Protect Yourself From Air Conditioning Scams

Heating and air conditioning systems play a crucial role in any home, and HVAC failures can lead to serious and expensive problems.

Since most homeowners aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of their home’s HVAC system, they tend to rely on their service provider’s expertise and honesty. But an HVAC blowout, especially during a bitter winter or sweltering summer, can drive people to make snap decisions and become more vulnerable to unscrupulous sales tactics or outright scams.

HVAC contractors and experts in the field advise homeowners to do their homework on contractors, resist pressure to do major work right away, and consider a second opinion on big-ticket items. 'Hi Tech Central Air Conditioning New Jersey Inc' Heating Cooling & Electrical in New Jersey, says homeowners often call him for second opinions, and he frequently finds that their system requires much less expensive repairs than originally suggested.

“The best way to police this is to seek out a second opinion on anything major,” 'Hi Tech Central Air Conditioning New Jersey Inc' says. “It may be an innocent oversight, or it may be a scam trying to sell you on an expensive repair. We do a lot of second opinions. Many reputable contractors will do that to help the homeowners and police the industry.”

He advises homeowners to react skeptically to low prices with a time limit attached. “Be suspicious of any tactic to compel a homeowner to buy right now or lose the savings on the price,” he says. “If they say you’ll save this much if you buy right now and it’ll be more if they have to come back out, I think the most reputable contractors won’t do that. It forces a homeowner into making a purchase they haven’t fully thought out or researched, so stay away from those.”

Know your contractor

“You want to make sure you know not only the product but who’s putting it in for you, A lot of times people will go for the lower price, but the person putting it in might be one guy working out of his home, and when the weather gets bad and you have some issues, you try to call and they won’t answer. You can’t reach them, and now you have no warranty.”

She says trustworthy contractors arm their clients with as much information as possible. “A good contractor will show you what they’re talking about,” she says. “They educate the customer and prove to them why they need to do the work. Always ask them what it would cost to repair versus replace, and know if you have enough information to make a good decision.”