Van's Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. - www.vansheating.com

If your furnace needs a tune-up, call a professional but avoid Van's Heating.

Van's advertises a $89 furnace tune-up. Within five minutes of their arrival, they will try to sell you a new furnace.

The technician pulled a part out of my furnace and told me that the manufacturer was replacing certain parts under warranty. He indicated that there would only be a labor charge. I asked how long it might take him. He indicated that it would not take long, probably less than an hour.

The labor charge was $477 for less than one hours work. I contacted Randy Van Den Elzen, President of Vans. He indicated that the charge was so high because the office girl would need to spend time to process the warranty.

The Van's technician also told me that Honeywell electrostatic air cleaners do not work unless you clean them with muriatic acid once a month. This sounded dangerous to me, so I check with Honeywell. The Honeywell representative told me that using acid to clean the product would be very dangerous and would damage the unit. Van Den Elzen bad mouthed Honeywell and backed the dangerous advice given by his technician.

It is a good idea to get your furnace inspected and serviced by a professional technician. I would avoid Van's Heating unless you want to get fleeced for $775 for a furnace inspection.