Ely Stokes Inc. Chimney, Fireplace & Masonry

This is the first time I used one of Deals but I felt pretty confident because I was familiar with the company. The process of purchasing the deal and setting up the appointment was easy. The technician was prompt, courteous, and professional. He cleaned and inspected the firebox, smoke chamber, and flue; and now we are set for another fireplace season.

Donnie arrived within the time frame given for my appointment. He listened to my description of what I had done with the fireplace in recent past and suggested inspecting before beginning to clean. He found that cleaning would not be necessary which saved me some $'s. He then inspected the fireboxes on two fireplaces and pointed out a minor area of repair that could be done at a later date and would not interfer with my using the fireplace. Then he went up on the roof to check the chimney. Although it was in very good shape, there was an area of the chimney cap that had cracked away from the rest of the cap. It can be fixed without a huge cost. We discussed the need for the repair and I asked that they call me to set up an appointment to have the work done. We did not do the work today because of the possibility of rain tonight. The solution used to fix the cap needs 4-6 hours of clear weather above freezing to dry and set. I also had questions about switching to a gas fireplace. Donnie was very thorough in explaining how they work and what it entails to install them. He gave me pricing information as well. I was very impressed with Donnie's knowledge, professionalism and ability to listen to my concerns. He did not try to push any services on me that were not necessary. His explanations were clearly understandable and he performed his duties with a smile.

All went well and was a fairly simple process. Tech was friendly, helpful and efficient.

The gentleman that came to my home was on time, polite and didn't make a bit of a mess. He suggested a couple things that would improve the function of my chimney, but wasn't pushy about making a sale. I'll definitely use them again in the future.

Scheduled an appt for 3 weeks out due to my availability. The tech that arrived looked at the stove and concluded that they couldn't do the service that day because it would take two people. I have a wood stove by Quadrafire and since they couldn't clean the chimney from the inside, they needed someone to go from the top and another person to be on the inside with the cleaning and vacuum attachments. They called two days later telling me that they wouldn't be available to do the service and that they don't clean wood stove pipes. The tech that came out was new and didn't realize that stoves were not included or even possible. This was information that contradicted what was advertised. Was now about a month behind in my attempt to get it cleaned. They promised to refund the $$ that was paid by sending a check through the mail but have not received as of this posting.

Because of my ignorance, I bought an Angie's deal for $99 to inspect fire place & replace chimney cap. I thought how timely cause we just had water come down the fireplace. Well chimney caps are for brick fireplaces and ours is not. Builder fireplaces require chase pans. The technician came out & informed me that we needed a new chase pan not a cap; the rest of the fireplace/chimney was in good condition. Chase pans cost with labor & installation $1100. The chase pan we installed is stainless steel and slightly domed so water runs off of it. I told them to proceed to order & replace. The chase pan arrived within 3 weeks & installed. I just went with them because we were going out of the country for several weeks & this needed to be done before we left. So I didn't get additional estimates like usual plus their reviews were positive. I did research on chase pan costs with installation afterwards, just curious to see, if this was a high price or not. The information I found on the Internet basically said this is the price one should expect. They were kind enough to credit the Angie's deal to the overall costs. The technician arrived promptly; was courteous & professional and answered all questions. I would use them again.

Technician came, inspected, took my check but never gave the estimate. I even went to the office to get information and was assured I'd here from them by the end of the day. It's been over a week now and not a peep. I can't count on them and would not even consider them should the need arise again.

John came out and politely and quickly cleaned and inspected the chimney. He also performed a very in depth inspection of the fire box and chimney. He caught some troubling things and will need to consult with them about repairs and further work needing to be done as a result of the inspection.

Serviceman did a though safety inspection and identified some areas that should be replaced due to some rust. Cleaned the chimney well and cleaned up after themselves thoroughly. Job well done.

