Dr Sweep

This is complicated. The ratings above are a mixed review of the mason, his work and how the owner handled issues. I hired this company to rebuild a brick chimney at my home. The owner, John, also pointed out areas where the mortar was failing, especially around windows, so I agreed to have them tuckpoint that, too. They were very aggressive in tracking me to get an answer on the work and equally aggressive about getting started and getting a downpayment. On one hand, it's nice to have a contractor follow up since so many of them DON'T. On the other hand, I wasn't crazy about the pressure. The mason, Dustin, started on a Tuesday afternoon. They began tearing down my chimney before we had chosen a replacement brick. The mason, while very good at his craft, brought a lot of his personal issues to the job site. He was not punctual and lacked professionalism especially in how he handled the customer. I never knew when he was going to show up; he would often call at 10 am and tell me he'd be at my house at noon. He would show up at 1 pm. Between his issues, finding a decent match for the brick, etc, it took a week, including a Saturday, to get my chimney redone. I informed John, the owner, of my concerns regarding his mason's work habits and I guess I was not the first and the mason is no longer with the company. John did bend over backwards to make sure I was satisfied with the work and his company. This mason had pointed out a place on the house in the back where the soldier bricks were falling away. I ended up hiring a different mason/company to do THAT work and the mason said to me that the tuckpointing was not done very well; wrong mortar color, etc. and he actually redid the tuckpointing that adjoined the work HE was doing and it looks much better. Bottom line for me is that I am on the fence about using this company for anything else in the future. My experience was a mixed bag. The chimney work is very good; other things not so much.

The office called me to set up an appointment in professional manner. Technician called prior to leaving for my home. He arrived on time. He completed job quickly and efficiently. Friendly and professional.

They did not do a very well. He was not very professional. He was not very prompt. I had anitcipated to have them move the dryer and use a vacuum and all he had was a brush and a thin wire; he only pushed these pieces through rather than pushing the lint outside the house. Then he went outside and pushed again, so this means that somewhere in the middle of the vent is all this lint is what I think. I am worried about still having a blocked up dryer.

Bought a Groupon to be used as a coupon off the total price.Company was late Company did not perform anywhere near the value that I paid them.Left everything in a sorry state.Will never recommend or use again.

At first I was a little hesitant when I talked to the woman scheduling services when she told me that to look at the fireplace would be an automatic $85 service charge. That seemed pretty high to have someone come out and just look at if the problem was even fixable. However after a little back and forth about this the woman said she would have Dean the actual service technician call me back to see if we could pin point a better problem area. She said it would be likely the next day but to my surprise Dean called me just a few hours later. I explained the problem and he told me that he could do this under a standard tune up fee of $139 and probably take care of every thing. This seemed like much more reasonable than $85 plus whatever the cost to fix/labor. They were able to schedule an appointment the next day. I was actually very impressed with the level of service provided by Dean of Dr Sweep (Waterford location). He came to my house with his apprentice who was also very polite. He was extremely knowledgeable about fireplaces and was able to tell me within minutes the excellent quality and proper build my fireplace. He took the time to give me background on how it was built and what to look for in proper/improper function. It took a little drilling down but they figured out that my igniter part was improperly put on backwards by the previous homeowners for whatever reason. To replace the part would have been $500 but Dean was able to jury rig the part to function as it should for just $100. Awesome. He not only put that part to rights but took the time to make sure the rest of the fireplace parts were functioning as they should and explain to me some basic operation best practices. Before they left Dean took a quick look at my other two fireplaces to make sure they were functioning on a high level but no tune up was needed there. He even noted the model numbers of my two gas fireplaces for future work so he could easily order parts in advance if needed. Apparently they also do furnace check ups and dryer vent cleanings (anything to do with heating / fire parts of your home). Overall this was a very positive experience and makes my positive experiences with finding new service providers on Angie's List 3/3. I will almost certainly be calling them back in the future for my fireplace needs and likely my furnace/dryer vent as well.

They did a great job were very polite, and provided a high level of customer service! I would highley recommend them!

My boyfriend was present when they came and he didn't have any complaints. Dr Sweep did call back for recommending a cap for the chimney and some other repairs that needed done and I felt that it was a bit pricier than I thought.

He came pretty quickly and he seemed to know a lot of about roofing. He was reasonably priced. It was a little pricey but we do have a two story house and it’s a dangerous thing to climb up on the roof. The price okay; I just always want it to be less. I can't remember about the punctuality but I think it was an A.

We use a coupon from Angie's List. They were very efficient. He recommended that we get our chimney fixed. He even recommended for somebody to do a second opinion. So they were good. I would use them again.

They were reasonably priced and did the work. I didn't have any problems with them. I didn't compare prices. I would use them again.

