A local home comfort company has issued a warning to all residential homeowners. According to a post on its website, Fahrhall says door-to-door furnace scams are still going on in Windsor. Fahrhall said some of the popular scams from 2017 have poured over into the new year.
Here’s how it works. A salesperson will knock on an unsuspecting homeowner’s door, wanting to inspect their furnace. These are not real inspectors, but scam artists hoping to convince the gullible to sign a long-term and expensive contract.
“Often, these salespeople will come to your door and allude to government organizations or even introduce themselves as government employees,” Fahrhall said. “They’ll ask you about your current heating system and will want permission to come inside to assess it. After the inspection, they’ll tell you that you need a new furnace and will want you to sign a contract right away.”
Speed of course, is of the essence.
The scammers want things done fast and will use a number of coercive techniques to gain permission to provide new furnaces. This can include convincing homeowners to, “sign a new contract. They may talk about government rebates that are available for a new furnace or they may threaten you with scary stats and false reasoning that your current system isn’t safe. Often, they’ll try a number of different approaches until you agree to sign a contract for a new furnace.”
An easy way to thwart the bad guys is to never sign anything from a door-to-door salesperson.
Fahrhall advises that homeowners are never under any, “obligation to even let a salesperson into your home—no matter how hard they push their sales pitch. If you’re concerned about your heating system, call your trusted Windsor HVAC company to come out and look at your system.”
From what Fahrhall has learned, the con takes advantage of residents who, “buckle to the high-pressure sales tactics. If you ever feel uncomfortable and unsure about someone that has come to your door—don’t sign anything! Instead, take down as much information as you can and call the non-emergency police line or your own trusted heating and cooling company to verify their claims.”
Read the original story at The Square.
