The Fraud Chick
Ethics,#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, May 22, 2002
Kelly, Hopefully you haven't paid the bill yet. Call the owner and tell him that you think his company is involved in deceptive practices. A typical scam pulled by unethical heating & air companies is to advertise for these great services for astonishingly small fees and then con the customer into believing they need repair work. It's a confidence scheme where the unsuspecting customer believes the supposed professional is telling the truth. Once they go through the ridiculously bogus motions of doing complicated repairs they whack the customer with a nasty bill that's outrageous. Sometimes the unethical service man hides out in the attic and reads a magazineshameless. Im sure your guy banged around and made plenty of noise, though. Tell the owner you intend to report him to the local newspaper to warn others about the con. Tell him you would find it interesting to learn how many others write into the editor with similar complaints about his "company." Then tell him you intend to report him to the Attorney General's office for fraud. Then tell him you plan to alert the local police to the scam so that they cam alert the community as well and solicit other complaints. If you've already paid the bill then take him to small claims court to demand all of the money back. Your complaint is theft by deception. Finally, tell him you expect him to tear up the sham bill he submitted to you immediately. Whether he forgives the bill or not, do all of the above. Don't let him try to threaten you or tell you that you would be held liable for libel or slander. It's only defamation if it's not true. Good Luck