FREE Mold Inspection Scam
The FREE or $150.00 mold inspection is nothing more than a scam used by mold removal contractors to get into your home to give you a mold removal estimate.
THEY ARE NOT TESTING FOR MOLD.
They are generally tricking consumers with an enticing offer, then giving removal estimates for THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, whether or not removal is actually even needed.
To understand what this means, it’s important to know the difference between a mold inspection-testing only business and a mold removal-remediation contractor.
Mold inspection-testing only businesses:
These are businesses that engage in mold inspection-testing that have no involvement with mold removal. These are unbiased professionals that have nothing to win or lose on the results of a mold test. They provide honest and unbiased opinions as to whether or not you actually need to hire a mold removal contractor. Mold Spotters is a mold inspection-testing only business.
Mold removal-remediation contractors:
These are businesses that engage in mold removal.
There is a blatant conflict of interest when contractors like this offer to assess for mold.
Their so called “mold inspections” are nothing more than bids for a mold removal job, and usually aren’t acting in the client’s best interest. They almost always recommend mold removal, whether or not it’s actually needed. Most mold removal contractors are not trained in advanced mold inspection and are not qualified to inspect for mold. These are the ONLY people that offer to perform FREE or $150.00 mold inspections.
What this all means:
A crucial part of a mold inspection is collecting samples to be sent off to an independent laboratory for analysis. FREE or $150.00 mold inspections never include the collection of samples. Laboratory fees are expensive and contractors don’t just offer this as a free public service.
Part of the mold inspection industry code of ethics is to NEVER tell a client that they have a mold problem without actually collecting samples.
For example, dark spots on plywood in an attic are not always mold. Dark spots can be a characteristic of natural aging of the wood. An overly aggressive contractor can point out dark spots and call them mold … then hand you a $6,000.00 removal estimate. Our fee is a small price to pay for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Some mold removal contractors will offer to reimburse their client for third party testing if the tests confirm the presence of mold.
– The client pays for the third party inspection.
– If tests show that mold is present, the contractor performs the mold removal work and then deducts the cost of the inspection from the final bill.
– If tests show that mold is not present, the client only pays for the third party inspection and saves thousands of dollars on unnecessary mold removal work.
This way, the client always wins in the end.
If you’re being pressured by a mold removal contractor, ask them about this option. If they seem confident with their conclusion but refuse an outside opinion from a third party inspector, it should immediately raise a red flag.
If you would like to book an unbiased mold inspection with Mold Spotters, please click here. You can book directly online, or if you prefer to speak to one of our friendly customer service representatives first, feel free to give us a call at (781) 664-9511.
We are looking forward to serving you!