Same happened to us in Florida, guy said we needed a new AC actually. We called another place they had it cleaned out and working in 20 minutes for $175. Been 8 months since.
I “almost” got ripped off last year on 5 bundles of shingles, good thing I watched them load them back on the truck I asked how many bundles were left , he said we used them all , lying a$$⭕️ I went back to the company and said ,, you ripped me off 5 bundles , they had to give me back my money ,, about 400$ You have to watch Every company
I had this happen with my car! They wanted to charge me 4k for an entirely new exhaust system. I asked my normal repair guy and they fixed it for $50 by welding metal onto the cracked pipes.
You need to file a report with the better business bureau and also leave a review on their Google maps or Yelp site review about your experience with that company....you will be helping other consumers by informing them of your experience so that they can avoid the scam!!!
Investigate the company absolutely. Their lack of transparency is suspicious and troubling. Any honest company would immediately terminate the employee, apologize and condemn the behavior and offer a promise and solution to improve or ensure quality and standards to protect their reputation.
This is what happens when they let poorly trained technicians make commission on repairs. Who knows how many people he’s done to. I’m sure the company encourages it
It is a felony. The statute is “theft by trick or fraud” at least in CA. Not that the DA would prosecute in any big city seeing the race of the victim and criminal. That’s what’s important in CA.😂
And to think this happens all the time…I read one comment on a different video from a guy who said they had just gotten home from his dads funeral and his mothers ac had stopped running so they got a tech out there to look at it…the guy I guess had some knowledge about hvac cuz he knew right away that the hvac tech was trying to scam his mother out of $30,000 for a new ac when they’d just had the one they had installed a few years prior…all it ended up being was a run capacitor …a $10 part that a layman could swap out….$30,000 for a $10 capacitor that blew….yeah…it should be illegal
15 years ago my AC unit stopped cooling. My wife called the “ Local AC place.” The tech says your compressor is bad. It’ll need to be replaced. Then he says we just happen to have a sale going on and I can’t replace your unit for $5000.00 my wife calls me at work and tearfully says that we need a new AC unit. FOR 5 GRAND! I told her to send them on their way. We’ll get a second opinion. My coworker suggested his neighbor a retired AC technician take a look. My wife calls 2 hours later. Extremely happy. The old school retired AC fellow had discovered a faulty connection. We still have the same unit. He wouldn’t take a payment. He had a glass of iced tea with my wife and kids and was on his way. My wife and I have wondered several times. How many unsuspecting elderly folks on fixed incomes have been robbed by unscrupulous turds.
I’m a pool contractor… And I’ve seen other POOL companies do all sorts of criminal things like that… I don’t get it… Just living with yourself, knowing you’re a thief would not be worth it. Not to mention, if you believe in God, stealing is probably not a good idea.
@@Red-m5m Sounds like textbook projection. You’ll tell on yourself every single time (subconsciously). Can’t trust people because of the things you’ve either done or will do if given the opportunity. My girl Lauryn Hill said it best, “How you gonna win if you ain’t right within?” And the “it’s a joke” and any other ploy to escape accountability is played out. Unpack it in therapy or something... 😂
When I was around 14 or 15, my dad started teaching me how to fix things myself. He taught me how to weld, auto mechanics, basic electrical and plumbing, HVAC, and carpentry. After he passed, I kept learning more and more on all of the trades. This helped me to get a great job as an HVAC tech. At 62 I’m retired now and can’t remember the last time I had to call a tech for anything. This has saved me a LOT of money over the years. Thanks dad for all you taught me over the years and I think of you everyday. Knowledge is power, people.
Believe me. I wish I were more handy. Then men on my mom's side came from a line of carpenters and handymen who did their own work...that wasn't the case on my mom's side. Right now, I'm having someone come in to replace two ventilation fans in kitchens and another person to repair a broken window.
I'm capable of fixing anything from a car to an appliance to a GC/Mass Spectrometer. What I don't have is the expensive tools to charge my own heat pump with R-410A. ;-)
He was smiling like damn, I hope all the other people I’ve charged to fix their “micro leaks” don’t end up watching this, or our company might be looking at a mega leak of its money paying some lawyers. 😂
I'm a computer consultant. I've seen so many people ripped off. When they call me and I've even told them how to fix themselves for free over the phone, I gained a customer for life!
He's likely pressured for up sales and gets a commission on what he sells. Selling fixes for non-existent problems is easy. His employer is as much the problem as he is. Not good.
When my furnace stopped working, I called a HVAC company, the guy comes in takes a look and reports that its old and totally busted; needs to be replaced. Gives me a quote of $22K. Me as a first time home owner who just moved in that summer was not planning to replace the entire heating system. No way. So I go around looking for several other guys in the area, one kid shows up takes a look and says there is nothing wrong the blower fan wire got loose which is failing the checks. Charges me $150 for the visit, replaces the filter etc. and leaves in 20 min. Its been 7 years now and the furnace still works fine.
@@vietnam1978 Dude, they can't come out for free and then fix a problem for free. It's a business, not a charity. Most AC companies in the Dallas/ft worth around charge about $100 just to diagnose. "Hey spend your time, gas, and resources to fix my issues." Entitled behavior. Plus he works for a company so they'll be more expensive vs hiring someone that's independent.
idk maybe he's just a crappy HVAC tech and really misdiagnosed the problem this is a problem in every profession where you have clueless workers....or he's a just a scumbag, who knows
Every blue collar company does this lmao… Then they go home at the end of the day thinking “Damn I just made a lot of money” while not thinking about the American people he made it off of🤦🏽♂️
@@UFCSTARSSupplier, contractor… they all sound the same to someone who has never worked in the real world and compensates for these failures with projection of his moral insecurity by judging randos on UA-cam.
@@1Link4Life Service call is included in that price. It usually costs at least $80-$120 to get an A/C mechanic to knock on your door. I retired in 2005. We were charging $85 then. It's not that much when you figure the man, the truck, the gas, licensing and insurance. $150 is very fair.
Yeah I get what you're saying, but it's considered a service call and they typically tell you upfront about the charge. Factor in travel time and the time for diagnosis, and it's not too terrible.
@@Fucyocouchninja So we can just assume he is a desperate sob story that is scamming others and even in some situations, indebting people? The employee knows it is wrong and he chose to stay, because it aligns with his integrity: non-existant. A honest person would have sued the company as soon as he noticed that.
Sad thing is that's just the easy-to-check occupations. I can promise you that this behaviour is equally distributed across all of society. Attorneys cheat just as much as HVAC technicians but its harder to catch them
Adding that $36 dollars, I guess he thought would make the bill seem more believable!! With that said, knowing what was actually wrong with the AC and that it would only take 5 minutes to find and 1 minute to fix, even $150 seems to be a little high! And no, I don't know anything about repairing an AC but $50-$70 for labor and time would be a little more reasonable, in this economy!!
You’re so right. Doesn’t matter if it’s a home contractor or auto mechanic or anything else, I feel like I have to mentally prepare myself for battle when I need service. So sad for me and for you.
Not really when you put it all together. Minimum charge is a hour. Say the tech gets 35 a hr and then you got the over head gas, insurances auto liability and comp Then the benefits package vision dental and heating care. Then the over head for the shop and truck payments ect. I mean I would have not charged with just a wire disconnected but I run my owe shop and most companies demand you to charge. But 150 is normal it's just a one hour Minimum charge
This happened to me. I called and requested to have my coils cleaned in my hvac unit in my attic. I was quoted $90.00. The guy came out, told me my unit was completely rusted, told me i needed to upgrade my thermostats to smart digital, which were brand new ecobee just installed and my system had completely failed. He then presented a bill for $13,000.00. He billed me $250.00 for the "service call". I told him I was quoted 90 dollars and he gave me a bunch of lip service. I declined his repair and paid his ripoff fee. I bought a $9.00 can of coil cleaner and did it myself. My system has been running perfect ever since.
