Clean Sweep Chimney and Roofing

Review: Purchased chimney cleaning from living social. Called clean sweep and set up an appointment for October 22. 8am Called Clean sweep on the 22nd with no response. 11:22am Kept calling until I received an answer by [redacted] (seems like their 800 number is redirected to her cell phone, voice mail does not say name of business). Asked [redacted] when we should expect the tech to arrive. [redacted] said she would call them and call us back. We received a call back at 3:56pm saying she was out of office picking up her children, and she asked if tech has arrived yet. The tech never arrived and [redacted] never answered our return phone calls.

I called [redacted] again with no answer.

We have now lost a day of vacation for this service and we have to wait two more weeks before another service can clean our chimney.Desired Settlement: We would like a full refund of our money and a courtesy call apologizing for our lost time.

Business

Response:

Due to the storm, the technician was unable to complete all of his jobs for the day. Our apologies, and a refund will be issued.

Review: Clean Sweep Chimney and Roofing [redacted] failed to provide service as paid for in January of this year, as they had agreed to do over the phone. The company failed to show up at two designated times to clean our chimney, a service we had already paid for through a $54 voucher. After several times of trying to reach them, I finally got through, and a company representative promised to refund our money. That was in late January. As of April 1, we had not received anything. On April 3, my wife called the company number to complain, and demand the refund. A person on the phone said she could not recall our case and said she would "look into it." So far we have heard nothing. We want our refund as promised! We paid for this service!Desired Settlement: We want a refund, as promised, for the service we paid for that was not provided.

Business

Response:

A refund will be issued

Review: Company offered to install chimney caps which we agreed to but which cause the house to fill with smoke when a fire is lit in the fireplace. A company representative came to investigate and advised us that the caps were reducing the draw of air thus causing the smoke to enter the house, and that in fact these particular chimneys did not need caps. However the representative said he was unable to remove them, and to call the office to have someone else come and remove them. On calling the office the company agreed to send someone to remove the chimney caps and give us a full refund of the cost of installing them but the company representative did not come for the scheduled appointment on December 5th as agreed and they have not returned my phone calls since.Desired Settlement: Remove the chimney caps immediately as the fireplaces are currently unusable and issue a full refund as agreed.

Business

Response:

Perhaps you have not communicated with your spouse but your appointment was rescheduled due to weather

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: twice we had appointments scheduled for someone to come and both times no one showed up and no one ever contacted us to explain why or to reschedule.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

The appointment was cancelled due to weather. I have sent NUMEROUS emails trying to reschedule and you are not willing to accept. ...

Review: I scheduled an appointment to have my chimney cleaned almost 2 months prior to the appointment date. Less than 24 hours prior to my appointment, I was notified that they would be canceling my appointment. When I tried to reschedule, another appointment was not available until January. A refund was offered but I have yet to see one mailed to me. The manager that I was speaking with, also the owners wife, was extremely rude, abrupt, argumative, and nasty on the phone and very unprofessional. I have called a few times and left messages regarding my refund and have not gotten a call back. I have also asked for the owner to call me back to talk about they way I was treated and have yet to receive a call. I would like a refund for services that were not performed. Their customer service is unacceptable and and I did not appreciate the way I was talked to, let alone the fact that I had a standing appointment for two months that was canceled at the last minute and no accommodations could be made for two more months. The fact that no one will return a phone call to discuss this matter or issue a refund is also an issue.Desired Settlement: Refund mailed to me

Business

Response:

The customer was offered MANY appointments to reschedule. She turned down every day I offered, even one that was less than a week away. I will not be spoken down to , or spoken to as rudely as I was by this customer. Respect works both ways. She will receive her $49 . Refunds take 4-6 weeks.

Review: We hired Clean Sweep through a [redacted] deal to sweep our chimney. They came and did not do a complete job and left our home with an unsafe fire condition and an unusable chimney. We have a wood stove installed in the chimney they were hired to clean and refuse to come back and complete the job properly. They have tried to bait and switch us into installing a full chimney liner for no reason as well as charge extra to take the stove out to properly clean the chimney. There was nothing about extra charges on the deal from [redacted] about if a wood stove is in place it would be an extra 300 dollars. They further claim that this is standard practice in the industry which is false. No chimney service that we have either used in the past or contacted since this issue has ever charged extra. We have asked for a full refund of the charges on [redacted] plus another 20 at time of service. They have failed to communicate further and have just stated good luck in our last communication. We have now had to hire another service to properly clean or chimney so we just want our money refunded. They also falsely tried to cite building codes once we complained about the service not being complete as a scare tactic to get us to spend extra money for services not needed.Desired Settlement: A full refund of all charges both from the [redacted] which was $49 and the $20 they charged at our house for a total of $69.

