Central Virginia Chimney Chap

Review: This business had advertised in the [redacted]. I contacted for chimney sweep services and the co never showed up. I contacted them after I never heard from them and they told me they had an emergency repair and sorry no one had contacted me. On December 22, 2013, The following day they came to preform chimney sweep services. He tried to get me to pay in advance for work but I did not. As the[redacted] backed out of my driveway, he ran into my stone column. I thought as I saw him do this, he would pull up and notify me. Instead He pulled up and then backed out and left. I contacted him after disbelief that he had done something and was not honest enough to notify me. He also never exited his van to inspect my property to see if there was any damage. This man has been contacted numerous times, including by a chesterfield county police officer and my insurance agent. He claims to always be on a roof and will contact me back. he has promised numerous times to come and correct the column as he knocked it and it is not properly placed any longer. his voice mail is always full and no one can leave a message. This business claims to pose as other people( his brother) and after admitting to me that he hit it, he then states he did not and had kids from the [redacted] with him that day. He had these fids clean the chimney and probably paid them under the table too. This man has other reviews on [redacted] and bing where he has taken money and not provided services. I would now just like money I paid to be refunded as I cant trust this co. work and he has lied to me on several occasions. This company was also in trouble and lost a case with the sate of [redacted] and was also in violation with [redacted] as well I believe. I found supporting documentation from the internet and is public record. This co also uses the name Cvcc Contracting. I would like my column fixed but not from this company, and I would like a refund. I do not think this company should be allowed to con people and continue to do business in the area. I feel he is stealing from people and is very dishonest.Desired Settlement: would like refund and repair by a neutral party. Do not want this person on my property again. I will provide all contact dates but there are too many to list. I have also contacted via text as voice mail is full. I would like repair from a neutral party and refund in certified funds

Business

Response:

The business said that it was starting to rain a little when he was backing out of the driveway and he hit the pillar. He looked at it and didn't see any damage so he left. After the customer called him and said that he did damage the pillar he said that he would come back and add dirt. He has tried to contact the customer to set up this time but has been unable to do so. All the customer needs to do is to pick a date in the next week or two and they will come out and fix the damage.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The reason that I am unable to accept this offer is based on my past attempts to have this matter rectified. I can provide the dates where I contacted this [redacted] and he also has hung up on me numerous times. It was not raining at the time he hit my column, and he never exited the vehicle. I watched it from my window. When I contacted him, he said he was not looking. I made the comment that it was a good thing there was no one walking on the street at the time. He first tried to say he was not aware of what I was talking about, and then admitted fault. He since has gone back and forth with his stories, and claims to have been on my property numerous times and left business cards. No one has ever been to my house. I am home during the day. I have not had luck getting this man to answer the phone, his voice mail is always full, and he always claims to be on a roof and will call right back if you are lucky enough to get him on the phone. I have even had my insurance agent contact him with no luck. [redacted] county police as well tried to contact him but he never answered. They indicate that this is considered a hit and run since he never contacted me within 24 hours and left the property. . At this point, I don't find that he would be very reliable in showing up for a repair since this has lingered for 6 months now, and I feel he has no intention of rectifying the issue. I would like my money refunded and I would like to have a third party contractor repair the footing and place the column pack to its original state. I don't trust this man at all and after reading the many bad complaints where he gets people to pay for work ahead, and never shows back up- also a frequent review I have read and also a case where he was found guilty for that. If he has not changed his dealings after that, I don't have much faith that he would start to have a change in his ethics. I don't want to have any contact with him anymore directly, as it has been very upsetting and time consuming. Another option would turn it in to HIS insurance and they can contact me. I do not want this person on my property after the way he has acted. Thank goodness I did not pay him ahead as he tried to get me to for future work. Now I have to hire another company to inspect and clean my chimney as this man leaves me no choice because I am unable to trust any of his work. My property is my property, and the column was hit, and it was unearthed to make it lean. Over time this will only sag worse. I realize accidents happen, and I have been more than accommodating in this case. I contacted the Revdex.com so that I could get a resolution, but I don't trust this man and just want him to do what is right. In this case, I can't have him on my property because he has given me reason not to trust him. I have caught him in lies and I can't be taken advantage or walked over anymore from this company. It is not right and I can't understand why something so simple has to be escalated and go this far. I fear how many elderly are victimized by this man as well. As I mentioned previously I have found numerous poor reviews on this type of same instances. My request is his insurance company to get involved and make arrangements for the repair, or I can hire someone for an estimate and I would like the bill to be paid by the company and a full refund for the day he hit my property as his work can't be deemed trustworthy considering this circumstance in events. Thank you for listening, for your time, and your assistance in this matter. [redacted] I can be reached at [redacted] if you need additional assistance as well. I am sorry if this response has been a repeat, but as a single woman and single parent, I find that I am an easy target and I don't feel it is right to prey on people and their circumstances, or take advantage of people. I thank GOd I did not give him a post dated check for the future as he begged me to do so. I would be out that money as well. Thanks again, [redacted]

