We initially received a service last year and were quoted a price for further repairs needing to be done. Unfortunately, the quote was incorrect due to an inexperienced employee. The owner of the company came to reassess the work and found several things that also were missed during that inspection. You would think this would cause us concern. However, the owner of the business personally arrived at our house and went to great lengths to show us the work needed in great detail and provided a more accurate quote. He was completely upfront with what the situation was and because he is a good business owner, heavily discounted the price and guaranteed that the work would be done right. The world of contracting can be difficult and I am always open to companies attempting to make things right and not writing them off entirely. I did my homework and called other companies and the quote not only was below competitors but upon the company coming to do the work, I was entirely satisfied with the outcome. The new technician was polite, professional, and was extremely attentive to cleanliness and respectful of our house. While most would have immediately moved on due to the initial interaction, I am glad we offered them another shot at keeping our business and they did not disappoint. The repairs were well done and I would not hesitate to recommend them to others or using them again for our own purposes. read more

They were a joke. They just wanted to clean chimneys never used it. They won't clean bird nests or even spider webs.

So happy we went with Step in Time! Great service for a good price. Ended up getting our chimney cleaned and putting in a refurbished woodstove plus had the chimney grout repointed and work done on the cap., all for less than what a new stove would have cost. Called last week, got the quote on Sunday and the work was done on Monday (they fit us in when they had a job cancel). We'll definitely be calling back to get our chimney cleaned in the future. read more

A Step In Time - New to us woodstove - Chimney Sweeps Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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J.T. (who came to VA in November) was on-time, personable, and helpful! He gave us suggestions and wrote a clear service report.

Hired A Step in Time to clean my chimney, which they did. While the technician, Andrew, was at my house, he said he could repair cracked mortar around the fireplace facade and install new glass doors in the fireplace. He said the mortar was a common gray color and he could match it perfectly. He wrote a proposal and we set an appointment for him to do the work. He came back to the house two weeks later (more than two hours late for the appointment). Said he was unsure if he could match the mortar color. I asked why not (reminding him that he said he could match the mortar and that he said it was a "common gray" color). He stormed out of the house as I was talking, got in his truck and sped away. I spoke with the owner, Ray Gessner. He said he has "a hard time hiring good workers." Mr. Gessner said he would try to reach out to a professional mason to hopefully take over the project. I will update this review if A Step in Time comes through and completes the work to my satisfaction. read more

I am very happy with the service A Step in Time provided us. We were required to have our chimney cleaned upon move out as part of our lease. We never used the chimney during our entire two-year lease and were afraid that we would be on the hook for someone else's cleaning bill. Frank, our technician, was punctual, communicative, friendly, and most importantly, honest. He could have charged for a cleaning we didn't need, but he discovered that the chimney was in fact clean and produced a report saying so. He also discovered some safety issues and included those in the report. Moving is very stressful, and Frank made this part of the process easy. Much thanks. read more

The company mislead me and billed me for an inspection I didn't request. No one mentioned that it was MANDATORY to have an inspection NFPA. I just wanted a simple chimney cleaning, then they stated it was mandatory for the NFPA codes and billed me for the inspection, so not only did i get billed for something I didn't need, they did a crappy job of cleaning my chimney, and then they would not respond to my complaints. I would recommend not working with this company. read more

I would like to make corrections to my Yelp review. I live in Northern Virginia, however, I just learned in 2015 the work was done from the Virginia Beach office. I also just learned the "REP" I spoke to last month was also in Va. Beach office, Debora. I have now been in contact with the people in the new NoVa. business. Rufus has been wonderfully helpful with my issues and concerns. He is professional, respectful and very knowledgable. A breath of fresh air! I now have hope the bad work I had done originally, with the subsequent complications will be taken care of. I wanted everyone in Northern Virginia to know this bad review was NOT for NOVA. read more

I used this company in the past and it was fine. This time I had to schedule one month in advance and then they didn't even show. I called twice and was told he was running late. Then finally after 4 hours (yes 4 hours 5 days before Christmas) of cooling my heels unable to do anything they called to reschedule. I think me not. Do yourself a big favor and don't use them. read more

My experience with a Step in Time was like dealing with 2 different companies. I had an inspection and estimate performed and it went great, Scott showed up on time, was professional, knowledgeable and personable. I felt at ease enough that we scheduled several thousand dollars of chimney repair without even getting other quotes, we just liked them. The work was scheduled a week and half later, I got a confirmation email the day before, I had emailed Scott and he replied on exactly what we wanted done, all looked good. This is the only reason they got 2 stars vs 1. Then, on the day when the work was supposed to happen, nobody showed up. No crew, no foreman, no call... 2 hours after their scheduled time, I called the main office receptionist, who got in touch with the foreman, she told me he'd call me back soon. Another hour and a half goes by, I call the office again, this time the receptionist speaks to a manager that had her relay he'd call me back immediately ( I was already wary). Nothing. I've never dealt with a company who just ghosts their customers like this, doesnt show, doesnt call back, anything. It's extra frustrating when you're already taking time off work to meet them, and then while you're on hold with the main office as they try to find the crew, the little hold music recording keep telling you how good they are at scheduling and prioritizing your time. I've given up on calling them, if they ever call back I'll happily tell them I've gone with another company, I recommend you do the same if you value your time. read more

Scott and his team did a fantastic job on replacing the liner of my chimney and attaching it to my wood stove insert as well as taking care of roof repairs that were needed. They were on time, professional, and courteous. They took the time to make sure everything was cleaned up and made sure we were happy with the results. I would gladly recommend them to anyone needing these services. read more

I had a great experience with Paul and Mike from the Alexandria Area office. They were on time, called well in advance to confirm the day of, and were very professional. I'll be using Step In Time Chimney Sweep services for all my chimney requirements in the future and specifically requesting Paul and Mike. Incredibly happy with their services all around. read more

We asked A Step in Time to come to our house to clean our chimney and the furnace connection that connects into the chimney. The day of the service the time window given was 9 to 11 am. At 10:45, we received a call saying that the technician was running a few minutes late and was on his way. At 11:30, I received a call from the technician stating that he was 8 minutes away. At 11:45, he finally arrived. I showed him the furnace and after looking at it for less than 10 seconds, he stated that the unit was leaking carbon monoxide into our house, that a liner needed to be installed and that it was leaking sulfuric acid and causing soot to blow back into the house. Obviously, this made me concerned. He stated that he would recommend that we turn the unit off immediately and that the issues needed to be fixed. He then stated that it would cost $2200 to $2500 for his company to do the work. After a long diatribe about how they help the military and first responders and donate services, he mentioned that he was the president of the company and I could read up on the wonderful reviews online. He seemed hyped up and very erratic. He then said that if I booked the service that day, he would give it to me for $1800. I told him I would take with my husband and get back to him. After he left, I immediately called my husband and he suggested we call the company who installed the unit. They came out immediately and stated the unit was absolutely fine and that the chimney was already lined and actually in fantastic shape and very clean. They were very frustrated that this company tried to take advantage of our family, especially given that we are a military family. I would be remiss not to warn others of this company and highly recommend you look elsewhere for your chimney needs. read more