Man, how dirty was your coil? Your filter should not allow your indoor coil to get dirty.. And your outdoor coil just needs a hose. And 90$ would be a service call to get them to your house. I find this story hard to believe. But the sad thing is, there's so much dishonesty out there that it's possible. I've only ever had to clean evap coils on certain types of A/C units where mice build nests and the coils get a fur coat/ mice bodys
This was gold. That company is finished, and they deserve it. This was no small scam. I hope this gets taken a step further and that company gets sued. Great work Inside edition!
I doubt anything will happen. Even if it does they’ll just change names and start up again, even move offices if they have to. Also inside edition is untrustworthy tabloid stuff most of the time so no one takes it seriously anymore.
Highly doubt they're finished, at all. If you Google them this news report doesn't come up at all, and they have a 4.4 review rating on Google with over 4,000 reviews... they ain't going nowhere
I had a new ac unit put in two years ago and this last summer ac wasnt turning on. Lady on phone said it would be $200 plus just to have a tech come out and check. Guy came out and my breaker keeps popping and that’s what it was he gave me a friends number to have that fixed (haven’t done it yet) but told me he wasn’t going to charge me for something like that even if he had to come out to look. Cool dude. That’s the way it should be. Especially seeing that it’s brand new.
OMG, that dude is RUINED. they didn't even blur his name or face! And giving the name of the company is just total chef's kiss on top. Some news stations don't bother because...reasons .
People change their name all the time to avoid a publicized negative name in a criminal investigation. Same thing with hit and run cars where the car owner claims the original plate is stolen and registers a new plate. That is how they avoid negative publicity on websites that document criminal driving incidents.
They all do that, I had a problem with my unit, it wasn’t blowing to one of the 4 rooms upstairs and each guy told me that I needed 12k to replace the system even though the system works fine in other rooms except one. Obviously a clog in the duct but they pushed for total replacement
Watch out for A1 Air in Dallas, Texas. Those guys came out for a "free quote," and within 5 mins told me I needed to replace my whole system at a cost of $12k. I told them no thanks and they tried to charge me $95 for a "Sevice call fee," which was supposed to be free. They told me thats only if they get the job. I told them to kick rocks. I had a friend reccomend a guy who works out of his truck who came and repaired it with a $75 part. Still working 10 years later.
I had something similar. My 20 year old HVAC system was on its last legs and I knew I needed to replace it. I called around and one big named company wanted $125 to just give me a quote. I called a small local HVAC company with a good reputation and he came by within a couple of hours and made a very reasonable quote, free of charge. I had a brand new unit installed three days later, for $1,500 less than others. Always shop around, the companies with multiple commercials on TV and UA-cam may not be your best bet.
@@Russ228 That's a weird comment for you to make about my experience with A1 Air. I guess according to you, I just picked A1 Air out of the blue and decided to bad mouth them for no reason at all. You're a weird guy and that checks out with my experience with A1 Air.
Because of this the guy is easily going to be recognizable and he's never going to get a client in the industry again. Kudos to the other guys. Their integrity is commendable in these times.
Only a small percentage of people will see this, and will forget what he looks like by tomorrow. That aside, the business didn’t respond which means they probably tell their employees to do this. He won’t be fired.
Probably doesn't know how to use most of them, judging by his diagnostic skills. I've worked with those types. Always looking for the next "hustle". Nevermind that they don't know how to actually do the job.
Hvac tech here. If you hire a company that pays commission to their techs, it incentivizes them to do expensive repairs/sell new units instead of doing simple repairs.
@@TechTails I used to work for a copier repair company that paid bonuses to their techs for not replacing parts. I had a coworker that would work my territory when I wasn't available, and he'd rig anything he could to avoid replacing parts. He got nice bonuses. Then the machine would break shortly after, and I'd be the one replacing parts. I'd get docked for the machine breaking down again plus the part. I'd rarely get a bonus. Needless to say, I quit that job. This is why you always ALWAYS get 2-3 opinions on something like this. I had a guy scam me on some handyman work and learned it the hard way. Now, I always get 3 quotes before ANY job is done.
@@durellscott9411 possible but I would say anytime you can make more money on commission people tend to stretch the truth to pad their pockets at the expense of hard working individuals
An ac tech gor me with the capacitor scam. About 6 months later I, by luck, found a place that tested the old capacitor. Tested 100% fine, took the results to the company to worn them about their tech. The owner got extremely defensive and said I bought a new capacitor to scam him. Basically confirming he was in on it.
Lol. I thought the same thing. Ppl like that ruin things for everyone else. He should be fired but too bad it seems like the company he works for is just as crooked as he is.
Exactly. An upsell is actually legit. It’s “alright you bought this. Now I have something you might want to add on to benefit you even more.” This is just pure fraud.
and remember, on behalf of the company he works for. She wouldn't be writing a check to Dan Smith, it would be to Gold Medal. Gold Medal is running this racket.
I’m a contractor, and I personally love when the cost is LOWER than the owner expected. That’s a good feeling to sell quality work at a reasonable price.
ALWAYS get a second opinion. My air handler was sweating profusely causing major leaks, my secondary pan would get filled up with water within a few hours and I had to constantly water vacuum it. Called a guy who quoted me $2400 because "the problem lied in my ductwork not being the right size for my unit". Doubting him, I called 2nd guy, who came in and did some minor tweaks and was done within 45 mins. Charged me $80 and it fixed the problem.
@stormblazt I agree if it sounds unreasonable to get someone else. In pittsburgh there is a company called gailece (hvac and plumbing) I called them up for a plumbing issue that they wanted to charge $2400 to repair, asked the tech to leave and called another company who said just a clogged pipe for $65.
Same thing happening in India also . Service technician from AC company check the Indoor unit and asked to replace both BLDC motor and PCB of indoor unit which claims faultly and gives estimation around 8000 ruppees . I rejected their service and asked some local technician which they repaired for 600 rs which less than 10 percent cost asked by AC company. Now AC is running for 3 years without problem. One more thing was , AC unit was brand new brought before covid which we didn't use much on Covid period.
I like that three out of the four guys were honorable and did their jobs professionally and ethically. The despicable guy who wanted to overcharge for problems that didn't even exist deserves to be shamed.
You could tell who was the scammer by the umbrella even before he diagnosed the problem. All other techs fixed problem in the time it took him to put umbrella up.
It’s crazy how he just silently packs his bags and leaves asap; that’s how you know he’s 100% guilty. If it was an honest mistake he would’ve at least tried to apologize or offer some kind of explanation…
They should be criminally charged, fined and fully investigated for past criminality to other customers. Get his name and post it everywhere as a thief!
Wishful thinking … but in every industry including auto and medical they have you grabbing your ankles and only if you have a little knowledge or know someone that you’ll be aware you’re getting take. Advantage of
This should be a weekly tv show like To catch a Predator. Every week they can bust dishonest contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, ect..) trying to rip off home owners.
A similar show called, "To Catch A Contractor", that was aired years ago but, it was canceled because, one of the contractors that they caught, successfully sued for, 'defamation'.
You can’t trust ANYONE. I had someone come out to fix my boiler unit and quoted me $800 for a new pressure tank and gauge. I literally bought a tank online for $30 screwed it on and have been going strong for 2 1/2 years 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ women and elders have to watch out!
Same thing happened to me I called this one AC company, you know the one with the little dog and the guy with the flashlight helping his dad the their estimate was $20,000 I got a hold of an independent contractor $5000.00 nothing had to be replaced except for a motor yes that should be criminal offense
I believe this is felony criminal fraud and civil fraud (so you can sue him as well). Edit: the best part is since he was on the job you could sue his company as well which makes the case 100000x better than if he was just a solo guy because insurance means there is no doubt - there’s money available to the plaintiff 😊
@@ConspiracyQueryDotNet yea, he got congratulated.. for being honest. that’s what this whole segment is about… I swear yall find negativity in anything, it’s really sad actually
@@tailwhup Man, that's wild to be okay with $150 as pretty much the "drive over there fee." I guess the scammer guy at the end double-scammed himself: in addition to leaving his tools behind, he missed out on $150 that he could have charged if he had just re-connected it lol.