Regards,

Review: [redacted] of Central Virginia Chimney Chap scheduled an appointment on October 12 2015 at 4 pm to clean my chimney at [redacted] he did not show up. Called and said he would be here Oct. 14 2015 at 230 pm which he did show up and said he cleaned chimney.

Tried to build the first fire after the supposed cleaning on Nov 27 2015 and the house filled up with smoke. Contacted

Mr. [redacted] and stated he would be here at 5 pm on Dec 3 2015 he did not make it called and said he would be here Dec 11 at 8 am again he did not make it. Finally got a hold of him and said he would be here Dec 12 at 12pm . He got here at 4 pm. He said the problem was in the stove so he cleaned and once again the house filled with smoke. He then said he would have to come back and clean from the top down which he did on previous cleanings

he stated he would call me on Dec 16 2015 to schedule and that also did not happen.

5 years ago he installed a stainless liner which I even have doubts I needed.

I cannot use this chimney now with the fear of my safety and fear of my house burning downDesired Settlement: The chimney cleaned properly or I be made whole $3500 for the liner he put in to find someone that cares for their customers

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

At this time, I have not been contacted by Central Virginia Chimney Chap regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Regards,

Review: There are actually several problems:

1. I signed a contract for chimney work to be done at my home in late Oct/early Nov. I paid $1540 of the bill for materials to be ordered. In the meantime, I have gotten a second opinion-this company sent in all the information for me to get most of the work covered by my insurance company because they felt the problem was completely different than CVCC's opinion. I have also had 2 Chesterfield County Building Inspectors look at my chimney recently. They also looked at the contract and told me it was not a legal contract because information was missing. After talking with them, I contacted [redacted] (CVCC) and explained that I did not want to proceed with the job and asked how I could go about getting the money back for the materials. He told me that he would see what he could do and call me back on 3/314, but I have never heard from him.

2. [redacted] also looked at the chimney on my son's recently purchased home. He said many things were wrong and for safety reasons they needed to be repaired. I wrote CVCC a $1500. check for the materials on my son's job. But that night, I called [redacted] and explained that we were having second thoughts and did not want the work done until we could get a second opinion and also figure out how to pay for the work. He said the materials were ordered right after he left my son's house, but he would see what he could do. When we spoke again soon after, he said 1. he had been unable to cash the check ( a hold had been put on it at the credit union since it was for a large amount) and 2. he could use the materials he had ordered for another job. All was good- he would rip up the check since he couldn't cash it anyway. This was the beginning of Nov., I realized this afternoon, that [redacted] had indeed cashed the check (that never was supposed to be cashed and should have been destroyed) on 3/3/14. This has caused my checking account to be overdrawn and I several insufficient funds fees have already come out of my account!Desired Settlement: 1. The refund of the $1540.00 check for materials for my house and cancellation of the "contract."

