Need your ducts cleaned? Here's what to look for so you don't get ripped off
If you own a home you may have considered getting your ducts cleaned, especially if you have pets, allergies or have had recent home renovations done.
You may have received random phone calls from duct cleaners or seen advertisements to have the job done, but what is the best way to choose a company?
Debbie Wilson of Oshawa hired a duct cleaner, but in the end felt she was overcharged and may have paid for a service she didn’t need.
"You just feel foolish and angry," said Wilson.
When Wilson saw an ad for duct cleaning in a flyer for $149 she called the company, but was surprised when they showed up in a van instead of a large duct cleaning truck.
The two workers told her that she had mould in her ducts that should be dealt with immediately at a cost of an additional $900. Wilson agreed to the added charge, but later had her HVAC system checked by someone else.
“He said ‘Your ducts are as dirty as ever and I don't see any mould down there,’" Wilson said.
Atanas Deliivanov of Scarborough hired the same company, which also said he had mould in his ductwork. He also paid an additional $900 but was concerned after the company left and his ducts were still dirty. When he called the company he said they refused to come back.
“Absolutely I feel I was taken advantage of,” said Deliivanov. “They just told me you've got mould in the duct and we got scared and we made a quick move which was obviously wrong."
CTV News Toronto contacted the company that cleaned both Wilson’s and Deliivanov’s ducts, but the company’s lawyer told CTV News Toronto that “whatever work was done was appropriate and proper.”
CTV News Toronto also reached out to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) , a group that promote ethics and fairness in the duct cleaning industry.
Clint Orr, a spokesperson with NADCA, and also a duct cleaner who owns Full Throttle Furnace and Duct Cleaning in Regina, Saskatchewan said “our mandate is to give our customers proper advertising and to not falsify anything that we can't back up."
Orr said that low prices are often a red flag.
“If you get into a duct cleaning job for $99 or $149 dollars and they are done in 15 to 45 minutes, that's a telling tale that maybe some steps were missed," said Orr.
Orr says while mould can be an issue in ductwork, photos and samples should be provided and testing can also be done by a third party.
Orr said a duct cleaner should also be able to provide customers with before and after photos or video.
“Photo or video evidence is actually paramount to make sure you actually got your system cleaned," said Orr.
When you're choosing a duct cleaning company beware of low introductory pricing, expensive surprise add-ons and high pressure sales tactics.
Orr said customers can also consider choosing a NADCA member. On the association's website, you can put in your postal code and duct cleaners that belong to the association will be listed in your area.
The industry suggests getting your ducts cleaned every few years, but it really depends on where you live and how dirty they get. Changing your furnace filter often can also help keep your duct work clean.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.