Hydro warns of furnace salespeople pretending to be affiliated with crown corp

Man caught on camera in suspected furnace scheme Jeff Keele spoke to a concerned homeowner after a man came to her home multiple times claiming to be from the city.

Manitoba Hydro has received several complaints about furnace salespeople going door to door pretending to be affiliated with the crown corporation.

Since June 29, Hydro said it had 20 calls about three different companies.

"It's not just Winnipeg. We've had complaints in Brandon and Portage la Prairie. Last year we had complaints from Dauphin,” said Hydro spokesperson Bruce Owen.

In many cases, someone knocked on the door and claimed they were authorized by Hydro or the city to enter the home to inspect its furnace, air conditioner or hot water tank.

Hydro said if the person on your step can’t provide identification or you’re simply uncomfortable, shut the door. It said Hydro employees do not do random inspections in homes and won’t try to sell you anything.

Shelley Nicol in St. Vital said a man who was reluctant to show her his ID Tuesday night claimed safety standards had changed and that he was there on behalf of the city to check her furnace.

Nicol did not let him in and believes he was there to sell her a furnace or may have been up to something else.

“Worst case scenario, there's a thug going around our neighbourhood trying to case the joint to steal stuff like to break in,” she said.

In one instance this year, Hydro said a homeowner in one of these situations let the person in and was coaxed into signing on to a deal with a company for a $21,600 furnace. An average new furnace costs around $5,000.