What a terrible way to make money! We're in escrow and the general inspector suggested a chimney repair estimate. Unfortunately I trusted this company and wasted my money on an estimate. They gave me a laundry list of repairs using scare tactics including claims that the builder (in 2000) made the chase and caps incorrectly and that we were at risk of a fire. The roofer laughed at the estimate and tipped us off. After a little research these jerks do this all the time. Almost all of their comments include a bogus $2k chase and cap estimate that was later disproven. How sad to take advantage of new homebuyers and exploit fears of fire to make an extra buck. No thanks... I'll find an honest company to fix only what needs fixing and not steal my hard earned money. read more

I had been a customer for 4 years. Up until this year, their service was good, and I had them install a fireplace insert in 2014. In December 2018, I scheduled a cleaning. When the employee arrived, he told me he didn't think he could clean the chimney as it was hot. The fireplace is our only source of heat, it is impossible for us not to use the fireplace. I was irritated that no one bothered to mention that to me, and it has never been a problem in the past. So, after taking 3 hours off work to find out that they couldn't clean the chimney, I decided to wait until winter is over. Today, I get a phone call reminding me that I have an appointment on 2/08. I never scheduled this and called to ensure it gets cancelled. The woman who answered the phone began arguing with me, stating that they would never schedule an appointment without talking to me. She continually interupted me as I tried to explain the situation. I finally told her I have no further interest in their services. Poor customer service. Easy to find an alternative. Perhaps they should focus on customer satisfaction instead of arguing. read more

The owner reached out and asked me to update my review since they issued me a partial refund ($30 refund for the cleaning part of the service. Not exactly a "full" refund. But something.) So I"ll update my review to mention that. And a few other things as well: While the refund came come after I called them, it wasn't until after I'd left negative reviews on several different sites. Since then we've had other repair work done around the house - but no one has felt that any of the issues identified during the "inspection" were nearly as serious as Chimney Sweeps did. The roofer who fixed the *one* thing that probably did need to be addressed right away was able to do it for significantly less than what this company was going to charge. (Almost two years in and the $100 repair work is holding up fine.) A year after the initial visit, someone from Chimney Sweeps called me - unsolicited - to tell me it was time for my annual inspection. (I think it was Steve. Can't be sure. Was definitely a guy.) And called late enough in the evening that I was making dinner when I answered the phone. When I told him that the roofer came and fixed the single actual issue found during the "inspection" for much less than Chimney Sweeps was trying to charge, the guy who'd called started started trying to tell me that the roofer had ripped me off. And and then hung up on me as I was explaining why I felt that he hadn't. That's right. He hung up on me after *he* called *me*. Since then I've gotten emails and even a letter asking me to leave a positive review on different review sites. It's like they don't even keep records of what's going on with their customers! Why would they ask ME to do that? Multiple times? So - yeah. It was nice to get $30 back. But everything else was still negative enough that I wouldn't be comfortable recommending them to anyone. read more

This company takes advantage of older ones. My 87 year old mother was told needed her creosote cleaned out of chimney for cost of $2,000. Also told all her roof vents and chimney flashing needed resealing for $2500. We had a Roofing company come out for a bid. Nothing is leaking and no resealing needed at this time. Don't trust this company. Always get more bids before you approve any work. Even if these items were needed their high cost is ridiculous. read more

My parents used these guys many years ago. They send postcards continuously so when it came time to clean mom's chimney (first time in years) we called them. They came out, said the fireplace wasn't safe to use and needed to be rebuilt. Wouldn't even clean it. We declined repair, they took a small fee and left. We didn't use the chimney that year. The following year we called again, they sent someone else out. This time they said it didn't look too bad but the cap was cracked. We knew the chimney was old and hadn't been maintained so we paid the cleaning and repair fees. Now, they call every few weeks in the off season. I mean every 3-4 weeks. Tried avoiding their calls, they don't leave a message. They call from many different numbers and only leave a message if they call from an anonymous number. To the owner, if you're reading this, why don't you please just leave a friendly message - once - and if the customer needs a sweep they'll remember you? Rather than spam, spam spam with phone calls and not leave a message? Next time, we'll check yelp and go with a 5 Star business instead. read more

