Chimney and Fireplace Cleaning Company Orange County, CA review: Complaint

There is a shell company called "Fireplace Solutions and Cleaning Service" that has bought a lot of space on Google and other search engines to draw people in South Orange County, CA to their website https://fireplace-solutions.com

At first everything seems normal when I called to set up an appointment on Thursday, November 3rd to have my firebox and chimney cleaned. They gave me an appointment time window of 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to show up at my house on Monday, November 7th.

At 9:01 a.m. on Monday, November 7, 2022 I received a text message from [protected] stating that the technician would be arriving at the arranged time. It also gave a phone number to call back [protected] if I had any questions. I actually called this number after the appointment to file a complaint. The number is not in service.

At 11:36 a.m. on November 7th, 2022, I received multiple phone calls and a text message from the technician (he said his name was David) saying he would not be arriving until after 1:00 p.m. His phone number is [protected].

David (or whatever his real name is) showed up at 1:18 p.m.

David was very hard to understand, with a very heavy accent. I asked him if my message of what I needed to be done had been relayed to him. He seemed confused, or simply played naive. He only verbally quoted me what it would cost ($489 to clean the Chimney and Firebox). He also told me I had cracks in the firebox that needed to have Cement repair. I could not understand how much his quote was because he spoke fast in a thick accent.

He was also unprepared, asking for a garbage bag and lighter to help with the service. After the fact I was told that the repair would cost $350.00 in addition to the $489.00.

I had to supply covering for him as well to not ruin my hearth with the soot.

After 30 minutes of vacuuming he said he was done. I asked him about the cement and he said he repaired the spots, but he only had a caulk gun with normal caulk that would be used on wood or window repair, not cement repair.

After leaving a big mess, he asked me to pay up. I went to give him a credit card and he told me they only accepted Venmo, Zelle or checks. He told me I owed them $839.00.

When I asked for an invoice, he called a person on his cell phone and they spoke in a foreign language. He asked for my email address, which they should have already had. A generic invoice with no business name, address or phone number was sent to me by this email address ([protected]@gmail.com). There was not list of service done, or taxes owed on the service.

Normally I would have refused to pay, but for the first time in my life I actually feared for the safety of my family if I did not pay, so I sent the money via Zelle to the following email address, [protected]@gmail.com. The tech finally left, leaving me to clean up.

Afterward I called the following number, [protected] which is one of the primary numbers listed on their website. I complained about the process and asked why I was not provided with an actual invoice with business details. I also complained about the astronomical cost for little to no service. The apparent owner (he would not give me his name) also spoke with a very thick accent. I used some foul language to tell him what had happened. He had the nerve to say I should not speak with him in such manner. He told me he would send me an invoice with the business details, such as their address, phone number, name to my email address. I gave him my email address, but no email was ever sent. I also asked why they did not accept credit cards like any normal contractor. He told me their machine was down.

This is fraud and someone at the BBB needs to set an alert and make sure their website is suspended and this does not happen to anyone else in Southern, CA. They have blanketed Google, so if you think you are calling another company, you are not.

I am available to discuss. [protected]. My name is Matt Blackmer. I reside in Dana Point, CA.