ComplaintsforA1 Chimney Sweep

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I had a gas fireplace installed June 24 2022 in the ****** area. When I tried to use my fireplace in December (when it is cold in *****) it would turn on and then turn off. I called the business, they then told me they would relay the issue to the original service tech. After another week I still hadn't heard anything so I called the service tech directly. After troubleshooting over the phone the tech sent me a text message on 1/26/23 letting me know that they were ordering me a new receiver. It was not until 2/10/23 until the tech came out to replace the receiver. While he was at my house he said that he was hopeful that this would fix the issue if not they would be replacing another part due to it probably being faulty. As soon as he left it clicked off again. I tried to call the office and received the same we will relay the message to the original service tech. After no one called me back I texted him directly on 2/11/23. I then called them 7 - 8 times to ask for someone to come out. I was told that the tech had a death in the family and he was out of town for 2 months. Today 3/20/23 I called and spoke to their service supervisor named ****** that told me I should have called in June when I had it installed. When I asked her who uses their fireplace in June in *****. her reply was everyone and told me there was nothing they could do and hung up. Right now I have a $3000 gas log that doesn't work.

• Initial Complaint

  02/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  This company cancelled the first appointment we had set to inspect our chimney flashing stating that they didn't have a technician available despite the appointment being set far in advance. They then sent a technician on a later date who stated he would not get up on the roof which was the whole reason we needed a technician to come. He instead offered to do a "deep cleaning" of the chimney and fix the grout. This took no more than 20 minutes on his part. He took a vacuum and stuck it into the fireplace and then filled some cracks with gray grout that didn't even match the original color (white). It was very sloppy and not done well at all. There are still an abundance of cracks. The fireplace does not even look clean. This process should have taken much longer than 20 minutes and should have required much more equipment. He then charged us $432. I called to complain and submitted pictures of the job. I then called back the next day and was told that a manager would call me. When she did she said she was waiting to hear from the technician. It was all incredibly unprofessional and in the end our chimney is still dirty, grout still cracked, and our original problem was never addressed. We stated that we did not feel the job was worth $432. When I received a call back from the manager, she stated that he completed the job, even though we still had cracks in the grout and a dirty fireplace. She also stated that their company would not get onto the roof because they don't have tall enough ladders. Our home is a two story colonial, it is not massively tall, and we felt this was very unprofessional, especially because we had been waiting weeks for them to come and told them in advance that it was a two story home. She was very unprofessional on the phone, stating I was refusing help myself and she could not offer a refund or money back.

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I called A-1 Chimney Sweep for a chimney cleaning. They arrived on rainy day (like most NE winter days) and did the inspection and found my chimney was dirtier than most. They did not want to clean it because it was raining and not safe. It was a light sprinkle, but it was wet. It was wet when they arrived and wet when they left. They said nothing of the weather until it was time to do the cleaning and after the inspection. They got to the roof and their drill battery died which prevents them from cleaning. I gave them my drill and then they lost their equipment in my chimney. They then said they would have to return when there was better weather. They took payment for the inspection which was $50 more than quoted and sent me a quote for cleaning the chimney by the foot. It was going to cost 4-5x what every other sweep in the area quoted and 10x higher than what they quoted. Given the weather, failed battery, and failure to use their equipment correctly they had no intention of cleaning my chimney but had every intention of performing and "inspection" raising the price and leaving after minimal work. Their work vehicle was from TX, their accent from PA and their clothing had NY on it. They clearly are seasonal scammers.

