Air duct cleaning comes with high cost

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - John Taylor wanted to get the air ducts cleaned at his Sun City home. He turned to the phone book to find workers to do the job and chose AOS Air Ducts.

Taylor called the company and made an appointment. "I never even got any prices off of them," Taylor said. "Which was a mistake, too," he added.

The workers came over and brought in equipment to clean out the ducts. They said they found more problems beyond what Taylor originally called them in to handle. One of the workers convinced Taylor to buy a special device that uses ultraviolet light to kill mold in his air-conditioning system. That added more than $600 to his bill.

"As soon as they sold me that, boy, they was out of here," Taylor remembered. "Guess they wanted to get out before I changed my mind."

The final cost for the duct cleaning: $1,264.78.

That weekend, Taylor's son-in-law climbed up a ladder to take a look at the work. Taylor said his son-in-law found some of the duct covers were loose. He also took pictures which showed the ducts were still dirty.

Taylor's daughter called to complain. She said AOS promised to send a crew to check it out, but they never came.

"They kept giving her excuses as to why they wasn't here and why they never showed up," Taylor said. "Now they won't even answer their phone."

The company's phone line does take messages. But no one responded to phone calls from KXAN News. When reporters went to the business address to get an answer, we found they don't have an office -- just a mailbox at a North Austin UPS store.

It's the same address used by another company called Austin City Air Ducts. The Better Business Bureau gives both companies an F-rating because of customer complaints .

"Not only have they not been resolved, but they have not been answered at all by the company," said Erin Dufner, senior vice president of Communications and Operations for the BBB of Central Texas.

"So many of these consumers are still out, some of them thousands of dollars, so we are very concerned about the continuing operation of this business and the tactics they are using with these consumers," Dufner said.

Travis County business records show that Austin City Air Ducts is owned by Nadav Ben-Yakar. His address is listed in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He could not be reached for comment for this story.

Taylor filed a complaint with the Texas Attorney General's Office.

"They said you should have checked them out before," Taylor said. "Well, you go to a phone book to get a name. You don't go and check them. That's something for the Better Business Bureau to do."

The Better Business Bureau does check out many companies in Central Texas. You can find their ratings on the BBB web site .

BBB also has some tips for consumers about air duct cleaning companies:

• Beware of high-pressure sales tactics. A trustworthy company will give you time to think over a major repair or service.
• Do not permit work to start without a signed written contract that includes all verbal promises made by the sales representative.
• The BBB suggests that consumers pay with a credit card whenever possible. That gives you extra protection -- including the option to dispute any purchase over $50 within 60 days following payment.