King George — It’s the time of year to have your furnace serviced, but an investigation found unsuspecting homeowners could be duped into buying parts they may not need.
We rigged a metro area home with a dozen hidden cameras to put local heating companies to the test.
We asked Done Plumbing Heating and Air to ensure our 19-year-old furnace was in good condition.
Tech Justin Salvador told us it was “working like it should. I don’t see any issues.”
We also made appointments with six area heating companies and asked for a furnace inspection. Three out of six failed our test.
AAA Service tried to sell us a new gas valve for $692. A FOX31 Denver employee asked the AAA technician, “That sounds dangerous?” “It is,” said the technician.
Another company, Applewood Plumbing, Heating and Electric, diagnosed a long list of various parts that needed to be replaced totaling $1,605.
The most serious claims came from Billy Wright with Plumbline.
He claimed our furnace was emitting deadly carbon monoxide and we needed to replace it immediately. The quote from Plumbline for a new furnace ranged from $4,070 to $6,700.
Woman says 2 companies scammed her out of $21,000.
For Denver resident Della Donna-Matthews, our investigation hit close to home.
“I’m a victim of fraud,” the 88-year-old resident told FOX31 Denver.
Matthews spent her life savings trying to repair her heating system. She said a technician from a local company took $3,000, stole her radiators and never returned.
Matthews hired a second company which charged more than $18,000 to install a boiler and baseboards.
“It makes me very angry,” said Matthews’ daughter, Linda Donna said.
She found the same boiler online for just over $1,800 and the baseboards for less than $80.
Donna said the company refused to provide an itemized bill.
“It’s very upsetting to me because my hands are pretty much tied,” she said.
Matthews was using her oven to heat her home, but the fire department has told Matthews her house is unsafe to live in until she has a proper source of heat.
There is help for eligible homes with heating repairs and costs from Colorado LEAP. to learn more, visit Colorado.gov.
Red flags to watch for
Maro Casparian is the director of consumer fraud protection at Denver’s District Attorney’s office.
She said there are many red flags to watch for when doing business with heating and cooling companies.
“There are lots of companies that are certainly reputable that do the right thing, but there are those unfortunate fraudsters and scammers who go along and take advantage,” Casparian said.
She suggested researching the company before you make an appointment and if you think you’re being overcharged, get a second opinion.
“Don’t react out of panic … that’s when your judgement is impaired,” Casparian said.
She thinks high pressure sales tactics should be a red flag.
“If something is happening and the guy is saying your house is going to explode right now, call the police (and) call the utility company. Xcel Energy will respond for free, if a technician believes you have a leak.
