Don’t get taken by chimney cleaning scams

Dear Editor: There is a company making unsolicited sales calls to homeowners in New York state, advertising a $40 fee to inspect and clean chimneys.

Although this service may be warranted from time to time, homeowners are advised to never invite contractors, other than locally reputable ones with good references, to come to your property, climb on your roof or enter your house.

What could happen is a company will come up with reasons to do expensive, unnecessary, work such as installing an expensive stainless steel flue liner. They will pressure a homeowner into such work as a way of “saving fuel” or “preventing a fire.”

I have solid evidence one company recently installed a flue liner that was too short, and even though they had a cancellation clause in the contract for a full refund, which was returned within the time limit, they did not return to fix the problem nor honor the contract. This contractor does not answer nor return calls, and their business address in is incorrect according to the U.S. Postal Service.

The business’ telephone numbers written on their contract is nonfunctional. They have been reported to the Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau after the contractor’s home address was tracked down.

It’s best to avoid these scams altogether. David Ekroth Woodstock