More complaints about duct cleaning service

Unhappy customers are still sounding off about last week's column about an air duct cleaning company accused of defrauding homeowners. Last year, Johan Hart, a 91-year-old who lives in Minneapolis, complained to Attorney General Lori Swanson about a $99 job by Air Duct Cleaning Pros that turned into a $3,500 bill.

Hart said he last heard from Swanson's office in December, when the company didn't respond to its inquiry. He didn't know that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan was suing Air Duct Cleaning Pros until he read it in the Whistleblower column. But Swanson spokesman Ben Wogsland said Hart's case remains open, and Swanson's office is working with Madigan's staff on the matter.

Meanwhile, Swanson has her own litigation against a Burnsville air duct and carpet cleaner that she accuses of planting dead mice and fake mouse droppings to persuade homeowners to pay for costly cleanups. The lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County court in December, targets Marketing Unlimited, Inc., Finish Line Cleaning and a number of related companies operated by Stephen W. Comiskey.

"When Minnesota consumers, some of whom are senior citizens, contest the inflated charges, Mr. Comiskey and other employees of Finish Line sometimes bully and intimidate and otherwise frighten consumers into paying," according to Swanson's complaint.

According to the lawsuit, a Cottage Grove resident reported seeing a plastic bag of the phony mouse feces (actually seeds or grains of rice) spill out of Comiskey's pocket after he claimed her vents were infested with a dozen mice.

Daniel Kennedy, a lawyer for Comiskey and the companies, said his client denies any wrongdoing. Kennedy said the customer complaints cited by the attorney general have all been resolved, although Better Business Bureau says the company has failed to resolve the underlying cause.

"This is an industry that services a lot of customers," Kennedy said. "To have some complaints is not unusual."

Toro recalls mowers, blowers

The danger of fire from leaking fuel prompted Bloomington-based Toro Co. to recall about 23,000 snowblowers and 6,200 lawnmowers last week. The recall follows about 500 reports of leaking carburetors in the Toro Power Clear Snowblower and Toro 20" Recycler Mower that were sold in the United States and Canada from September 2009 through last month, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The CPSC said the leaks are a fire hazard, although the agency doesn't know of any fires or injuries from the leaks.

If you think you have one of the recalled products, the CPSC advises that you stop using it and contact Toro to get it repaired. Go to www.toro.com or call 1-877-738-4440 for more information.

COMPILED BY THE WHISTLEBLOWER TEAM