TJ's Chimney Sweep
About us
T.J.’s Chimney Sweep was established in 1979 by Tim J. My goal was to provide a second income for my family, but I also wanted to get away from working in a factory. This was right at the time when the old oil embargo was well under way and the resurgence of wood stoves was taking place. I started working weekends sweeping chimneys. Back in those days all I had to learn from was a kit with a powerful soot sweeper, brushes and a study manual to help me along the way. I soon got laid off from the factory, so chimney sweeping, here I come! Trying to get my name out there was difficult because I had no experience in advertising or running a business. However, I got in with a stove dealer in New Palestine, and by 1984 I had my first employee. I soon found out that a lot of chimneys were in need of repair and most brick layers did not want to bother with a small repair job. So in 1986, I went to an Indian Reservation in South Dakota to learn the basics of chimney repairs. In the meantime, I also discovered that there was an organization of chimney sweeps called the National Chimney Sweep Guild that I joined. After taking a chimney sweep test, I also became certified. By 1990 I now had a full time employee and also helped found the Indiana Chimney Sweep Guild where I made some good friends and fellow sweeps who followed a good code of ethics. In 2004, I started selling wood stoves and inserts as well as gas inserts. We used to have a showroom at my property, along with my office, which was available to view by appointment only. In October of 2011 we moved our office and showroom to a bigger location at 866 South State St, Greenfield, Indiana. Here is it 2015, and I have my son, who is a journeyman brick layer and co-owner, along with 3 full-time technicians, and last but not least, Janell and Susie, who run the office and hearth shop. We just remodeled our showroom and expanded our warehouse. I never thought I would make it this far, but together, we make an awesome team and it will only get better from here! Stop in and check us out!!
Business highlights
Services we offer
Chimney sweeping, Fireside gas logs, Valor gas appliances, as well as operating a hearth & stove shop selling fireplace accessories, chase covers, dryer vent cleaning, firebox and masonry repairs, flashing, rain caps, relines, selling & installing Regency & Hampton wood-burning appliances, waterproofing
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 86% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 5% | ||
| 8% |
My complaint with the company is that they quoted me $189.00 on the phone when I scheduled the service. I verified this price when they called last week to confirm the appointment. When I received the bill from the tech it was for $219. I told him about the discrepancy between the bill and what I was quoted and he indicated that the lower price was for only fireplace inserts. No mention of this was made when I booked the appointment. or when they called to confirm.
I called the office about the discrepancy but they would not honor the price I was quoted. They quoted over $1200 in repair work that I considered having them perform, but since they won't honor the price they quoted me I will look for someone else to perform the work
Update: I was able to contact the business owner and he agreed to honor the quoted price.
very good...
professional...
This is our third fireplace insert. The previous one from another vendor produced soot and could not corrected. I called T.J.'s to see about a new unit. During the estimate visit, I got to discussing the other nagging problems we had, and was surprised to learn T.J.'s has expanded the chimney sweep business with other specialties. Shortly I got the estimate for the new fireplace which included piping and a venting unit up on the rooftop, the skylight to brighten our living room, and the installation of the new dryer venting up through the attic and the roof.
Once I agreed to the contract, the fireplace insert was ordered from Chicago; as soon as it arrived the job began. The insert was a tight fit, and required a lot of old metal to be removed from the original fireplace box. Then the propane line connection turned out to be a problem. To be honest, the difficulty of the installation required several visits, for various reasons, but we were patient, as I'd not waited until autumn to get the work done. At one point, the installers ruptured the old propane flex pipe and created a leak. I was told it was my responsibility to get that replaced.
But when I went to the office and pointed out there had been no leak until the installer broke the line, Gabe replaced it and eventually got the insert connected and in place. The two other parts of the job went smoothly, my wife and I are very happy with the work.
Despite the extra visits and such, T.J.'s stuck to the original estimate and did not apply any additional charges. In addition, during the course of the job, Gabe noticed some outdoor problems with masonry, and informed me they also can do repairs of that sort. I was pleased to learn that, and expect in the near future to contact him for that work.
"We appreciate customer reviews in all natures and we are sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience with your contractor. But in searching through all of our records; computers, books and other documents we do not have record of serving this customers name or at the address given."
We went to the store to see the inserts and set a date for the work to be done.
They showed up on time to do the work. The firebox did not need to be repaired , so they reduced the cost from the proposal
by the amount shown. It only took 1 day instead of the 2 that was estimated.
The wrong trim for the insert was delivered, so they came back when the part came in and installed it.
They showed me how to control the fireplace insert.
They were friendly and knew what they were doing.
I was very satisfied with the whole experience.
I kept insisting that they make an early appointment with me on Tuesday because of their lack of service on Monday. She finally got the owner of the company on the phone. I told him what I told her. I also mentioned that the carpet cleaning people were coming out on Tuesday morning, so I wanted to be sure they got in and out before the carpet people came to clean just in case they made a mess. He promised they wouldn't. He kept telling me that because I was so far from the office that he wasn't sure he could get a crew out there early. (they are in Greenfield, and I am almost to Brownsburg.)
What I kept hearing was, "We don't really service your side of town, and it is an imposition for us to service you." That's not what they said, but that's what I heard because they kept referencing how far I was from their office. I didn't realize where they were located until a couple of weeks before the appointment. If they didn't want to service me because I was so far from their office, they should have told me that when I was making the appointment. That way, I could have found a different company to do this. I wanted to establish a relationship with a company since I am a new homeowner, but it won't be this company. The positives..They did come otu early on Tuesdady. I did apprecate the education on the chimney. He gave me some really helpful information concerning when to use my fireplace and when not to. That was priceless information. I have to admit that the owner was right. They had a tarp, booties, etc. So, there was no way they would have made a mess on my carpet. Now, I know. Had this happened when it was supposed to, I would have given this company all A's, but I don't like fighting with companies about when they are coming out, especially when I made the appointment a month in advance and you confirmed my appointment.
"I'm sorry for all your problems. our second office person was out sick which made it hard to handle walk in traffic and keep track of phone calls. we will strive to do better"
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.