Safeside Chimney & Duct Cleaning, Inc.

I , *** *** , had a good conversation with ** *** I needed to set straight a few contentions in the statement as he was given some inaccurate informationThe soot pocket below the chimney pipe , about feet full, is filled with mortar and brick and some oil soot (possibly 80+
years worth) That isn't part of a chimney sweep There would be no brushmarks on an uncapped and unlined chimney after months , much less yearsOur tech was on the roof and gave an estimate for a chimney cap Running a brush is routine , done in minutes , there is absolutely no way our year certified veteran tech would skip that step This was all explained by me to *** ***.
There was a question about our service technician's ability to provide an estimate for a chimney liner job without going on the roofThe home was built prior to the codes that call for chimney liners, so he knew its condition He took a dozen pictures ,including the interior of the chimney , and the furnace out put information The size of the liner is dictated by the unit it is venting, the length of the kit by counting stories , and how much room is in the chimney to fit that size liner He also filled out a full worksheet for the office after he left the home We could perform this job at any time , should the customer call us.
Where there is some question is that a contractor pulled bricks out of the chimney flue It is possible that this fell from the chimney , due to its condition , but the homeowner contends it is likely from a previous repair , where brick was dropped down flue That repair was done prior to our sweepWe don't have a way to prove or disprove this fact , therefore I refunded the money for the chimney sweep My other reason for refunding was due to his unhappiness with our service technicians visit My tech , while normally quite good at communicating with customers over the last years with us , seemed to be entrenched in proving the above points as opposed to resolving them There definitely was a personality conflictThis is a mistake He should have called a manager or owner, or capitulated to the customers requests*** *** has left open the possibility of having us do the job at some point in future

Total mistake on billingI deleted it off our books I also have this feeling , I personally made the mistake I don't have specific memory if I spoke with customer about doing additional service or not during our
conversation , when I discovered the chimney had an ongoing leak, but the chimney had already been waterproofed I think my scribbled notes got re-written by scheduler as serviceNo other explanation It's unfortunate that this clerical error happened with this particular situation , because normally a phone call to the office would have resolved the issue
This chimney required complete rebuilding , due to the customer selling the home , he understandably didn't want to do that , so we performed a partial repair Our idea of what we would do for what cost , differed from his We did feel we did more service for the price we charged Unfortunately , the whole process was done over the phone , we never got to meet and get real specific Had we nailed this down in person , pointing at the chimney as to what was to be done , we would have provided a slightly higher cost estimate , that the customer would have said yay or nay to We did come back and do the additional repair the customer was expecting This bill was absolutely unintentional , and this customer has a legitimate complaint in that regard , and I truly apologize

I , *** *** , had a good conversation with ** *** I needed to set straight a few contentions in the statement as he was given some inaccurate informationThe soot pocket below the chimney pipe , about feet full, is filled with mortar and brick and some oil soot (possibly 80+
years worth) That isn't part of a chimney sweep There would be no brushmarks on an uncapped and unlined chimney after months , much less yearsOur tech was on the roof and gave an estimate for a chimney cap Running a brush is routine , done in minutes , there is absolutely no way our year certified veteran tech would skip that step This was all explained by me to *** ***.
There was a question about our service technician's ability to provide an estimate for a chimney liner job without going on the roofThe home was built prior to the codes that call for chimney liners, so he knew its condition He took a dozen pictures ,including the interior of the chimney , and the furnace out put information The size of the liner is dictated by the unit it is venting, the length of the kit by counting stories , and how much room is in the chimney to fit that size liner He also filled out a full worksheet for the office after he left the home We could perform this job at any time , should the customer call us.
Where there is some question is that a contractor pulled bricks out of the chimney flue It is possible that this fell from the chimney , due to its condition , but the homeowner contends it is likely from a previous repair , where brick was dropped down flue That repair was done prior to our sweepWe don't have a way to prove or disprove this fact , therefore I refunded the money for the chimney sweep My other reason for refunding was due to his unhappiness with our service technicians visit My tech , while normally quite good at communicating with customers over the last years with us , seemed to be entrenched in proving the above points as opposed to resolving them There definitely was a personality conflictThis is a mistake He should have called a manager or owner, or capitulated to the customers requests*** *** has left open the possibility of having us do the job at some point in future

These guys were amazing! I had a major emergency My husband is deployed and I have kidsI was going to be out of heat and hot water before this big snow we are supposed to get and I have kids still at homeI was beyond flustered and into tears I didn't have the money for what was needed but they totally worked with me on that and did the work for me, making sure I had heat and hot water My furnace is up and running like a charm and I'm beyond grateful for how amazing these folks were They even gave me a discount I'm a forever customer now Love these guys Thanks to Safeside!

