DENVER (Legal Newsline) -- Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced Friday that his office obtained a temporary restraining order against an air-duct cleaning company and its owners after they allegedly engaged in false advertising.
The Finest Duct Cleaning Inc. and owners Kristine Petrosyan and Vachagan Gasparyan claimed to offer whole house air duct cleaning for $34.99, but company technicians allegedly made the price much higher upon arrival at a customer's home.
The true price of the service allegedly averaged more than $300 per job.
The defendants also allegedly misrepresented their qualifications by claiming their technicians were HVAC certified when that was not the case and misled consumers over the quality of their tools and equipment.
Suthers' office received additional complaints about The Finest Duct Cleaning Inc. related to shoddy, unprofessional work and overcharging for mold remediation services.
The attorney general filed a lawsuit against The Finest Duct Cleaning Inc., Gasparyan, Petrosyan and other companies operated by Gasparyan and Petrosyan, including American Duct Cleaning Inc. and America's Finest Duct Cleaning Inc.
The suit seeks restitution, civil penalties and an order to enjoin the defendants from future deceptive practices.
Also, under the terms of the temporary restraining order, the defendants are prohibited from making misleading advertisements about the quality of their services and their prices.
Petrosyan and Gasparyan must also meet basic standards of competence as set forth by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association.
Suthers said he has ongoing inquiries into other air duct companies with similar consumer complaints about unprofessional, incomplete work and false price advertising.