Business

Response:

It is very unfortunate that this has occurred. We have been in business for over 10 years and pride ourselves in customer satisfaction. The customer purchased a $49 online deal for a fireplace/ furnace cleaning. The customer does not have a standard fireplace. It is a wood stove insert. We cleaned the full length of the chimney and inside the stove. The customer wanted us to pull the stove out and then reinstall it. As we let them know, that is by no means part of a standard chimney cleaning. It is considered a reinstall and is very time and labor intensive. We never tried to sell the customer on any other work. We simply advised them that their woodstove was not installed up to current safety standards. This is not a scare tactic by any means. This is a Chimney company doing the responsible thing and advising the customer that the stove is not up to code and may not be safe. We never tried to sell them on anything, only gave advise. I can not refund money for a job that was done as advertised.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

11/22/13

Dear Ms. [redacted]:

RE: Complaint ID [redacted]

I am responding to your letter about my complaint against Clean Sweep Chimney and Roofing, Complaint ID [redacted].

Contrary to what Clean Sweep claims abut the job being complete, let me state that it was not completed at all. I have had experience in sweeping chimneys for a company as well as installing wood stoves, gas fireplaces, flue relining, flue liners and complete chimney rebuilds. The company I had worked for never charged extra to sweep a chimney with a wood stove insert nor had the other three companies I contacted after Clean Sweep was at my house. As of today the only extra charge (which is minimal at best $20.00) was for a fireplace with a pellet stove. Clean Sweep quoted my wife an extra $300 to remove the stove to vacuum the creosote out of the chimney.

This brings me to my next point. I am also a firefighter with over 24 years experience and have extensive knowledge about the products of combustion. Clean Sweep claims they told us our stove is “not up to code and may not be safe”. This is the furthest thing from the truth. The stove was installed 12 years ago to code that existed 12 years ago. The only time it would have to be brought up to the current code is if the stove was completely replaced. Otherwise, according to the building department in my town as well as the 4 other chimney and stove companies I contacted, my stove is grandfathered under the old code. This is standard practice in the building industry. Also seeing that they brought up safety, they were the ones responsible for an unsafe condition after their supposedly complete chimney cleaning. When a chimney is swept, all particles of combustion (creosote) need to be removed from the flue, smoke shelf and fireplace. The only way to do this when a wood stove is installed without a full chimney liner is to remove the stove from the fireplace, remove the damper plate and let the particles collect on the smoke shelf above the damper and the firebox of the fireplace. At that time you vacuum up the particles in both locations. My flue does not have a top to bottom chimney liner, it still has the terra cotta flue tile and the only thing it is required to have is a smoke pipe to bring the smoke from the stove into the flue tile portion of the chimney. Clean Sweep left approximately 4-6 inches of 2nd degree creosote on top of the damper plate and smoke shelf. I had the stove removed and the damper taken out to discover this condition. I took pictures of this as well. If I had used my wood stove after they left it would have caused a chimney fire and possible harm or death to my family. They in no way performed a proper chimney cleaning. As a matter of fact, nowhere on the paperwork they left at my house after the cleaning did they mention the stove not being installed up to code and unsafe. This was only mentioned after our initial complaint. Had I not been a firefighter as well as a chimney sweep, we would have lit a fire in the stove as it is heating season and suffered a catastrophic loss.