They were professional and easy to work with and schedule. They came out for an inspection and cleaning. They found they didn't need to clean and inspected in good working order except an electrical issue that they don't service. They gave me a referral and did not charge me anything. read more

No stars would be a better option, but it's not here. We called Chimney Sweeps to get an estimate to get some work done. We knew the chimney would need a lot done, as it hadn't really been taken care of. They got a tech out to us the next day + a large estimate of $6500.00 to do it all. Tech placed a chimney cap on there for us, so we could continue to safely use the fireplace. We were scheduled for an 11am appt this week, and gave the 50% deposit required PRIOR to work done. 11am came + went without anyone showing up, so we called + were told, we'll get back to you. We made (5) calls until we finally got someone to tell us they had "overbooked" and had us rescheduled for the next week. We didn't like that + asked for the owner of the company to call us. Someone from their office called to tell us the owner would call the next day, and we said, nope. Today. Guy FINALLY called after 7pm, told us nothing was mishandled, their communication is fine, and he wouldn't do anything better for us. We called our credit card company + stopped the 50% deposit. We got a call from their office today stating" the owner told us you'd be happier working with another company". He was right! Who knew in this environment, he wouldn't need the work. By the way, the CUSTOMER is always right, especially when you've collected over $3k without doing any work. Note to self: Always check YELP reviews. read more

This place is not worth it. It ways over expensive and over priced. They prey on the elderly and have had issues with that. They claim to be a family run company but it's a family who runs it's employees down and fires them. They are not a preferred choice of chimney sweeping or roof work. read more

I had Chimney Sweeps Inc. come out for an inspection and possible cleaning. The owner arrived with accent and top-hat, as advertised. What was not advertised was the high pressure tactics used to try to push me towards an $1800 (-10 percent) purchase to replace a chimney chase. Concerned about this, after reading other reviews, I opted to get a second opinion (I did pay $150 for Chimney Sweeps to do preliminary measurements though.) Another, local company, followed up with another inspection, confirming that no, I do not need to replace the chimney chase, but if I did, the entire cost would be under $500 (they did offer to do it if I wanted it done). There was indeed a reasonable opportunity for disagreement about the code & requirements, and one could see that CS was applying the most stringent and perfectionist standards. Except that the high pressure tactics and exorbitant fees are strongly indicative of a scam rather than just high level professionalism. The other chimney sweep provided a much more detailed explanation of the situation, and I felt very confident about the work. CS also failed to identify and fix a trivial code issue in the firebox (heat tolerant putty required to seal the hole where the gas pipe enters the firebox), which the other guy did for free. Perhaps the "old tradition" that CS adheres to is parting homeowners from the most money legally possible. If paying $2k for a top-hat and accent is your thing, go right ahead. But do get someone else to actually service your chimney. read more

Chimney Sweeps were out to our house a few days ago to clean our chimney. Instead of cleaning our chimney, we were told that our chimney needed $5,800 worth of repairs. A week later another company came out and actually cleaned the chimney and said the chimney was dirty but DID NOT require ANY repairs at all!!!!! read more

I just had these guys out here again to make a couple minor repairs in my chimney. Again they were very friendly and informative, and it didn't break my bank account. read more

I have appreciated so much the service that Chimney Sweeps have provided for our house over the past 15 years! Thank you thank you so much! Our house was built in 1970. It has a gas fireplace which we enjoy using when it's chilly in the mornings (not now of course) Chimney Sweeps replaced the 'old' (10 years) gas logs with beautiful new ones. Thank you! They also checked our chimney and made sure the cap was functional. In addition, Steve fixed many of my roof tiles that were broken after we had the house tented for termites. We are so grateful for that extra service. We appreciate the excellent, unique service that Chimney Sweeps provide. And I love that they always send us a 'thank you'! And we want to say thank you to them! Well done! read more