2. The refund of the $1500.00 check that was written for materials at my son's house AND all credit union checking account fees that the cashing of this check has resulted in, as well as a letter of apology/ explanation to the companies that have tried to cash the checks I wrote.

Review: I gave [redacted] a Deposit of $130 for a work to be done on my chimney ( Check #[redacted] for 209.99; that check included the cleaning of the chimney $79.99 done on Dec 12, 2013, plus $130.00 as advance for the work on the outside of the chimney, totaling $260.00. The work was never done, we scheduled appointment few times but he never showed up, I called [redacted] several times. he doesn't even answer when he sees my caller ID. This is really frustrating, is not for the $ 130.00 now but for the way that I was treated by this man. I have all documentation if you needDesired Settlement: Just want my money back and never deal with this man anymore.

Business

Response:

Spoke with the business, [redacted]; he said that the work needed to be done on this job can’t be done if the weather is less than 40 degree, which is code. The contract that the customer signed clearly stated that information and that information was also disclosed to the customer at the time the work was contracted. However, this season has been extremely cold and has had very few days that work could be done. The business is still willing to do the work once there are days that met code. There are a few customers’ that are in the same situation but the business will respond to each in the time the contract was signed. At this point the business is not being able to continue their contacted work, but would be able to finish this job as warms days appear in the forecast.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

He just wants his money back so that he no longer has to deal with this business.

Business

Response:

I spoke with the business he said they have decided to refund the $[redacted] it will be delivered next friday.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [email protected].

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

Review: Central Virginia Chimney Chap (a.k.a CVCC), which is operated by [redacted] as the president of the corporation. I paid in advance for a repaired that CVCC and I agreed on. After the repair was completed, I had an agreement with [redacted] to charge my credit card for the remaining difference. He said he would prefer a check instead of the credit card, however, if the credit card charge goes through he will not cash the check. He seemed trustworthy at the time and so I agreed to the arrangement and wrote him a check for the difference. The check was to be deposit (cashed on 1 Feb 2014) if the credit card charge will not process. Big mistake.

Come to find out that the man is a liar and untrustworthy. He charged my credit the same day he completed the repair and deposited the check a week after. The check bounced because it was before the 1st of Feb 2014 in which we agreed on, if the check was to be used. The bank charged me $29.00 for insufficient fund. I emailed the contractor with a copy of the contract and the total payment that I have made. The email shows that the total cost of the contract was $425.00 and my credit card was charged $437.50. The first charge was $212.50 and the second charge was $225. 00. I also have left numerous messages on his answering machine. Oh, my mistake, he left me a message one Sunday afternoon and so I called him back a few minutes later. He heard my voice and said, “I’m on the roof right now so let me get down and call you back”. It is been two weeks, it must be a big roof.

The bottom-line, contractors who deceive or mismanage customers money should not do business in our community. On the other hand, we should be more aware of contractors like CVCC corporation by [redacted].Desired Settlement: Refund the difference and the bank charges.

