[RangeWalker]

On December 27, 2012, based on a telephone solicitation, my wife and I agreed to have the above named firm, based in New Port Richey, FL, perform an annual-type maintenance servicing of our home's air conditioning system, at a cost of $49.95. Regrettably, we did not record the call, but my wife definitely recollects the telemarketer promising complete service including a pound of Freon, if necessary. The service was scheduled to be done on December 28, 2012.

The All Star technician was not in the house more than two minutes when it became apparent that his primary purpose was not to service our air conditioning system, but to sell us additional equipment and services. That is, shortly after opening our Air Handler, he became nearly hysterical about the "very, very bad" growth of mold on the bottom of the blower. After running out to his truck and donning a kind of 'Haz-Mat' mask, undoubtedly to impress upon us the seriousness of the situation, he then launched into animated sales pitch for two different types of ultraviolet light-emitting devices, emphasizing that "mold is a living organism that can't be killed!"

When we expressed skepticism, his sales pitch became more agitated, informing us that if we didn't buy and install the ultraviolet light devices, we would soon have mold growing out of the air ducts in our ceiling. Somehow he never got around to explaining how ultraviolet light devices can kill "a living organism that can't be killed!".

As a way of reinforcing his sales pitch, he then took a utility knife and quickly cut a large, irregular hole in my air handler's plenum directly above the blower. Using his flashlight he 'discovered' that the mold growth was 'very bad' throughout the entire plenum. At my demand, he 'repaired' the hole he had made by slathering on a couple of yards of duct tape in a shoddy manner.

I have had other heating and air conditioning companies perform annual maintenance service on this house for many years. None has ever 'discovered' any mold in our system, and certainly none has ever been so brazen as to cut a large hole in my air handler to try to reinforce a sales pitch. At that point both my wife and I grew tired of his obnoxious sales pitch, and asked him to complete his servicing as quickly as possible.

I then followed the technician to the back of the house where the condensing unit is located. After removing the access panel he announced that the system was "Two pounds low on Freon", and that he would install it at $98.95 a pound. I told him that according to the telemarketer, the servicing would include up to one pound of Freon free. The technician advised me that offer was for some other type of Freon, not the R-22 that was in residential units. At that point I made it clear that he should leave my premises. Ever brazen, he made it equally clear that he would be collecting the $49.95 fee for the 'service', even though his 'servicing' consisted mainly of aggressive and abrasive sales pitches.

I subsequently had a reputable company come in and check my air conditioning. Their technician reported that our system might need “an ounce or two” or Freon, but was certainly within tolerance. The price for Freon quoted by the reputable company was $48.00 per pound, not $98.00.

In conclusion, I realize that absent a recording of the call, I cannot actually prove deception on the part of All Star’s telemarketer, so I can't accuse them outright of attempting to run a scam. But their business practices are unsavory, to say the least, so be wary of All Star Heating and Cooling from New Port Richey.

[oxfordnative]

IMO, a good tip to live by: Keep your business close to home. It makes people so much more accountable, but just in my opinion!