Coincidentally ,  the gutter has been since replaced on 1/2 after 2 day holiday prior to receipt of this complaint which was dated 12/30.   We did demolition and reconstruction of a chimney and during this course ,...

some masonry dust staining reappeared on roof after cleanup , and there were 2 dents in the gutter.  The roof cleanup we were able to resolve quickly but the gutter took more time.  
They were special gutter guard style gutters and we needed to replace a long 35 + foot run to resolve the area that got dented. We had to have them manufactured from an outside vendor.  After we arranged for pickup of this long section, we had to custom paint the gutters brown to match the previous.  The gutters were set up in our shop and were painted over a number of days as it required multiple coats.  Then we sent a crew to have them installed.  It was our intention for this process to go much quicker as stated during our conversations with the customer and I admit it took much more time than expected and more time than the homeowner should have had to wait.

Got my chimney swept and flue inspected. The two guys that were here (Justin and D, I think were their names) were really helpful, gave a lot of good information, and seemed trustworthy. They did a thorough job and were helpful in showing me the issues with chimney that are going to need fixing down the road.

Situation has since been resolved prior to our receiving the complaint.  The work is fully guaranteed.

The pipe was returned the following morning.  
We were called out and met with Mr. to price out a pipe replacement for customers chimney.  It was an older unlisted and unmarked pipe.  Chimney pipe doesn't mix and match and connect with each...

other so the solutions are to replace the entire system or attempt to track down the manufacturer and model of pipe.  It was at that time Mr gave us permission to take the pipe in order to study it and come up with the cheapest solution.  We retrieved the damaged pipe from the backyard , in the woods , rusting and muddy.  
We did not have any conversation with the Mrs. about the chimney pipe , at all.  She did , as described asked Steve to keep his voice down because of the neighbors which caught him a bit by surprise as he was inside the house and felt he was speaking at a normal level about an innocuous chimney situation. He made a poor joke about it being just a chimney , with a smile on his face , but it was obviously not received in that way.   He left still thinking that we were finding the solution and possibly performing the job. That was not the case , we returned the pipe the following morning.

Review: We contracted Safeside to replace a chimney cap. They installed a chimney cap that was too big and used an exorbitant amount of silicone to hold it in place. Said chimney cap is no longer on chimney, but on the floor. We called Safeside regarding this and also because we are in the process of investigating why the stones on our chmney are rotting -- after 18 months of being built. While we cannot yet prove that Safeside's work is causing the stones to rot, we can, for sure, say that the wrong sized cap was installed. We have verification from other contractors and an engineer. We called Safeside to address the chimney cap issue. Not only did they not show up at the appointed date and time (March 14, 2014 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.), they lied and said that I was not home. I have a non-family member witness who was at home with me on the date of said appointment. We want Safeside to address their faulty installation and reimburse us entirely for the chimney cap so that we can retain another chimney contractor to properly install the cap correctly. We do not want Safeside to perform the installation as it is apparent that their contractors are not capable. Kind regards, Josephine RiccaDesired Settlement: Refund.

Business

Response:

Situation has since been resolved prior to our receiving the complaint. The work is fully guaranteed.

Review: Safeside chimney came to a property I was renting, to do cleaning and inspection of the chimney, after two year I decided to convert to natural gas. The contractor suggested I should have a liner installed before going any further, I said that the chimney was cleaned two year ago and that this past season was the first time it was used since then. At the same time as we are having that conversation, the boiler came on and it did something that assured him, that a liner was needed. It was partially blocked; the contractor removed the flue and began cleaning out the chimney. The comment he made (and I have to agree with), is that it was never cleaned. Looking at the amount of debris from previous repair the cleaning was never done. I contacted Safeside for estimate on a liner and about the cleaning that was supposedly done; the gentle man I spoke was very co-operative (at first) he suggest a free cleaning and with the estimation for the liner. A few days later technician came to my house clearly on the defense, stating that the was old and falling in on its self without going on the roof to take a look, I took him to the basement showed him what we took out; to that he side it is acceptable to be blocked 8 below the flue after that I had another chimney company come in to give an estimate old me that theyre no signs of brush mark in the chimney and the that way it was design (cobbling)it would be hard to clean it without leaving marks. in regards to professionalism; how for (1. can you a company send a guy like that to a customers hope to behave such a manner and 2) make estimates on assumptions(like I said before he never went on the roof).Desired Settlement: I would like a full refund since the work was never done.

Business

Response:

I , [redacted] , had a good conversation with [redacted]. I needed to set straight a few contentions in the statement as he was given some inaccurate information. The soot pocket below the chimney pipe , about 4 feet full, is filled with mortar and brick and some oil soot (possibly 80+ years worth). That isn't part of a chimney sweep. There would be no brushmarks on an uncapped and unlined chimney after 2 months , much less 2 years. Our tech was on the roof and gave an estimate for a chimney cap. Running a brush is routine , done in minutes , there is absolutely no way our 5 year certified veteran tech would skip that step. This was all explained by me to [redacted].

There was a question about our service technician's ability to provide an estimate for a chimney liner job without going on the roof. The home was built prior to the codes that call for chimney liners, so he knew its condition. He took a dozen pictures ,including the interior of the chimney , and the furnace out put information. The size of the liner is dictated by the unit it is venting, the length of the kit by counting stories , and how much room is in the chimney to fit that size liner. He also filled out a full worksheet for the office after he left the home. We could perform this job at any time , should the customer call us.