I would not recommend them. They're all about the HARD-SELL and using alarming, fear-mongering tactics, along with the old you-must-buy-it-now-or-we'll-be-too-busy-to-help-you line. Not impressed with their work. Not impressed with their aggressive vibe or their work. Not impressed with the two guys that showed up. Really regret hiring them. read more

This owner who not only was over charging 3X the amount. He also wanted a 1,000. depoist, not refundable and told me to "shut up and listen" in my house. Lucky, his son called refunded the 1,000. and that was over! Do not use this company! Diana R. read more

We had this company come out about a month ago to clean and inspect our chimney and install a cap. The guy who came out ended up telling me that we needed a ceramic coating inside our chimney to prevent heat from getting into our walls, etc. & quoted $1000 for that and said the cap would be $300 - $500. Thank goodness we had the sense to get a second opinion- no ceramic coating necessary and the cap got installed for $125! read more

Super friendly company! I've found that they're typically available to come out pretty quickly and are available on Saturdays which is definitely convenient for my schedule. Everyone I've dealt with here is very friendly and they do good work-- Definitely recommend them! read more

These guys came out and cleaned my chimney and fireplace. Extremely knowledgeable in this area! I didn't realize there was so much to the care of my chimney! Fast and super friendly! I'll be using them next year. Thanks for ensuring my home was safe! See you guys next time!! read more

Wonderful folks! When we bought our home last year we had them clean and inspect the chimney so we could use it during the winter. The technician was helpful and recommended some maintenance services that could be provided. No hard sell (which is refreshing) He stayed out on that roof until after dark to make sure it all got done in one day. This year we had them back for a cleaning and a little more work. Again, the service was amazing. They were punctual, tactful, and worked quickly. My wife and 11 month old daughter get a kick out of them showing up wearing the hat too. Great company! read more

We were told we needed major repairs because the chimney was unsafe and unusable. They quoted 3k to fix it, and told us our house would burn down if we lit a fire in the fireplace, and that over time the wall would rot away. I called around for estimates, and was quoted on average half of what they said. I then had a qualified second company come in to do a reinspect. He found no problems at all. I would recommend a second opinion if you've worked with these guys especially if they recommended the chase and caps/covers be repaired as that seems to be their favorite card to play, or just avoid them and get another company in from the start. read more

Chimney Sweeps have provided chimney and fireplace services for our two fireplaces annually for several years. Their personnel are professional, courteous, and knowledgeable; and the company is a licensed contractor. Though cleaning chimneys of a season's worth of soot is by its nature a dirty job, Chimney Sweeps take exceptional care to ensure everything is contained and the fireplaces and hearths are left in perfectly clean condition. Additionally, Chimney Sweeps provide valuable information on the condition of the chimneys and fireplaces, offering products and services appropriate to correct dangerous conditions; or to preclude further damage. read more

STAY AWAY!!! Somehow, this place was on Angie's List for a chimney cleaning for about $79. I was not there when they arrived, but our housekeeper was. After a while, I got a call on my cell while I was at work. Our house is in Clairemont and I work in eastern Chula Vista. They told me that our chimney cap had rusted out and needed replacement. They said they had a stainless steel one with a lifetime guarantee for $450. They sent me some pictures on my cell phone, but I was unsure what I was seeing. Then, they told me that my chimney crown and rebar were rusting. That might make my chimney weak and possibly fall down. To fix the crown would be $650. I knew the rains were coming, so again I said OK. They sent me a picture of the cap work on my cell phone, but again, I really did not know what all I was seeing. Then I gave them my credit card number over the phone without really seeing what was done, but trusting Angie's List, (big mistake), I gave it to them anyway. So, my $79 chimney cleaning turned into an $1,100 rip off. I looked on Amazon, and found a "lifetime" chimney cap for under $100. A contractor friend of mine looked at the chimney crown coating and said that he could have done a much better job for about $100. I reported this to Angie's List, but they were no help at all. In fact, this is the second time I have used a vendor from Angie's List, and both times they wound up costing us way more than the "deal." I am a 70 year old man, and I think I was taken advantage of. My advice is to stay far away from this place, and Angie's List, too. . . . read more

