ComplaintsforAmerican Chimney & Fireplace

• Initial Complaint

  06/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company fails to remedy problem or stand behin warranty. I mailed a packet with all documentation to BBB on May 13th & asked for assistance. I have not heard a reply from BBB.

  

  Business response

  06/05/2024

  
  

  Customer response

  06/05/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  I have multiple emails where I have reached out to ACC, reporting the chimney leaking in 2020, 2021, 2023 & 2024.  I am happy to provide those emails showing that.  Additionally, I asked for a water test & have an email from **** at ACC stating it was unwarranted.  The statement that multiple companies worked on my chimney is false.  No work has been done since the work done by ACC & I have an email from **** stating if I did all of the work ACC recommended, the chimney would be guaranteed not to leak.  The cracks in the mortar as well as the crumbling mortar is work performed by ACC.  Additionally I was told the waterproofing had a 10 year warranty.  It has not lasted even 4 years.  I requested ACC come out on multiple occasions since 2020 to see why the chimney is still leaking.  They have refused.  I did not have an unpleasant experience with ******** *******.  ACC blamed the leaking chimney on ********.  ******** came out, at ACC's insistence, took up the flashing & proved the problem was not theirs but was in fact the chimney still leaking AFTER ACC had done the work.  I have been unable to have another company correct their subpar work, as doing so would void my warranty, which apparently is non existent.  If ACC is not going to stand behind their work, then I would like a refund for the I paid them, and I will have someone else fix their mistake.  Anything less is unacceptable.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** *****

  Customer response

  07/05/2024

  
  Complaint: ******** - Reject - Attached please find the email from ****h (the owner of ACC) showing guarantees before work was done.  ACC has ingorned my plea's to address the problem.  I requested a water test prior to work being done.  Promised at no charge then **** stated "it was not necessary".  I contacted ****h the 1st time the chimney leaked & was told he needed a video of the chimney leaking (outrageous).  When it leaked again in March 2021, I took a video as requested & texted to ****.  I have attached the email reply I received.  Again, they refused to come address the problem.  I was ignored again in 2023 & April 2024, which is when I sent ACC a certified letter.  Attached are the email replies I received from **** on 4/23, & 4/25, which are all nasty & unprofessional.  Notice his nasty replies to me where quite different from the courteous reply received via his BBB response.  ACC has had 4+ years to remey this problem & they have refused, uring which time more amage has occured.  In an effort to find the problem I contacted a mason who advised the work was sub par, done incorrectly & needs to be redone.  The waterproofing is ineffective, water does not bead up.  The mortar work done was done incorrectly & is cracked, with chunks of the mortar ACC applied falling off of my chimney.  The chimney cap ACC installed is wrong because, by ACC's own admission, it is letting water in.  I have little faith that ACC can do the work any additional work correctly, and because of the hostile position they have taken, I no longer wish to do business with them.  They have had ample opportunity to do the right thing & have refused.  Only when I got BBB involved did their tone change.  I should not be forced to allow them another opportunity to do work at home.  They have proven their incompetence over & over again.  I am willing to accept a full refund for the work they did.  

  
  *** *****

  

  Business response

  07/10/2024

  please see our attached response

  Customer response

  07/15/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because ACC continues to lie about the facts of the case.  

  1)  Item 3 - I have NOT engaged a mason to perform repairs on my chimney for the very reason that it would void my warranty (which ACC has not honored).  By doing that, substantial damage has occured to my home, a irect result of ACC refusing to remedy the problem. 

  2)  Item 4 - I never declined an annual eva;uation, nor did I know anything about such an offer.  The contrary is true in that I requested service in 2020 & 2021, & ACC refused to send a technician to my home & honor my warranty. 
  

  3)  Item 5 - ACC never offered to file a warranty claim.  Again, if you review the emails I received from ACC, I was told  in April 2024 that I had no warranty.

  4)  Item 6 - I did not request a refund 5 years later as stated, I requested service beginning 4 years ago & again 3 years ago.  AcCC has refused to send a technician to my home & they refused to do a water test which is documented in the email I received from **** in 2020.

