Several customers complain they ended up with a bill of more than $1,000 after responding to an advertisement promising air duct cleaning for $39 and furnace service for $99.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Several customers complained they ended up with a bill of more than $1,000 after responding to an advertisement promising air duct cleaning for $39 and furnace service for $99.
“I think they saw an old woman with glasses and a cane and think: ‘Oh boy, a sitting duck,’” explained Sharon Berg of Mulino
Berg said workers from US Air Ducts & Builders left her with a bill for $1,250 after an hour-long service call in late November. She had planned on paying far less for the promotional offer.
“I think they should have warned me and given me some type of estimate. I would have said, ‘There’s the door,’ because I couldn’t afford that,” said Berg.
The Vancouver-based company offered to cancel her five-year VIP membership and reduce her bill, although US Air Ducts & Builders is still demanding roughly $500. Berg is disputing the charges.
The company sent her to a collection agency.
A KGW investigation found 16 consumer complaints about US Air Ducts & Builders to the Washington Attorney General’s office since 2017. Seven different consumers have complained to the Oregon Attorney General’s office about the company.
Public records show several customers complained about aggressive sales tactics and excessive bills.
“As soon as they walked through the door, they were telling me that I needed more. I had a bad coupon. I needed the better coupon and let me tell you all that we can do,” explained Reanna Blair of King City.
Blair said she felt pressured to buy the “VIP Package” for $1,794, instead of the $39 air duct cleaning she had seen in a promotional advertisement.
