Booked AC cleaning last week. Technician walks in, attaches a clamp meter to my top pin socket, starts the AC, then sends me to fetch a ladder. Classic misdirection — needed me out of the room.
Calls me back 10 minutes later showing "low gas" on his meter. Wants ₹3,200 for a top-up.
I checked my remote and AC display. Capacity was changed to 60%. I never run my AC on a lower capacity. He did it while I was getting his ladder.
60% capacity means longer compressor runtime means higher sustained current. His clamp meter read that elevated current and called it low gas. He manufactured the evidence himself while I was gone.
His defence — "it was already at 60%." I asked why he immediately attached a current meter before touching anything else if that were true. Silence.
My AC also has a built-in low gas warning on the display. If refrigerant was actually low, the AC tells me itself. No clamp meter needed.
I have a Tapo smart plug logging daily consumption. Clean 11W–250W inverter cycling all month. Gas-starved units run compressor continuously and consumption climbs week over week. Mine hasn't budged. His story had no legs.
He quietly did the cleaning and left.
Protect yourself:
Know your remote settings — capacity adjustment exists on most modern ACs and these guys count on you not knowing.
Inverter ACs show low gas warnings on the display themselves. No third party meter needed.
Clamp meters measure current, not refrigerant. Real diagnosis needs manifold gauges. Anyone using a clamp meter as a gas detector is scamming you.
Smart plug with power monitoring is a free health log for your AC.
Authorised service recharge costs ₹1,500–2,000 with proper documentation. Not ₹3,200 from a clamp meter guy.
TL;DR — Technician sent me for a ladder, changed my AC to 60% capacity, showed "high current = low gas" and quoted ₹3,200. Caught him because I knew what reduced capacity does to current draw, my AC has onboard gas diagnostics, and Tapo showed a healthy unit all month. He did the job and left empty handed.