Response from ARCO - Affordable Roofing & Chimney Options
I would first like to respond to Ms [removed member info] by thanking her for her business & her review. I would like to start by clearing up a few discrepancies in Ms [removed member info] review. She is correct in stating we were there to complete a Chimney Sweep. However, her wording by saying "I thought they were here to clean the chimney. Instead, I got an estimate for almost $4,000.00 for chimney repairs, most of which I believe are unnecessary" leads someone reading this review to believe that we did not perform a Chimney Sweep. That is FALSE. We have clear before & after photos our technicians take of every job to refute such claims. Again, we absolutely completed her Chimney Sweep to the exact specs of her Angie's List Purchase. As for her claim of we provided her with an Estimate of $4,000 for Chimney Repairs, that is also FALSE. We provided Ms Scheper with an Estimate of $2,575, which is very far from her claim of $4,000. We even provided her with a 10% off Military Discount, and a group discount if she chose to complete all of the work at once. Considering she needed very extensive Chimney Repairs(which I have listed below) to bring her Fireplace & Chimney up to code, this was a very fair & competitive price in our current Chimney Industry. Which leads me to my last issue. Ms [removed member info] claims these repairs are not needed. Our Technicians are certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America, and have many, many on the job hours of experience. There were actually two who went to Ms [removed member info] home, that together have over 16 years experience in the chimney industry combined. We back up all of our estimates with a very thorough written inspection report, as well as photos, that are both given to the customer at the end of the appointment, so they can actually see the areas of concern we have, and what we are providing them with an estimate for instead of just writing it down. Customers may not like all of the things that we present them with, however, if we do not provide you with this information, and a fire were to break out, we would be legally liable for any damages. So thorough notes, inspection reports, and photos are a must in this industry. Ms Schepers fireplace was in very dire need of repairs to bring it back up to code. Those that we saw were the Smoke Box has voids in it, which require the need for a Cerfractory Coating to be sprayed inside. If not performed, Creosote can build up in these voids & prevent a very large fire hazard. She also had voids in her firebox, needing to be filled in with Mortar. She needed the Exterior of her Chimney Chase repaired, as she had many spaulding bricks, & deteriorating mortar. Water is being able to enter her unit which leads to the issues of her spalding bricks, further deterioration of mortar, rotting wood, brown spots on the drywall around the Chimney, & Black Mold. She also needed to repair her Cracked Crown, which allows more water to seep in & further damage the inside of the Flue, as well as the outside of the Chase. I feel Arco Remodeling performed our Chimney Sweep to the exact Specifications of Ms Schepers Angie's List Purchase, & as such, Arco Remodeling should not have been given a sub-par grade due to the fact Ms Scheper was unhappy with the Estimate she was provided. Again, we are legally liable to divulge this information, & we back it up with very clear photos.We did give her a phone call asking if she had time to review her photos, so she could actually see the damages we Estimated, but we received no response in return. Thank You, Stephanie Archer, Arco Remodeling