Chimney Scammers Strike Again!

     The chimney service industry is particularly susceptible to fraud and scamming.  This is largely due to the inaccessibility of most chimneys for homeowners to verify unscrupulous, bogus claims about damage and repair issues.  Add to that the issue of safety -- such as fire and carbon monoxide -- inherent to chimney conditions, and homeowner anxiety is ripe for the picking.
     Two other factors enter in also.  One is the fact that chimney technicians are not required to be licensed by most states, including New Hampshire and Maine, so there is no way to bring errant service providers and fly-by-nighters under the discipline of state law.  On the other hand, the one relevant and substantial credential to demand of any unknown chimney sweep is national certification by CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America).  Shysters are not likely to go to the trouble of qualifying for this credential.
     The second additional complicating factor here is the easy availability to scammers of database info that can identify particularly vulnerable members of the population -- namely the elderly -- who for various reasons may be more gullible and prone to being fooled.
     Here is how it works!  In the past two years, and most recently in May of 2012 in the Manchester, NH area, a company named Lysco, with a crew of two men, approaches elderly homeowners and offers a bargain.  "We happen to be in your neighborhood and can offer you a free chimney inspection and a cut rate sweeping (say $60.00 instead of the usual $200.00)."  Sounds like a good deal -- what can we lose?!  As it turns out -- plenty!
     In the last 2 years A Merrie Sweepe has been called to two of our previous customers who got suspicious when Lysco informed them that their stainless steel liners, required for safe and efficient oil burner venting, were damaged or incomplete, with risky deterioration beginning  in the chimney brickwork.  Lysco had brought down to the ground sections of liner that they themselves had corrupted, and then they offered to replace the defective liner with a new one, which they conveniently had on their truck, priced at an exorbitant $2000.00 or more (at least $500.00 over fair and normal costs).
     In both these cases, we confirmed our clients' suspicions and identified the fraud.  The police were called.  Lysco was chased off, often with a legal citation of one sort or another.  As far as we know, however, no significant punishment has been meted out to Lycsco.  The "wheels of justice" are often ponderous and ineffective and the easy rewards of scanning keep Lysco and their ilk coming back again and again.  So beware!  If in doubt, check integrity by demanding CSIA credentials, checking established long-time local sweeps, or consulting local agencies like the BBB, Chamber of Commerce, fire or police departments, or even stove shops.