Action: A/C scam season heating up

For six months a telemarketer for an air conditioning company called me, trying to sell me a preventive maintenance-cleaning. I kept telling the man I was an unemployed, disabled single woman who often did not have enough money to eat.

He was relentless, promising me a special price of $34.50 for this service. He wore me down, and even though my air conditioning system was functioning fine, I borrowed the money from my mother, who is a widow living on Social Security.

On March 8, the technician from the air conditioning company arrived to perform this service. He hooked the lines of his meters to the unit and proceeded to tell me my unit was old and in poor condition and that my only recourse was to replace it. I told him I could not possibly afford to replace the unit, wrote him a check for $34.50, and he left.

By the next day, my air conditioner was not blowing cool air. The system continued to deteriorate until March 20, when it stopped working altogether. I called the company that had performed the service, and it sent another technician who gave me the same song and dance about how the unit was shot and all I could do was replace it.

He did nothing to find the leak, much less fix it. He did add some coolant so that the unit was blowing cold air by the time he left, with another check from me for $115.

Within two days, my unit was no longer working at all. I had no more confidence in this company, so I called another one, which sent a technician named Jerry.

Jerry found my air conditioning system completely out of refrigerant. He checked the system for leaks and discovered one, right where the first technician had hooked up the lines to the meters.

Jerry replaced the valve, fixed the leak and added seven pounds of coolant to my air conditioning unit. I paid him $157 to repair the leak that the first company caused and neglected to repair. My AC has worked perfectly with no problems ever since.

I believed the first company should refund the money I paid it as well as the money I had to pay the other company, so I called and spoke to its service manager. He was the rudest human being I have ever had the displeasure to speak with on the face of this earth. He told me I was not getting my money back. Please warn the public, especially single women, senior citizens and other disenfranchised members of society, about this. Vicki Morris

Response: You have already done a good job. It appears you fell for a common form of telemarketing fraud, and unfortunately, there is generally little that can be done after the fact. These scams are not new.

In August 2000, we reported that air conditioning telemarketing calls topped the list of complaints received by Pinellas County TRIAD, a cooperative effort among law enforcement agencies, social services and seniors that focuses on financial crimes against the elderly.

Since we're fast coming up on the time of year when air conditioners run 24 hours a day, here are the tips TRIAD offered then to prevent becoming a victim of an air conditioning scam. They are still good today. But first, how do these companies operate?

Some air conditioning companies will offer to clean your air conditioner as a way of getting in your door. As they check your unit, dishonest repair people allow coolant to escape so your unit loses its efficiency and does not cool properly, leading you to believe that it is, indeed, broken.

You may be pressured to buy a new unit because your old one is worn out and needs replacing. (Fortunately, you did not fall for this or you would be out a considerably larger sum.)

Often, the repair person will just "happen" to have a new unit available on his truck or one in the area that he can install today. To seal the deal, he will likely offer a substantial discount if you buy the new unit now.

Don't! Better yet, don't let these people into your home to begin with.

To avoid being scammed, always check the complaint history with your county's consumer protection agency. In counties without a consumer protection agency, call those of the counties that do, since many of these outfits travel from county to county. In Pinellas, call (727) 464-6200; in Hillsborough, (813) 272-6750; in Pasco, (727) 847-8110.

If you do accept an offer of cleaning from a company with which you have no previous experience, try to watch the repairperson work on the unit. There have been cases of the units being intentionally damaged or having critical parts removed.

Always get a written estimate that tells you what is wrong with your air conditioning unit, what the repair or replacement cost will be, along with the make, model and serial number in the latter case, and the printed and signed name of the repair person.

If the repair is for more than $500, always get a second estimate from a reputable company.

Take your time and never allow yourself to be rushed into making a financial commitment.

If you do allow your air conditioner to be replaced, keep in mind that once the repairman disconnects and removes your unit, it is no longer available for inspection to determine if, in fact, it needed to be replaced.

There are many reputable air conditioning companies. Doing your homework beforehand and not giving in to high-pressure sales tactics can save you a bundle of money and aggravation.

-- If you have a question for Action, or your attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write: Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call your Action number, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, (800) 333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request for Action. Names will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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