Safeside Chimney & Duct Cleaning
Reviews and Complaints

Very professional and did a very good job. The also cleaned the oil burner flu which hadn't been looked at in about 10 years. After inspection of the chimney, it was found that it to needed to be repaired and this service has been scheduled.

Great experience with this company and their employees. They came in and went right to work. I had them clean the chimney and they rectified a problem for me with the damper. Experienced and professionally sociable, as well. I would highly recommend them!

I was very satisfied that the first worker who came out took pictures of the sad condition of my chimney and explained what could be done to make it right. when the second 2 workers came out to do the job, they did the job in good time .Now I feel safe when I use my heating system.

Two of my fire places had been leaking when it rained. The chimney inspector determined that the bricks, mortar and flashing were intact, so he used a waterproofing sealant on both chimneys. No more leaking! They also sent many photos of the roof with an explanation. Thank you so much!

Replaced the refractory liner in my steel box fireplace. Since I have not had a fire since, cannot give a complete comment. The installation appears good. Workers were on time and friendly. One negative is the mess they left in my driveway and porch from the cutting of the refractory. It didn't wash away from rain.

What was supposed to be a routine inspection/cleaning turned into more. And I am so glad. The issues were clearly explained..and with photos! Estimate was reasonable. I felt comfortable hiring Safeside to do the needed repairs - Liner, brickwork, replace the caps that came off during a storm. They did an excellent job. The workers were knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with. I would (and did) recommend Safeside.

I wrote a review directly to their web site extolling their virtues for the job they performed for me last year. From the office personnel to the servicemen who showed up on site to actually do the work - it was excellent and their follow-up was impressive as I am a REAL BUG for follow-up! My first business contact with Safeside proved fruitful. Am looking forward to future business ventures at this time. Charlie C. 2/10 .

The crew was here when they said they would be, very friendly and professional knew what they were doing. Did a great job on the chimney repair and cleaned up after job was done. They finished when there was snow on the ground and they told me that after the snow melted to call and they would come back to clean up what was left. They did a through inspection before and after the job was done. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a repair

Safe side chimney provided us with excellent service. The guy came out to inspect our chimney, a leak and provided us with a quote. We decided to move forward that day and we were set to start the rebuild of my chimney within that following week. They worked quick and was able completely the job in two days. I would highly recommend this company for other people as well as would be delighted to have them work on some other projects on my home. Thanks safe side chimney

Safe side Chimney is credible. I had a problem with my chimney connected to the heating system. I was in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. I called them explained my problem to them. They were very nice to me, took the time to explain everything to me and took lots of pictures for proof. I felt very comfortable with them. They did a great job. My problem is gone, I feel safe now. I am a senior citizen, didn't have all of the money up front. They worked with me. They let me pay installments. I thank them so much. I had called another Company before them, they didn't do the job I asked them to do, they left me in danger. Thank you so much.

Safeside provided a very detailed inspection of my chimney as well as cleaning it. They provided pictures from the roof top and video to show the current condition. They showed areas to watch, explained how the chimney was probably patched at one time. They showed moss growth and cracks. I did not feel that I was being pressured to buy additional services. I did buy a flue cover - but mostly because I had wanted one for a long time already. I felt the explanations were honest and not "salesman". I had 2 representatives they were both extremely professional and courteous (I am female and often feel that trades people that are male, often don't show women the same level of respect). I can say without hesitation I recommend Safeside Chimney.

Safeside has been my sole chimney company since we bought our house 21 years ago. They have always been punctual, friendly, quick, cleaned completely, carefully explained any issues and have never scolded me for not calling them annually. They installed an insert for my furnace flue 10 years ago and it's still in great condition and gives me peace of mind, knowing the deteriorating ceramic can't fall down and block the furnace fumes. Now my heat chamber needs some attention, which I could easily see by the video they first showed me, then emailed to me for reference. I was even offered the waiving of the double flue cleaning I just received if I would put down a deposit toward the heat chamber fix, but I couldn't afford it. But when I can I would have every assurance that Safeside would do exactly as promised and would be still in business for the 20 yrs for which this service has a warranty!

