Lou Curley's Chimney Service
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
Lou Curley's Chimney Service will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday this Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (November 22-25)
Friday, November 16, 2012
Faulty Utility Flues Can Cause Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Here's a good article reminding people that their chimney venting their furnaces, boilers, and water heaters also needs annual maintenance...
Faulty Utility Flues Can Cause Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Faulty Utility Flues Can Cause Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #4
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #4:
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the last of the four most-common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #4: Faked credentials
We talk a lot about the importance of hiring a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep when you schedule the annual inspection of your home’s chimneys. Certified sweeps have earned the industry’s most respected credential but only by passing rigorous exams on fire codes, clearances and standards for the construction and maintenance of chimneys and venting systems and by agreeing to abide by CSIA’s strict Code of Ethics.
Given the stature that comes with certification, it’s not surprising to learn that scammers will try to misuse its trademark and present themselves as someone they are not.
Every CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep carries a photo ID marked with his or her individual CSIA credential, so ask to see it. We’ve posted the credential trademark image with this article so that you can familiarize yourself with it, too.
It’s also important to know that companies using the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep trademark on their websites or vehicles must have at least one CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep on jobsite when you hire them, even on an inspection. Confirm with your service company that a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep will be a part of the team performing your work.
This completes our weeklong look at the most popular chimney scams. We hope you’ll be able apply the information we’ve shared as you schedule your annual chimney inspection and sweeping.
Read Scam #3: Falsified experience
Read Scam #2: Emergency repairs
Read Scam #1: Pricing tricks
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the last of the four most-common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #4: Faked credentials
We talk a lot about the importance of hiring a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep when you schedule the annual inspection of your home’s chimneys. Certified sweeps have earned the industry’s most respected credential but only by passing rigorous exams on fire codes, clearances and standards for the construction and maintenance of chimneys and venting systems and by agreeing to abide by CSIA’s strict Code of Ethics.
Given the stature that comes with certification, it’s not surprising to learn that scammers will try to misuse its trademark and present themselves as someone they are not.Every CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep carries a photo ID marked with his or her individual CSIA credential, so ask to see it. We’ve posted the credential trademark image with this article so that you can familiarize yourself with it, too.
It’s also important to know that companies using the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep trademark on their websites or vehicles must have at least one CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep on jobsite when you hire them, even on an inspection. Confirm with your service company that a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep will be a part of the team performing your work.
This completes our weeklong look at the most popular chimney scams. We hope you’ll be able apply the information we’ve shared as you schedule your annual chimney inspection and sweeping.
Read Scam #3: Falsified experience
Read Scam #2: Emergency repairs
Read Scam #1: Pricing tricks
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #3
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #3:
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the third of the four most-common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #3: Falsified experience
Have you ever made a purchase at one of those seasonal stores that tend to pop up around a holiday? You know the ones we mean. Halloween World, or whatever it may be called, opens in a vacant store front in mid-September and then shutters its doors by the first week of November.
While you may have a degree of comfort picking up a Halloween costume at one of those businesses, so-called fly-by-night operations that provide chimney sweep services should set off alarm bells in your head.
Every fall, such businesses pop up nationwide as demand for chimney inspection and cleaning services spikes before families start using their fireplaces and heating systems for the winter.
The boldest scam artists set up their short-term operations and simply lie about the industry experience and affiliations in an attempt to make a quick buck by providing less than adequate service.
As you look to schedule your annual chimney inspection, secure references from each of the companies you’re considering in order to confirm their reputation in the community. Go further and contact your local Better Business Bureau or state consumer protection office for additional background information about a company’s history, and do research to find out how long a company has been in the community.
Knowledge is power, and understanding the legitimacy of the company you plan to hire goes a long way to ensuring the safety of your home.
Return to the blog tomorrow when we shine our spotlight on another common chimney scam.
Read Scam #2: Emergency repairs
Read Scam #1: Pricing tricks
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the third of the four most-common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #3: Falsified experience
Have you ever made a purchase at one of those seasonal stores that tend to pop up around a holiday? You know the ones we mean. Halloween World, or whatever it may be called, opens in a vacant store front in mid-September and then shutters its doors by the first week of November.
While you may have a degree of comfort picking up a Halloween costume at one of those businesses, so-called fly-by-night operations that provide chimney sweep services should set off alarm bells in your head.
Every fall, such businesses pop up nationwide as demand for chimney inspection and cleaning services spikes before families start using their fireplaces and heating systems for the winter.The boldest scam artists set up their short-term operations and simply lie about the industry experience and affiliations in an attempt to make a quick buck by providing less than adequate service.
As you look to schedule your annual chimney inspection, secure references from each of the companies you’re considering in order to confirm their reputation in the community. Go further and contact your local Better Business Bureau or state consumer protection office for additional background information about a company’s history, and do research to find out how long a company has been in the community.
