FYI, I had a ‘furnace cleaning’ visit from a Dallas Heating and Cooling company that only cost $25 and had discounts for seniors. They advertise by putting out flyers in our neighborhood. They told me I HAD to get my heat exchanger ‘fixed’ and it would only cost me $600. They had a gas meter that ‘went off’ at the smell of natural gas and it went sky high when they put it next to my furnace. I never smelled anything. They also said it was life threatening if I didn’t get it fixed immediately. They offered a number of payment plans as long as I wrote them a $200 check immediately. I told them that I didn’t have the money and that I would think about it and get back to them. It was a fraud as I called my normal heating guy and he came by and confirmed there was nothing wrong with my furnace.
Dallas Heating and Cooling is a fake company that uses scare tactics to manipulate and extort money from unknowing people.
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Filed under: Community Assistance, Connecting Neighbors, Safety
See consumer report below. If you have a similar experience, please call the office of the District Attorney (720.913.9179) to report the incident.
If these repairmen tell you that you have gas leaks, call Excel. They will send an Excel employee out to confirm whether or not you have a gas leak.
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I have a difficult time believing a technician when they say they just happen to have my ‘brand’ of heat exchanger in the back of their car (not service truck, their car) and are willing to offer me a payment plan only if I write them a check right then and there. Not only that, but when I asked my regular heating guy he said a heat exchanger is only about $300 to replace….. why would they be charging me $600???? Plus my regular guy showed me how the sensor on those meters work. A slight move of the finger on the under side of the meter can make it go off with out a savvy customer knowing. Sketchy, you bet. Maybe I’m not as savvy as Dave, but this smelled rip off from the get go.
Caveat Emptor, buyer beware…….
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My experience with Dallals Heating & Cooling is that he has a gas detector that is EXTREMELY sensitive to natural gas. I had him over to my mother’s house a couple of years ago (following up on one of his flyers) and the same thing happened. My take on it is that he had to adjust the detector so that it wouldn’t go off even when not pointed at the furnace. After some time making adjustments he got the detector to go off only when within 1/2 inch or so of the combustion chamber. I attributed the situation to residual unburned gas still in the chamber, but I, also, smelled no gas. I decided not to pursue it because it was pretty clear to me that the gas that was detected ( if there was any at all) was so minuscule that it posed no significant problem.
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Ralph Stevenson is going to give the victim a call and see what we can do to deter this activity.
Robin Finegan
Director of Consumer Protection
Denver District Attorney’s Office
201 West Colfax, Dept. 801
Denver, CO 80202
(Direct) 720-913-9036
(Voice or VP/TTY relay)
Denver DA Fraud Hotline: 720-913-9179
From the Office of Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey
Beware Of Furnace Fraud
Fraudulent contractors and furnace salespersons often use scare tactics. They may insist that you must buy a new furnace immediately due to leaking gas and the potential of a catastrophic explosion. They may tell you that the “heat exchanger” or “combustion chamber” is cracked or has a hole. Or they may simply say that your furnace is too small and should be replaced with a larger one. If a contractor says you need expensive work immediately, don’t panic. Keep in mind the following tips:
* All heating contractors are required to be licensed and to get a permit from the Building Department before doing any major work. Ask for verification of a license and the permit. To verify if a contractor is licensed in Denver call 720-865-2770 or go to http://www.denvergov.org/contractor_licensing. (Note the “underscore” between “contractor” and “licensing”.)
* Check out all contractors with the Better Business Bureau, 303-758-2100 and your city Building Department before inviting a serviceperson into your home for an estimate or service.
* If you are told your furnace needs to be replaced, get a second opinion from a licensed contractor whom you have checked out with the BBB.
* Remember that once the old furnace has been removed, proof of its original condition is impossible to verify, making it difficult to recover your losses or to prosecute for fraud.
RESIST if a salesperson gives you a high-pressured sales pitch, especially if you are solicited at your door or by phone by an unfamiliar contractor.
For assistance call the Denver DA’s Fraud Line: 720-913-9179
February 2009