Top Notch Chimney Cleaning

it was quick and easy. He was in and out in about 15 minutes.

It was all done to our satisfaction. We didn't know the $99 furnace cleaning would lead to a much larger bill for a metal roof part. But it was all explained clearly. The job itself was done fast and efficiently.

John was very polite and professional. All work to be performed was explained in detail. All questions were answered. I would recommend Top Notch Chimney.

The employee Kevin phoned to advise he was on his way and arrived promptly. He came into our home and I told him we had two fireplaces. The one in the living room was never used and we wanted to be sure all set to use if we wished to. He looked at it, opened the flue and said it needed about $ 1200 worth of work. Said they would spray a coating in it. The estimate he wrote up states "apply smoketite chamber repair to smoke chamber and throat of fireplace." He advised it was o.k. to burn duraflame logs but warned not to make a hot fire in it. Then said he was going on the roof. With 3-4 minutes he walked in the front door ( no knock, no door bell ring) and asked to see the furnace. I showed him where it was and waited in the hallway. He opened the door to clean out area behind the furnace and began saying "oh boy, geez, just what I thought" . He then called me in to look and and showed me several broken pieces of cement on the bottom of the clean out area and said that the chimney liner was falling apart and that was what was sitting there. Said there is a bend in the chimney at the shoulder area and all the falling liner is piling up there. He said there was only about a 2 inch space and if he could not get in there he would have to open up the chimney and would cost more. I asked him to come into the other room and explain to my husband as well. He went into to this sales pitch about how we needed the liner replaced to the tune of about $ 1800. More if he could not put it in due to the pile up of the broken liner in the bend area. Warned us that carbon monoxide could back up into the house, shoot could bellow into the house and we would have to hire a restoration company to clean walls, drapes etc. Very costly. My husband asked if he had cleaned the chimney, Kevin said he could not do it due to the damage. Went into the sales pitch again, my husband said he needed to think about it. I pointed out the second fireplace and asked if he was going to look at it. He said there was no need to. (??) Kevin then wrote up the estimate for $ 1865 for that issue, again warned could be more. He advised me to call the office and they would be out by end of week to make repairs. I pointed out it was Wednesday, how could they be out by end of week when I had to wait a month for this appointment? He said this was a priority and so would come right out. He also offered a discount if we did both repairs. Before Kevin left he ran back to the basement, said he forgot to close the clean out door. My husband phoned another company for an estimate and cleaning and they came out a few days later. First they looked at the living room fireplace and said it needed some cosmetic touch up but no repairs. They also said the flue was left partially open, and proceeded to open it all the way. The gentleman asked me for a bag. Took out a Dunkin Donuts coffee cup, leaves, the skeleton of a dead animal and some paper. He asked how was an inspection done with all that in there? Good point.... He then went to the furnace area and opened the door. He said there was a lot of soot but did not see any broken liner pieces, I was there with him and did not see the pieces Kevin had said was the liner. Maybe why he had to go back to basement before leaving, had to take something back? This gentleman then went on the roof and looked. He said the chimney needed a cleaning first before he would give us a definite answer, the chimney really needed to be cleaned, but he did not see the damage Kevin said was there. There is a bluestone cap on the chimney and he suggested he take it off, clean the chimney and install an animal guard, replace the cap. He asked if Kevin had used a camera and showed us the damage, I advised him no. We hired him and he cleaned the chimney, DID NOT find the damage Kevin said was there. He said he had no problem getting brushes into chimney where Kevin claimed there was only a 2 inch space. The price for this , well, well, well below the $1865 Kevin said . You be the judge, what do you think ????? We would not recommend this company. I complained to Angie's List and was told since it was over 30 days since I had made payment, they would not give us a refund which I feel we should get. The cleaning was not done and should have been. If one company can clean it why could Top Notch not ? Maybe that was why we had to wait a month for the appointment, so they would not have to issue a refund for work not done? We would not recommend Top Notch based on our experience with them. I did phone Top Notch and asked if they use a camera to assess damage and the gentleman said only if the customer asks. I did not contact Top Notch to file complaint because I doubt it would do any good.