What a great family - they are ao kind and caring and genuinely helpful. I just love working with them and won't hesitate to call them the next time my chimney needs care. read more

Booked these guys on a phone call for my house and my two rentals, for a Saturday appointment, they called to confirm the appointment, but when the appointment date came, no call no show, and the best they said they could do was a reschedule for 2 months away....what a JOKE...bad business read more

Scheduled inspection/cleaning through Angie's List for mid-December 2015. Experienced hard, aggressive, scare tactics to give 50% that day of $3300 repair estimate for chase and shroud work. Checked form that fireplace firewall was "satisfactory". Got second opinion today by another company that is Chimney Safety Institute of America certified, (Chimney Sweeps, Inc. appears not to be!), and was shown photos of what he saw outside - nothing that needed replacement now (!) and addressed fireplace firewall cracks on floor and back panel - which I could see for myself - very obvious. Price for repair quoted under $500. BEWARE of Chimney Sweeps, Inc.!! Get other inspections! read more

I called this company before I read yelp reviews, what a mistake. I got birds in my chimney, got these guys to look at it and they said I needed $7000 worth of work. They told me my fireplace was not safe. I initially told them to fix it, had to pay $5000 up front. They worked for less than 3 hours and was going to come back in 2 weeks. I called other companies and read the reviews and realized I was probably scammed. I canceled further work and ask for a refund. They did refund $2000. So I paid $3000 for a new chimney cap, supposed rebuilt crown, a fireback and waterproofing, that took less than 3 hours. read more

Very prompt and professional service when they came out a few days ago. They know their trade and make sure you understand why certain repairs are needed. It is a family owned business which is great. Definitely worth giving them a call. read more

It's a crime against humanity. Dishonesty pays for this company. With a routine chimney clean, they informed me of repairs needed totaling $4000. Scare tactic; house could catch fire, rain will get into walls if parts were not replaced. Ruined my day! Called for second opinion; no repairs needed except for small crack. Got their company through Angie's list who is supposed to screen companies. Learned my lesson to do my homework & check Yelp first. Thank you Yelp for this service! read more

I had a similar experience as described by others with being over-charged and given unusually high estimates of potential "damaged" things that needed repair. Check with other companies before making any decisions. Buyer beware. read more

We called in Dec. When it was cold to have them come clean our chimney. They cleaned it and told us it needed some work, new bricks, grate, etc. They charged us 985.00 on my credit card and as of today, Feb. 16, it had not been fixed. We had to call them in Jan. To see if they when they were coming. They scheduled an appt for Feb. 5th, came out and the part broke, the said they should have it the next week. No phone call, no phone call. We called a couple of times and left messages, finally got someone and scheduled another appt for today at 5. As of 6, no show, no call. We called the last tech's number, he said he would call the office and get back to us. So far, nothing. I'll be filing with the better business bureau next. read more

This place is a rip off! Don't let them come to your house if your wife is the only one home! They pressure u into buying parts you don't need! They said my chase cap was rusted out and would be 1700 to replace. Those caps cost 309 dollars!!!! They are trying to charge me almost 6 times the cost of what it should be! Then it has taken them 8 weeks to get the parts needed to fix it. BTW I went up and inspected the cap myself and there was no signs of it being rusted out! They took advantage of my wife's lack of knowledge and her inability to get ahold of me! I will be calling my lawyer in the morning and taking them to small claims court to get my money back! Worst company ever! DON'T USE THESE CROOKS! read more