Review: At the beginning of Dec/2012, I decided that I should have my chimney cleaned and inspected. I had a coupon from [redacted] for Central Virginia Chimney Chap. I called and spoke to Mr. [redacted], the owner, and arranged for him to come to my home at [redacted]. On December 8, when he arrived, he inspected my chimney and fireplace, took a few pictures, and informed me that there were multiple problems. The pictures showed cracks and crevices, and shifting of the liner. He blamed it on the earthquake that Virginia experienced during the summer of 2012. He told us that a new liner needed to be installed, along with some masonry work. Also both chimneys needed the shelfs cleaned, and caps installed. He showed us glowing reviews from other customers. He provided us with a quote for the repairs, and also wrote on the Condition Report that the fireplace was dangerous, and we should not use it. The quote included all the necessary repairs to the main chimney, and also cleaning the shelf area of the basement fireplace and the basement chimney. It also included the cost of a 2nd chimney cap. The labor on the quote included all of the repairs on the main chimney, and all the labor to clean the second chimney and install the additional chimney cap. The only extra item was the second chimney cap. Mr. [redacted] agreed, in writing on the contract, to perform the work on Dec. 16, 2012. Mr. [redacted] asked for full payment at this time. I explained that I was not willing to pay fully up front for the work, but I would pay for approx. half. The total quote was for $1,957.63 (one thousand nine hundred and fifty seven dollars and sixty three cents). I agreed to write him a check for $1,000.00(one thousand dollars exactly), with the balance due upon completion of the work. No one showed up on Dec 16, 2012, to do the work, and after numerous phone calls to Mr. [redacted], in which he blamed the weather, difficulty getting the caps, etc. one of his workers finally came on Dec. 31, 2012 to install the liner and do the other work. After completing the liner install, cleaning, and brick and mortar work, the worker informed my wife(I was at work, consulting by phone) that the chimney caps were not on the truck, but he would return on Jan. 1, 2013, and complete the install of the caps. My wife consulted me by phone, and I told her not to pay until the job was complete. Within 10 minutes, I received a phone call from Mr. [redacted] demanding that someone pay for the work. After some discussion, and assurance from Mr. [redacted] that his company would complete the work the next day(New Years Day), I agreed to pay the balance owed, minus the price of the second chimney cap. My wife wrote a check on that date for $800.00(eight hundred dollars), which was the balance owed of $957.63(nine hundred and fifty seven dollars and sixty three cents), minus $157.63(one hundred and fifty seven dollars and sixty three cents), representing the cost of the second chimney cap.We were told we could go ahead and use the fireplace at that time.We have been using the fireplace since then, and every time we use it, whenever we stir up the wood/embers, smoke billows out into the room. I have not seen or heard from Mr. [redacted] since Dec 31, 2012. I have left him numerous voice mails, and have sent many emails regarding the smoke problem, and the still unfinished job of the chimney caps. I have had NO response from Mr. [redacted] or any employee of his company.I am now very concerned as to whether any of the repairs were done properly, and indeed whether any of them were needed to begin with. In hindsight, I have researched Mr. [redacted]s company, and find that he has an extensive list of complaints with the Revdex.com.Desired Settlement: At a minimum, I want a refund of $685.00(six hundred and eighty five dollars), which includes the $87.00 which I paid for the inspection by [redacted], and $598.00 which will complete the work on my fireplace/chimneys.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

At this time, I have not been contacted by Central Virginia Chimney Chap regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Regards,

Review: On 10 April 2013 Mr. [redacted] offered to sweep/clean my chimney. Initially he said he could do this for $95 dollars. The wood stove was removed from the fireplace and set on a pile of firewood in the center of my family room. Mr [redacted] inspected the chimney and revised his price to $374 dollars to provide for several treatments. He departed and said he would return to finish the job. I called him several times to arrange appointments, and he never showed up when he said he would. His did come to the house twice more explaining that he previously had trouble with his truck. Now I can not get him to come back and finish the job and re-install my wood stove which still sits in the middle of the family room. I called many times and left messages on his answering machine but Mr. [redacted] will not return my calls. I have already paid him the $374 dollars to do the work. He will not return any of the money so that I can hire another chimney sweep to complete the unfinished work. We are going on three months with this and my family room can not be used because of the stink. HEALTH ISSUE BECAUSE HE WOULD NOT SPECIFY WHAT WAS SPRAYED INTO THE FIREPLACE OR ANY HEALTH HAZARDS FROM BREATHING THE FUMES.Desired Settlement: If Mr. [redacted] will not complete the work he was paid for I would like a refund so that I can hire a chimney sweep to complete the work.

