The chimney services industry isn’t regulated like the legal, medical, accounting and other industries. This means that pretty much anyone can put up a sign or a website and go into the chimney business.
National Chimney Cleaners of Fairfield County, CT, and Morris County, NJ, would like to share seven smart approaches to hiring a chimney sweep or other chimney professional to work on your chimney.
The list below is in no particular order.
1. Check out the websiteA company’s website, of course, can say anything the people running the company want it to. Keep that in mind. But at the same time, realize that reputable chimney sweeps will take care to establish their credibility on their websites and show potential customers their areas of expertise.
Qualified chimney sweeps will be happy to provide you with a way to get in touch with some of their current or past customers. Talk with these customers and learn about their experiences in doing business with the chimney company you’re considering.
If you want to schedule chimney cleaning, chimney inspection or chimney repair work, speak with representatives from several different chimney companies. Describe your problem, and listen to how they tell you they can solve it.
You can learn a lot about a person’s standards and integrity with a simple conversation. The chimney reps you talk to should listen to your concerns and explain things in a way that you understand.
Lack of insurance is the first sign of an amateur. Liability insurance isn’t cheap, but reputable chimney companies know it’s part of the cost of doing business the right way. An uninsured chimney worker can cause you major problems, both financially and materially.
This isn’t only to get the lowest price. It’s also to evaluate the different approaches to your chimney issue from a second or third company. After you’ve spoken with a couple technicians, you’ll have a fairly clear idea of which one sounds best overall.
Talk with friends, business associates, coworkers and neighbors about chimney companies they’ve had good (or bad!) results with. Often, word-of-mouth is the best predictor of doing business with a given company.
Unscrupulous chimney companies have well-known tactics. A common tactic is to advertise super-low prices for a chimney cleaning or inspection, and then find all kinds of “major chimney trouble” that needs to be fixed right away – and at a very high price.
This is another reason to seek several estimates for chimney services. You want to compare prices and see if any of them fall way below what seems normal.
Call a chimney company you can trustAt National Chimney Cleaners, our technicians have extensive training in chimney cleaning, repairs and the inspection process. We’re fully insured and licensed to do business in New Jersey and Connecticut. We’ll explain our approach to your chimney project clearly and completely. We’re happy to supply references and give you a highly competitive price.
Speak with a Morris County and Fairfield County chimney expert today at 800-631-6177 or reach out with our simple contact form.