This is not even that bad. My elderly neighbor got a $5000 quote to fix her not working A/C which 'required' a new compressor unit. I happened to walk by and asked the tech strait up if it could be the capacitor, as those often go bad and should cost $20-$40 (without labor). he said No, the unit has to go. I convinced neighbor to send him away (he still charged her $150 diagnostic fee) and went looking for a capacitor. $20 and some minutes later (an honest A/C repairman working a few streets over was kind enough to sell me one from his stash), the unit is cooling again, and have been for months since.
That is great. What I tell my friends is that while I am not and AC guy if they call me, I can most likely keep them from getting ripped off. The most common problems in my experience (capacitors, motors, contactors, and thermostats, breakers.) many people could do on their own with the help of UA-cam. What that guy tried to do to your neighbor should be prosecutable.
I’ve researched enough to know a decent amount of AC work. Had an issue with our unit (bad start cap and a leak). The tech came out in less than 24 hours and replaced the cap and charged the system, gave info for a leak diag. He was apologizing that their billing was weird (ie they mark up the cap and refrigerant instead of charging a $150 “qualified dude appeared with equipment to fix problem” fee plus labor) but I told him his ability to appear and restore the system to operation in a heat wave was far more important.
If the company was legit, they would have responded with an apology and assurances the guy was fired. They didn't. It's very likely their business model. They couldn't even pretend to be legit.
@@ONI1013. yep. There's a company local to me that has a reputation of pushing their techs to up sell all the time. My friend had a 15 year old unit and the tech tried to hard sell him a $2K, UV light unit add on that supposedly killed mold and mildew.
@@MrJCerqueira Well, of course they're going to have to charge money for the time that it takes for one of their technicians to drive out to a house and diagnose an AC problem and fix even a simple AC problem. The AC companies have bills and salaries and taxes to pay, too, you know.
The $150.00 was the companies' service charge. They get that when they pull up to your property after a call from the owner. That usually includes 30 to 45 minutes of their time with no additional charge. These companies have to be profitable to stay in business and answer our calls when we need them year-round. I'm glad to see an honest repairman!!
*And*, he was smart to charge the $150. I've seen others not charge anything when they find something this suspicious which tells me that they smelled a rat and tried to come off like heroes. This guy was just stupid - that was clearly a setup.
@@ohger1 That isnt true. I had a plumber come to my house to fix my toilet. It was a simple fix of a rubber thing he put on to reseal it. He was there for like 5 minutes. He just changed me a few bucks for the part and no service charge. I gave him a $20 as a tip.
@@Dave_Langer Oh, I see. It's wonderful that all the salaries, insurances, tools, taxes, federal contributions etc. were suspended for your job. I also threw a lot of free work to people for various reasons, but none of that changed my overhead.
Honestly, he could have easily charged $150 for the service charge, then another hour for finding and fixing the wire. Depending upon the agreed upon rate, it could easily be a few hundred dollars; but that also means that the tech would have had to consult with you on the repair beforehand. Technically, the tech should have gone over the repair with the homeowner before the repair. But I also like to shadow the tech ( stand nearby watching ) so it would not have been a big delay anyways.
And that’s why I bought a spare USA made capacitor for $30 as back up after seeing someone replace one. Everyone should find out which one they need and buy a spare one so you don’t have need an emergency call
@@TobyCostaRica If you have a multimeter with capacitance test, it's also good measure to test it annually or bi-annually. If it's low, replace. No reason to wait for it to fail completely.
It's not about color. Anybody can grow up like this guy and work for people like this. What is wrong with the minds of people in this comment section? It's environmental, not skin color.
I think this video is like a racisms propaganda because the other black person fixing it in a good way wasn't show so much at the program, just the nice white boy Coincidence? Mericans...
Then why defend the man because of his color? If it's not about color, your comment might have just been about what a crook he is. After all, it's about the action. Right?
How and where do you get them? You deal with the independent guys and they have to always go get a part; you deal with the contractors, they rip you off but they get the work done.
@@Imissyoulouthat's kinda how it works 💁♂️ independent guys charge you less cuz they're independent, companies will fix it quick but charge you more. You can't expect to have everything lol.
I had my ac unit yearly service. Tech told me I needed a new coil and few other things that would cost me $2100. I knew he was lying the Ac was working perfectly. So I told him my brother was a certified Ac tech in Alabama. He will check it for me and I just wait. After I said that, He said let me check Ac one more time just to be sure. He went back outside and said, I recheck it and said you really don't need anything done look like your Ac is working perfectly fine now. I know he went outside to repair what he had done to the Ac unit!! I thank God for wisdom and exposuring that Lair AC Tech!!!!!
Something like this is why I quit my job, and went to take a a little more then minimum wage 30 something years old, I work for about 4 to 5 different companies in new construction, started learning the ins and outs of homes, and now not only do I all my own repairs, I make over 6-figures as an inspector, it took me about 7 years to get all the education with 4 of them being directly in line with my job, I’ve worked at LAX, and other big name projects all over CA, and can fix almost anything in my house alone
150 dollars is not bad at all and shows honesty if they find an actual problem and taking pictures/videos. Charging for 1,750 for a non existent leak with no pictures or video is a pure scam.
I had an electrician come out recently because I thought I drilled through a wire in the wall when I was running cat7 cable in the house since the power went out in that area of the house. I checked the breaker box all looked normal. Tech said I simply tripped that breaker even though the power switch didn't physically move. He not only charged me nothing, he reFUSED a tip for his time.
Kind of crazy how quickly we've normalized such a high service call fee though. Was half that not too long ago. Everything has basically doubled in record time within the last decade, most of it in the last four years. Companies using inflation as an excuse to rip people off. I'm so sick of it.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
What makes it worse is the company he worked for wouldn’t respond. Crooked company there.
He worked for “Treyvon Brothas HVDC Limited”.
Exactly
they probably tell all their techs to up sale customers
@@WW3_Soon...Probably use to work for them, once they heard about that video, we all know he was gone out that door.
How would they respond? Ha Ha
This literally just happened to me last week. He was charging $2500 for a replacement and I called another tech who fixed it for $100. Ridiculous.
I wonder how many good reviews bad apple got.
Same happened to us in Florida, guy said we needed a new AC actually. We called another place they had it cleaned out and working in 20 minutes for $175. Been 8 months since.
I “almost” got ripped off last year on 5 bundles of shingles, good thing I watched them load them back on the truck
I asked how many bundles were left , he said we used them all , lying a$$⭕️
I went back to the company and said ,, you ripped me off 5 bundles , they had to give me back my money ,, about 400$
You have to watch Every company
I had this happen with my car! They wanted to charge me 4k for an entirely new exhaust system. I asked my normal repair guy and they fixed it for $50 by welding metal onto the cracked pipes.
You need to file a report with the better business bureau and also leave a review on their Google maps or Yelp site review about your experience with that company....you will be helping other consumers by informing them of your experience so that they can avoid the scam!!!
That’s pure fraud he wanted to commit. That company should be prosecuted and shut down.
They could mix it up by doing car repairs, home repairs. ❤😂
This is a fun and easy case for a local district attorney. They get major points for prosecuting stuff like this.
Investigate the company absolutely. Their lack of transparency is suspicious and troubling. Any honest company would immediately terminate the employee, apologize and condemn the behavior and offer a promise and solution to improve or ensure quality and standards to protect their reputation.
This is what happens when they let poorly trained technicians make commission on repairs. Who knows how many people he’s done to. I’m sure the company encourages it
There probably getting shut down now and fined out the wazzoooo.
It’s Gold Medal, they did the same thing to me. Were charging me $15k for a job that was $650.
