Chimney Sweep

This morning I knew nothing about chimneys except that I have one, it's made of brick, and Santa squeezes down it annually. Now I know way more than I ever wanted to know. I wish I could go back to chimney-ignorance.

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We've lived in our house for 10 years and we've never done anything to our chimney. Every so often I look out the window of the 3rd floor and see our neighbor's chimney cap, reminding me that we should get one before some homeless animal climbs in.

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Last week a telemarketer called to see if I needed my chimney cleaned. She was the worst telemarketer ever, reading from a script with no enthusiasm for what she was selling, but she said that chimneys should be cleaned once a year and I felt like maybe it was an omen. I didn't want to look back with regret that I didn't have the chimney cleaned and then something bad happened. I still haven't decided what's worse...a telemarketer who won't give up, or one who has given up before I answer the phone, but I took her up on her offer.

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So two guys showed up today. They were very nice, and were driving a truck with the company name painted on the side. But within 15 minutes of their arrival they were already talking about how we need a chimney liner because we have no flue in the upper part of the chimney. He had quite the pitch going, and said that it would cost me $3,000 elsewhere but he would do it for $1,750 if I paid cash and gave him the go-ahead right then. I put the brakes on and told him I'd call him later.

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Meanwhile I called a bunch of other chimney companies and surprisingly, most of them were willing to chat about prices over the phone, as well as the tactics used by this type of company. I have no doubt that we need the liner, and his price was good. But I didn't like being pressured, and when I tried to find out more about the company online, I couldn't really find anything. I left a message for the guy, to say that I was researching his company and needed references. I also called the main number for his company and left a message.

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Surprise, surprise...I haven't heard back from him or from anyone at the main number. So if you know a good chimney sweep, let me know. I'm in the market for a 40' liner.

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