Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/27/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  on 9/13/2019 Chimney Masters came to our home to check our old chimney. They gave us an invoice for the repairs with a double Flue Cap, Mortar crown, dura-lock ***** waterproofer,flashing overlay,parge Smoke Chamber of $1855.85 also a Damper Plate +handle assembly and cleaning for a total of $5,017.74 dollars. on April of 2023 I contacted ******* *. since we were getting water on the fireplace area in the house and noted the crown cover they put on the chimney was stripping away in flakes . He came and inspected and blame the weather for it. The Mortar crown had a warranty of 5-8 years. so he suggested I pay again and will credit the inspection to the new project of repairs for another $3.000 dollars . on 6/6/24 I contact him again with a new report from a different company who upon inspection found that the damper that chimney master put in was not the appropriate size, and the ************************ was inappropriate and that's why it didn't last. they also took pictures of inside the mortar and found areas without cover that are dangerous and can spark the house in flames.I sent all this reports to ******* and he promised to get back to me. He never did.All I ask is to give us our money back to cover for all the work I had to get done on the chimney again to correct the problems he created to our fireplace and the work he didn't do right the first time to our chimney.

  

  Business response

  02/02/2025

  Chimney Masters is a family owned and operated business that has been servicing the ******* area for over 17 years. The owner, my father, is a retired firefighter. After 20 years of service he saw what a fireplace that wasn't properly maintained could do so he started this company with the knowledge and hopes that we could help keep people informed and safe. Our priority has always been to the safety of the customers and to utilize the best materials in the industry. The dissatisfaction of a customer is something we regret to hear since we strive to provide the best customer service possible. We try to work with our customers the best we can within the parameters of their proposals/invoices. We offer warranties where they are possible and honor all approved contracts. In the matter of the Montero's, invoice number I190913914 (document attached) and the approved proposal number E190910905 (can be provided) I will address the complaints filed by them. Addressing the warranty complaint, Mrs. ******* claims that there was a 5-8 year warranty; however this statement is incorrect. In the attached invoice and proposal you can see that no such warranty was ever agreed upon. The reason why we were not able to offer a warranty is because of the overall size of the crown and the inability to fabricate or find a canopy large enough to cover the whole ****** this was verbally expressed to both *** and Mrs. ******** Due to this they were informed that the double flue cap would be placed there to cover to two flues. They were also informed that because the mortar crown would be exposed that weathering would cause deterioration over time. We stated in the invoice comments to please maintain annual cleanings and inspections to ensure the longevity of the fireplace system. I would like to note that we did not accept full payment at the time of completion. We allowed sixty days to pass before collecting the final payment as to allow weathering and to ensure the integrity of the applied materials. I have attached Gainesville's rain record for October of 2019. I also have other weather records for September, November and December of 2019 and can provide them if needed. This information can be confirmed through multiple weather sites. There were no follow up inspections, cleanings or maintenance done by Chimney Masters or any other certified chimney company that have been provided to us. We were not contacted again, until April of 2023, with any concerns with the fireplace, leaks or issues with use, etc. When they contacted us in April 2023 we did provide a proposal for repairs to the ********* fireplace system. We determined that the mortar crown had been compromised due to excessive weathering. After sending them a proposal for repairs we heard nothing from the ********* until June 6th 2024. I have attached a status report that shows the proposal was opened 04-18-2023 at 1:20pm and was then opened again on 05-29-2024 at 2:11pm. When they contacted us in June of 2024 they claimed the damper was an inappropriate size and that the application of the mortar crown was not done correctly which they believe caused the issues. The actual reason for these problems is due to the lack of upkeep/inspections from 2019 to 2024. We have before and after pictures of our work inside and outside. The attachment capacity is only 5 attachments but we can provide those photos if needed. As for the claims on the interior portion being compromised, we can provide photos for this as well, it was caused by the same lack of upkeep/maintenance. These are the same issues that we noticed and included in the 2019 proposal we did for the home purchase by the Montero's. We explained to them that the issues were because of excessive weathering, lack of maintenance and upkeep. We stressed the importance of annual cleanings and inspections to prevent these types of major damages. If these guidelines had been followed by the ********* then these sort of issues could have been caught and rectified before getting out of hand and causing safety issues. Any fireplace company, fire department or the **** will agree with our comments in the comments section that the importance of annual cleanings and inspections of any fireplace or chimney are needed to ensure the safety and integrity of the system. The ********* also claim that no one from Chimney Masters reached out to them. I can provide phone records that show we called them on May 29th 2024 and July 12th 2024 with no response from them either time. If these are needed we can send them. Due to these circumstances we are unable to grant their request. 
  

  Customer response

  02/03/2025

   
  Complaint: 22862268
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