Buyer Beware: How To Spot Common Scams

MIAMI (CBS4) - These days, consumers are inundated with compelling ads that dangle unbelievable bargains for services, but those great deals come with hidden fees and sales scams.

A routine call for service lead one South Florida man to almost fall victim to a scam.

"I said, you know, I just want the ducts cleaned. I am not buying anything else," said Robert Lackey to the service workers who came to his home in Boynton Beach to clean out his air ducts.

The call for more expensive duct work kept coming and the sales person insisted on adding on services.

"He takes his cell phone out. He takes a picture of green mold in the ducts and says, this is what you have in your air ducts and you really should go further than just this," said Lackey to CBS4's Jorge Estevez.

Angie Hicks Founder of Angie's list.com warns against these types of scams.

"As consumers, we need to understand exactly what we are paying for and what is being advertised," said Hicks.

The list of businesses most likely to scam consumers is air duct cleaning companies, carpet installers, and alarm companies.

Most companies are accused of having an aggressive sales force who pile on the extras. Some of them place fear in the consumers and talk them into buying more plans than they had originally wanted. Sometimes, companies billed extra after a job was finished. Others gave consumers sub contractors who did substandard work even though they paid for high level workers.

"If you don't understand the details, it may be disappointing for consumers who thought they were getting big savings," said Hicks.

Unlike some consumers, Lackey stood his ground and he hopes others can do the same.

"I am very happy that at my age I am astute enough to see what is going on," said Lackey.