Chimney repair service

Safe-t Check Chimney Inc.

15 Marion Dr

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

Phone: (631) 981 2522

I recently had a horrible experience with the above named company.

I discovered a water leak in my house and found the flashing to have become undone.

Upon further investigating of the area from the roof, I noticed deteriorating masonry around the bricks, and the top courses were loose.

In a panic, I called the above company to get the opinion of a professional. What a mistake.

The owner came over and said that the chimney needed a lining and that carbon monoxide may be getting into my house.

I mentioned all of my concerns with the loose bricks, flashing and loose cap masonry.

He promised that all of my concerns would be addressed along with the lining install.

He said that he had over 22 years of experience.

I later found that he was in business for only 2 1/2 years and worked for someone else for the remainder of the time.

Deceiving? Yes. A lie, not really. That is if he really worked for someone that amount of time.

But, I should have suspected something when he demanded partial payment days before the job was started.

When work was done, I found that he sold a sleeve job with little else other than a brick seal sprayed on the chimney.

The flashing was not touched, the masonry was siliconed in 2 spots with standard silicone from a tube, and the moss that was on the chimney was not removed before spraying the water seal on.. When these things were mentioned, rude comments about not knowing what I was talking about were produced from the owner in an attempt of belittlement.

. Anything else mentioned about my concerns were met with the comment of the work was not needed and the brick seal would take care of everything.

I find it hard to believe that a hole in the masonry that I could fit my finger into would be repaired by a clear spray, along with courses of bricks that were loose. But again, I was told that I did not know what I was talking about.

I stopped payment that day and got a call from the company's owner in the evening.

I was threatened over the phone by this individual that I had better pay up or he would have me arrested for theft of services. I told him that he did not satisfactorily complete the service, as I had told him while he was at my home.

He then told me that he was going to throw a ladder up on the side of my house and rip the sleeve that he installed right out of my chimney if final payment was not made.

I mentioned that when the services promised to me were completed to my satisfaction, final payment would be made.

I was told by him that it did not matter what was promised to me, it only mattered what he wrote on the work order, and he would define the words in his own way. I was then told that he would return and do a minimum amount of work, as described by him and that I WILL pay up. He then hung up on me.

Later on that evening, I got a call from my credit card's frauds division stating that "Safety check inc." had said that the stop on the payment was lifted by the credit card owner and should she o.k. the payment. I was stunned as to the gaul of this individual.

I immediately cancelled that credit card and had a new one issued because this company was not to be trusted with something as valuable as a credit card number.

The next day he showed up and did the minimum amount of work that he decided. I paid him to get him off of my property and away from me.

The job was never completed to satisfaction and I find it repulsive to have had to stop payment on a vendor to get any further action out of them. I consider myself as one of the many homeowners that was robbed from an unscrupulous vendor such as this one and learned a valuable lesson. Never rush into hiring someone without first investigating them

I since have found this vendors rating as extremely unsatisfactory http://www.i-rate.org/rating.php?id=569507&rating=1 on line after it was too late.

The better business bureau has my complaint.

The dept. of consumer affairs is next.

I bought 2 carbon dioxide detectors and installed them in the heating room and the room with the fireplace after he left.

After seeing what was done on the chimney, I was afraid of what he did inside my chimney with his sleeve job.

This company should not have a license to work on peoples homes in the state of new York.

I only fear for those who have had work done by this company in the past.

Comment On This

I wish I had read this before I hired him, because he ripped me off to the tune of $2000. He said I needed a new sleeve for the boiler, and a new damper. He charged me for both the sleeve and a top of the line damper last February. This October - only 8 months later - we discovered that there was water coming into the fireplace. We called him to report the problem, and he said he would come to look at it, and didn't show. We called him again, and he finally showed up,, and with a condescending attitude told us it had nothing to do with the damper, that the bricks were crumbling, which accounted for the leakage (not true) and for another $2500 he could fix it. I called in Dieter Hagen (a reputable company recommened by a friend) for a second opionion. Bottome Line: Safety Check did NOT INSTALL THE SLEEVE correctly - they did not even attach it to the boiler!!! That left all the soot from my boiler to SURROUND the sleeve instead of going into it, and backdrafting into my basement. In addition, the $399 'top of the line' damper he installed was a cheap $79 damper, not the model he wrote on our receipt. I am going to report this man everywhere I can. I can scream very loudly, and I intend to do so.