M&M Chimney

I was having a terrible time with the area around my gas exhaust. It was original with the house and one of those really nasty vents that had a square surround decorated with painted on brick. Everytime it would rain, it would have water get into it, drip down the steel pipe and slide right down to the basement. After having my roofer try to fix it numerous times, he suggested I call M&M. I called and they gave me several options, from replacing the top of the vent to outright replacement. Considering this has been a real thorn in my side, I opted for replacement with a simple pipe with the smallest possible profile. They showed up, did the work and left. You can see where they replaced the roofing tiles as needed as they are new, but otherwise, the pipe looks like it has always been there and belongs. It is neat, clean and very professionally done. The first rain we had, no leak. I couldn't ask for better. I highly recommend these guys and if you ever have the same problem, I strongly suggest you not wait and give them a call. They will solve your leaky vent.

The price and the initial contact went reasonably well. But then having the actual inset installed took longer than 1 month. When the contractor finally came with the wood inset, it did not fit the fireplace. Then another long wait happened. During this period of time it was very hard to get a hold of him over the phone. To his credit, he installed a bigger inset without the price increase, but the whole process took a long time and it was stressful. The quality of the work was very good at the end.

My gas fireplace came with my home when I bought it. I don't know who installed it originally. I had it serviced before but rarely used it. When I could not get the pilot lit, I called M&M Chimney for repair. Scheduling was easy and the repairman arrived on time. When he looked under the fireplace he exclaimed "who the [heck] installed this?!" There was a live wire lying exposed under the fireplace, a clear safety hazard if the gas ever leaked. This wire was supposed to connect to an optional blower which had never been installed. Again, I cannot say who installed it like that. To M&M's credit, the repairman immediately capped the exposed wire to mitigate the safety hazard. However he could not get my fireplace pilot lit. He left, saying he needed to contact the manufacturer and would call back Monday. Monday came and went. That Thursday, I called them and left a message. No response. On Friday and Monday, I called again and left messages. No response. The following Friday I called and left one more message saying if I did not hear from them by Monday I would consider them to have abandoned the job. They never called. They never sent me a bill, either. So they wasted not only my time, but their own. Later that week I called another company, who fixed my pilot easily.

I spoke on the phone with Michael Marolda, owner of M&M Chimney, on March 14, 2012, and placed an order for LENNOX fireplace replacement parts. I provided him with my credit card information over the phone. I was charged the full amount of my order (which came to $454.72) and told that the replacement parts should arrive at their store within one week. They didn't. Week after week, I received further excuses on why the replacement parts had not yet arrived. And as of 4 weeks ago, Michael Marolda is not returning any of my inquiries, whether by email or phone. I drove by the store to discuss this with Michael directly, but the store was closed (during regular business hours). After 10+ attempts to get in touch with Michael Marolda to either (1) get my replacement parts or (2) get my money refunded, I have received neither. I am going to have to dispute the charges with my credit card company. This experience has been very disappointing.