How to avoid getting scammed by an AC scammer
Scam artists come in all shapes and sizes. ClimateCare customers across Ontario receive door to door visits from people claiming to be ClimateCare contractors a few times every season, and we get calls occasionally when our customers decide to reveal the scammers for what they are.
If somebody knocks on your door claiming to be there for a scheduled maintenance call when you don’t remember booking maintenance, or receiving a maintenance reminder in your email inbox, there are a few easy ways to figure out if they really are with ClimateCare.
Telltale signs of the AC scammer
- A plain truck:
Customers always report an unmarked van, rather than the obviously identifiable ClimateCare branded van. If you can’t tell by looking at the van, the person at your door isn’t one of ours. When we’re out in the community, why wouldn’t we want to broadcast it? It’s great, free marketing.
- The outfit:
Our team wears clearly branded uniforms every day. It’s the same as the branding on our trucks. We’re clean, trustworthy and want members of the community to see us at work.
- A branded invoice:
Your contractor carries an invoice for you to review before/after your service is complete. The invoice is adorned with our logo. If the technician is unwilling to show the invoice, or the invoice they present doesn’t have the correct logo, they aren’t with ClimateCare.
- A phone call:
Ask the technician to request the ClimateCare office call you to confirm the scheduled service. The call should come from your ClimateCare contractor, not a residential or blocked number. You could also ask them to wait outside while you call the number at the top of our website.
- Certification:
Your contractor is gas certified with a Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSAA) number. We carry this certification at all times and will provide it when asked. This is an official technical document, and if the technician can’t show you theirs, they aren’t with ClimateCare.
What do I do if I’m confronted by a scammer?
Say goodbye, close the door and write down their license plate if you can. Then give your local contractor a call to let them know you’ve been visited by a shady scammer.
ClimateCare technicians are easy to identify in all the ways listed above. Don’t let somebody claiming to be something they’re not inside your home.
