ITHACA STOVE WORKS

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I called them in to do a chimney sweep. I had never had one performed in the 15 years we've lived in our 22 year-old home and I  expected a mess.  The tech arrived as scheduled, took one quick look up the flue, and could tell immediately that it was spotless and did not require a full service cleaning.  He explained that the newer, external chimneys were very tolerant to build up.  He performed a cursory external inspection to confirm no cracking or other problems, and was done.  Quick, honest, professional service. They easily could have performed and charged me for a full cleaning. INstead, I was only charged for a visit, and no unnecessary services.

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He was very punctual and thorough. I asked him questions about the morter and the functioning of the fireplace. He gave complete explinations and even told me the best way to make a fire.

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We were very pleased with our experience. They maintain a nice, clean showroom representative of a variety of fireplaces and stoves and appurtenances. Sue is extremely likeable, courteous and helpful. She took her time as we discussed our options and kept us apprised of delivery dates. The technicians are similarly courteous and helpful, as we contacted them on occasion to discuss technical minutia related to the installation. We've been extremely pleased with our fireplace which kept us very warm through the Winter and look forward to years of trouble-free service. When we contacted them recently asking whether they serviced kitchen stoves, Sue was kind enough to return our call the same day-even though they unfortunately do not service them.

While the service technician was very pleasant and professional, the job itself was not particularly complicated, which makes the service charge seem particularly high (although this is common in Ithaca). One of the problems we were having stemmed from the gas logs not having been properly aligned to miss the flames. The tech tried to rearrange the logs but was not able to solve the problem. After seeing what he did, I rearranged them myself to finally fix the problem. This is the first time fireplace has been serviced since we have moved into our home. It is worth the peace of mind to know that there isn't a larger problem, but having seen what the service involves, I would not hire Ithaca Stove Works to perform the same service again.
I give Ithaca Stove Works high ratings for professionalism and punctuality, but the service rates do not match the work involved for the service, which took less than 45 minutes to complete, did not require and special tools (nothing more than a normal household vacuum cleaner), and did not actually solve the problem that we had hoped to solve.

I have been using Ithaca Stove Works for a number of years and I like their work. I will continue to use them for my chimney cleaning needs.