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I called A1 Chimney Sweep and asked what they charge to clean my woodburning stove. They said $140 would include a cleaning and an inspection of the chimney cap on the roof. (Actually, $140 only covers the cost of an inspection, not a cleaning, which I found out later.)On Sunday 12/4, an inspector came to my house. He looked in the stove with a flashlight and said everything was fine and it didn't need a cleaning. He said to get a cleaning would cost $500. (The going rate in my area is between $125 and $150.) He also said my stove does not have a flue. After he left, I found the manual for my stove online and located the flue. I also learned there is no way to see inside the chimney from the stove. You have to look inside from the roof using mirrors. The inspector did go up on the roof, but only after he said the chimney did not need cleaning. When he was on the roof, he did not use mirrors to look inside the chimney. He only checked the chimney cap. I am still unsure the chimney is clean because I'm a new homeowner and I don't know if the previous owners had it swept. I called A1 Chimney Sweep seven times this week asking them to send someone else out who knows about wood burning stoves or to refund my money. They repeatedly tell me a supervisor will call me. I have scheduled for another company to come clean the chimney next week because I am afraid to start a fire in the stove. It could cause a chimney fire if the chimney isn't clean. A1 had not responded to my complaint.My boyfriend was the person whose card was charged for the chimney sweep. (I don't want to give his personal details here because I'm not sure if this comment will be public, but if you need them, please reach out.) A1 never sent us a receipt for the charge, although the inspector said we would receive on via email. We receive an invoice via text, which I am including with this complaint.

• Initial Complaint

  11/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Very negative experience with A1 Chimney with misleading estimate, credit card fraud and extremely poor customer service. Estimator quoted $699 for "extensive 2-hr cleaning" on 9/28 for "Class 3 creosote" in the chimney "about to catch fire" but finished in 20 minutes?! Either he misled us or didn't provide complete cleaning we paid for. We were charged additional $814 for fragile mortar repair after he deliberately damaged the mortar with our poker! He sprayed black spray paint for "years of use" which looked nice but burnt off on 1st use. Somehow 15% "tip" was added to $1799 bill resulting in $2068 charge and then the credit card was charged twice for over $4,137!***** Fraud called us that evening and locked our card due to fraudulent double charge. I called A1 the next business day to inquire what happened and try to resolve our concerns. 1 week later I was forced to provide new credit card # after receiving a very threatening phone call to destroy my credit score, turn us over to collections agency and jail time in Texas! What kind of customer service is that when it was their tech who double charged us?! Over 12 calls to Customer Service team and Manager over 2 weeks went unreturned. I was told owner is overseas and unavailable to help us resolve this. The tech also damaged our driveway banging his tools clean on the way out leaving ashy grooves in the asphalt. He was onsite for total of 55 minutes for $1799 leaving a partially (?) cleaned chimney and now burned off spray painted firebox. Photos at a1chimney.net I do not recommend A1. They pay for Google ads in local markets with local phone # and website claims to be local - look at the hundreds of false "local" locations:****************************************. But they are in Texas and subcontract according to tech. Quality and integrity of contractors and employees and owners is highly questionable based on this very terrible experience. We feel we got robbed. I'm still waiting for call back from Kay.

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  12-10-21 inspection, cleaning, repair of mortar paid $800 for services rendered to wood burning fireplace. Uses fireplace on 1-22 for the first time and mortar restoration is the same as before my so called service was done. I have reached out to the business three times, left messages,and even spoke with representative that told me supervisor would reach out to me. As of date no response or acknowledgement. Email has been sent with supporting pictures regarding concerns, still No response? I paid this business with good faith thinking they would honor their service. Just want my service done properly and if they are unable to complete I would like a refund for the service that has been improperly provided.

  Business response

  03/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/02/09) */ We have reached out to customer via phone call and email. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/02/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I have called company and left messages with my contact information again today at approx 12 pm; also sent follow up message by EMAIL, No response or follow up at this time. I work full time 700-330 M_F at hospital. May contact me anytime after 4 pm or via email. The pictures submitted are valid; however, the repair job itself has not been sufficient if true Mortar repair had been sufficiently completed how was the longevity of the fireplace unsustain ? Less than 30 days. If the Mortar was not going to last longer than 30 days I wouldn't have agreed to the service. Where is this business sense of integrity.

• Initial Complaint

  01/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a chimney inspection, cleaning and repair with A-1 Chimney Sweep for 16 January 2022. They came to my home in an unmarked vehicle and within 25 minutes claimed to be finished. They charged me 1665 dollars but left a blank inspection sheet, broke the damper, left a filthy Chimney (still has cobwebs), and left numerous open cracks in the fire box. The company ignores you when you try to reach out. They overcharge and do not perform the work. I am simply looking for a refund.

