A Step In Time Chimney Sweeps

We needed a move out chimney inspection for a place we were renting. The lady on the phone was very nice and was able to squeeze us in after another company called on us the day of our appointment.

They did recommend the chase cover and cap be replaced which they quoted $2290 but we were only required to get the inspection by our property management.

We need a chimney cap and this company said we had to have an inspection beforehand. It was a $29 cost and although we thought the need was BS, we went ahead. Guy comes out and shines a light up the chimney and never put up a ladder on the outside, saying he would need a 40 foot ladder and that would require another visit. He quotes a standard cap and a top damper option at 3x the price of the standard cap. I say I'll think on it. Call him the next day and say we'll go with standard cap. He continues with the drama about having to bring a 40 foot ladder like it's some big deal...we had told them at initial scheduling the # floors we have and can't understand why people in this chimney business seem surprised that some chimneys are tall.

Anyway, the guy then says I need to pay a deposit. I'm like wtf for, because it's only a few hundred bucks and I'm paying you in full while you're here. He says policy...ok fine...how do I pay the deposit...online? He says no, I can give him my card # over the phone...f - that, I say...I'm not reading you my debit card that'll be jotted down on paper that'll end up who knows where. He says I can call the office but it will be the same thing. I say I'll reconsider. I visit Yelp and see all the 1-star reviews and will just get what I need elsewhere. Too many warning signs of cr@ppy experience for me to proceed.

I'm out $29 for having a flashlight shone up the chimney. Hope they apply it towards a taller ladder and some payments technology...and maybe some improvements to their creepy commercials.

I have our chimney swept every year for around $150-200 and every chimney sweep has always used a rotary brush, that is until A Step in Time showed up today. He simply pushed a brush up the chimney with minimal "brushing" involved. After he finished, I shined a flashlight up the chimney to find a lot of creosote still there and asked why he didn't use a rotary brush to actually get it clean and was told they don't have that equipment with them. Really. you're a professional chimney sweep and you don't have a power drill and extension brush with you? I then called the office and was told yes, they do have that equipment with them but the rotary brushing would cost $690.00!! Wow. Absolutely Ridiculous waste of time and money. I for one will NEVER use this company again.

We purchased our home a year ago and were told by the previous owner that the fireplace was only decorative purposes and unuseable. As we really wanted to be able to have a working fireplace in the winter, we had our chimney and fireplace inspected by A Step in Time. The inspector was thorough, professional and provided photos and a repair/restore to working condition scope of work and quote. At the time, we were not quite ready to move into our new home, so we postponed our decision on the chimney repair. Fast forward a year later and this past month when I reached back to the owner, Ray Gessner, he said that he would honor the original scope and quote from a year ago. In addition, he sent out another member of his team to recheck my chimney and fireplace so that there would be no surprises in advance of the work that needed to be done. That brings me today and the outstanding work and service completed to restore our chimney and fireplace to safe, working condition. Harry arrived on time as promised in the morning and immediately removed the old defective damper and opened up the chimney that had been capped off. Harry continued throughout the day to complete work at the top, on the inside and outside of the chimney, including mounting a new top flue tile, damper, chimney cap and screen. The manager, Jeffrey, also came by early to check on the work being done and to reassure me of what to expect and to explain in detail what was going to be done. Finally, Harry was joined by Kyle, who carefully, methodically, and thoroughly parched the smoke chamber just above the fireplace. Finally, when Harry identified some additional damage inside the area near the top of the chimney, I received a call from the owner who said that his team would take care of this damage at no additional cost. Yes, there are still business teams and business owners out there that are committed to doing what's promised and doing it well. Fortunately, A Step in Time is such a business and Ray is such an owner.

Mike, the owner inspected the property but refused to provide a proper drawn out estimate detailing the scope of work and costs, insisting that a deposit is paid before the "estimate" can be given so I cannot shop around elsewhere. This is truly bizarre and then Mike went on to mention how much he does in revenue each year (Honestly, I care much more about how much you are charging me versus what you make each year).

In the end, Mike was needlessly belligerent and there is simply no reason for this sort of unprofessionalism. The verbal estimate was in thousands and reading other views its seems that the man never ever gives an estimate that is less than a few thousands. I just find the whole episode real bizarre where there is so much hostility, distrust and lack of transparency in providing an estimate so one can see whether what is being charged is fair and reasonable. Given Mike's unnecessary aggressive way of handing a simple conversation, I rather pay a bit extra than to deal with the god awful attitude.

Basically the Jiffy Lube of chimney companies. Their assessment of my chimney came out to over double the cost of other competitors. Speaking with others who have work done by them, they do good work but most everyone agreed that they overcharge and push for unnecessary work.

The quote I got from them was $1970 versus a licensed and certified competitor that quoted me $825 stating that panels could be repaired rather than replaced which was not an option with A Step In Time.

They performed service cleaning my dryer vent a few weeks back. They came out the next day and were very professional and easy to talk to. They explained their entire cleaning process and made sure we understood. Would highly recommend them to anyone needing this service.

This is by far the worst chimney company I have ever worked with. Do NOT use this company. I had them inspect two chimneys. They claim to have found only problems, many of which a home inspector said were completely fine and up to code. They did not label any of the photos for their "report" so I had no idea which chimney was which. I had to call their office multiple times to get this resolved and it was not done satisfactorily. This operation is a scam. They said my chimney needed $9000 in repairs when it actually only needed a minor joint repair.

I do not live in CA. I requested and scheduled a cleaning and inspection for a home I was purchasing in VA. Technician did not clean the unit prior to inspecting. I was told that the entire unit needed to be replaced with a pre-fab unit for $8,300.00. I asked how he could adequately inspect the unit to make that determination prior to cleaning the unit. He told me that there was no point in cleaning the unit because I could not use my fireplace safely after cleaning. Exterior minor repairs had just recently been completed by the HOA. I was charged a $40.00 fee for his "inspection." It was obvious that the Technician did not want to clean the unit. He arrived early as had reportedly finished his previous appointments early. I got another local reputable company to also come out to clean and inspect after A Step in Time had come out. I was told by the second company that the internal damage was minimal, did not have to be repaired, but that they would repair small rusted area and two small cracks in the pit for approximately $400.00 if I "wanted them repaired." They cleaned the unit prior to inspection. I would NOT recommend A Step in Time Chimney Sweeps.

Scheduled a clean and an inspection. The provider was very polite but told me that I needed a new chase cover at $1900. Nope, not made of gold, just plain ole galvanize steel. Two other quotes came in at under $800 for stainless steel with a lifetime warranty. Not sure if they tried to rip me off because I am a woman or because they need to pay their ValPak bill. Buyer beware!