We were hit by the Chimney Maintenance Scam.

Having lived in Japan for over 16 years, I became complacent in the fact that everyone you deal with in most business situations is an honest individual and when they say they are doing work, especially on your home, they are true to their word.

Not so in the New Jersey, New York area.

We are selling our home. Around the time we were preparing the home for the inevitable home inspection from the buyer, we received a call from a chimney cleaning service to come clear out our flue. I thought this was a good idea to have done prior to the inspection.

When the guys showed up, they headed straight for the basement to check out the connections and the base of the chimney, then they headed for the roof. With one guy sitting on the chimney they explained that the inside liner of the chimney had broken and was blocking a portion of the flue. The flue to the Gas Water Heater. They said that as a result there was a possibility that the exhause from the gas was not venting properly and could be seeping carbon monoxide into the home, or would in the future causing health issues.

A bit panicked because we didn't want this to become an issue on the inspection for selling, I agreed to have the broken terra cotta lining removed and a new stainless steel liner installed. Given the price, the Mrs. obviously had issues with doing this at a time when we were in the middle of buying/selling and didn't want to expend the cash. In the end, given the "Gas" issue, and the fact that I understood and agreed with the assessment, she reluctantly agreed to have the work done. The work was scheduled for a later date and that was that.

The buyer's home inspection came next. The chimney was flagged as being improperly vented. Of course I called the company who did the work for us and insisted that the re mediate this. They said they would have the guys come back to me who did the work. Shortly after I got the call from one of the guys who did the work, I explained the inspector's comments and he said that there was nothing wrong with the Furnace venting and to have the buyer call them about it.

I informed the buyer of this conversation and they in-turn requested the option to have the chimney inspected again. And they did.

They brought in a chimney guy who commenced to ripping the chimney apart and pointing out the fact that whatever this company did, it wasn't done or wasn't done right. On top of that the cost to do the work was almost 4x that of the original work done. Now is when I begin to stress just a bit.

I countered with having the chimney re-inspected by another company and when I called, they conversation went like this:

New Chimney Co.: "What was the name of the company?"

Me: "Union Maintenance."

New Chimney Co.: "Did they get a permit?"

Me: "Not that I am aware of. Didn't know they needed one."

New Chimney Co.: "You were scammed."

At this point I locked up and couldn't talk..... I finally said I would call them back. Of course now the hindsight begins to develop and I go on line and start researching. Damn...... First I call my lawyer to understand what we need to first and foremost fix the inspection issue. The decision was to contact the reputable, certified, chimney company to come in for a 2nd quote on ONLY the Furnace venting issue. They are due to inspect/quote on the issue this next Tuesday.

So here I sick, reading more and more about these scams. The pit in my stomach is getting deeper and deeper. Pissed with no recourse as I continually call the company that did the work and am getting either a fax tone or some new company called B&K Masonry and Chimney's voice mail. Deep in my heart I know they will never call me back after leaving the messages for them to do so. Talk about feeling like a complete idiot.

My skin is turning into a shell since moving back to the U.S.. I should know better than to go into these things with trust that I am working with a professional, but old habits die hard and as such, needed to share this story with the masses in hopes that you will not run across the same issues I have. I am not sure what it is going to cost us to now get this sorted, I only know that I have been sucked into throwing money into the wind. I look back and find myself screaming at my memory... "SAY NO!" "ASK THIS QUESTION!" When in reality, what I am really saying is "TRUSTING DUMB ASS!"