Because they rarely get jobs that cost so much and they just really want money
Gold medal is knowing for that
Should be a felony. No different than stealing $1700
Agreed
"Bait and switch" is a common practice by slimy companies like that.
It is a felony. The statute is “theft by trick or fraud” at least in CA. Not that the DA would prosecute in any big city seeing the race of the victim and criminal. That’s what’s important in CA.😂
And to think this happens all the time…I read one comment on a different video from a guy who said they had just gotten home from his dads funeral and his mothers ac had stopped running so they got a tech out there to look at it…the guy I guess had some knowledge about hvac cuz he knew right away that the hvac tech was trying to scam his mother out of $30,000 for a new ac when they’d just had the one they had installed a few years prior…all it ended up being was a run capacitor …a $10 part that a layman could swap out….$30,000 for a $10 capacitor that blew….yeah…it should be illegal
Yeah in Ohio that's called theft by deception@@drewd7824
15 years ago my AC unit stopped cooling. My wife called the “ Local AC place.” The tech says your compressor is bad. It’ll need to be replaced. Then he says we just happen to have a sale going on and I can’t replace your unit for $5000.00 my wife calls me at work and tearfully says that we need a new AC unit. FOR 5 GRAND! I told her to send them on their way. We’ll get a second opinion. My coworker suggested his neighbor a retired AC technician take a look. My wife calls 2 hours later. Extremely happy. The old school retired AC fellow had discovered a faulty connection. We still have the same unit. He wouldn’t take a payment. He had a glass of iced tea with my wife and kids and was on his way. My wife and I have wondered several times. How many unsuspecting elderly folks on fixed incomes have been robbed by unscrupulous turds.
I just had to gave my compressor changed yesterday and the charged $166 lol
I'm adding "unscrupulous turd" to my list of insults.
I’m a pool contractor… And I’ve seen other POOL companies do all sorts of criminal things like that…
I don’t get it… Just living with yourself, knowing you’re a thief would not be worth it.
Not to mention, if you believe in God, stealing is probably not a good idea.
@red-m5m I was waiting for someone to tell him 😂
@@Red-m5m Sounds like textbook projection. You’ll tell on yourself every single time (subconsciously). Can’t trust people because of the things you’ve either done or will do if given the opportunity.
My girl Lauryn Hill said it best, “How you gonna win if you ain’t right within?”
And the “it’s a joke” and any other ploy to escape accountability is played out. Unpack it in therapy or something... 😂
I'm an HVAC service technician and that guy is what I despise.
That knock he did at the door, I instantly know it’s a kid or scam
He's doing what he is told by management or he is incompetent. 😮
@@Fred-xo3ku something, something, commission dawg.
I’m just a service tech (that doesn’t fix ac) and that guy is what I despise, too.
@@jimk8520 thank you for being an honest human.
I'm an HVAC contractor, thank you for exposing dishonest companies and technitians.
When I was around 14 or 15, my dad started teaching me how to fix things myself. He taught me how to weld, auto mechanics, basic electrical and plumbing, HVAC, and carpentry. After he passed, I kept learning more and more on all of the trades. This helped me to get a great job as an HVAC tech. At 62 I’m retired now and can’t remember the last time I had to call a tech for anything. This has saved me a LOT of money over the years. Thanks dad for all you taught me over the years and I think of you everyday. Knowledge is power, people.
Believe me. I wish I were more handy. Then men on my mom's side came from a line of carpenters and handymen who did their own work...that wasn't the case on my mom's side. Right now, I'm having someone come in to replace two ventilation fans in kitchens and another person to repair a broken window.
I'm capable of fixing anything from a car to an appliance to a GC/Mass Spectrometer. What I don't have is the expensive tools to charge my own heat pump with R-410A. ;-)
They call that toxic masculinity now. 🤣
God bless your dad brother, its a beautiful thing sharing knowledge with those you love.
My dad ran off, thanks for rubbing it in my face guy....🤣
He left the tools knowing he'd never need them again...
Tools were sold on Facebook for $1736 😂😂😂
And the company can say it was not approved so they can legally take the cost of tools he left behind out his last paycheck.🤣😂👍
He ran to the truck for his gat but reason set in.
😂😂😂
@@bobbyr8071foreal??
That is outright FRAUD. NJ state Attorneys General should be targeting that company AND technician.
The owner might not even know about this. The guy could be doing this sort of “on the side.”😂
No he has to take payment directly to the business. He just scammed cause that company is sketchy
@@rainacherienne1010 $100 says you're exactly right.
@@justislugga I had one ask for half cash. Looked like him too.
@Rumpelstiltskin-yv4ep a shame you have to post it that way. This site stinks.
The least Gold Medal could've done is respond and condemn the tech's action but they didn't so it says a lot about the company as a whole.
which tells us that it's Gold Medal company policy to lie and milk the customers.
They won’t because that’s how they move. Don’t fix it sell it.
He wasn’t trying to upsell, he was ripping you off and couldn’t help but smile as he was caught.
He was smiling like damn, I hope all the other people I’ve charged to fix their “micro leaks” don’t end up watching this, or our company might be looking at a mega leak of its money paying some lawyers. 😂
Always the black ones
@@Ichigo94-u5jdon’t make it a race thing, leaving comments about race, be ashamed
@@beatris6065 is you mad?
Simply just don't import workers from 3rd world countries it's a common practice in 3rd world countries.
Keep exposing these criminals!
no worries Bro, all doctors doing the same. Just go to the hospital
I'm a computer consultant. I've seen so many people ripped off. When they call me and I've even told them how to fix themselves for free over the phone, I gained a customer for life!
It’s not difficult to discern. Race is much more profound than our paint jobs.
This is like To Catch A Predator but for repairmen
You know darn well he's done that before. That was not his first time for sure. Way to calm.
While he’s culpable, it’s his employer who tells the technicians to rob the customer.
@@TowGunnerit’s so easy to run with the narrative. He made a mistake and he wasn’t sure what was really going on
Not everyone has the same demeanor, quite obviously.
He's likely pressured for up sales and gets a commission on what he sells. Selling fixes for non-existent problems is easy. His employer is as much the problem as he is. Not good.
@@bhollingsworth He a gud boy n he aint did nuffin
When my furnace stopped working, I called a HVAC company, the guy comes in takes a look and reports that its old and totally busted; needs to be replaced. Gives me a quote of $22K. Me as a first time home owner who just moved in that summer was not planning to replace the entire heating system. No way. So I go around looking for several other guys in the area, one kid shows up takes a look and says there is nothing wrong the blower fan wire got loose which is failing the checks. Charges me $150 for the visit, replaces the filter etc. and leaves in 20 min. Its been 7 years now and the furnace still works fine.
Love that they straight up told us the companies to avoid
Yea so everyone need to make sure to save up this video
The guy who charged them $150 is also crazy
@@vietnam1978not really. That’s probably his companies standard fee just to come out and look. Probably didn’t charge for connecting the wire
@@jaw3415 still insane
@@vietnam1978 Dude, they can't come out for free and then fix a problem for free. It's a business, not a charity. Most AC companies in the Dallas/ft worth around charge about $100 just to diagnose.
"Hey spend your time, gas, and resources to fix my issues." Entitled behavior. Plus he works for a company so they'll be more expensive vs hiring someone that's independent.
Should be arrested for deceptive practice , lies and stealing money from customer!!!
That's the problem: this fraud and theft is civil, when it should be criminal.
@@LloydChristmas-vx2wh
Fraud is criminal.
idk maybe he's just a crappy HVAC tech and really misdiagnosed the problem this is a problem in every profession where you have clueless workers....or he's a just a scumbag, who knows
He is stealing he didn’t find a leak at all.
We should arrest the government too
My man tried to beat them for $1700, and ended up leaving $2000 in tools 😅😅😅
Maybe more like 300 in tools.
@@Zx14rrrrrrrrrrrIf he’s scamming people for money, I can tell ya it’s a 90% chance he stole those tools
@@regbart no
That's the game of the trade. 😆 🤣
He black! figures lol
That really doesn’t surprise me . The technician realized the homeowner was at his mercy and took advantage of the situation.
