• Hmmm Vent Cleaning You Say?

I saw this very interesting YouTube video on vent cleaning the other day from a channel with over a million subscribers called Pleasant Green. It mentioned how that local Facebook groups are inundated with these types of ads. 

If you're a Facebook user, I bet you've seen more than a hundred just this year alone.

Then I happened to be in the Windsong Valley facebook group wanting to share a flyer regarding a park event and saw this ad.

Just a hardworking local that's new to the area putting in an honest day's work... right?

Then I thought about putting the phone number into the search engine (like in the video) and low and behold it came up as being part of two other Facebook ads for vent cleaning.

For some reason, our hero Chris wasn't listed in my search results. What are the odds that the same phone number would be used for other duct-cleaning businesses on the other side of the country... but wait, don't answer yet. 

One in East Haven, Connecticut, and the other in a place called North Stonington... also in Connecticut. Pretty cool coincidence, right? 

North Stonington was a closed group, but look what I found in the East Haven Facebook group.

Read the ad, it's verbatim the ad I found in Windsong Valley. That's luckier than being hit by three bolts of lighting in my book. 

I'm sure this is 100% legit and all that, but time for some serious caveat emptor/buyer beware. If you want your ducts cleaned and you're ready to part with $300, you might want to see if the people are who they say they are. 

This is when you need a real recommendation by a neighbor you actually know or the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce.

Like it was said in the video, some of these operators may actually be giving a great service, through an overseas call center (watch the video, it's well done). 

But why the pretense and the carbon copy wording about new to the area if you're above board, and licensed and insured? 

As can happen all too frequently, there tend to be people who want to go straight to the but what if card and start defending guys like this hard-working, ad-plagiarizing, doting father of two... go click on our friend Chris Brendo's Facebook page and there is no info on it. Other than he likes four things, all based in India. 

I searched "Suresh Lal" which happens to be the actual name of "Chris's" Facebook address... and none appeared to look related to the people in the profile photo.

Here's the link. 

https://www.facebook.com/suresh.lal.395669

Take it from The Patch's own Rookie of the Year in 2013, Rae Anne Resident... when going undercover with an online persona, be clever, but don't be too clever. 

The good times were rolling like there was going to be no tomorrow.

Rae Anne, along with about ten other characters, ruled The Patch for at least two months. Then my flooded house was finally repaired and I was allowed back out into civilized society. Not sure what ever happened to Cliff and his friends.