Ad read $79 to clean and inspect fireplace. Hired them for two fireplaces as well as adding a chimney cap. $325.00 later...
Tech "Corey" missed the first day. Showed up very late the next appointment claiming He "had to wait for the special order chimney cap to be made"
Tech "finished" in the evening and said "fireplaces were in perfect working condition"
Upon later inspection we found some massive spiderwebs in the chimneys. Ok that may accumulated. I one and one half inch space, at the top inner part of the fireplace with visable burnt insulation sticking out of it. Looks as if the fireplace front had pulled away from the actual chimney structure.
On the roof was a screen that covered one and one eighth of the second flue. In the second flue was a thick screen grate that was down about 4 inches covered with wet leaves.
Above this non fitting screen contraption was a BLUE, SPRAY PAINTED BLACK PLASTIC RECYCLE BIN COVER. Plastic!!! On a dual wood burning fireplace flue!!!
Tried to contact Leo, who first stated he was owner then claimed that he was dispatch and the owner was some Otto Martin. I called would talk with Leo who had the same scriped response to all questions "He had to talk with Corey and would call me back tomorrow in the AM".. That return call NEVER happened. I always had to call him back.
Got no where!!!!!.... The company got free money from me... PLEASE DONT LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU
The company offers a low price of $79 to inspect and clean your chimney. When the tech (Corey) arrives his job is to get you to pay more by all means neccessary. He is intially cunning and polite in his sells pitch.
I intial called the business and spoke with Leo about a leaky chase pan cover and he advise I have the chimney inspected and cleaned for $79 and if I chose his company to do the work he would apply the $49 of the $79 towards the cost of work.
The tech (Corey) was to arrive between 9-10am. He called to say, that he needed to stop at the wharehouse to get a chimney cap. Then after 10am he called again to state he was in Atlanta traffic and would be late.
However, when he arrived late with his wife (Jennifer) as the driver. She sits outside in the car smoking cigs while he works. He is in a rush to fininsh the job asap because of it.
After the inspection, I was told my firebox needed to be seal and needed some masonry work on the upper part of the chimney outside and had a missing brick on the interior fireplace that needed to be secured.
I got out of Corey's way and allowed him to do his job, without any added pressure. Seeing how his wife's waiting was enough added pressure.
I heard his vaccuum cleaner going and afterwards I could see the chimeny's firebox was cleaner. I was told after the job had been completed I owed $159.99, but after some negotiation on part I got him to give me a $20 discount (so I thought). My grand total was $139.99. Which Corey wanted to write down my credit card information. I did not trust him riding around with my credit card information on an invioce for all to see and to perhaps be loss or stolen. So, I opted to call Leo at the office and give him my credit card information over the phone.
Prior to Corey leaving I asked about the price of the Chase Cover Pan. He stated he would have to check the price with his distrubtor and get back with me with later that day.
However, after Corey left I inspected his work and what I discovered was shocking and unacceptable. The cleaning was not that clean. The firebox had been throughly clean, to hide the obivious hidden areas beyond the damper. The damper had not been taken off and cleaned. Behind the damper is where all the debri from up top falls onto.
The two corners that were suppose to be sealed, were not sealed properlly. There was gaps instead of a continous bead of caulk. Therefore, fire could get behind the gaps and cause a major fire.
On the other hand, after doing some research of my own, I discovered I did not persay have a firebox, but refractory panels. Which are not sealed, but should be replaced if there are cracks and spaces between the panel.
In addition,the loose brick on the interior fireplace had never been secured. And when I went to the roof top to check the other masonry work that had been performeed. I discovered the loose bricks were secured with Henry's wet patch roof repair tar, that is black in color and my bricks have grey mortar. Which may explain why the interior Fireplace brick was not installed, the black tar would have been noticeble.
When I called Leo to ask questions and complain, he pushed the blame all on the tech, but would advise he would call me back, better never did. Therefore, I called Corey after saving his number when he called in to say he would be late. There was no answer and no way to leave a message, because he had not set-up his voice mail service. I called Corey at least 5 times without him answering, until I decided to text him.
I spoke with him about his shabby, incomplete and unacceptable work and he too just like Leo became rude and professional. I then decided to call my credit card company to make a complaint and request a charge back.
I also discovered that my credit card was not charged under the business name on my invioce and nor by the name advertise on the chimney cleaning website. My credit card had been charged as a carpet cleaning and upholstry service and not a chimeny cleaning service. All under a different business name with unrelated services, which is fraud within itself.
I recall getting a call the night before from Leo the day before the tech was to arrive to confirm my appointment, And my phone's caller ID read: ALPHA STEAMERS. I had no idea what business would be calling me after hours and with that name, so I started not to answer, but my curosity got the best of me and now I am glad I did.
I have put all the pieces to the puzzle together. Leo is running an advertising online business only, because the physical address he has listed to his company does not exist for the business. He hires individuals to go out in the owner vehicles, with the own equipment to do the work. The techs know little about chimneys and chimney repair. Their many goal is to get internet hits, offer a low price and then con you for money promising a remedy that they cannot for fill.
Corey did not even have a tape measure to measure the chimeny for the chase cover pan. And after to confronting Leo, he becomes rude, a liar, unprofessional and places all the blame on the tech. And once you confront the tech, he trys to place the blame on you the customer and then plays innocent. Well, during our conversation he hung up and then texted me to say his phone died and he had to recharge it and would call me back. I have not heard from Corey or Leo again.
So, I called my credit card company and will be getting a charge back within 2 days, I made a complaint with Better Business Bureau and saw others had complained about them doing very simiular tacts. But none as detailed as mine. And now I am sharing on here. Hopefully, to help others get some relief or get back, because they are straight HUSTLERS!