Review: Contractor was called out to perform a chimney sweep, he failed to show up for two scheduled appointments. Once he did show up he performed the chimney sweep I discussed with him needing to get a chimney cap. He said that upon payment, he would order the cap and be back within a few days to put it on. That was on October 16th 2013 and it's now January 15th 2014 and he has never been back. I call him several times a week, always getting nothing but excuses as to why he has never returned. He has guaranteed me on several occasions that he would be here the next day only to once again not show up. My last contact with him, was him telling me that he was refunding my money but it has never shown up either.Desired Settlement: I would like my money REFUNDED!!

Business

Response:

I spoke with [redacted] from the business and he stated that he does have the caps from the chimney but putting them on is weather permitting. The last couple of weeks between snow and rain, it is dangerous for the his workers to get up on the roof and put the cap on. He also advises the consumer to contact him again at [redacted].

Review: verbal agreement before last Thanksgiving to provide 2 services. one was finally done 3/29/13 and paid for @ time of service. The second was scheduled ASAP and a deposit for materials was given to [redacted] 3/29/13. The second service has not yet been completed, nor has my deposit been refunded as requested 5/21/13. [redacted] has had multiple excuses and explanations and I don't believe he is being truthful.Desired Settlement: refund of $512.50 & complaint filed with Revdex.com to avoid this happening to others

Review: I hired this contractor to repair my chimney. On Saturday night, January 18th, I wrote the [redacted] a check for a $600 deposit on the job. The next morning, after speaking with a friend, I realized that I possibly needed roof repair instead. On Monday morning I called to cancel the job with Central Virginia Chimney Chap . He told me there would be cancellation fees. A week later I received a letter from a check cashing company claiming I owed them $630.00, and they would be taking me to court if I did not pay it in full. The [redacted] of this company cashed my check with a check cashing company. I am assuming he did so after I told him I was going to put a stop on the check and the job. He now has $600 cash and has not done any work. This is a very unethical, and possibly illegal, practice. It is essentially theft.Desired Settlement: Return the money to the check cashing company.

Review: Central Virginia Chimney Chap had a coupon in the [redacted] Mailers that go out for chimney cleaning. We set up an appointment for him to clean our chimney in January. When he came and did the job he informed us that there were issues with the bricks in our chimney being out of alignment which he said was a major fire hazard. He said that he could install a chimney lining tube that would fix the issue. Since he was very clear that this issue had a high risk if we did not fix it we went ahead and had him put in a chimney tube which he said is what had to be done to fix the issue. The total charge for the repairs were $2,963. We paid by 2 check payments on Jan. 16, and Jan. 18. He performed the work, and put everything back together. But when we went to have fires in the fireplace we had major issues with the smoke from the fireplace coming out into our living room and filling the house with smoke. We contacted him about the issue. It took several calls to get him to come back and look at what was going on. When he saw the smoke coming out, he said that this was probably due to air flow and maybe there were some places between the bricks somewhere that air was escaping causing some kind of air flow effect forcing the smoke out into the house. My comment to him was that this had not been an issue prior to the work that he did so therefore he needed to do what was necessary to fix the issue. Finally he said that he could put a smoke sheild in place that would prevent the smoke from coming out. I told him that we were fine with that, as long as the smoke shield did not obstruct the view through the glass of the outer hearth. He said that would not be a problem. He told us that he would make the smoke shield the next weekend and would come and put it in. That would have been around the beginning of February. He never showed up, nor did he call. I called him several times, and he would give us a day that he would be there, but then he would never show up and would not call. I would call him back and he would have an excuse as to why he couldn't make it. This went on throughout February and March, with him coming up with different excuses, including that he fell off a ladder and got hurt. He stopped responding around the beginning of April, and finally on April 21 I sent him an email telling him that this was unacceptable considering that he is the one that recommended the repairs, and we paid him right at $3,000, and now we have a fireplace we can't use. He has not responded since.Desired Settlement: We need to have this fixed so we can use our fireplace, but at this point I do not want [redacted] back in our house. I would like to have another contractor come in and assess what really needs to be done, and have [redacted] pay for the repairs.

