Hall of Shame: Dirty air duct company only cleans out wallets say angry customers

Rob Wolchek is on the trail of an air duct cleaning company that goes by many names - but might as well be mud, after customers say they were overcharged with no work being done.

[SoSoPrettyMS]

The knock on the window gets me every time!

[spencerpaterni]

Thank you Rob for exposing these Scammers!

[iHeArTgOaTsE]

As an HVAC technician, I'd like to put it out there that there is simply a time and place to involve (proper) duct cleaning. It typically will involve no chemicals unless the homeowner reports that the previous tenants were smoking inside and that the scent bothers the more sensitive noses out there. Real duct cleaning is actually very involved work. Typically there will be a large truck or trailer mounted gas powered vacuum that is hooked up to the supply side plenum of any given furnace or air handler. We're talking very loud, very large hoses, there is no mistaking what is going on there. Once the vacuum is running, the technician is to remove all of the grilles/registers inside the home and cover all of the supply boots (the part that the grille sits in) to assure a strong negative pressure in order to pull dust or other particulates toward the vacuum system. One at a time, a cover will be removed from the supply point and typically a pneumatic system like a Medusa head will be fed into the duct work to beat the debris loose, allowing the vacuum to extract stubborn material. Once this is completed for each supply register, it is considered best practice to repeat and perform the same task on the return side of the system. As stated earlier, this is very involved and would take no less than 3 hours on a small home between setting up equipment, performing the task and verifying the work with a snake cam or something like it. Don't be fooled, folks... There are certainly very real trades men and women out there who will take care of your reported issue with honesty and respect for the trade.
*Edit: I personally do not perform the described duct cleaning above but I certainly understand the fundamental idea of how it is supposed to be implemented. Time it takes to complete any given duct cleaning depends on variables I don't usually have to deal with. My experience is primarily in the replacement of ductwork and equipment so take the rough figure of 3 hours on a small house with a cup of salt. I estimate 3 hours for a small home assuming we have an experienced, well coordinated crew of 2 or more people on site.

[northbynorthwest]

I’m a service plumber and there’s plumbers ripping off customers way worse, it’s sickening.

[spencerpaterni]

Dennis looked me in the eye in my living room and asked me "Am i getting a Tip for all this man?" when i asked him how it went from $89 to $1800, then lowered it to $1600. Use a reputable company!!

[patricktrimble]

I really hope the customers are reporting these frauds to the state AG. Actually I just hope that the state's AG is watching this show by now.

[AuntieKim]

I will never understand why people would rather do bad business and have to worry about all the strife and problems, than to just do the job right and gain way more money and repeat customers.

[bigdave]

I was trained to sprinkle salt on the furnace filter and show it to the home owner and tell them it was dust mites, i never did that myself and end up quitting because i realized the company was run by the mob.

[dartman]

I had an air duct cleaning business for years, and guys like these are the fly by night crooks I had to compete with. They advertise cheap prices to lure people in, then rip them off, doing crappy work. I usually spent most of the day cleaning ducts in a house and it was rare the price was over $1000...most of the time less than half that. I never had one unsatisfied customer! Most were so happy with what I was doing, they'd be calling their friends to get me to do their ducts, before I even left the job. Old ladies would hug me and thank me for treating them fairly. That was so rewarding and worth more than a wad of cash. How people like these crooks can sleep at night is beyond me!

[jdmjdm]

Years ago, I got a job at one of these duct cleaning company's, I didn't stay long.
It cost well over a thousand dollars for the average home. We hooked up a huge vacuum at the furnace and ran a snake auger down each vent through out the home. Two of us would be there for hours. Even after all of that, when you looked in the vents with a camera, they would still be very dirty.
Just change your filter and save your money.

[dejamike]

I found it infuriating that somehow these crooks can get customers easily while the honest and hardworking contractors are struggling to find customers.

[AllThingsSuperMoto]

I had a mold smell in my house and found a company through angies list to clean out my ducts. Started out at $100 and they ended up with a quote of over $2000. Needless to say I kicked them out of my house.

[patrickkitchens]

Call the BBB before you get any kind of work done.

[jacobdickey]

Keep up the good work ! Scammers need to be sued and the government needs to shut them down !

[DBR]

I love the Hall of Shame. I don’t live in Detroit but these segments are the best! Keep them coming!

[allformsinsuranceagency]

Thank you Hall of Shame. It’s not fair to steal money from and working people.

[jebadibus]

My spidey sense was definitley tingling when that "technician" showed up. Sorry man you can't come in.

[kennethcarey]

NEVER trust a company with all 5 star reviews. there will always be disgruntled customers for even the best companies. I'd rather see a few bad reviews than NO bad reviews. that is the real world. i could give you $10, 000 and tell you that you never have to pay for fuel ever again and you will still give me 4.5 review because there was a stain on my shirt!!

[DetroitGoldie]

Hell, I got a shop vac, I'll clean out your ductwork for $200 and a pot of coffee. I'll pull off the register vents and stick the hose down into it. I do it with mine. Takes me at least an hour.

[giantgrowth]

I feel like this dude was one of the most eleborate scammers. Very thought out