| Author |
Message |
    
daveclark
Citizen
Username: Daveclark
Post Number: 6
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2003 - 4:44 pm: |     |
Repeating a thread I just started on the S.O. specific page:
Please beware of the chimney-repair-scam phone calls that always pop up this time of year. I got one yesterday, whereby the company offers to come out and clean the chimney or chimneys for $40, but when they actually come they find something wrong and give a badly inflated estimate. I was ripped off by one of these companies four years ago (my own fault) and I'm trying to get the NJ authorities interested, but so far I've had little luck.
Has anyone else had experience with these firms or at least received their phone calls?
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Dawn Botti
Citizen
Username: Slushpuppy
Post Number: 11
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2003 - 4:56 pm: | |
Same thing happened to me and my husband. We just moved in in Feb 2003 and got a call from Kringle Chimney's (I remember thinking how could any company using Santa Claus's name be con-artists) They told me that the former owners would have the chimney cleaned every year, but that they were now 3 years past due. We had them out for $40, but sure enough they found our chimney needed a liner or some such thing that would cost over $1500 to do. They told my husband he could climb up on the roof and come look himself, he said "no thanks" and we told them we'd get back to them. They pushed really hard (high sales pressure tactics) to get us to do the repair then and there. AFter finding out it was a scam we never had them back. We checked with PSE&G and our chimney is fine. |
1-2many
Citizen
Username: Wbg69
Post Number: 556
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2003 - 5:23 pm: | |
well, this really pisses me off. we got the call, did a little legwork to try to check it out, thought we did, and went ahead with - guess who? - Kringle Chimneys! Dawn, your story is strikingly familiar to mine - same drill, but like I said we felt like we had checked so we fell for it. As I recall it cost $1000 or so. which I would rather have in my pocket, or in new furniture, or.... grrr!
daveclark: what can we do - file a BBB complaint? |
daveclark
Citizen
Username: Daveclark
Post Number: 7
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2003 - 5:31 pm: | |
I don't really see how filing BBB complaints helps matters. These businesses need to be exterminated. A complaint only works if someone presented with an estimate actually cross references a name with any complaints. These people prey mostly on the elderly (and dumb people like me!).
I called the NJ Consumer Affairs office today and was told to compose a letter, which I did. I've written sporadically to NY and NJ authorities in the past few years, to no avail. I can't believe NJ can't give these firms the Eliot Spitzer treatment and really go after them.
If either of you have a number or anything else from that Kringle, please share it with me. I have a file collected on all the firms that have called me, with their phone numbers. These firms typically lie about where they're located. I've gotten calls where the caller ID number comes up as a Long Island number (many of them seem to be based there, as was the one that ripped me off) but the person on the phone says they're in Nutley, or some such thing. |
1-2many
Citizen
Username: Wbg69
Post Number: 557
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2003 - 5:38 pm: | |
I'm still pissed. I'll get my info off the receipt at home and post. what I found on the internet - this unfavorable BBB report on the company, with phone numbers:
http://www.bbbnewyork.org/businessreports/Default.aspx?id=56720
(doh! why didn't we check this first?!)
also found on Switchboard.com a DIFFERENT address, which to my recollection matches the address on my receipt, but I think the same phone number:
Kringle Chimney
81 N Broadway
Hicksville, NY 11801-2920
Phone: (516) 932-1820
so do you ever need to have your boiler exhaust chimney cleaned? |
daveclark
Citizen
Username: Daveclark
Post Number: 8
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2003 - 6:01 pm: | |
I don't know about how often you have to get it cleaned.