This right here should be one of the primary functions of the press: helping to force people to stay honesty. Bravo!
I've said the same on numerous occasions.
I used to work for a major A/C supplier, a lot of contractor's would come in bragging about how much they over charged people, sick individuals.....
You were probably one of them yourself otherwise you would've blown the whistle and left the company!
You should hear car salesman.. it's absolutely disgusting
Every blue collar company does this lmao… Then they go home at the end of the day thinking “Damn I just made a lot of money” while not thinking about the American people he made it off of🤦🏽♂️
@@UFCSTARSSupplier, contractor… they all sound the same to someone who has never worked in the real world and compensates for these failures with projection of his moral insecurity by judging randos on UA-cam.
@@baseball3106 I don't and i go home saying I wish I charged more cause I can't even afford beer.
$1700 fix?! That dude is insane 😂
the reparations tax
$150 is still a lot of money to connect 2 wires.
we fix and sheeeiiiitttt
No, he's a criminal.
@@1Link4Life Service call is included in that price. It usually costs at least $80-$120 to get an A/C mechanic to knock on your door. I retired in 2005. We were charging $85 then. It's not that much when you figure the man, the truck, the gas, licensing and insurance. $150 is very fair.
Only $150 for twisting basic wires? They still got robbed LOL
Yeah I get what you're saying, but it's considered a service call and they typically tell you upfront about the charge. Factor in travel time and the time for diagnosis, and it's not too terrible.
5 dollars for twisting the wire.
145 for knowing which one to twist.
I am so glad they caught and exposed that lying POS! He and/or his company should be charged with fraud.
😂😂 I'm sure his company is the one up sailing not the tech I actually know companies that only care about their parts being sold
3:17 His "wtf?" Face was worth all the effort of the news team
@@Fucyocouchninja So we can just assume he is a desperate sob story that is scamming others and even in some situations, indebting people?
The employee knows it is wrong and he chose to stay, because it aligns with his integrity: non-existant. A honest person would have sued the company as soon as he noticed that.
As a New Jersey resident I can confirm Gold Medal is a garbage company
They should have stuck to making flour.
ouch.
Trying to make lots of *“dough”* is what got them in trouble! 🤣
Got a gold medal on the best garbage company.
I just wanna know who got to keep homie's tool bag? 😁
Need more of this type of video to reveal car repair shops, appliances repair companies...etc
Facts
Sad thing is that's just the easy-to-check occupations. I can promise you that this behaviour is equally distributed across all of society. Attorneys cheat just as much as HVAC technicians but its harder to catch them
If Tyrone shows up expect some hustling 😂😂🤣😂
Inflation bro 🤷🏾♂️
Black excellence!
Usual culprit
@@Centerpointlessyep sadly stereotypes exist for a reason. it's called pattern recognition.
@@justinl9077statistics don’t lie
Tell him come get his tool bag but it'll cost him $1736
Yes that would work… wow Gold Medal Services… they should change their name to Dishonest Medal Services
lol!
Adding that $36 dollars, I guess he thought would make the bill seem more believable!! With that said, knowing what was actually wrong with the AC and that it would only take 5 minutes to find and 1 minute to fix, even $150 seems to be a little high! And no, I don't know anything about repairing an AC but $50-$70 for labor and time would be a little more reasonable, in this economy!!
In Wichita KS they charge 100 to 150 to even show up and take a look. Used to be 75 around 2019@@debbiecollins6517
@@debbiecollins6517 haha exactly, that 36 would have worked on me :D
So, a scammer gets scammed. Good one lmao
🤣🤣🤣 His face when he saw the cameras
He was thinking, "the audacity!"
1 word…BACKFIRE!
👋👋👋👍👍🔫💥😂
Team up with Scammer Payback perhaps? lol
Come to the Philippines, everybody scams you, beware when traveling there.
Poor guy tried to scam her then probably left $2000 in tools behind
Exactly! Now that’s karma!! 🤣🤣🤣
He probably stole it anyways
@@dabbingboidabs4286doubt it
He probably be back later in the night
Poor guy not I don’t see it like that
It’s always the black dude!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hey, noticing that is antisemitic!
Guys like that make our jobs SO MUCH HARDER because customers expect to get scammed and we have to overcome that.
You’re so right. Doesn’t matter if it’s a home contractor or auto mechanic or anything else, I feel like I have to mentally prepare myself for battle when I need service. So sad for me and for you.
Honestly, as a homeowner I forever anticipate that I'd get scammed by the technicians that I called in.
$150 for a 5 minute fix is still insane even if you include 20-30 minutes of driving time
Not really when you put it all together.
Minimum charge is a hour.
Say the tech gets 35 a hr and then you got the over head gas, insurances auto liability and comp
Then the benefits package vision dental and heating care.
Then the over head for the shop and truck payments ect.
I mean I would have not charged with just a wire disconnected but I run my owe shop and most companies demand you to charge.
But 150 is normal it's just a one hour Minimum charge
Man I feel you. I used to be an auto mechanic and I felt that way all the time.
This happened to me. I called and requested to have my coils cleaned in my hvac unit in my attic. I was quoted $90.00. The guy came out, told me my unit was completely rusted, told me i needed to upgrade my thermostats to smart digital, which were brand new ecobee just installed and my system had completely failed. He then presented a bill for $13,000.00. He billed me $250.00 for the "service call". I told him I was quoted 90 dollars and he gave me a bunch of lip service. I declined his repair and paid his ripoff fee. I bought a $9.00 can of coil cleaner and did it myself. My system has been running perfect ever since.
The old bait & switch. Do you really believe they will drive to your home and clean your coils for only 90 dollars?
@@Fred-xo3kuYup. If that was the quote, absolutely
Similar experience.
So basically you still fell for it and he won...
Man, how dirty was your coil? Your filter should not allow your indoor coil to get dirty..
And your outdoor coil just needs a hose.
And 90$ would be a service call to get them to your house.
I find this story hard to believe. But the sad thing is, there's so much dishonesty out there that it's possible.
I've only ever had to clean evap coils on certain types of A/C units where mice build nests and the coils get a fur coat/ mice bodys
This was gold. That company is finished, and they deserve it. This was no small scam. I hope this gets taken a step further and that company gets sued. Great work Inside edition!
Kinda ironic, the name of the company is Gold Medal 😂
I doubt anything will happen. Even if it does they’ll just change names and start up again, even move offices if they have to. Also inside edition is untrustworthy tabloid stuff most of the time so no one takes it seriously anymore.
The black guy? No way im shocked 😅
Highly doubt they're finished, at all. If you Google them this news report doesn't come up at all, and they have a 4.4 review rating on Google with over 4,000 reviews... they ain't going nowhere
@@jasonchavez8706 Sad but true! I would take BLM more seriously otherwise!
I had a new ac unit put in two years ago and this last summer ac wasnt turning on. Lady on phone said it would be $200 plus just to have a tech come out and check. Guy came out and my breaker keeps popping and that’s what it was he gave me a friends number to have that fixed (haven’t done it yet) but told me he wasn’t going to charge me for something like that even if he had to come out to look. Cool dude. That’s the way it should be. Especially seeing that it’s brand new.
This is really eye opening. You don’t see enough investigative reporting like this any more. Please make more of these!
Nationwide.
Wait until you discover who owns the federal reserve and how much corruption lies within the government
Could not agree more!
lol his face when he saw all the cameras
Bro thought he was about to go back.
Cant dribble his way out of this one
@@dabbingboidabs4286😂😂😂
@@Moonerangfixing AC for bubba😂
🌚📸
OMG, that dude is RUINED. they didn't even blur his name or face! And giving the name of the company is just total chef's kiss on top. Some news stations don't bother because...reasons .
