Recognizing and Avoiding Air Conditioner and Furnace Repair Scams

Recognizing and Avoiding Air Conditioner and Furnace Repair Scams

While most HVAC companies in your area are legitimate and reputable, there are some who may attempt scams. These include air conditioner or furnace repair scams, which involve billing you for large sums of money with little or no work being done.

At Airtime Heating & Cooling, we're happy to help with a wide range of legitimate, reputable air conditioner repair services or heater repair services that are backed by years of happy customers and quality reviews. We not only provide transparent and honest services, but also advise our clients on how to spot unscrupulous companies or individuals that might be trying to take advantage of them with AC repair scams during the hot summer, or furnace repair scams in the cold winter. Here's a primer on identifying and avoiding these scams.

Common Types of AC or Furnace Repair Scams

There are a few common types of air conditioner repair scams that many people encounter. One type is when an ad on social media or another sites for things such as general HVAC sales offers services at significantly lower rates than average. Other signs that indicate a person or company might be trying to scam you with your AC or heater include the following:

  • No upfront pricing: As any trustworthy company in the industry will do, we offer upfront pricing in order to keep our clients informed and avoid any misunderstandings. If any HVAC specialist can't provide these figures or give vague estimates, chances are it's a scam.
  • Special deals for first-time customers: While we do offer specials from time to time, our policies are the same for everyone. If you are dealing with someone who is only offering such deals to people they've never met before, this may be an indication of a scam.
  • Asking for payment before providing service: We never require payment for any services before we begin working on your air conditioner. We do, however, provide you with an estimate upfront so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not to pay for our services.
  • Attitude or demeanor: While some HVAC companies are indeed quite pushy, they will usually be upfront about this and explain the reasoning behind their attitude. If the person you're dealing with is being overly aggressive or defensive in response to your questions, it's a sign that he or she may be trying to take advantage of you.

How to Avoid AC and Furnace Repair Scams

Luckily, there are some simple ways you can avoid AC repair scams victimizing you or anyone else in your household:

  • Do advanced research on an HVAC company to ensure they have a good reputation and past satisfied clients.
  • Request price quote estimates from any HVAC company you're considering working with, then compare these.
  • If anything feels off, or if you simply want more information, do not hesitate to ask; any HVAC entity that is hesitant to answer could be hiding something.

If you notice any of these signs, perform further research and strongly consider utilizing a different HVAC partner.

For more on avoiding AC and furnace repair scams, or to learn about any of our HVAC services, speak to the staff at Airtime Heating & Cooling today.

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