Thanks for the info. I typed that number into the reverse phone number feature on Verizon's Web site and it must be unlisted because no listing came up. |
themp
Citizen
Username: Themp
Post Number: 262
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 1:09 pm: | |
They called me and said the previous owner used them, too. |
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 128
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 3:44 pm: | |
Yep, we got the call too - about 3 times last year. They claimed there was a law requiring us to get our chimney inspected every so often, and that we were probably already in violation of it. They referred to the previous owners of our house by name, and said they told the company to call the new owners when they moved in. My husband insisted it was a scam, and fortunately, i was too lazy to follow up on any of it one way or the other. |
sahm
Citizen
Username: Sahm
Post Number: 37
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, November 8, 2003 - 10:16 pm: | |
they get your name (& the former owner's name), when the sale of your house is published in the paper. We had maybe 6 companies call us as soon as that came out. I could especially tell who got my name from the paper since there was a typo in the paper which altered my name.
They all claimed to have been working with the previous owner! (must be the cleanest chimney in town)!
it also makes you wonder, if i need a new liner now, and you were working with the person who sold me the house, why didn't they get the new liner?? |
daveclark
Citizen
Username: Daveclark
Post Number: 11
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 9:16 am: | |
I was just so young and naive four years ago, this being my first house, that I was taken. But I don't understand why this isn't a bigger issue and why N.J. authorities and the press aren't picking up on this story. This is not an insignificant amount of money that people are getting taken for. |
sglima
Citizen
Username: Slima
Post Number: 7
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 2:54 pm: | |
I have experienced a recent scam with the same company, and now I'm trying to figure out the best way to take action. I'm a producer at WABC-TV and have talked to my Consumer Investigative team.. and they believe this is a very good story. If any of you are interested in talking to us please email me with your information so we can give you a call. Hopefully they can be exposed and we can stop it from happening to other new homeowners.
stacey.geib@abc.com
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Phil
Citizen
Username: Barleyrooty
Post Number: 715
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, November 17, 2003 - 10:53 am: | |
So does anyone have a reputable Chimney sweep that they like? And how often do you think this should be done? |
Hunting
Citizen
Username: Hunting
Post Number: 25
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Monday, November 17, 2003 - 11:44 am: | |
Top Hat and Tails- 973-761-1054.Nice people, reasonable pricing and they did a great job. They did a thorough cleaning and didn't recommend anything more than that. I was told to clean the chimney ever one to two years, depending on how often the fireplace is used. I found them after much research and after also being scammed by a company in Long Island.
Good luck |
1-2many
Citizen
Username: Wbg69
Post Number: 606
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Monday, November 17, 2003 - 12:01 pm: | |
OK - that's for fireplace chimney cleaning - but what about boiler chimney cleaning? anyone? |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 1828
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, November 17, 2003 - 2:04 pm: | |
Top Hat does both. |
marken
Citizen
Username: Marken
Post Number: 74
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, November 17, 2003 - 7:34 pm: | |
Three more chimney references -- not companies, but associations: two of them include a way to search for members in your area.
http://www.ncsg.org/
http://www.csia.org/
http://www.njcsg.org/
I found it quite helpful just this morning.
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roconn
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 15
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2003 - 11:39 am: | |
I used a company last year (september) called Above the Peaks Chimney service. They called (and no, they didn't suggest they'd ever done my chimney before and they called in Mid August I believe -- I scheduled it for late september) and yes, when they got to the house they said that I needed to have the chimney for the furnace relined, and voila, it wasn't thousands of dollars, but did need to be relined.
I actually could see from the bottom the old crumbles of chimney lining (which were completely blocking the boiler flue) and was watching them so I know they didn't bring them in with them.
I actually know what caused the boiler chimney failure, (these things happen when the chimney gets smacked by a 250+ y/o black oak) I was just happy that the fireplace flue (which they cleaned for free) did not also need to be replaced.
Great guys, very professional. (I'll try and track down the number). |
oots
Citizen
Username: Oots
Post Number: 107
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 3:23 pm: | |
PSEG has issued a news release regarding chimney cleaning scams which refer to having received their client list from pseg & that their gas would be shut-off if they did not clean the chimney.
oots |
Maplewoody
Citizen
Username: Maplewoody
Post Number: 385
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2003 - 8:36 pm: | |
We used this guy, from recomendations on MOL:
David the Village Sweep (908) 756-1807 |
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