Safeside Chimney I love you! My wife and I are getting our house ready to put on the market. Through the course of ha I got multiple roofers come out to replace the roof I found out my chimney was severely damaged. They each offered repair quotes in addition to the roof replacement. I wanted a chimney specialist. It all started with the inspection. Derick came out and performed a very thorough chimney inspection, with videos and pictures. He explained that due to not having a liner installed when I switched from oil to gas is what caused the damage. He then explained what was involved with the repair of the chimney as well as new liner installation. I signed immediately. 11/04 the repair. Jose and Jason arrived and introduced themselves. They prepped their outdoor work area and setup tarps to protect my driveway and lawn. Well the day was long but my new chimney is gorgeous. The work they performed is just perfect. They cleaned the work area and never asked for anything. I kept trying to offer drinks, coffee, water, etc. they just worked their butts off and their attention to detail is amazing. Safeside is really lucky to have these two guys and if the work they performed is any indication of how well safeside performs repair work, I will 100% recommend them every time. I plan on having them perform a chimney inspection when we buy our next house. To sum this up, they are prompt, courteous, and the utmost professionals at what they do. Quality, quality, quality and it shows. This is why safeside has been around for so long. Thanks again!

Using online research, I contacted Safeside Chimney, (which I will refer to as Safeside for the remainder of the complaint) and requested an estimate to repoint my chimney. Safeside provided me with an estimate on 9/1 and indicated that they had roughly a four-week lead-time before getting to my work. I agreed with that and provided the $1000 deposit they required to schedule the work. Additionally, I was told by the office in [location] that I would be notified by the project manager when my work would be done. On October 5, I received an email indicating that work had been delayed for various reasons however no recovery information was provided. I requested more detail from the project manager by email and never received a response. On October 23, I contacted Safeside and spoke with their VP Kevin B. who gave me a commitment for the week of November 2 to perform the work. I am writing this complaint on November 6 as no one came the entire week. I contacted Safeside at 10 AM Friday 11/6 and advise Linda that I want my deposit back as I no longer trust Safeside to show up and do the work as quoted. Furthermore, I indicated that I wanted response to my request by 2 PM on the same day otherwise I would make this complaint. Well, since I am posting this complaint, it is obvious the Kevin B. has not called me back. To the reader: Please reference a complaint on this ComplaintsBoard.com website dated 11/20, this complaint is very similar to mine so the company has a history of doing this. So as a warning to others do not rely solely on online reviews and check the ComplaintsBoard.com first! I would never have entered into an agreement with this organization if I had read the complaints. I have asked for my deposit to be refunded and Safeside owes me a response at this point. I will pursue this further with my credit card company, online reviews, and the state consumer protection office if necessary.