  Business response

  03/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/02/09) */ reach out to customer via txt, phone call and email.

• Initial Complaint

  01/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Unable to upload screenshot please let me know if there is another way for me to share the ones Ihave. A1 Chimney sweep claims in their google ad they had and average of five stars over 200+ reviews (Additionallly on their website they claim over 500 reviews and an average of a perfect five stars). This is why I chose them - upon being charged 800 dollars for an inspection and cleaning ( they did less than an hour of work) I took a closer look and could not find a single positive review of the company and found they have a history of overcharging for their work - Friends and family who used more reputable companies have told me it cost them about 200 or less for a similar service. The over charging is frustrating but my main complaint is they are lying about the quality of the services they offer and the quality of the company itself.

  Business response

  03/04/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/02/07) */ We have reached out to the customer and agreed to process a refund in the amount of $100 back to the consumer.

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I found A1 chimney sweep online and they said they could come on 12/23, man named **** looked at the chimney for a couple seconds and said I needed all different parts in order for it to work right and be safe. I said yes, this was our first fireplace because I didn't know what the average costs were. He said they had a special sealant they use and chimney clean would be 499 dollars, a crown repair for 899, mortar repair for 699 and inspection 129,=$2,404. I even gave him a tip thinking that was the right thing. The receipt said safe to use. We lit the fireplace on New Year's Eve and smoke was blowing into the house which made the smoke alarms go off. I called the company and no response back, so I called on 1/3 and they said they could come out Thursday 1/6,they called me the day before and left a message saying they couldn't come that day, I called back, said 1/10 would work, they agreed. Monday comes and no one showed up, I call back asked to speak with manager and they said she will have to call me.. a "*******" called me on 01/10Monday and said she's sorry and will make us top priority on 1/12and will refund 10% back to me. I researched the correct reviews online for this company since something seemed off and noticed it was most likely all a scam, I always talked to a different person on phone, different unknown numbers from around the USA.The receipt has a different number than the website. I feel I was taken advantage of and had money stolen from me. I felt uncomfortable having them come back so I told them on 1/11 not to come back, they showed up anyway. I didn't answer as to I felt uneasy about the whole situation.My fiancé called a reputable chimney company,said they heard nothing but bad things from this company, and that we were taken advantage of. got a call from an 866 number after ignoring their visit,researched,it said A1 duct company,with multiple yelp reviews saying scam. NEVERGOT MYREFUND like they said,andAs a woman,I feel taken advantage of.

  Business response

  03/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/02/09) */ We have reached out to customer via text, phone call and email.

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The service occurred on 01/02/2022. The amount that we paid was $ 843.00 for a basic chimney sweep. We only requested a chimney sweep. Upon the technician's arrival, my wife said he looked up our chimney for a few minutes and said he could clean the chimney for $1100.00. When I arrived at my home, I questioned the price and he indicated that this was normal. I explained to him that this was not a normal cost but since he already started the service, we proceeded with the service. Upon review of the different levels of chimney sweep services, there are 3 levels. The amount the tech charged us is typically for a level 3 inspection and cleaning. The Level 3 inspection could include opening or removing an interior wall to access hidden parts of the chimney. This level of inspection normally occurs when a more serious problem has been identified and a method of repair needs to be determined. Our home was built in 2015 and our chimney is a great condition. The technician did not conduct a level 3 inspection. When he provided the invoice, the invoice was not completed properly. There were no condition report comments or fireplace comments. He stated that he swept the chimney twice but that was false, He stated that he did a chemical clean which is false because it typically takes 24-48 hours for the chemicals to dissolve the creosote. The tech left his personal phone number and said if we need any additional services, to not call A-1 rather call him personally. It appears that this company is taking advantage of consumers who are not familiar with this process. They claim that the inspection fee is $129 and there is a standard cleaning fee of $99. I have owned other homes in the past and this is not normal. I contacted the business and they have not responded. We feel that we were under duress to agree to the sweep and pay the fee. I asked the technician to show me the soot if any, and he did not want to open the shop vac.

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