Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warns Michigan residents to be aware of air duct cleaning scams.
Disingenuous air duct companies will launch pop-up ads on social media as well as neighborhood platforms, suggesting someone nearby has used their services. These posts can lure unsuspecting homeowners with rock-bottom prices. The deceitful businesses, otherwise known as “Blow-and-go” establishments, then add on irrelevant services that cost more than the originally quoted price. They may also leave the consumer in a worse position.
According to Nessel and the National Air Duct Cleaners Association:
Social media posts to watch out for:
- Say what they’re offering is not a scam.
- Provide no company name
- Provide generic company names such as “Duct Cleaners Michigan”
- Have a relatively new social media account with a name that doesn’t match the URL user name
- Have a locked social media account where the posts followers or pictures are not public
To report illegal or predatory business practices, consumers should visit the website of the Department of Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team at Consumer Protection (michigan.gov)