And while yes we did purchase an online coupon for $49.00 on [redacted], it was for a complete chimney cleaning. There was no disclaimer on the [redacted] coupon that for fireplaces with any type of wood, gas or pellet stove would there be an extra charge. I believe the term in the business world is bait and switch. After you buy the coupon they hit you with additional fees. This would include anything from a $20.00 charge while at my house to a $300 charge to remove all the soot they swept down. And further while they claim we paid $49.00 online they in fact did charge us an extra $20.00 at the time of service. My wife paid this as I was not home at the time and she was told it was because the sweep had to clean out my stove, which was extra. Again I will restate there was no disclaimer about extra fees at time of service. Also the actual sweep spoke to me on the phone and claimed to have removed baffle brick from my stove to vacuum, which is a lie. Clean Sweep did not vacuum my stove. I already vacuumed it prior to their arrival. I removed the baffle brick after the statement from their sweep and found the brick to have products of combustion still on the top including fly ash, which would be impossible if he indeed had vacuumed. Upon further research I found Clean Sweep on [redacted]. It appears they are running the same deal they offered through [redacted], but this time on [redacted] with no disclaimers concerning stoves in the fireplace or additional fees.

Clean Sweep states he cannot refund money for a job done as advertised, but they did not do such. What they did do was charged an extra $20 on top of the original purchase price of $49. And the only extra work they mentioned on the paperwork was cracks to the crown on top of the chimney with an estimated $300.00 to repair. I would like to point out that this company in their response to my complaint stated, “We never tried to sell the customer on any other work”. This is a lie as the receipt left at my house shows a quote for more work to be done, which the employee who came to my house did indeed try to advise my wife to do. They can claim all they want that they mentioned to us about the stove not being up to code but there is nothing on the paperwork left at my house. This claim about the code was only after we had complained about the job not being done completely, not at time of service. This to me is a form of scare tactic or bullying the customer, but they failed to realize that I have prior experience as a sweep as well as my service as a firefighter. I am including pictures of the receipt as well as the conditions found when the stove and damper were removed so you can see that while they claim to you there was no up-sell the paperwork proves otherwise and while the also claim to have advised us of the improper installation and codes they indeed did not do so on the paperwork.

Sincerely,

Pictures attached.

Business

Response:

The fact that the customer is a firefighter had no relevance in this matter. In fact, the owner of Clean Sweep Chimney is also a firefighter. This has nothing to do with the cleaning of your stove. Yes we do advertise on [redacted], not sure the relevance of that either. We absolutely note in our advertising that woodstoves are additional. Perhaps you missed that in your research. Also you noted that extra fees are not normally charged for woodstoves? This is 100% inaccurate. We are in this business for 10 years ans that is standard practice. As far as your verification of safety codes. Although you are " grandfathered in" , your setup is not up to the safety standards of current Installations but you are free to do whatever you like in your own home. I will avoid an unnecessarily lengthy response but just stating that you received what we were hired to do. Yes it would be $300 to remove and re install the stove. This is not bait and switch. It is a recommendation that you are free to ignore.

I am a patient person, always willing to give a business a 2nd. chance or even a 3rd. chance. Clean Sweep has crossed the line, TWO cancellations plus TWO no-shows in a 2 week span is beyond unacceptable. If you want a reliable chimney sweep I advise you to look elsewhere. Do not under any circumstances hire this fly by night company. You will be sorry... I found out the hard way, please don't make the same mistake I did.

Review: the company mentioned serviced my chimney the tech told me I needed chimney caps they are priced at $300.00 each I paid by check the entire cost of $600.00 the installer only had one cap and promissed to return ASAP with the other I thought 2 weeks was reasonable well 20plus phone calls none answered and a dozen or so emails no cap this guy gave reason except my do ate my homework .It is now into 3 months and no chimney cap or $300.00 refund .I was a cop in [redacted] for 30 yrs and now deception I trusted this guy because I used him before .he could care less when I told him I would take legal action .The owners name is Joe C[redacted] .I wish you good luck but I think he is amaster of run around I checked with the Dept of C onsumer affairs and he had 7 previos complaints his main business address is in [redacted] WHERE HIS **.business license goes back to that address his license # is [redacted].thankyou for any helpDesired Settlement: refund or install the new cap but can I trust him to come for the installation

Business

Response:

The cap was a custom order. It has not been 3 months, it has been a matter of weeks. The cap will be installed as promised

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: I have a written receipt dated 5/8 /15 a dozen emails and 2 dozen phone calls I have not heard from this guy in over 2 weeks the receipt doesn't lie its in its 3rd month Can you get a firm date that he would install the cap ,where he actually shows up

Sincerely

Business

Response:

Like I said, 2Months, custom part that can only be installed weather permitting as a 40 ft ladder and two technicians are needed. It will be installed prior to August 1st. And I have never ignored your calls or emails....

