2 Hats Chimney & Ducts

"This is not an accurate accounting of the event. I was there to inspect and evaluate the chimneys on behalf of the seller. He pointed out to me the two fireplaces and chimney flues that he had. No serious issues with either fireplace, however, later on, the buyers wrote this review, giving the grade of F. It seems that there was a third flue for the HVAC system that I was not made aware of, and that is what this was all about. I was not given permission, nor did I know there was a third flue in the house I was to inspect. And , yes, the third flue was in extremely poor condition and had water damages to both the flue and the inside of the house. When the buyers finally called me to complain, I immediately came out to re-inspect. It was then that I determined there was the third flue, and I had not inspected it. So, yes, at the time they would have been correct in their grade thinking that I had inspected it too, but it was not a fair grade because I did not even know it existed. I have since gone back to the house, gave them a great deal on not only making the repairs on the third chimney flue, but also did some other work for them at the same time. We compromised on the work for the third chimney, and when I left, they were very satisfied with what was done. So, why has it taken me so long to respond? In 2012 or thereabouts, Angie's List flagged this entire account, because I was not licensed in the state of Maryland (the work that I had been doing did not require licensing... but Angie's legal department thought otherwise). The flags were not removed until recently, when I finally became licensed, but during the time of "suspension", I never looked at Angie's List; I never knew the "F" existed until I sent a copy of the license to Angie's List. The bottom line is simply this: the buyers graded an F, with correct reasoning AND I DON'T FAULT THEM ( they had the water problem), but they did not communicate with me beforehand. SINCE THEN, THEY HAVE NEVER REVISED THE GRADE. While I like the fact that Angie's List grading is done exclusively by the customers, when mis-communication occurs it is difficult to effectively respond appropriately. I am very happy that business are only allowed to respond to a review, thus they cannot write their own. That makes Angie's List grades that much more important. Please feel free to call if you'd like further explanation to this response. Dave Kilpatrick"