Resident warns homeowners to be alert to furnace scam

I have been scammed by a local business and wanted to pass along the routine used by this business to warn others.

Last year I purchased a resale in the area and had my first experience with a gas furnace. I knew it needed cleaning and servicing, but I did not know how to do it myself. I received a card in the mail detailing a 12-point safety check and cleaning special from this local business for the amount of $39.95.

When the technician arrived, he informed me without even checking the unit that two parts routinely get replaced either annually or biannually. One was a long tube and the other was a rectangular piece of equipment.

After checking the furnace, he informed me that I had a gas leak and that by law he was required to shut the furnace down.

I asked what the repercussions would be if left unfixed and was told that the gas would build up and a fire could result. He had used an instrument to check for leaks inside the furnace and did this while the furnace was off.

I was concerned about a gas leak and did not take the time to get another opinion.

After replacing the parts, which were the ones he said should be replaced as stated above, he took the original pieces and packed up to leave. I asked if he was going to retest for leaking gas and he informed me that he would if I wanted him to.

He turned the furnace on and tested it for a leak. I informed him that this was not the way he originally tested it, and after a verbal confrontation he presented me with a bill of more than $400 for the cleaning and repair.

On the credit card receipt he wrote "non-refundable." I thought this was odd.

The whole thing was odd because after he left and I calmed down, I realized that I had had my head inside that furnace looking for the filter three times and never once smelled gas. He had already taken the parts, and I had already paid him. I knew I had been had.

After he left, the furnace stopped working. I had never had a problem with the furnace, even once before this.

I called the telephone number of the company, which informed me that if it was an emergency, someone would contact me immediately. You guessed it. No one called me back that day. I wasn’t contacted until the following Monday.

If you are contacted by a heating and cooling service to clean your furnace and replace the filter and find yourself getting the same pitch used on me, please consider getting a second opinion and do not feel pressured into making a decision on the spot unless you actually suspect a gas leak.

Linda L. Barnes

Manalapan