PSA: That customer who said 'it's not that dirty' cost me 2 hours

Had a lady in Denver last month tell me her fireplace barely gets used so I didn't need to scrub hard. I pulled my camera up anyway and showed her a 3 inch thick creosote glaze hiding behind the damper. She said 'oh I guess I was wrong' and I had to redo the whole job with a rotary tool. Now I always scope first no matter what the homeowner says. Anyone else had a customer try to talk you out of doing a proper sweep?

3 comments

3 Comments

irismartinez2d ago

Did you at least charge her for the redo?

bettyfox2d ago

Honestly, @irismartinez, that's the wild part she tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal. I would have lost my mind if someone made me redo a whole fireplace sweep for free after they lied about how clean it was. Ngl, people just don't get that creosote can hide so bad behind the damper, and by the time you see it it's a whole different job. Tbh, I'm with you on scoping first every single time now, no exceptions. This industry is full of homeowners who think they know better until you prove them wrong with a camera.

grant_allen852d ago

A 2018 study from the Chimney Safety Institute of America actually showed that nearly 40% of chimney fires start because of hidden creosote buildup in areas a regular brush can't reach. That's not just a problem for homeowners, that's a genuine safety hazard that can spread to the whole house. When people lie about pre-cleaning, they're not just wasting your time, they're putting themselves and their neighbors at risk. And most homeowners don't even know that insurance can deny a claim if they find out the fireplace wasn't properly inspected after a certain number of uses.