People change their name all the time to avoid a publicized negative name in a criminal investigation. Same thing with hit and run cars where the car owner claims the original plate is stolen and registers a new plate. That is how they avoid negative publicity on websites that document criminal driving incidents.
@@animejanai4657
This dude wont change his face tho.
Ruined? Naw. He’ll be on the DNC payroll in a few days.
He's done😂🤣
Crappy apartment complexes do the same trick. They'll get terrible reviews for years, and then change the name and hire new property managers.
They all do that, I had a problem with my unit, it wasn’t blowing to one of the 4 rooms upstairs and each guy told me that I needed 12k to replace the system even though the system works fine in other rooms except one. Obviously a clog in the duct but they pushed for total replacement
Watch out for A1 Air in Dallas, Texas. Those guys came out for a "free quote," and within 5 mins told me I needed to replace my whole system at a cost of $12k. I told them no thanks and they tried to charge me $95 for a "Sevice call fee," which was supposed to be free. They told me thats only if they get the job. I told them to kick rocks.
I had a friend reccomend a guy who works out of his truck who came and repaired it with a $75 part. Still working 10 years later.
I had something similar. My 20 year old HVAC system was on its last legs and I knew I needed to replace it. I called around and one big named company wanted $125 to just give me a quote. I called a small local HVAC company with a good reputation and he came by within a couple of hours and made a very reasonable quote, free of charge. I had a brand new unit installed three days later, for $1,500 less than others. Always shop around, the companies with multiple commercials on TV and UA-cam may not be your best bet.
A1 is a national chain. I never call those.
Hey with I work at A1 don’t say lies about us
@@Russ228 Y'all need some cleaning in your backyard.
@@Russ228 That's a weird comment for you to make about my experience with A1 Air. I guess according to you, I just picked A1 Air out of the blue and decided to bad mouth them for no reason at all.
You're a weird guy and that checks out with my experience with A1 Air.
Because of this the guy is easily going to be recognizable and he's never going to get a client in the industry again.
Kudos to the other guys. Their integrity is commendable in these times.
Only a small percentage of people will see this, and will forget what he looks like by tomorrow. That aside, the business didn’t respond which means they probably tell their employees to do this. He won’t be fired.
I would never hire an aa man anyways
@@Matthew2077 although this HUMAN BEING (that happens to be black) was disgusting, you're in the same exact boat as him.
@@DimeCutie you’re defending a thief that’s what’s wrong with this country nowadays
The other guys probably recognized Lisa 🤣
He left a bag of some of the cleanest tools I’ve ever ever seen in my life😮
Never been used to repair anything, just scam people.
Probably doesn't know how to use most of them, judging by his diagnostic skills. I've worked with those types. Always looking for the next "hustle". Nevermind that they don't know how to actually do the job.
@@nismo2070”those types”
Hehe
@@nismo2070 DEI or affirmative action hire
“Dis $1,736 is muh repahrationz”- Tyrone
Hvac tech here. If you hire a company that pays commission to their techs, it incentivizes them to do expensive repairs/sell new units instead of doing simple repairs.
Thanks for the useless info. How would a client know this? And what's to prevent disclosure from being faked if requested about commissions?
I guess you could call the company and ask. Hopefully you get the truth.
@@TechTails I used to work for a copier repair company that paid bonuses to their techs for not replacing parts. I had a coworker that would work my territory when I wasn't available, and he'd rig anything he could to avoid replacing parts. He got nice bonuses. Then the machine would break shortly after, and I'd be the one replacing parts. I'd get docked for the machine breaking down again plus the part. I'd rarely get a bonus. Needless to say, I quit that job. This is why you always ALWAYS get 2-3 opinions on something like this. I had a guy scam me on some handyman work and learned it the hard way. Now, I always get 3 quotes before ANY job is done.
Milestone in Dallas to the T
I was charged $400 to replace the capacitor. Is that reasonable?
The competition in that area should use this in their ads.
Not just HVAC.. how about auto repair shops
@@Ken-harrisnow thats a dangerous game..cuz i believe there’s organized crime connected to scams like dat 😂
@@durellscott9411 possible but I would say anytime you can make more money on commission people tend to stretch the truth to pad their pockets at the expense of hard working individuals
100%
Sadly this is like moving companies, bing....name changed and such and fresh new numbered company.
They should make a whole tv show based on this. They can call it “How To Catch An HVAC Tech” and it will keep the scammers on their toes
We also need one for Mechanics.
Air Duct Cleaners too...they're a scam.
@@ImSonnyBurnett🎯🎯
we would need one for every industry
@@patrikpass2962It would be great if we did.
An ac tech gor me with the capacitor scam. About 6 months later I, by luck, found a place that tested the old capacitor. Tested 100% fine, took the results to the company to worn them about their tech. The owner got extremely defensive and said I bought a new capacitor to scam him. Basically confirming he was in on it.
Love these type of shows. Exposing scammers, theives, predators. I could watch all day
checkout Kitboga, that guy spends a lot of time and energy messing with scammers...pretty funny stuff.
The Gold Medal company really should be audited to see how many 'microscopic' leaks that they repaired.
Auditors need to review all of their invoices
or DEI hires they have
@@Leonardo-eq4ce Didn't. Earn. It.
@@slaphappy6362 😂😂😂
@Leonardo-eq4ce what's a DEI hire?
Dude tried to charge $1736 in repairs. Leaves Approximately $1736 in equipment. Genius!
To be fair now I see why he has to charge $1736 for a repair. 🤣
Lol if he woulve came back i wouldve told him “what meter?” 😂
@@oskinooa "That'll be $1736 for the bag".
My thoughts exactly 😂😂😂
Lol. I thought the same thing. Ppl like that ruin things for everyone else. He should be fired but too bad it seems like the company he works for is just as crooked as he is.
THE FIRST GUY IN BLUE IS KINDA CUTE, SEEMS HONEST & HAPPY IN WHAT HE'S DOING!! ❤
He wasn't trying to upsell you, he was trying to steal from you.
Exactly. An upsell is actually legit. It’s “alright you bought this. Now I have something you might want to add on to benefit you even more.” This is just pure fraud.
Comes with the race.😢
and remember, on behalf of the company he works for. She wouldn't be writing a check to Dan Smith, it would be to Gold Medal. Gold Medal is running this racket.
@@gamingbigfats3934found the racist trash
It's in his culture
Of course you didn’t hear back. They aren’t going to fire their top sales “tech”.
that was the owner that drove off
I’m a contractor, and I personally love when the cost is LOWER than the owner expected. That’s a good feeling to sell quality work at a reasonable price.
You lie
@@user-oc6ys2de7y😅 lol..I agree..everyone's out for themselves
I wish everyone would be like you! With a consience!
Absolutely agree. Love saving customers money, because then they come back and send referrals. Good business > Grimey business all day!
@@traviss7740 if you know you know!
$150 to place those 2 wires is still highway robbery. $100 is even to much but that should be an extreme cap.
I work in the trade, most companies charge about $100 just to come out.
ALWAYS get a second opinion. My air handler was sweating profusely causing major leaks, my secondary pan would get filled up with water within a few hours and I had to constantly water vacuum it. Called a guy who quoted me $2400 because "the problem lied in my ductwork not being the right size for my unit". Doubting him, I called 2nd guy, who came in and did some minor tweaks and was done within 45 mins. Charged me $80 and it fixed the problem.
@stormblazt
I agree if it sounds unreasonable to get someone else. In pittsburgh there is a company called gailece (hvac and plumbing) I called them up for a plumbing issue that they wanted to charge $2400 to repair, asked the tech to leave and called another company who said just a clogged pipe for $65.
Dang!! Good to know!!
Looks like the drain pipe is cloaked. You can rebuild it with pvc tubes for ten bucks.
We need more of this to keep companies honest.
I agree
It's a shame we gotta do stuff like this! But you're right
Actually in this situation $1736 seems fair , The breakdown details of the invoice: $36 to connect the wires, $1700 for the bag of tools left behind
🤣
💀
Yet they didn't have to pay a dime in this case since he left so early. Snake cam alone that was shown on top of that bag retails at $120.