Chimney Sweeps - The cap may be ugly but by no means is it rusted out! And also not $1700 part. 3 to 4 hundred tops from what I've found! - Chimney Sweeps Near Me - Lakeside, California

These guys are on the verge of harassing and creepy. Years after getting chimney work done by them they continue to call us even after we've asked them to stop. I don't even remember the work that they did now, but I would never recommend using them unless you like to be called back relentlessly for years later. We asked them to stop calling multiple times before finally posting this review. read more

I think this is a good company... But, I think their prices are way over inflated... I have 2 chimneys that both needed new caps.... The caps they used look to have cost about $100 bucks each for materials and maybe $50 bucks each for installation... I was charged $459.00 each... WOW is all I can say there... Now for the Crown repair.... Repair not replacement, not new construction, just to repair the existing crowns was $1478.00, for a grand total of $2432.74 completed in less than 3 hours. To be generous I would say maybe $600.00 in materials. That means they charge around $305.00 an hour per person for labor... I am in the wrong business... I did get a 10 year warranty on the Crown repairs. read more

I worked for this company for a while gotta say its deffenetly a different job i worked with the master sweep steven carter very honest man and hard working love how the company is family oriented and hard working as well kf i had another chance i would go back in a heart beat love the company ! read more

I am so happy I choose Chimney Sweeps to come out and inspect a potential property before I bought it. It saved me thousands having the seller of the home pay for all the chimney repairs and cleaning before closing Escrow. Thank you!!! read more

Very disappointed at the sales pitch of what was wrong with our chimney after a routine cleaning. We hired another company for a 2nd opinion and didn't need the $1300 parts and repair that we were told was needed. They did clean our chimney, however left the roof dirty with soot. read more

We used them to sweep our chimney a time or two for our house in San Diego. All good. We quit using the fireplace and told Chimney Sweeps we did not need their services any longer. They kept insisting we were on their schedule and we kept telling them no. So they show up and talked to my 93 year old mom and next thing we know they had replaced the spark arrestor and installed a new mortar cap on the top of the chimney. Mom paid them and off they went. When we saw she had written a check we called Chimney Sweep asking who authorized the work. They had nothing in writing. This all to the tune of $1,600 dollars for a job we did not authorize. Just an FYI a spark arrestor is $80. Looking at other reviews this looks like a pattern. They promote how honest they are on their website.. Whatever! From my perspective they took advantage of a 93 year telling her of the eminent danger if they didn't fix it.. It wasn't broken. I would 100% recommend you don't use them, that you lose their number and if they call hang up. My next step is to file a complaint against their contractor's license with the state. Which really means nothing I know but at least anyone who looks will see the complaint. It doesn't look like they care about negative complaints on Yelp as I do not see any attempts to rectify anything included in the reviews. So be it but don't be the next person to have a horrible experience and pass on this company. read more

They came out and tried to upcharge me for new roof vents even after I had a roofer repair them. They didn't carry a gas key for the fireplaces so they could not check the starters. Lastly, when the house was in escrow after the Chimney Sweeps inspection, the escrow home inspector found a cracked back plate in one of the fireplaces that Chimney Sweeps did not find. Terrible. read more

Horrible, I agree with Susan S. and Jim C. and the others. Chimney Sweeps continue to call us, and unfortunately, we thought it was the company we did use and NOT THIS COMPANY and agreed to the inspection. Same scam as last time! Beware of this company! read more

I just bought a home in Lakeside and gave these guys a call. They were able to come out 2 days later and fixed the cracked crown at a great price. I still need flashing to be done but just couldn't handle all at one time. Reason I was so impressed is they said they would give me a discount if I did all repairs but when I said I just couldn't all at once. They still gave it to me. Thanks Steve read more

This is a very efficiently fun business, always on time, calls to update you on when and where. They did a through job and kept our area around fireplace clean. We will use them again. read more