Chimney Cleaning Atlanta GA Reviews
Ad read $79 to clean and inspect fireplace. Hired them for two fireplaces as well as adding a chimney cap. $325.00 later...
Tech "Corey" missed the first day. Showed up very late the next appointment claiming He "had to wait for the special order chimney cap to be made"
Tech "finished" in the evening and said "fireplaces were in perfect working condition"
Upon later inspection we found some massive spiderwebs in the chimneys. Ok that may accumulated. I one and one half inch space, at the top inner part of the fireplace with visable burnt insulation sticking out of it. Looks as if the fireplace front had pulled away from the actual chimney structure.
On the roof was a screen that covered one and one eighth of the second flue. In the second flue was a thick screen grate that was down about 4 inches covered with wet leaves.
Above this non fitting screen contraption was a BLUE, SPRAY PAINTED BLACK PLASTIC RECYCLE BIN COVER. Plastic!!! On a dual wood burning fireplace flue!!!
Tried to contact Leo, who first stated he was owner then claimed that he was dispatch and the owner was some Otto Martin. I called would talk with Leo who had the same scriped response to all questions "He had to talk with Corey and would call me back tomorrow in the AM".. That return call NEVER happened. I always had to call him back.
Got no where!!!!!.... The company got free money from me... PLEASE DONT LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU
The company offers a low price of $79 to inspect and clean your chimney. When the tech (Corey) arrives his job is to get you to pay more by all means neccessary. He is intially cunning and polite in his sells pitch.
I intial called the business and spoke with Leo about a leaky chase pan cover and he advise I have the chimney inspected and cleaned for $79 and if I chose his company to do the work he would apply the $49 of the $79 towards the cost of work.
The tech (Corey) was to arrive between 9-10am. He called to say, that he needed to stop at the wharehouse to get a chimney cap. Then after 10am he called again to state he was in Atlanta traffic and would be late.
However, when he arrived late with his wife (Jennifer) as the driver. She sits outside in the car smoking cigs while he works. He is in a rush to fininsh the job asap because of it.
After the inspection, I was told my firebox needed to be seal and needed some masonry work on the upper part of the chimney outside and had a missing brick on the interior fireplace that needed to be secured.
I got out of Corey's way and allowed him to do his job, without any added pressure. Seeing how his wife's waiting was enough added pressure.
I heard his vaccuum cleaner going and afterwards I could see the chimeny's firebox was cleaner. I was told after the job had been completed I owed $159.99, but after some negotiation on part I got him to give me a $20 discount (so I thought). My grand total was $139.99. Which Corey wanted to write down my credit card information. I did not trust him riding around with my credit card information on an invioce for all to see and to perhaps be loss or stolen. So, I opted to call Leo at the office and give him my credit card information over the phone.
Prior to Corey leaving I asked about the price of the Chase Cover Pan. He stated he would have to check the price with his distrubtor and get back with me with later that day.
However, after Corey left I inspected his work and what I discovered was shocking and unacceptable. The cleaning was not that clean. The firebox had been throughly clean, to hide the obivious hidden areas beyond the damper. The damper had not been taken off and cleaned. Behind the damper is where all the debri from up top falls onto.
The two corners that were suppose to be sealed, were not sealed properlly. There was gaps instead of a continous bead of caulk. Therefore, fire could get behind the gaps and cause a major fire.
On the other hand, after doing some research of my own, I discovered I did not persay have a firebox, but refractory panels. Which are not sealed, but should be replaced if there are cracks and spaces between the panel.
In addition,the loose brick on the interior fireplace had never been secured. And when I went to the roof top to check the other masonry work that had been performeed. I discovered the loose bricks were secured with Henry's wet patch roof repair tar, that is black in color and my bricks have grey mortar. Which may explain why the interior Fireplace brick was not installed, the black tar would have been noticeble.
When I called Leo to ask questions and complain, he pushed the blame all on the tech, but would advise he would call me back, better never did. Therefore, I called Corey after saving his number when he called in to say he would be late. There was no answer and no way to leave a message, because he had not set-up his voice mail service. I called Corey at least 5 times without him answering, until I decided to text him.
I spoke with him about his shabby, incomplete and unacceptable work and he too just like Leo became rude and professional. I then decided to call my credit card company to make a complaint and request a charge back.
I also discovered that my credit card was not charged under the business name on my invioce and nor by the name advertise on the chimney cleaning website. My credit card had been charged as a carpet cleaning and upholstry service and not a chimeny cleaning service. All under a different business name with unrelated services, which is fraud within itself.
I recall getting a call the night before from Leo the day before the tech was to arrive to confirm my appointment, And my phone's caller ID read: ALPHA STEAMERS. I had no idea what business would be calling me after hours and with that name, so I started not to answer, but my curosity got the best of me and now I am glad I did.
I have put all the pieces to the puzzle together. Leo is running an advertising online business only, because the physical address he has listed to his company does not exist for the business. He hires individuals to go out in the owner vehicles, with the own equipment to do the work. The techs know little about chimneys and chimney repair. Their many goal is to get internet hits, offer a low price and then con you for money promising a remedy that they cannot for fill.
Corey did not even have a tape measure to measure the chimeny for the chase cover pan. And after to confronting Leo, he becomes rude, a liar, unprofessional and places all the blame on the tech. And once you confront the tech, he trys to place the blame on you the customer and then plays innocent. Well, during our conversation he hung up and then texted me to say his phone died and he had to recharge it and would call me back. I have not heard from Corey or Leo again.
So, I called my credit card company and will be getting a charge back within 2 days, I made a complaint with Better Business Bureau and saw others had complained about them doing very simiular tacts. But none as detailed as mine. And now I am sharing on here. Hopefully, to help others get some relief or get back, because they are straight HUSTLERS!