Review: I purchased a[redacted] for chimney cleaning and inspection. The technicians showed up 1/14/2015 and cleaned the chimney with a brush and inspected the chimney. I was told because we use the fire place a lot that we should do a deep[redacted] cleaning that would cost an additional $475 plus tax. The technician told me that he had all the equipment to do so on the truck and could do it today. He told me that he first had to spray the chimney with a chemical that would soak in and would return in two days to[redacted] clean the chimney. He took my credit card info and added it to the receipt I had already signed for the initial cleaning. They charged my card $500. He told me that his office would call me that day 1/14/2015 to make an appointment for him to return. I heard nothing from the company and called them on Friday 1/16 to find out when they were going to return. I never heard from them so I called again 1/20 again to request they return to finish the job. I again tried today 1/21 and again got their answering machine. I left them a message demanding my money back and have again heard nothing. Now I have a chemical on the inside of my chimney (that is if they really put something in there) and I can't use my fire place because I don't know what it is and if it is dangerous and a company that will not return my calls.Desired Settlement: I would just like my money back and I will call a reputable company to finish the job.

Business

Response:

This matter has been resolved.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

We have come to a resolution.

Sincerely,

Review: We arranged to have Clean Sweep clean our chimney on 10/17/13. They cleaned the chimney which included a fireplace in the playroom which has a white carpet. When I returned home the carpet near the fireplace and into the room had black soot tracked in all over the white carpet. I tried to sweep up as much as possible with a vacuum but the black stain was embedded in the carpet requiring a professional to clean the carpet. We contacted Clean Sweep to ask that they pay to have it cleaned by a professional and they said that they would have to come out and look at it first. Although they said they would come to look at it on 10/30, they never came and never called to reschedule. Many phone calls were made to customer service but Clean Sweep refused to clean the carpet and many of the phone calls were never answered or returned when messages were left. This happened just prior to Thanksgiving and because we got no response from Clean Sweep to resolve this issue we had to have it cleaned on our own as it was a mess.Clean Sweep customer service rates an F-. I now warn others never to use them.Desired Settlement: We eventually gave up on any solution from Clean Sweep...very disappointed at their lack of customer service and refusing to do the right thing.

Business

Response:

The carpet was.cleaned before we were given the opportunity to assess it.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

10/17/13 Clean Sweep cleaned our chimney

10/18/13 Clean Sweep was notified that they had tracked black soot on the surrounding rug and was requested to pay for cleaning it.

After many calls to Clean Sweep (some never answered or returned)on 11/6/13 they then requested a written estimate on letterhead from the cleaning company.

11/6/13 The requested quote for cleaning was sent to Clean Sweep.

Clean Sweep did not respond to the quote nor did they return numerous phone calls.

11/22/13 With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching we had the rug cleaned on our own. It was unsightly to leave it soiled and after waiting for over a month to have Clean Sweep take care of it, we had to have it done ourselves.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

As the customer stated, the carpet was cleaned before we could assess any damage. If pictures are available please forward them.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

We supplied Clean Sweep with the information they requested from the rug cleaner, we waited a month for them to reply, we called them numerous times to come out and look at the soot stains, they never returned our calls, they never came out to examine the damage, on and on and on. How long did they think we could wait for them to ignore us with the holidays quickly approaching. I would hope that the Revdex.com would never recommend this unethical company in the future.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

If you have dated photos we would be happy to take a look at them. We are an established company and we would never cause damage and not hold ourselves responsible.

Review: Clean Sweep Chimney applied a sealant to my chimney on June 15, 2015. In the process of doing that they damaged my wooden deck with significant over spray. They promised to come and correct the damage. On July 2nd the owner's wife said they would order a product to clean the deck and then Joe C[redacted] would come and correct the problem within a week. For the past 2 months I have been trying to reach them several times, but they do not return my call.Desired Settlement: I either want the deck repaired as they said they would, or a full refund of the cost of the service they provided. If the latter option is selected, I will use that money to hire someone to refinish the deck they damaged.

Business

Response:

Have spoken with the customer and am rectifying the issue

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because it has not be rectified yet. When rectified I will accept their response.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Expect delivery of product shortly

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: nothing has been sent to me as of today.