In March we had an appointment for a sales person to come to our home regarding our ordering installing of what is needed regarding woodstove installation. When the salesperson reviewed and went over what was needed I specifically asked for the floor pad to be rounded or curved in the front because of my disability regarding walking and I didn't want to trip over a pad that was square and I actually drew a picture of the shape. He told me it would be rounded and not square. Also I mentioned to him that if we got the wall pads and floor pad in black it can't be shiny because of the situation I have with my eyes and glare. I specifically asked for the black color to be a flat/matte black and not a semi-gloss or glossy. He said it would be flat/matte black finish. He also requested a certain amount to be paid in order for us to get a discount, which we did. About a few weeks later two people came to install the products. When they put the floor pad down I mentioned it was suppose to be rounded in the front and not square. I ended up having to call the company and they said they don't make them rounded in the front and I told them their sales person told me they did make them rounded in the front. I even showed the two people the picture drawn describing the floor pad. After some time discussing this we agreed on a five sided floor pad verses the square four sided pad. Then I was told they would have to order the new five sided pad. This surprised me because their sales person told me that Fireside Chimney has a ware house that holds most of if not all of the supplies for not just their company but other companies as well. Plus, as it turned out; the black colored floor pad and wall pads gave off a glare, so I was unable to look at where the woodstove area was because all I saw was shiny glare. When I spoke to the company about this they suggested they could paint then with an engine paint and use a lighter color. I was also told I would not have to pay the balance of the bill until all of their work was completed. The following month or so they scheduled a time for them to come back and complete this project and in the mean time the woodstove pipe they installed started leaking water when it rained on top of the brand new woodstove, which is now starting to rust. So, I told them about the leak and they said they would look at it when they came out. The day they were suppose to come out and finish up with all of this, the company called me and said there was an emergency so they would have to reschedule. Then, after ninety days went by, I got a bill in the mail requesting for me to pay the balance and I called and told them I was told I wouldn't have to pay the balance until the job was completed, so they said to disregard the bill for now then. Time keeps passing by and even though they said they had all the parts and pieces in for the appointment they made and then cancelled, now they are telling me they still don't have all the parts and pieces in yet. I have called and called numerous times since all of this began and now it is September, which is six month later from when all of this started in March. I really can't believe how this company came so highly recommended. We are still waiting for Safeside Chimney to finish proper product installation. I have called numerous times regarding situation and they say they will call back and resolve situation and it is still not resolved since March and it is now September 18. I am hoping that the ComplaintsBoard.com can really help us out with this situation. With the colder weather coming we want to be able to use the wood stove and we won't be able to use it until the job is completed and then inspected by the Town Hall.