I originally purchased the chimney sweep deal online and then never heard from them. I left a message for them and emailed and finally called Angie's list and had my money refunded. However, I did finally receive an email from them explaining to me the reason that I had not heard back from them along with sincere apologies and an offer if I still wanted the chimney swept to give me an additional discount. I decided to try again. The work was to be done at a rental property and I needed it done within the next couple of days. They were able to accommodate that request. The technician was late but called ahead to let me know. The work was done well. I was happy that I gave them another chance.

Overall cleaning and inspection went well. John cleaned the chimney and left no mess behind whatsoever. He did uncover a few issues that I need to get resolved, which I wasn't thrilled to hear about, but definitely needed to know. I would recommend using Eli Stokes.

After several phone calls to company to schedule our chimney inspection we received a return call. We advised company that we had purchased chimney inspection as we were seeking second quote for repairs due to cracked tile. The appointment was scheduled for the following week. Five minutes after arrival they confirmed what we already knew and advised they would prepare estimate. We advised we were anxious to have repairs completed as the fireplace was under construction when we found out tile was broken and we did not want to delay this process. Estimator took measurements and advised I would have estimate that day. A week later I do not have estimate. This was a waste of $49.00. I am glad I found out about their customer service and did not hire them for the repairs.

They provided good feedback on what needed to be fixed on the chimney. Didn't have any problems with the chimney, so I'm guessing they cleaned it well.

It is now September 8, and no estimate has been received. Two phone messages lift during the last week have not been answered and still no estimate received. They must be out of business or not interested in any new business.

item: problematic chimney, needing work prompt visit to inspect. report was of the obvious. rep wanted/needed to know who did the previous work, which we were questioning as part of this additional potential project. owner sensed strongly that rep was reluctant to bid against previous work by this particular competitor - regardless of the obvious need/interest of the home owner. was charged $95.00 for the visit, paid at visit. owner requested estimate for additional work. never heard from this company again - no work estimate, no followup. late summer/2015 follow up: i am happy to report that a nice young lady from their offices called me not too long ago to inform me that they did not cash my 95.00 check. i was able to track banking history and did not see that check, so can verify this to be true.

I purchased the "deal" as a gift. Recipients were pleased with the service.

Technician was slightly late, but he called to advise he was running behind. He was very professional and did a great job with the cleaning and inspection. He found some items that we'll have to address before we can use the fireplace again, so I am very happy they came out before I used the fireplace. I would use them again and highly recommend their chimney sweep services.

Rob did a terrific job. He did a great job taking out the old one and installing the new one. Very meticulous and thorough with his work. Very clean also..no mess left to clean up. Highly recommend for chimney repair and cleaning.

During heavy periods of rain, water comes in through the water heater outlet pipe in the basement, which runs up the fireplace. I called Ely Stokes and scheduled someone to come out and give an estimate on that repair plus some tuck pointing I wanted done around the house. The person who came out, John C, was professional and on time. He actually had to come out a second time with another person because I have a fairly tall fireplace and a longer ladder was needed and again came out when he said he would. Unfortunately, that's as far as anything has gone. I never received an estimate. I have called twice and both times was told Oh I'm sorry we'll get this done and over to you right away. I also sent an email the morning of 8/17/2015 as one last benefit of the doubt but didn't receive a response all day. It's really too bad because John knew what he was talking about and they have received good overall reviews on Angie's List, so I'm hoping this is just a bad one-off for them.

Arrived on time. Professional. Did not get soot anywhere. Reasonable repair costs.

Their arrival time was ok. I didn't like that it wasn't explained to me what was being done. They didn't tell me the condition of the chimney. I found out 2 months later the chimney needed more work on it.

It went well, they were very good.

Service was great! The technician called ahead, showed up on time, was really friendly and worked quickly. He put down a cover outside of the fireplace to catch extra dust and debris, and had no problem putting back my decorative firewood when he finished. As part of the inspection, he explained what type of damage he looks for and which types of fire starter products to use and what to avoid. I'm really happy that he took the time to help me learn how to care for my fireplace and chimney. I will definitely use this company again, their customer service is excellent!

It was nice to have someone else go on my roof and tell me what needed to be replaced, and he took a photo to backup his claims.

Went perfect. Couldn't ask for anything more.