Sincerely,

They spent 1 minute cleaning chimney flue and 4 minutes vacuuming .thats it!! Then wanted 79$ to sweep furnace flue.rip off artist!!!didnt clean ash box and inspect.total time they were here 9 minutes.

Review: I had a coupon to clean my chimney. the man came on Nov 14 and proceeded to vacuum out the fireplace; however, he had no filter on his vacuum so the dust went all over the house. [redacted], the technician told my wife that our damper was bad and we needed a new one ($450). he also said we need covers on our vent lines because they were clogged. He was very unprofessional. We called the company and complained and [redacted] said we would get a refund of our [redacted] charge plus an extra $50 for cleaning. I called on Nov 28 and they said the check was out. so far no money and no returned calls. I also called in another chimney company who stated that our damper was working perfectly and certified that I writing.Desired Settlement: I want a refund of my coupon $50, plus $100 for cleaning and the aggravation of having to call in another company

Business

Response:

We already mutually agreed to a $100 refund...you will receive it in 4-6 weeks

Consumer

Response:

Review:[redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:From: [redacted] Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 9:51 AM To: [redacted] Cc: [redacted] Subject: Review:[redacted],The company stated I would get a check in 4-6 weeks and I have not received it. Also, I told them I wanted a check in two weeks and never did agree to the 4-6 week time period. Any help from you would be appreciated.[redacted]Sincerely,[redacted]

Business

Response:

The refund was processed and should be received shortly

Consumer

Response:

From: [redacted] Sent: Friday, January 30, 2015 3:28 PM To: '[redacted] Subject: RE: Review: [redacted] Again [redacted], I just want you to know it has been a week and I have not heard anything. [redacted] Please have a nice weekend.

Review: I purchased a deal to clean my chimney through [redacted]. I set up an appointment to have my chimney cleaned. After cleaning the chimney, the technician said that the cap on the furnace had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. I asked for a quote, and also a quote for a chimney cap to cover the fireplace chimney. He took out his book and showed me what they had. I asked if they had a chimney cap in black, as I did not want a silver one. He said they did, gave me a quote, and I ordered the two caps and gave a check for half of the payment of the work. I received a phone call that said the caps were in and an appointment was set up to install the caps. I called back and said I would not be there, and was told that was not a problem. Upon returning home that night, I discovered that a silver cap had been installed on the fireplace chimney and NOT the black one I had specifically asked for. I called the company and was told that the request for a black cap had not been written on the work order. I stated that I had made it very clear to the technician that I did NOT want a silver one. I asked if they could remove it and was told that it was really not possible, but $25 was deducted for my "inconvenience". I sent a check for $250 for the work, and then noticed that a gutter guard had been knocked off at the corner where the furnace cap was. Not trusting the integrity of this company, I stopped payment on the check and called the company. I was told that the wind most likely knocked it off (though I have been in the house for 9 years and there have been many wind storms). The guard was replaced and I sent a check for $215 (minus the $35 stop payment charge) to the Danbury office. I received a call on January 4 asking where the check was and I explained that I had sent it to the Danbury office (which is listed on the receipt). I was told that that office is not in existance, and that I must now send a check for $285 because the bill was being turned over to collections.Desired Settlement: I will pay only the $215 for the work, eventhough it was NOT what I had requested. I also would like for this company to be more cautious in their work ethics so that this situation does not occur in the future.

Business

Response:

The balance owed on the cap was $250. After it was already Installed, the customer stated she wanted to be painted. I explained to her that it could not be painted after it was Installed and offered her a $25 discount to bring the balance owed to $225. She agreed to send the payment of $$225. After waiting weeks without a.check I called her 3 times and received no response. She finally called and said she stopped payment because of a gutter guard off of her home. Despite the fact that we were no where near this gutter, we agreed to go back and put it up for her. After this was done she said she would mail payment. Well, weeks went by with no check. I left a message 3 times during those weeks and specifically stated to mail payment to the ** address only, not Danbury. She had mailed the first check (that she stopped payment on) to ** so I assumed it wouldn't be an issue. When I finally got her on the phone, she said she mailed a check to the Danbury office (not sure why when she knew we had moved) and that the check was only for the balance owed, minus her stop payment fee. I am.not responsible for her canceling payment on a check that was owed to us in the first place. I am billing her for the $225 as she agreed.