Lol
LOL
Same thing happening in India also . Service technician from AC company check the Indoor unit and asked to replace both BLDC motor and PCB of indoor unit which claims faultly and gives estimation around 8000 ruppees . I rejected their service and asked some local technician which they repaired for 600 rs which less than 10 percent cost asked by AC company. Now AC is running for 3 years without problem. One more thing was , AC unit was brand new brought before covid which we didn't use much on Covid period.
We need more investigative reports like these.
I'm a big fan of it, companies should be held accountable
Watch the Canadian program called _Marketplace._ They investigate shady contractors and companies with hidden cameras.
@@prim16because Lord knows the politicians won't do it.
@@ariz7493 Yeah, they wouldn't want to hurt their cashflow
I like that three out of the four guys were honorable and did their jobs professionally and ethically. The despicable guy who wanted to overcharge for problems that didn't even exist deserves to be shamed.
Notice the stand-out feature of the bad seed?
Two of them had that stand out feature...
@@ImSonnyBurnett
@@ImSonnyBurnett I may have noticed. So much noticing lately.
@@ImSonnyBurnett WHAT FEATURE?
@@HotdogSosage WHAT FEATURE
You could tell who was the scammer by the umbrella even before he diagnosed the problem. All other techs fixed problem in the time it took him to put umbrella up.
😂😂😂
But nothing is wrong with that umbrella imo though. Especially in Florida, folks don't want to get skin cancer and lots of techs use them for shade
@@cherryfruit5492 Yeah this feels a lot like "haha can't believe you're wearing a bike helmet while riding a bike you're such a loser"
You mean by his skin color?
@@SlyTreeRat The tech was already planning on scamming her which is why he put up the umbrella..he was killing time to make it look legitimate.
It’s crazy how he just silently packs his bags and leaves asap; that’s how you know he’s 100% guilty. If it was an honest mistake he would’ve at least tried to apologize or offer some kind of explanation…
The older you get the more realize nearly everything is a scam.
Life is weird
how is 1 of 4 is nearly everything? serious question
that's a victim mentality there; everyone is out to get you, even when they're not
Certainly see how fraudulent things can be
Remember when we were kids and wondering why older people always seemed grumpy? I'm only mid-forties, and now I understand why!
They should be criminally charged, fined and fully investigated for past criminality to other customers. Get his name and post it everywhere as a thief!
Wishful thinking … but in every industry including auto and medical they have you grabbing your ankles and only if you have a little knowledge or know someone that you’ll be aware you’re getting take. Advantage of
Harris supporter. You know how DA works.
Thank you for not blurring out that scammers face....LET THE PUBLIC KNOW, SO WE CAN PROTECT OURSELVES!!! bravo 👏 👏 👏 guys!
it be the companies some tell u to ript off basically
How embarrassing 🤦🏾♂️
Thor was bugging out, he probably thought he was in to catch a predator.
that's hilarious
😂😂😂😂
He thought Chris hansen was coming out next LMFAO
Thor? Is he misappropriating?
This should be a weekly tv show like To catch a Predator. Every week they can bust dishonest contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, ect..) trying to rip off home owners.
Yes. A few of these going weekly will help keep many more companies honest. Sad, but necessary.
Well it’ll be so many that they companies would start to complain
@@Ken-harris too bad
A similar show called, "To Catch A Contractor", that was aired years ago but, it was canceled because, one of the contractors that they caught, successfully sued for, 'defamation'.
@@C-Lightning Ah yes, American Sue Culture
You can’t trust ANYONE. I had someone come out to fix my boiler unit and quoted me $800 for a new pressure tank and gauge. I literally bought a tank online for $30 screwed it on and have been going strong for 2 1/2 years 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ women and elders have to watch out!
if you can’t trust anyone that includes you lmao calm down
@@alexeiosThat makes no sense
@@alexeioswait what??
@@alexeios
Huh
@@alexeiostroll harder
Same thing happened to me I called this one AC company, you know the one with the little dog and the guy with the flashlight helping his dad the their estimate was $20,000 I got a hold of an independent contractor $5000.00 nothing had to be replaced except for a motor yes that should be criminal offense
im sorry but when you see the guy setting up an umbrella and not a spec of dirt on him, youre gonna get shafted lol
Black excellence!
He should have been locked up for this,it's stealing, and I'm a contractor, but he's a crook
It's the company, not him. Just like auto repair shops.
@@timhoward5 its typically both
Black lives matter😂😂
What was physically stolen? He left her a toolbag.
I believe this is felony criminal fraud and civil fraud (so you can sue him as well).
Edit: the best part is since he was on the job you could sue his company as well which makes the case 100000x better than if he was just a solo guy because insurance means there is no doubt - there’s money available to the plaintiff 😊
That company should lose its license.
They also do jobs under the table and not reporting jobs to their employers
You win the second award for bad knee-jerk reactions. Great job.
The tech should have his license suspended and the company fined for ethics violations.
@jeffreyjohn2037 I mean only if the company is pushing the techs to upsell like that
The people will just register a new company. The next time, the wife will register the company or the son.
Excellent journalism 🙌
the first tech smiling after they congratulated him was so wholesome 😅😂
Yeah that white boy looked so corny I thought he was gonna start blushing. Lil Nancy boy. Does anyone else think this news story is fake?
$150 for five minutes of work, AND he got congratulated on national TV lol.
@@ConspiracyQueryDotNet you do realize they have to charge people for even showing up to identify a problem, they can’t just run a free business..
@@ConspiracyQueryDotNet yea, he got congratulated.. for being honest. that’s what this whole segment is about… I swear yall find negativity in anything, it’s really sad actually
@@tailwhup Man, that's wild to be okay with $150 as pretty much the "drive over there fee." I guess the scammer guy at the end double-scammed himself: in addition to leaving his tools behind, he missed out on $150 that he could have charged if he had just re-connected it lol.
This is not even that bad. My elderly neighbor got a $5000 quote to fix her not working A/C which 'required' a new compressor unit. I happened to walk by and asked the tech strait up if it could be the capacitor, as those often go bad and should cost $20-$40 (without labor). he said No, the unit has to go.
I convinced neighbor to send him away (he still charged her $150 diagnostic fee) and went looking for a capacitor. $20 and some minutes later (an honest A/C repairman working a few streets over was kind enough to sell me one from his stash), the unit is cooling again, and have been for months since.
Bless you man!
That is great. What I tell my friends is that while I am not and AC guy if they call me, I can most likely keep them from getting ripped off. The most common problems in my experience (capacitors, motors, contactors, and thermostats, breakers.) many people could do on their own with the help of UA-cam.
What that guy tried to do to your neighbor should be prosecutable.
5000 thousand dollars and the unit only needed a capacitor. 😮
You're a great neighbor!
She should have charged back that fraudulent diagnostic charge, he didn't diagnose anything and tried to steal more of her money instead.
I would offer to sell him the bag for $1,750 😂 let him know you fixed it and that it had a microscopic leak…
😂😂😂
So small, he couldn't even see it.
Pretty sure he would just buy a new tool bag and tools for $400 lol but ya I get u
That was the lamest joke I ever heard, you can't be over 15 right? Lol
@@Jacobjsjkk is this Thor?
I’ve researched enough to know a decent amount of AC work. Had an issue with our unit (bad start cap and a leak). The tech came out in less than 24 hours and replaced the cap and charged the system, gave info for a leak diag. He was apologizing that their billing was weird (ie they mark up the cap and refrigerant instead of charging a $150 “qualified dude appeared with equipment to fix problem” fee plus labor) but I told him his ability to appear and restore the system to operation in a heat wave was far more important.
You guys should do one for car mechanics. I trust none of them
Some news station did that like 10 years ago
@@LZDBrosPublic schools should teach basic car care to students. Financial literacy too.
