“get your grant of $3,500”, “free inspection of your attic”, contests “Earn your free insulation”, etc. WATCH OUT! Free contests or inspections are strategies of travelling salesmen to get your contact information and an appointment at your home. And the subsidy programs announced are often questionable. With the deconfinement, we also expect a resumption of telephone solicitation.
• To benefit from attractive grants, you must REGISTER the Réno climate program and do the infiltrometry test BEFORE you do your work: https://transitionenergetique.gouv.qc.ca/residentiel
• No grant program ends on March 31, 2021.
• No government grant program offers an “all round” amount of $3,500 or $2,500 as seen in the advertisements.
The Estrie Family Economics Cooperative Association (ACEF Estrie), a consumer advocacy organization, has had to deal with problematic cases of contracts signed as a result of such advertisements on Facebook. Although concerning different companies, the stories we were told were all the same: once there, the salesperson frightened people by telling them about mold in their attic and had them sign an expensive contract. He arrived the next day to do the work. People then realized that they had paid too much and that there was probably no urgent problem!
ACEF Estrie recommends NEVER sign a contract on the same day, seek a second opinion (on the possible presence of mold and severity) and 3 bids to compare prices. We also encourage you to do business with local businesses rather than with itinerant merchants based in the Montreal or Quebec City area. They will offer you more suitable products and services, at a better price, and above all a much better after-sales service in case of a problem.
If you have signed a mobile sales contract, it is POSSIBLE TO CANCEL within 10 DAYS even if the work has been done. If the 10-day period has passed, appeals are sometimes possible. Call ACEF Estrie to discuss 819-563-8144.
