We know you are cautious about how you spend your hard-earned money. That’s why you want to know more about how to avoid being scammed by a heating and ac worker. No matter what type of business you talk about, the majority are legit and run by decent people, and a handful are… shall we say… less than truthful. That’s why in a recent blog post the helpful folks here at GAMA Air started talking about some common deceptive and misleading tricks used by that ‘handful’ to scam you and your friends in the Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino area out of more money than you should be paying. Let’s move on to Part 2 of “Look Out for HVAC Scams!”
Replacing parts that aren’t broken
This is a tough one. The fact that you called a service technician to come and fix your heater or air conditioner means you don’t know how to do it yourself. That means to some extent you have to trust him or her to be truthful with the diagnosis he or she will explain to you. But don’t be gullible. It is sadly a practice of that “less-than-truthful” minority to increase profits by trying to get you to pay for things that don’t really need to be fixed. If you suspect that the list of half-a-dozen parts that supposedly are bad seems suspicious then Look Out! And trust your inner voice.
What can you do?
Get a second opinion. If you called a repair company blindly out of the yellow pages, or clicked on the first result in your web search, then you don’t have anything to go on except what they say. On the other hand, if you have been recommended this Heating and Air company by a trusted friend or family member then there’s a really good chance your can trust them also. If you are in doubt, call another HVAC firm to come and check it your central heating and cooling system.
Exaggerating what needs to be fixed
Although this is closely related to the previous trick we mentioned, this one will hurt more if you let it work. This is when the technician presents you with a dire scenario of all the problems that are wrong with your furnace or heat pump or air conditioner. Most of the time, as the story will go, the cost of replacing those parts and fixing your system will be so high that buying a whole new unit appears to be the only logical choice. Buyer beware! If you are being pressured into buying a new system when you thought the problem was minor, then Look Out!
What can you do?
Get a second opinion. Does it sound like we’re repeating ourselves? That’s because we are. And if getting a second opinion was important when you were dubious about the repair scenario you were being told, it is even more important when you are being told that your whole system has been compromised and that you need to buy a new central heating and AC system. It is understandable that you don’t know for sure that furnace or AC is dead or not. Your best defense against this scam tactic is to call around to get a second opinion. Also, a professional service technician from a reputable HVAC company will understand if you express your uncertainty and not use strong-arm pressure tactics to get you to decide on the spot.
Is that where you are at now? Are you in need of a second opinion? GAMA Air has many happy customers in and around Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino and we want you to be one of them. Give us a call at (310) 651-6936 or use our online form to schedule a visit at a time convenient to you for a service call. And to put your mind at ease, we guarantee your satisfaction 100%.
Do you just need to ask a quick question? Visit our “Ask an Expert” page and get a quick answer from our resident heating and AC expert.