@@edwardgaines6561 science and useless math is more important 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
They did, 4 years ago
Then learn to work on your own car
At least they didn’t blur the face of that a hole tech! Hopefully the company that hired him will investigate him.
The company sounds crooked because Insider could get a hold of anyone for a response.
Boss: next time... be extremely careful, ok.
That company probably trained all their techs to up sell fake issues like that.
If the company was legit, they would have responded with an apology and assurances the guy was fired. They didn't. It's very likely their business model. They couldn't even pretend to be legit.
@@ONI1013. yep. There's a company local to me that has a reputation of pushing their techs to up sell all the time. My friend had a 15 year old unit and the tech tried to hard sell him a $2K, UV light unit add on that supposedly killed mold and mildew.
The last AC repairman couldn’t get out of that house fast enough😂 what a thief‼️
Sad part is that's probably standard operating procedures for that company.
Your wrong
Don`t even credit him with the title... Repairman. He`s not. Just a thief.
Now do one for the automotive industry
They should have given a shout-out to the other two AC companies that also did an honest job in fixing the problem.
I think they did, but they just didn't show it.
they charged money for a 10-second fix
@@MrJCerqueira
Well, of course they're going to have to charge money for the time that it takes for one of their technicians to drive out to a house and diagnose an AC problem and fix even a simple AC problem. The AC companies have bills and salaries and taxes to pay, too, you know.
@@MrJCerqueira You could fix it for free yourself then.
They probably didn't want to be on camera and the documentary
The $150.00 was the companies' service charge. They get that when they pull up to your property after a call from the owner. That usually includes 30 to 45 minutes of their time with no additional charge. These companies have to be profitable to stay in business and answer our calls when we need them year-round. I'm glad to see an honest repairman!!
*And*, he was smart to charge the $150. I've seen others not charge anything when they find something this suspicious which tells me that they smelled a rat and tried to come off like heroes. This guy was just stupid - that was clearly a setup.
@@ohger1hmm a “hero” for a random home or $150? Yeah lemme get the money 😂
@@ohger1 That isnt true. I had a plumber come to my house to fix my toilet. It was a simple fix of a rubber thing he put on to reseal it. He was there for like 5 minutes. He just changed me a few bucks for the part and no service charge. I gave him a $20 as a tip.
@@Dave_Langer Oh, I see. It's wonderful that all the salaries, insurances, tools, taxes, federal contributions etc. were suspended for your job. I also threw a lot of free work to people for various reasons, but none of that changed my overhead.
Honestly, he could have easily charged $150 for the service charge, then another hour for finding and fixing the wire. Depending upon the agreed upon rate, it could easily be a few hundred dollars; but that also means that the tech would have had to consult with you on the repair beforehand. Technically, the tech should have gone over the repair with the homeowner before the repair. But I also like to shadow the tech ( stand nearby watching ) so it would not have been a big delay anyways.
Company slogan: If an Olympics for scammers existed we'd have a Gold Medal
When they should really be in silver handcuffs and facing real judges…
Following years behind rusty bars
Gold medal is owned by Horizon Group, they own 30+ companies across 15 states. I used to work for them they all do it research them before you call.
This is commonplace. Happened recently to my father in law. Quoted over 1000$ to fix a 30$ part.
Try new unit recommendations 18000 but found that it was only a run capacitor 17 dollar part replaced by another company.
And that’s why I bought a spare USA made capacitor for $30 as back up after seeing someone replace one.
Everyone should find out which one they need and buy a spare one so you don’t have need an emergency call
@@TobyCostaRica If you have a multimeter with capacitance test, it's also good measure to test it annually or bi-annually. If it's low, replace. No reason to wait for it to fail completely.
What do you think would have been reasonable?
@@octane4life683 cost of the part and one billable hour since it's typically the minimum. Bill should have been around 100 to 150 bucks max.
And He Attached A Umbrella To The Unit Acting Like He Is Very Busy!!! What A SCAM!!
Lev him a lone! 😠
He no scam 😡
@@SpaceGhostPercc 10 year old
@@Fellthrogures D:< ?
No, __ he was hot. spoiled and needed his on AC, Bahaha
That company should be shut down.
it could be just a bad apple. man that really sucksssszzzzzz
they definitely need to be looked at by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
@@channel4change430 If that's the case...what's stopping the company from talking with the customer???
@@jimhardy-p3icall the state attorney general’s office, too.
It's not about color. Anybody can grow up like this guy and work for people like this. What is wrong with the minds of people in this comment section? It's environmental, not skin color.
I think this video is like a racisms propaganda because the other black person fixing it in a good way wasn't show so much at the program, just the nice white boy
Coincidence? Mericans...
Then why defend the man because of his color? If it's not about color, your comment might have just been about what a crook he is. After all, it's about the action. Right?
its called statistics, data, and facts. the one that caused problems just happened to be black, you don't perhaps think that could mean anything?
Having a list of trusted repair people and contractors is worth a pound of gold.
How and where do you get them? You deal with the independent guys and they have to always go get a part; you deal with the contractors, they rip you off but they get the work done.
@@Imissyoulou Heads you win Tails you lose.
Tbf the company is called gold medal 😂
Mechanics as well
@@Imissyoulouthat's kinda how it works 💁♂️ independent guys charge you less cuz they're independent, companies will fix it quick but charge you more. You can't expect to have everything lol.
I had my ac unit yearly service. Tech told me I needed a new coil and few other things that would cost me $2100. I knew he was lying the Ac was working perfectly. So I told him my brother was a certified Ac tech in Alabama. He will check it for me and I just wait. After I said that, He said let me check Ac one more time just to be sure. He went back outside and said, I recheck it and said you really don't need anything done look like your Ac is working perfectly fine now. I know he went outside to repair what he had done to the Ac unit!! I thank God for wisdom and exposuring that Lair AC Tech!!!!!
Smh that’s a damn shame tho
so he fixed what he unfixed. what a sleeze.
did his face turned red?
Stories that never happened ⬆️
@@smashrc123 what kind question this. please don't do that in youtube.
I smell a new show that deserves a whole 30-minute runtime. $$$
Something like this is why I quit my job, and went to take a a little more then minimum wage 30 something years old, I work for about 4 to 5 different companies in new construction, started learning the ins and outs of homes, and now not only do I all my own repairs, I make over 6-figures as an inspector, it took me about 7 years to get all the education with 4 of them being directly in line with my job, I’ve worked at LAX, and other big name projects all over CA, and can fix almost anything in my house alone
A tech who installs an umbrella on the condenser before he even opens it and check it out is joke
So posh
It was raining out
Id agree if it wasn't raining
It’s for the sun. It’s brutal out there. I work in the industry and this umbrella is very necessary when checking the outdoor equipment
I’d say the umbrellas more for long-term fixes. If you’re in this industry and expecting not to sweat, yeah…
That’s why you gotta educate yourself. The last guy needs to go to jail for being such a scammer
It's the company. He probably doesn't see a dime of that money he charged
First guy just charging $150 is basically just the callout fee
150 dollars is not bad at all and shows honesty if they find an actual problem and taking pictures/videos. Charging for 1,750 for a non existent leak with no pictures or video is a pure scam.
@@alexcholagh8330 exactly and the company charging nearly two grand has likely been doing that scam for years
Yeah. Basically just charged trip charge and minimal diagnostics. Fair price even for 5-10 minute fix.
I had an electrician come out recently because I thought I drilled through a wire in the wall when I was running cat7 cable in the house since the power went out in that area of the house. I checked the breaker box all looked normal. Tech said I simply tripped that breaker even though the power switch didn't physically move. He not only charged me nothing, he reFUSED a tip for his time.
Kind of crazy how quickly we've normalized such a high service call fee though. Was half that not too long ago. Everything has basically doubled in record time within the last decade, most of it in the last four years. Companies using inflation as an excuse to rip people off. I'm so sick of it.
This is why it's so important to get multiple quotes