Fly-By-Night Scams

If there's one thing I've learned over the 27 years I've been in the chimney business, it's that if someone thinks they can make a quick buck, they'll probably try. Every year in my area alone, as soon as Fall comes, two or three chimney companies show up out of nowhere. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with a little competition. What I do have a problem with is that these guys will pawn themselves off as Chimney Professionals and have no idea what they are doing nor have the proper equipment to do the job right. They usually over charge the homeowner for what they DIDN'T do, and head off to the next unsuspecting customer. As soon as the cleaning season dies down, they're gone, Never to be heard from again.

A few years back, I had two guys show up at my house in a beat up old pickup truck with a ladder hanging over the back tailgate. They told me they were Chimney Sweeps and were
canvasing the area to see if anyone was in need of their services. I immediately played into their game and told them I had a wood furnace but wasn't sure if the chimney needed cleaned. They told me they would check it for me and since I was a new customer they wouldn't charge to inspect it but if it needed cleaned it would cost $100.00 for them to do it. Knowing that I had already cleaned my chimney, I decided to see just how far they would go and gave them permission to inspect my chimney.

They took the ladder off the truck, climbed to the roof and immediately showed just how professional they were by asking if I had a screwdriver they could borrow to remove my cap. Being the nice guy that I am, I lent them a screwdriver. They took off the cap and looked down the flue with a flashlight. What a surprise I had when they told me that my chimney was in desperate need of cleaning and they would just do it now while they were there.

Continuing to play along, I asked what they used to clean chimneys with. That's when they dug out an old spring loaded, one size fits all, chimney cleaning rake with a rope tied onto either end. They said one guy would be at the bottom of the chimney and the other on the roof and they would just pull the rake up and down. At this point, I was getting a little tired of the game so I let them know who I was, what I did for a living, and that I had written down the Vehicle Plate Number to pass along to the County Sheriffs Office. It took them about 20 seconds to pack up and move on.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

This was a perfect example of how easily people can be scammed out of their hard earned money. The good thing is, you can protect yourself. Here are few simple rules to go by.

• Anyone canvasing an area to clean chimneys is usually a con artist. Unless they can show credentials and a business license, send them on their way. You'll be better off with a respectable company who has been around for a while.
• Check your local phone book for companies. Fly-By-Nighters don't have the time nor the money to get an ad in the phone book.
• Never go with companies who call you out of nowhere unless you can verify who they are or how long they have been in business.
• If you think you are being scammed, call your local police department or Sheriffs office. They might already have reports about a company and could save you a lot of cash.
• When looking for a company, check with friends, family, and neighbors. Someone will know of a good company and can probably give you the inside scoop.

Visit our "Chimney Cleaning Page" to see if we Provide On Site Services in your area.