Our chimney had not been serviced in over 20 years, so we jumped on the "Angie's Big Deal" for an inspection and cleaning. We knew that additional work would be needed because of water leaking into the fireplace during storms. The initial cleaning and inspection was done in late October 2011, and the recommended additional repairs done in November. The technicians were very prompt, courteous and thorough, answering all of our questions and explaining what they would be doing and why. They also worked with us to perform needed repairs effectively but economically. I would enthusiastically recommend Dr. Sweep.

They were very professional and prompt with their work. They answered all questions that I had. The owner came out beforehand to assess the property to see what needed to be done.

It took Dr. Sweep 7...yes 7 visits to try and complete work. Each time they sent a different technician to which I had to re-explain what needed to be done only to have them say they didn't have the tools, or had the wrong instructions. Very disorganized. On the plus side, they did do some work at no cost to "make up" for my troubles. I would have rather paid and had everything done in one, or at the most two visits.

This is a great company and the technician, Bill, is thorough and friendly. I have used them twice and each time Bill came out and knew exactly what he was doing. The first time he came out for the inspection he assured me that my fireplace and chimney were in good working order. He recommended a new chimney cap, as what was up there was basically chicken wire. He gave me recommendations but didn't try to "sell" me and said spring would be the best time to get it done. Another company had been out previously and basically said I needed a new chimney. When spring came I contacted the company, Bill came out, replaced the cap and was just as nice as before. I told him about having a bird caught in the fireplace, just the week before and the difficulty I had finding someone to come out and help. He said they could have taken care of it and to just call them next time and they'll come right out. Wow - I didn't even think they would do that. I wish I had known. I don't think I'll have that problem now w/ my new cap, but I will definitely recommend them to anyone else who does.

The service was good. They did what they said they would do. The overall experience was good. I would use this company again.

We were very impressed with the genuine artistry Dustin and Chris used on our brick. They took the job personally, taking their time and staying for hours to finish their work with integrity. They kept us informed of what they were doing, consulted us when there were important decisions to be made, and conducted themselves in a fully professional way.Dustin and Chris both showed the pride and seriousness one used to be able to count on from qualified service people. We found their work ethic refreshing and would have them back to work on our house.

Well. They showed up on time, were clean and organized.

They came out to give me an estimate. They told me that it would be over $1000 to do the work, and that they could not honor the deal because they would lose money. I asked them why in my estimate, upon including the Big Deal discount, my estimate was more expensive. They said they upgraded to a rod-iron railing --which I did not ask for. I decided not to go with this company. I refunded my deal. I was very frustrated. They were trying to be open and helpful, but they were not really listening to what I was saying regarding the deal. It was really frustrating having two different quotes given there for one repair to my steps. I would like to give this company the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not sure that I would hire them in the future.

They were professional and arrived on time, they did what I asked what I asked and everything looks good.

Used a "Big Deal" to have my chimney cleaned. I was given a 4 hour window for the appt. and he arrrived 20 minutes before the 4 hour window ended. He spent about 15 minutes sweeping my chimney and used no vacuum, just brushes and a dustpan. He said I needed a "stage 1 chemical deglaze" and pushed me to schedule an appt on the spot. I felt uncomfortable with this and felt it was a poorly concealed attempt to add business. I told him to have someone cal me. They called me and I scheduled an appt. and then called back to cancel. I told them I was cancelling because I was uncomfortabe with the service and the push to add the chemical deglaze and with the fact he didn't use a vacuum. I have had my chimney cleaned avery 2 years for the last 25 years. Everyone has used a vacuum and no one has recommended a "chemical deglaze". I don't use my fireplace that much. They put the owner on the line and he said he would come out to inspect the job and tell me if a good job was done and if I needed a chemical deglaze. He set up an appt. for between 9:30 and 10:30 am. No one arrived and I never heard from anyone until 3:00pm, when the office person called to tell me the owner had truck problems. Does he not have a cell phone to call me and tell me he can't make the appt? I'm disappointed Angies List offered this company as a Big Deal coupon! What's up with that Angie! Update 7/4/12 The customer service person followed up with me regarding my review/complaint and apologized. She offered to send someone out to look at the chimney. The person they sent out was very knowledgeable and said that the chimey cleaning was well done and I did not need a "chemical deglaze" treatment.. He was very thorough and explained everything to me, all for no charge. He also told me the person who cleaned my chimney is no longer working for the company. I've change my overall experience to a "A". They took the time to follow up with me to ensure I was happy. Most companies would not do that.

They did a great job. The job was fine, as far as I can remember.

I was dissappointed. The workman was very polite but I think it was about getting business in repair work instead of doing a good job cleaning the chimney.

Technician was competent and was a little arrogant in that I felt he thought he knew more than he did re: installation.

They came out on a coupon from Angie's List and did a very good job. It was half price. He didn't leave a mess. I called and they had to call me back to schedule the appointment because they didn't answer right away. I didn't have a problem scheduling the appointment. They were easy to work with and tried to pick a convenient time for me. I had no problems with what he was doing.

He came very quickly. He explained what he was doing. He is local, and he provided good service.