to a Facebook group that they should have a page that shows their contact information and content to show the history of being around more than a week.

4. How Well Reviewed Are They?

Look for reviews or recommendations. Online reviews from legitimate profiles show validity to a company. Text only reviews that do not link to a 3rd party site like Google, Angie’s List or anywhere can be made up by anyone.

5. Get A Quote

Ask for a quote with a service agreement. Most service-based contractors will have some legal writing to what they will do in conjunction with what the customer’s responsibilities are (i.e., pay at the end of the job, deposits, legal disputes, etc).

Taking time to do some research for even a few minutes can save a big headache and prevent a possible scam. We’ve seen what has been posted in our local Cache Valley groups and find it great that the members are looking out for each other. We always recommend doing the research.

Don’t Be Fooled by Scams

Nobody wants to be scammed, but of late, social media is loaded with them.  Be sure to check out any companies, especially if they are offering suspiciously cheap prices, or super deep discounts.  There’s a minimum cost to the work.  You have to factor in the cost of driving, of the equipment, pay for employees, and the overall time it takes.  A typical job for a home will be 3-4 hours to fully clean the ducts.  If they’re charging $85 or less, how do they intend to make a profit off that?  Either they want to take your money and run, or they intend to try and upsell you to get the full job they should be doing.

If you need your air ducts cleaned and don’t want to be scammed on it, then we can help you out. Go ahead and visit our Facebook to see all the examples of the work we’ve done and reviews from satisfied customers to prove we won’t leave you hanging.