"I hired a company to clean the furnace air ducts in my house. They advertised they could do a whole house for $79. But when they finished they claimed that I needed much more work and charged me over $400 more! What a racket!"

Consumers in the Muskegon area often see ads promoting heating system duct cleaning. But we at the BBB caution about unsupported health claims and too good to be true prices. Here are some tips from the National Air Duct Cleaning Association and the US Environmental Protection Agency:

• Since conditions in every home are different, it is impossible to generalize about whether or not air duct cleaning in your home would be beneficial. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that air ducts only be cleaned on an as needed basis. Does air duct cleaning prevent health problems? No one knows and research continues.
• Use caution in dealing with companies that advertise gimmicks such as $49 to $99 "Whole House Specials." NO ONE can provide a professional air system cleaning to included the cleaning of the entire house.
• A legitimate firm should FIRST examine your heating system, then the air handler, blower, coils and the entire duct system (including the vents) for these prices. The whole intent for this type of ad is to get into the door and then sell more expensive services and/or products. Although homes vary considerably, typical three or four bedroom home will require 4 to 8 hours for cleaning.
• THe EPA says that "duct cleaning services typically but not always range in the cost from $450 to $1000 per heating and cooling system, depending on the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system accessibility, climactic region, and level of contamination" and type of duct material.
• The EPA also says: "See if the company has been in business long enough to have adequate experience, and inquire whether the company is in good standing with your local Better Business Bureau." To do this, visit our website, www.westernmichigan.bbb.org or give us a call 24 hours a day at 1-800-6 THE BBB to find out if we have received complaints.