Description

Three men contacted me at my house on the pretext that they were doing chimney treatments in the area on Saturday, January 10th 2026 at approximately 11:30 am. They provided no business cards to identify themselves. They claimed they had other work crews in the area, none were ever seen. Conversation with them and asking many question got me the following names: Lead Mike Burns (Scottish accent), James his partner and Jason their young assistant. When asked about their business address, they ignored the question. They drove a black Dodge Ram 1500 pickup (Temporary Plates) with no company identification. Their work clothes also had no discernable company identification. They had only a ladder and hammer (no discernable tools to do the jobs they claimed they are capable of). I had them look at a chimney that needed to be repaired. They pulled the chimney apart without a contract or agreement signed. They keep insisting on a cash transaction of $3000 in order to buy materials. Once they removed the bricks from the chimney below the roof line, they insisted on a cashier check for a large amount written to their company name (Truecraft Masonry and Construction LLC). According to the information on the internet, this company was founded in October 2025 (See below about previously names). They borrowed a broom, a bucket to remove material and my hose to wash down the walk. Again, they had no tools. After they got the check, they purchased a tarp at the near by home depot or equivalent to cover the hole in the roof that they had created. They did remove the old bricks and mortar that they had removed from the chimney and load the waste in the bed of their pick up. I asked if there were other alternatives to a brick chimney, they said no. In 2022, I had another reputable chimney company give me quote on the job and they gave me multiple option. This other company did not even need to touch the chimney to know its status. One option provided was a smoke stack. So I knew I had options. On Sunday, they called to confirm work for Monday. I again asked about options and was told brick is my only option even though I already have a chimney liner. On Monday I left for work at 9 am and was called at 9:30 am to be told they were on site and ready to work. They wanted to unload some building materials. They used my neighbors driveway to unload their pickup. I returned home and arrived at 10:30 am to see they had completed unloading their pickup of materials. No work tools present. No wheel borrow or cement mixer. They had placed stacks of bricks in my back yard. They then preceded to tell me they needed more money to complete the work. I informed them to stop work and I would look for some other bids to complete the work the way would like to proceed. I asked if I choose not to use their services any further, would they return the unused funds. They told me "NO" with no pause. They left property without incident. After they had left, I contact two reputable chimney firms, one that had done chimney work for my neighbor and one that i had spoken to in 2022. They both told me of this scam that has been done on others. I described the gentleman to them and one of companies identified them as "Sapphire" construction, a company that has gotten complaints filed with BBB in the past.