Cleaning okay, the rest of the work to do

It went well. I was happy with the service just disappointed that prior homeowners didn't do a good job with the up keep of the chimney and will require extensive work.

It was good. When they were there they ended up cleaning a second flue and also they ended up putting two caps on two of the flues. For that they charged more. They seem to be a little bit more expensive than some of the others. There was no mess left behind.

It went just fine. They were thorough.

Great, work done on time and cleaned up well.

After the initial cleaning, we scheduled Top Notch to install a sleeve in the chimney. Rob was at the house on time. Very professional. Workmanship excellent.

Didn't bother to show up or call to advise no one was showing.

Marc and Dennis arrived on the designated date at the designated time, were very friendly and clearly knowledgeable. Marc discovered a potentially hazardous situation with the second chimney hooked to the oil furnace which was in terrible shape and collapsing within itself. Water was flowing in and combining with the deteriorating cement causing blockage and a potentially hazardous leakage of carbon monoxide and sulfur. Marc and Dennis changed their schedule and agreed to stay and make the necessary repairs at a reasonable price with a warrantee for their services. Their work is impeccable. This is a good, honest family run business where clearly the employees take pride in their work. I highly recommend Top Notch.

They did excellent job and were very pleasant.

Arrived during the time frame given. The serviceman was very and professional even played with the dog. When the work was completed every was neat and clean. Would definitely hired them again

Our Technician was very professional and friendly and did the job quickly with little disruption in the house.

Great. Very professional and expert knowledge provided. Knew I needed a different chimney lining with the type of furnace being used. Will use again.

To me not too well when you put out 3700.00 and found out by other businesses I paid way too much for what was done ..

Job was performed well, kept inside of house clean and performed a much needed cleaning of my wood stove and chimney.

Marc was fantastic, he is very honest about the work that needed to be done with no pressure. He did a great job on the crown and I really like that they warranty their work. We plan to have a steel flue installed and I will definitely call Top Notch to do the job.

The provider did not service the MA area (only CT) so I had to file for a refund. Perhaps this can be posted in the "fine print" of the offer in the future.

2 gentlemen came to my house to replace rain cap and do an inspection. They were early which is great; Rob explained everything to me and they took clear pictures and showed them to me. We had to replace the chimney liner on top of replacing the rain cap which he said looked like it was from Home Depot. (it was funny) They were only here for an hour; quick and professional. They will be doing yearly inspections from now on. We are pleased with the service and the company. Thank you Top Notch!

When they were here they told us we needed a new liner, then they told us we needed new flashing to fix our leak but it didn't repair our leak. When we attempted to contact them about the issues they didn't return our calls and hung up on us when we did get them on the line. It was just such a terrible experience and at the time they didn't even have a valid license to work in my state.

The service men were stuck in bad traffic and arrived after the end of the time window I was given without calling to give an explanation. It was nearly dark when they began but they assured me that they could do the work under those conditions. They took before and after pictures of the area and showed me. They discarded their used polyester gloves in the bushes around the chimney, which was a disappointment. I believe that the work they did was good, but they were unprofessional in the way they conducted themselves.

The provider noted that the furnace chimney was pretty old and not in great shape (house built in 1956, so I agree). Recommended a furnace chimney sleeve and gave me a written quote. He checked out the traps in the basement and recommended I clean those out myself since it's easy, but if I wanted, they would gladly do it at an additional cost. They were very professional and helpful without pushing any other product sales. I was very interested in the sleeve, knowing the condition of the chimney, but told him I'll wait until the new year. He gave me all the information and a quote without any pressure. I would use them again. They were prompt, professional, courteous and seemed trustworthy, honest and reliable.

They were prompt, they were nice, they were professional.