Also, the internet is filled with complaints and issues regarding how [redacted] conducts business. (Unfortuantely I did not find out till after that fact) I am not sure what actions can be taken against him and/or his business, but with this kind of track record he should not be in business. As I read through the multiple reviews and issues that are going on with his business, I think for the Revdex.com a Class Action Suit would be appropriate to threaten action on. [redacted] advertised through [redacted], so I think [redacted] should be notified of the issues with this company. At the very least I would think his business license under serious scrutiny.

Business

Response:

The only thing left to day is finish the install of the smoke screens and it will only take a few more days. The business will call the customer in the next day or so and try and finish it this weekend or monday

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

Hello,

I just received notification that my complaint is closed. I have spoken with [redacted] over the phone, but the complaint has not been resolved. I am going to get another contractor to look at the work he performed and get an estimate on what needs to be done to correct the matters and let him know.

Review: The Contractor did not complete the installation of a chimney liner in a timely manner. I had to call the contractor several times, within a three week period to complete the service, after I paid $1,750 up front. After 3 attempts, the contractor came to install the liner. He was almost 2 hours late and after one hour of work. The contractor left the site for 2 hours without notifying me how long he was going to be gone. The contractor return to complete the installation, only to run out of day light to complete the job. He had to return in the morning to cap the liner. The contractor then notified me that he could not install the chimney cap because it was an inch short. I informed the him that I no longer wanted the cap. He was not happy, but agreed. The contractor informed me that the City of Richmond has to come out and inspect the installation of the chimney liner. Also that he would set up the appointment for 9 a.m. on that following Friday. I never recieved a call from the contractor confirming the inspection time. After speaking with the City of Richmond, they informed me that the contractor should have had a permit to install the liner. I never saw a permit. On Monday, 18 November 2013, I found a plastic bag with photos of the liner installation. And a note, I assume from the contractor, stating that he would like to recieve the remaining balance on the invoice. Which would be approximately $600. As of 19 November 2013, no appointment has been set with the City of Richmond. I will contact the City of Richmond and schedule an appointment for the inspection. I have contacted a contractor to complete the chimney cap and any additional service needed with the chimney liner.Desired Settlement: I would the owner/contractor to stop contacting me and take the $1,750 as payment.

Business

Response:

I spoke with [redacted] from the company and he stated that the liner was installed in one day on a Sunday. [redacted] stated that the City of Richmond did come out and inspect the job and told him that he does have to take the tape off of a pipe that he wrapped for the consumer. He also stated that he gave the consumer a big military discount for his work.

Review: After getting one of our chimneys swept and cleaned, and receiving a free estimate for crowns and caps, I tried to schedule the work (re-surface two chimney crowns and install two caps) starting back in late November but kept getting put off/cancelled. I was asked to mail in a $300 check for the caps, which I did promptly. This check was cashed. Finally, we set a date for December 21st for the work to be done. No one showed up. No one called. My husband and I called many times, left many messages. No one has responded and it has been nearly a month.Desired Settlement: We would like the full refund of the $300.00 check.

Business

Response:

I spoke with [redacted] from the business and he stated that he does have the caps from the chimney but putting them on is weather permitting. The last couple of weeks between snow and rain, it is dangerous for the his workers to get up on the roof and put the cap on. He also advises the consumer to contact him again at [redacted].

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[redacted] has told you that he has the caps and is not putting them on because of weather. We know that he has the caps - the issue is that he has been postponing this work for almost two months now. One of the dates he was supposed to come was December 21st. It was not raining. It was not snowing. It was a warmer day for December. He was scheduled to come around 12 noon. Instead, no one showed up. No one called to explain or apologize that they missed the appt. For 3 1/2 weeks, we were left with no information, no explanation. We called so many times, left many messages. Finally on January 15th, [redacted] called stating he thought the job was done. We asked for a refund of our $300.00. He promised to send it out to us on January 17th. We have not received it. I have called several times in the mean time. No response. As of now, he mail box on his phone is full and not accepting any more messages.