Hamilton residents say door-to-door HVAC sales tactics are 'alarming'

Some Hamilton residents are sounding the alarm after nearly signing up for what they think may have been a scam to replace their furnaces and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for a steep price.

The company in question says it is not fraudulent and has nothing to do with a scam but acknowledges staff may need more training and that there are bad actors in the industry.

"It was outrageous … I'm not a man of means, I'm on disability," said 36-year-old Cameron Groscki, who lives in the east end of the southern Ontario city.

The Hamiltonian said a pair of young, smiley people in bright-coloured construction vests and lanyards were knocking on doors in his neighborhood in early February.

He said the duo claimed the homes in the neighbourhood were eligible for an energy audit through a federally funded program. Groscki said he signed up for an appointment.

Jennifer Friesen, who lives a few doors down, answered the door around the same time, too.

She says the people showed her the Ministry of Natural Resources website and told her "they received a grant from the government to promote this grant program."

Friesen says she believed it was the federal government's Greener Homes Grant and she let them book an appointment.

"We had done the real program at our old house and I knew we were going to replace our furnace and air conditioning unit eventually," she said.

The federal government warns of "energy scams" on its web page and says people should refuse any in-home inspection from a door-to-door salesperson.

"If someone is at your door or gives you a call and wants to talk about thermostats, water heaters, furnaces, or even replacement windows, it's most likely a scammer," the government said on its website.

"Your utility company, or any government agencies, have other ways to reach you."

Ontario also enacted a law in 2018 that only allowed businesses to enter into a contract at someone's home if they contacted the business ahead of time and invited them into the home for the purpose of entering into a contract.

A day after Groscki and Friesen got the initial knock on the door, they said they each got a visit from Brawn Bros. employees.