Knowledge is power, and understanding the legitimacy of the company you plan to hire goes a long way to ensuring the safety of your home.
Return to the blog tomorrow when we shine our spotlight on another common chimney scam.
Read Scam #2: Emergency repairs
Read Scam #1: Pricing tricks
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #2
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #2:
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the second of the four most-common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #2: “Emergency” repairs
Let’s be honest. You can probably point to your fireplace chimney from the exterior of your home. Maybe you can locate the other chimneys connected to your furnace or home heating system.
Aside from that, what do you really know about the chimneys in your home? They allow for the release of dangerous gases from your home. Okay, you know that, too.
But as to the inner workings of your chimneys and knowledge of what does or does not constitute potentially serious hazards, you are at the mercy of the professional you bring to your home for an annual inspection.
It’s just these circumstances that scammers will exploit. Be wary if a “professional” chimney sweep attempts to stoke your fears with claims that specific, extensive repairs must be made immediately to keep your family safe.
Should an inspection reveal the need for any kind of repair work, the rule of thumb is to collect at least three estimates (with documentation) before you make a decision about big-ticket repairs. And be sure that your estimates are coming from local companies with CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps on staff.
Return to the blog tomorrow when we shine our spotlight on another common chimney scam.
Read Scam #1: Pricing tricks
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the second of the four most-common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #2: “Emergency” repairs
Let’s be honest. You can probably point to your fireplace chimney from the exterior of your home. Maybe you can locate the other chimneys connected to your furnace or home heating system.Aside from that, what do you really know about the chimneys in your home? They allow for the release of dangerous gases from your home. Okay, you know that, too.
But as to the inner workings of your chimneys and knowledge of what does or does not constitute potentially serious hazards, you are at the mercy of the professional you bring to your home for an annual inspection.
It’s just these circumstances that scammers will exploit. Be wary if a “professional” chimney sweep attempts to stoke your fears with claims that specific, extensive repairs must be made immediately to keep your family safe.
Should an inspection reveal the need for any kind of repair work, the rule of thumb is to collect at least three estimates (with documentation) before you make a decision about big-ticket repairs. And be sure that your estimates are coming from local companies with CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps on staff.
Return to the blog tomorrow when we shine our spotlight on another common chimney scam.
Read Scam #1: Pricing tricks
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #1
Learn to Spot the Four Most-Common Chimney Scams before You Hire a Sweep #1:
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the first of four common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #1: Pricing Tricks
Someone, somewhere at some point in your life has likely told you that if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you’ve not had someone share that insight with you before, we are happy to share it now.
Tricky pricing is a popular tool used by chimney cleaning scammers to rip you off.
Knowing what you should pay for which services is crucial to not falling victim.
Rates for chimney cleaning can certainly vary from region to region and job to job. But as a rule, a basic Level 1 chimney inspection and sweeping should cost no more than $300. If you are quoted something significantly higher (or lower), it should raise red flags.
Anyone offering an “unbelievably-low-price special” may be trying to make a quick buck rather than provide the full range of services needed to ensure your chimney is safe. On the flipside, they may be trying to get a foot in the door with low prices to have the chance to “upsell” you unneeded products and services.
Be sure that the company you plan to hire for your chimney inspection and cleaning is operating with CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps. As part of the certification, professional must sign a Code of Ethics, and this will help ensure that the company will provide you straight-ahead pricing information up front.
Return to the blog tomorrow when we shine our spotlight on another common chimney scam.
It’s National Chimney Safety Week, and we at the Chimney Safety Institute of America are sounding the alarm about scammers who may try to prey on consumers’ lack of expertise when it comes to chimneys and how they operate in your home. As winter approaches, so do scam artists trying to take your money for chimney-cleaning services they are not trained to provide.
Today is the first of four common scams that we’ll be spotlighting here at the blog this week.
Scam #1: Pricing Tricks
Someone, somewhere at some point in your life has likely told you that if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you’ve not had someone share that insight with you before, we are happy to share it now.Tricky pricing is a popular tool used by chimney cleaning scammers to rip you off.
Knowing what you should pay for which services is crucial to not falling victim.
Rates for chimney cleaning can certainly vary from region to region and job to job. But as a rule, a basic Level 1 chimney inspection and sweeping should cost no more than $300. If you are quoted something significantly higher (or lower), it should raise red flags.
Anyone offering an “unbelievably-low-price special” may be trying to make a quick buck rather than provide the full range of services needed to ensure your chimney is safe. On the flipside, they may be trying to get a foot in the door with low prices to have the chance to “upsell” you unneeded products and services.
Be sure that the company you plan to hire for your chimney inspection and cleaning is operating with CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps. As part of the certification, professional must sign a Code of Ethics, and this will help ensure that the company will provide you straight-ahead pricing information up front.
Return to the blog tomorrow when we shine our spotlight on another common chimney scam.
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