Charlie’s Chimney Service & Repair

Steer clear of this unprofessional, unscrupulous, unstable and incompetent person. Charlie charged us $ 2300.00 for chimney repair work he only pretended to do and other work that was of extremely poor quality. He ended up botching the job, rendering our chimney completely unusable plus the leak is still there. We are now paying a reputable company over $ 1000.00 to undo the damage he did and to address the actual issue causing the leak. His 10 year warranty is bogus as he simply does not return calls if there is a problem.
Following are only some of the details. Once we figured out Charlie was not to be trusted we asked to please see the old chimney cap he said he just replaced. He knew then he was busted for ripping us off so as a cover, flew into a rage, and started digging wet mortar out of our chimney with his bare hands, throwing it around, and threatening to walk off the job leaving everything exposed to the elements. At this point it was clear he was a con artist and an unstable individual but he had us over a barrel because no one else could come out for three weeks to even give us an estimate. I mistakenly thought it best to have him stay and finish the job so gave him an honorable out by suggesting maybe there had just been a misunderstanding. (Although the written job order clearly included replacement of the cement chimney cap which I have since learned can cost over $ 300.00.)
In hindsight I should have had him leave that day. Due to his incompetence, Charlie damaged our chimney by caulking around the top of it with poly-​urethane which has a low melting point. Now, when we turn our gas insert on it heats up the globs of caulking and fills our house with the toxic fumes of burning plastic! (He said he didn’t think it would get that hot on top of the chimney!) To add insult to injury, he foolishly applied the toxic grout to an area where it couldn’t possibly do any good and it can’t be removed without damaging metal parts, so it all has to be replaced with new parts.
I have since had two highly rated and very reputable chimney repair companies over and they had the exact same findings. We knew he lied about replacing the cement cap but it turns out there is no evidence at all he ground out the old mortar before applying more over the old. He only said he did it. The flashing has to be completely redone due to Charlie’s extremely sloppy work. The caulk line he applied to seal it, which was supposed to be a thin, straight line looks like it was applied from 15 feet away with a sling shot. Charlie said, «That’s the best I can do.» If I could attach a pic of this mess you would be appalled! Because he messed up everything he touched we now are afraid he used the wrong kind of sealant on the bricks and mortar which will cause big problems down the road.
I have no idea how this guy is still in business and why there aren’t more bad reviews. I did notice that a bad review I saw a month ago is no longer there. How does that happen? I for one feel compelled to warn others of this con artist. My next step will be a complaint to the Better Business Bureau and possibly court action.

Over a year later, as we get to burning again, I made contact with Charlie to find out exactly the work that was on record. Last year, I was left with a fuzzy understanding of whether or not our unit would burn safely, and had to resort to using our gas furnace. He informed me that the associate we had dealt with previously (Asher) had not been part of his business since the job they’d done for me. Asher also apparently stole from him on his way out. Anyway, Charlie said he’d been trying to contact me for the past year so he could make sure this unit was burning safely. He stopped by within an hour of speaking to him, as our location was on his way home for the day. He got some sealant on the unit and did a burn test to ensure there was no smoke billowing out of the unit. Everything was satisfactory when he left. He was cheerful, prompt, prepared, and didn’t charge me a dime for the follow-​up. He was gone within half an hour. I really appreciate his help… it means a lot to me to have my unit verified by a real professional. While I am sorry his alliance did not work out in the long run, I’m glad he’s not doing business with Asher anymore. This whole burning business is not child’s play… Charlie seems to appreciate that fully.
Thanks, Charlie!

WTF!
Charlie quotes you a price of $ 125 + tax, starts the job, and then tells you it’s going to cost more! (Sorry Charlie)

Charlie did everything but crawl down the chimney to assess what work needed to be done to bring my chimney and 2 fireplaces up to top performance. He explained everything to me in plain English. I hired him to do the work and he showed up on time, did everything we agreed on, and didn’t leave a mess behind. Also he charged me a little less then his bid. I will be using him again if the need arises.

I am a Real Estate Broker and I sent this business to my clients based on the reviews. They set an appointment for today between 9 – 10, we waited for «charlie’s» to come and they were a no show, no call, no nothing. I called the office twice and left two messages and now at 11am no call to me at all. i would not refer this business to anyone. Missing an appointment due to a current appointment I can deal with but no call, unprofessional. sorry charlie!

I had needed repair on my chimney for quite some time and feared making the call to get bids given I figured it wasn’t going to be cheap. I called a few locations to get bids and they all said the same thing… I needed to re-​brick my chimney from the roof-​line up, re-​cap the top, add new flashing, and add a new damper.
Charlie won the bid. Not just because he was the most cost effective, but also because he seemed knowledgeable and genuine. I had Charlie and his crew come out less than a week later. They were on time which impressed me immediately. How many contractors do you know that show up on time? The positive impression initially established did not end there. They were quick to get set up and were well rehearsed at what they were doing. The job they were attempting to complete was estimated by all bidders as a 2 to 4 day job… weather conditions permitting. Charlie and his crew got started at 8 am and the entire job was completed same day at 4:05 pm. Too cool!
In addition, I had a trap door on the side of my chimney that used to be used for ash clear outs… however, there is no longer a door there and hasn’t been since I purchased the place. At no extra charge, Charlie pulled out the metal frame and gave the go ahead to the brick layer to fill in the space with brick so there would no longer be an open entry into the chimney.
I now have a beautiful looking chimney and no leaks or miscellaneous critter entries into the house. Yay!

Our experience with this company was appalling, their lack of professionalism was shocking. Knowing that we were on a very strict time frame he scheduled our appointment then less than 40 minutes prior to it canceled and rescheduled for that evening. He never showed up again, nor did he have the common courtesy of calling to cancel or taking our calls while we waited over an hour in a vacant home for him.
If a company is indeed to busy to take the appointment, then don’t make it and have complete disregard for the prospective clients time and situation.
I will definitely not recommend this company.