JEFF FROM JOB WARNS AGAINST FRAUD IN SASKATOON’S HVAC INDUSTRY
The feeling of being ripped off is horrible, and I count myself fortunate that I haven’t been the victim of fraud very much in my life. However, I am sad to say that I deal with victims of contractor fraud too often in Saskatoon. In my latest article, I share another example that happened recently, as I want to educate consumers on what to look out for.- Jeff , owner of JOB
Fraud takes many different forms
I was recently at a lady’s home to provide a quote to replace the furnace and air conditioner. Her house was the same as most other homes in our city, in fact she lives just 4 blocks away from my family. She invited me in and we exchanged pleasantries, then I asked her the burning question that had been top of mind since I pulled up outside. Why was she requesting a quote for a new home comfort system in a house that was no more than 12 years old?
She explained that the night before her furnace had stopped working. This was especially an issue as the overnight temperature in Saskatoon had dropped to about -30C. Unfortunately, she was unaware that JOB offers 24-hour emergency service and she had called another company.
The other company turned up, identified the problem but they didn’t have the part required ( It was 4 am, so I give them a pass on that one,) . They returned at 8:30 am with the correct part to fix the issue and the tech took it upon himself to go through her furnace and air conditioner. He noted that there were old watermarks both on the side and at the base of the furnace, which I can verify. As someone that has a career in the furnace and air conditioning industry, the source of the water was very evident to me.It was clear that at some point, probably in the summertime, the evaporator coil had frozen and then melted.
One indication about this was the plugged air filter leaning up against the furnace.
The other technician told this very nice lady that her furnace was over ten years old and a crack COULD happen in the heat exchanger (even though he couldn’t find any crack) and that would send carbon monoxide into her home potentially killing her, her partner and her dogs!! If that ominous threat was not enough, he also told her that her air conditioner unit had a leak and would also need to be replaced.
Now, it is possible that she may have a leak in the air conditioner, but there’s simply no way to determine that when it’s -26C outside! Saying that she has a leak when there is a dirty filter right there is, “bullcrap!”
The other thing that I haven’t mentioned yet, is the 3 carbon monoxide detectors I saw in her home. I will not downplay carbon monoxide poisoning, because it is the biggest threat to life that we face in the HVAC industry, however, there was no sign of that here. When questioned, she confirmed that the carbon monoxide detectors had never gone off. In addition, one of the detectors displays the level of CO present and when I checked it showed zero.
Let me be VERY clear here, this person was simply using fear tactics to sell a new furnace and air conditioner to this lady.
If you get a flat tire on your Chevy do you buy a new Mercedes??
“But he said I’m in imminent danger!” Said the lady
The moral of the story about fraud in Saskatoon’s HVAC Industry, is to be careful, ask questions and deal with the right people. Start by looking for businesses on TrustedSaskatoon .com.
JOB Heating has been a TrustedSaskatoon partner from almost the beginning. We are both locally owned and accountable companies and we deal with local companies. Local people always care the most, we care about service and we care about people. We care because this is my city and my home too.
Contact Jeff and team at JOB Heating today.
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