Archive for February, 2014

BEWARE of Phone Scams! Real News for You…

Wednesday, February 12th, 2014

Yesterday, something disturbing happened to one of our customers. She received a call from another AC company telling her that a technician was in the area and they could schedule a tune up for her.

That in and of itself isn’t disturbing. I get those calls at my home all the time. It was what happened next that was shady, misleading, and fraught with scam. When the customer informed the phone caller that she had an agreement with Bayonet, they caller lied and said that we sold or subbed out our maintenances to them. This is completely false.

To borrow an adage: “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” If Bayonet didn’t pay this company to perform a maintenance and they sent a tech out to your home, why would you assume they want to be out there for free? Two reasons: either it is a scope and scam or they’re preparing to set you up for a “unplanned service event” which could lead to them telling a customer that their system required replacement or repair.

I wish I could get every person with an air conditioner to read this blog, but I can’t. For the time being, please take the initiative to contact YOUR service provider and schedule your maintenances. If someone has resorted to telemarketing to get a foot in the door, it is not a good sign. Make sure you check their references, BBB accreditation, and license with the state. Far too many people get ripped off every day. And don’t even get me started thinking about the technician this company sent to the home. Where did he learn AC? Was his background clean? Was he scoping out the home for a theft? Anything can happen and often does in this field. That’s why every Bayonet Technician has an Ask The Seal background check and certification. No one enters our customers’ homes without it.

We will be pursuing this company to the fullest extent of our abilities. I want to personally thank the customer for calling us to verify the story. Please use caution…I would hate to see this happen to you. There are a great number of reputable AC companies in business today. Companies that do the right thing and make a fair profit for reasonable work. But there are also companies who are less than inline with moral standard who prey on the good people who trust in them. Don’t be taken in by a scam.

This is why our technicians don’t sell equipment as many companies do. Our consultants act as a second set of eyes, making sure equipment isn’t replaced when it isn’t in the best interest of the homeowner. We believe in doing the right thing. No matter what. It means that we don’t have as many replacements as other companies in the area, and we’re okay with that. We can sleep at night, knowing we’re doing what’s right for the company, the employees and most importantly our customers in the long run.

So, to quote one of my favorite teachers of all-time, Mr. Angelo Rescinti, “Hey, let’s be careful out there!”

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