My fiancé and I contacted Safeside Chimney and Duct Cleaning on September 1, to schedule a survey and obtain a quote for a complete chimney repair/recap and the installation of a new steel liner for our home. Two workers arrived at our house on September 8 to assess our chimney. After inspecting the job and taking photos, one of the workers disconnected our furnace. Despite this, the workers assured us that Safeside could complete the job quickly. We received a quote on September 9, which clearly stated that our furnace could burn oil, wood, and coal. On September 11, we sent Safeside a payment of $2,200 after signing the work proposal and agreeing to the quoted amount. We were informed that we would receive a response within a few weeks regarding a start date for the work. However, between September 11 and mid-October, we called multiple times a week and received vague answers, causing us to worry that something was amiss. We were informed that the materials were causing delays and were advised to continue calling. Finally, on October 21, a month and a half after sending the deposit, workers were sent to our house to complete the chimney repair/recap and install the new steel liner. We were told that the entire repair/replacement would take only two days. I called the day before to confirm the workers' arrival time, and they arrived around 10:30 am on both October 21 and 22, leaving between 2 and 3:30 pm each day. During these two days, the workers removed the liner connecting to our furnace and hot water tank, as well as the basement brickwork. On October 21, I was informed that the company had ordered the wrong liner for replacement. Due to the potential for our furnace to burn coal (as clearly stated in the proposal), a higher-grade liner was required. The workers were also confused by the mix-up but dismissed it as a simple mistake and assured us that the new material would be expedited and ready for installation by the following Monday. Additionally, on October 21, the lead worker expressed disagreement with the quote for the chimney repair, stating that the job would need to be postponed until spring. He claimed that they did not bring the necessary scaffolding equipment and that the job was more extensive than initially estimated. He also had the audacity to suggest that if we paid a few thousand dollars more, he would expedite the completion of the work. I called the office multiple times to request an updated proposal, but I was unable to reach the project coordinator responsible for our project to confirm any changes. I was also shocked when the lead worker asked if we really needed our hot water tank connected and if we could manage without hot water until Monday. Thankfully, they installed a temporary liner for the hot water tank after seeing my confusion. During this period, I was informed that due to the construction date of our chimney, there were no bricks between each of the liners. Consequently, there was a risk of damaging the center flue that connected to our woodstove when removing the flue for the furnace. Although this was not mentioned in the signed proposal, I agreed to proceed if it was the only way to complete the job. Unfortunately, the middle flue was damaged during the removal process on October 22, and the workers claimed that the removed liner was also damaged. I find this hard to believe, as the woodstove had only been used twice since we purchased our home, and prior to that, it was in pristine condition. On October 22, one of the workers also broke a valve on our hot water tank and capped it off. The lead worker came upstairs to run the water in the sink, which confused me. He assured me that they had broken something downstairs but had fixed it. When I asked for more details, I received vague responses as I was on a work call and planned to discuss it further with my fiancé the following week. My fiancé remains extremely dissatisfied with the quality of the repairs performed on our property. Instead of a valve to control the water exiting the hot water tank, there is now a steel cap, which will cause significant inconvenience when servicing it in the future. The VP of Safeside assured us that this would be fixed at no cost, but the issue remains unresolved. I would also like to highlight that during a time of uncertainty due to the ongoing pandemic, nine different workers from Safeside Chimney entered our home without wearing masks. When I raised this concern with VP Kevin B, he explained that the company had experienced several positive COVID-19 cases, which is why new workers were sent without masks. Fortunately, after our conversation, the workers began wearing masks. On Monday, October 26, my fiancé called to inquire about the new liner's arrival and schedule, as promised. However, the office staff responded with questions and instructed us to call back on Thursdays when deliveries typically occurred. Once again, we were told to keep calling instead of Safeside taking responsibility and proactively updating us. Over the past few months, I have called Safeside at least 15 times, and my fiancé has done the same. Despite our efforts, we have received only one callback. Since we were still without heat, we decided it would be beneficial to have workers replace the liner for the center flue, connecting our woodstove on the top floor. The workers arrived between 9:15 and 10:30 am on November 5 to complete this task. However, we remain unsatisfied with the quality of this job as well. I have sent photos to the VP, who acknowledged that the work appeared rushed and incomplete. Inside our house, the workers left debris from the liner cleanout on our floor, and the piping was haphazardly installed, with an incorrect angle and a messy appearance. Additionally, screws were left behind in various places, and the wrong sealant was used to connect the piping to the woodstove. Furthermore, there is no covering where the piping connects to the chimney, creating an unsightly appearance. My fiancé and I continued to call Safeside multiple times a week, at all hours, in an attempt to reach someone who could provide updates on the delivery and installation of the necessary materials, as well as restore our heat. We were advised to speak with the project coordinator, Eric, or his assistant, Melissa, but they were nearly impossible to reach. We were simply instructed to call every Thursday, with no further assistance offered. The only way I made any progress during the months without heat and with our home in disarray was by directly emailing the VP of Safeside. However, obtaining his email address required three separate phone calls specifically requesting it. Before workers returned to install the correct liner, the scaffolding and ladders left on our roof since October 21 were blown off during a thunderstorm, causing damage to our roof. We documented the damage with photos and reported it to Safeside on November 17, receiving assurance that it would be repaired at no cost. On November 18, Safeside workers arrived and spent the entire day installing the second liner and reconnecting our furnace. Due to our previous experiences, my fiancé took a vacation day to closely monitor the work. However, the job was not completed, and we have not seen any workers since. We currently have two new liners installed and, thankfully, have heat. However, our roof remains damaged, our hot water tank is still in disrepair, the brickwork in our basement chimney is still torn apart, and our woodstove on the top floor still requires attention. The workers also left a large plastic tarp covering the chimney crown, claiming it would protect it from rain. However, water is still seeping in, and we are concerned about the potential fire hazard, given the material's proximity to the top of the liners. On November 20, we finally received an updated quote/invoice for the work and were informed that a worker would come to our home on Monday, November 23, to address the remaining issues. However, the worker did not show up or call. Since then, I have made several calls but have only reached Safeside's answering machine. The one time I spoke to someone in the office, I was scolded for calling at that hour and told to call in the morning. My fiancé and I have decided to stop calling and instead pursue action through the ComplaintsBoard.com and the Department of Consumer Protection, in the hopes of resolving these issues without hiring a lawyer.