Beware of Chimney Scams

We have had a large number of customers tell us about companies advertising very low prices for chimney sweeps who then come out and tell the customer the price is really $500-$700 for a chimney sweep (way beyond the usual range).  Customers who agreed to the bait and switch then had these companies do a bad job and ended up with lots of soot in their homes.  When they wrote bad reviews, they were then threatened by these companies.  On checking with the California Contractors License Bureau, none of these companies have contractor’s licenses, so it is illegal for them to charge more than $500.  The company names are often similar to legitimate companies who do have a contractor’s license.