Where there is some question is that a contractor pulled bricks out of the chimney flue. It is possible that this fell from the chimney , due to its condition , but the homeowner contends it is likely from a previous repair , where brick was dropped down flue. That repair was done prior to our sweep. We don't have a way to prove or disprove this fact , therefore I refunded the money for the chimney sweep. My other reason for refunding was due to his unhappiness with our service technicians visit. My tech , while normally quite good at communicating with customers over the last 7 years with us , seemed to be entrenched in proving the above points as opposed to resolving them. There definitely was a personality conflict. This is a mistake. He should have called a manager or owner, or capitulated to the customers requests. [redacted] has left open the possibility of having us do the job at some point in future.

Review: Needing chimney work done, I contacted Safeside to set up an estimate. On Sept. 17th, a representative arrived and gave me an estimate of $3000, which included a $1000 deposit. I agreed and signed the paperwork. A week later, a representative called, telling me that [redacted] (my energy provider) needed to cover the power lines. This was done Oct. 5th, and I called Safeside to let them know. I was told they would begin working Oct. 8th. No one arrived. I called again for an update, and was told they will be here Oct. 15th. Again, they did not show. Other than me calling them, I have had no communication from them as to when the work will be done. Instead of me calling them again to get another date which they say they will arrive to do the work, I decided to submit this complaint.Desired Settlement: To do the work we agreed upon.

Business

Response:

We actually arrived the same day that we received the complaint , not knowing there were any issues. Our exterior masonry work is weather permitting and we were in our time frame. In the end , our customer told our mason that he was very happy with the job. - Kevin

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.

Sincerely,

Review: Hired Safeside to repair chimney. Repair was completed, but damage was done to roof and gutters. Roof damage was corrected, but gutter damage remains unresolved after 5 1/2 months despite numerous phone calls from us and promises from them.Desired Settlement: Would like Safeside to finish the repairs, and to issue a refund for the original work that was performed, due to the careless workmanship and the protracted length of time in resolving the issue.

Business

Response:

Coincidentally , the gutter has been since replaced on 1/2 after 2 day holiday prior to receipt of this complaint which was dated 12/30. We did demolition and reconstruction of a chimney and during this course , some masonry dust staining reappeared on roof after cleanup , and there were 2 dents in the gutter. The roof cleanup we were able to resolve quickly but the gutter took more time.

Review: We hired Safeside Chimney to clean our chimney on October 15, 2015. They came and charged us $189.00 plus tax to clean our chimney. They ran a chimney brush up and down the chimney and they didn't inspect the job when they were done. I found that the flue hole instead of being 8 inches was reduced to a 6 inches because of the creosote build up that they failed to remove. They said it would come back to finish the job for $480.00 +- to finish the job. Their company is scamming their customers and this needs to stop. I want a full refund of monies paid.

Business

Response:

We have since cleared up the miscommunication. Customer did not hear my voicemail prior to the written complaint that explained that we weren't depositing a check until we went over the chimney job. In the end , customer is satisfied with our attempt to resolve the situation , we have provided them with information on what is needed to make their wood burning system more efficient and safe and gave them the resources to be able to do this on their own should they choose. We did this at no charge for our time.

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.

Sincerely,

Review: I own a property which I rent located at [redacted] in Farmington. I contacted Safeside Chimney for a chimney cleaning in November , 2013. At that time the technician recommended I install a cap. I agreed and the appointment was made. They returned and installed the cap and a crown as scheduled. After the work was done my tenant started a fire in the wood burning fireplace and called me complaining of a smoke smell in the basement and the attic. I called Safeside Chimney letting them know. A technician came back but said that they did nothing wrong and I needed to install a chimney flue. I refused to spend more money and asked them to please remove the cap. This was scheduled and the company returned to install the cap but when they arrived they said they did not have a tall enough ladder and that they would be back later that day with the appropriate ladder. Well they never did and no explanation was given. I called Safeside at 2:00 p.m and they said they would be coming back the next day. They did and removed the lid off the cap. They claimed they could not remove the cap because it was cemented in. The removal of the lid, of course, did not resolve the problem. I called Safeside one more time and was assured by their sales manager that all the work they did was done up to code and that we shoud use a hairdryer to warm up the chimney before starting a fire. I proceeded to call another company to get another opinion. This company tells me that my chimney was not built tall enough to begin with and is not up to code. It is amazing to me that Safeside Chimney did not pick up on this. Needless to say the job they did was very expensive and all it did was create problems that did not exist before. I dont think this company has well trained technicians or reliable staff.Desired Settlement: For the information of Revdex.com and other consumers.

Business

Response:

Spoke with homeowner about the spoke smell in the basement that began when she had us install a chimney cap. We are coming back out to cut off the remainder of the chimney cap and provide her with a refund of a portion of the job. Unfortunately this chimney cannot have a cap as it is. We did know the chimney is a little short , which was why we recommended a flue extender, once we found out there was a draft issue. We could not foresee that this would occur as there are very many variables to draft and we have installed hundreds of chimney caps in similar situations in past. The removal of the lid should have resolved the issue , but since it didn't we will be out to remove the rest of the cap.