  In reality, ACC should be held responsible for the $5000+ in damages that have occured due to their refusal to sent a technician to my home beginning in 2020.  They have never provided the service I paid for.  A refund of the $3000 I paid ACC is the mininum they should be responsible for.   

  Sincerely,
  

  
  *** *****

  Customer response

  07/17/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  

  1)  Item 3 - I have NOT engaged a mason to perform repairs on my chimney for the very reason that it would void my warranty (which ACC has not honored).  By doing that, substantial damage has occured to my home, a irect result of ACC refusing to remedy the problem. 

  2)  Item 4 - I never declined an annual eva;uation, nor did I know anything about such an offer.  The contrary is true in that I requested service in 2020 & 2021, & ACC refused to send a technician to my home & honor my warranty. 
  

  3)  Item 5 - ACC never offered to file a warranty claim.  Again, if you review the emails I received from ACC, I was told  in April 2024 that I had no warranty.

  4)  Item 6 - I did not request a refund 5 years later as stated, I requested service beginning 4 years ago & again 3 years ago.  AcCC has refused to send a technician to my home & they refused to do a water test which is documented in the email I received from **** in 2020.

  In reality, ACC should be held responsible for the $5000+ in damages that have occured due to their refusal to sent a technician to my home beginning in 2020.  They have never provided the service I paid for.  A refund of the $3000 I paid ACC is the mininum they should be responsible for.   

  Customer response

  07/30/2024

  Better Business Bureau:

  I would like to reject the offer of Mediation for complaint ID ******** unless ACC covers all costs.  ACC has falsely described the issue, & when I provide proof of their inaccurate descriptions,  they go in another direction with more lies.  I have provided proof that they refused to come to my home when the problem was brought to their attention within months of work being done (when their reply was "some leaking is normal"), which is outrageous.  When I provided proof the work they did was not done correctly, they accused me of having someone else do work (which again was a lie).  Their constant posturing & accusing is false, & speaks volumes about the character of both **** & his company.  I have no confidence that they are competent enough to resolve the issues, they have had 5 years to do so & have refused.  If they are unwilling to refund my money, I will take other steps & in the meantime, pass the word of other unsuspecting individuals who may seek out their services.  I am not satisfied & their rating with BBB should reflect that & warn others.  *** *****

• Initial Complaint

  10/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 28th All American Chimney services came to my home to sweep and inspect our three chimneys. After service was complete, our home was left covered in soot. There was a hole in the chimney sweep vacuum, that allowed soot to escape. We were not instructed to turn off our air system. This caused the soot to be pulled into the air intake and spread throughout our entire home. All American Chimney paid for our hotel room from July 28th- August 1st. Totaling $435.52. We were required to pay out of pocket for our housing, boarding, food, ect. from August 2nd- August 23rd The out of pocket cost to us was: AirBNB: $3,975.94 Dog Boarding: $2,231.05 Receipts: $2,743.93 Mattress: $1,276.24 Paint: $638.10 Totaling: $10,865.26 Our insurance was able to provide some reimbursement, but they were not able to provide complete coverage of loss. The claim is completed with my insurance company. I have requested that All American Chimney reimburse us for the remainder of our loss. They continually defer to their insurance company. I am requesting for All American Chimney to reimburse us the remainder of our loss. All American Chimney can then request reimbursement from encova, their insurance company. We are waiting for reimbursement on the following: Loss of Income- $5,453.10 Receipts: amounted to $ 2,743.93. Our Insurance Covered $172.39, leaving $2,571.55 unpaid. Contents: amounted to $17,181.61. Our Insurance Covered $12,816.69, leaving $4,364.92 unpaid. $5,453.10 + $2,571.55 + $4,364.92= $12,389.57 We are awaiting reimbursement of $12,389.57. I hired a company to sweep and inspect my chimneys. Yet I am at a 12k loss, fighting to get back what I already owned. We lost items that hold irreplaceable sentimental value to us. We were homeless for a month, without basic belongings for two months, without full reimbursement for three months (and counting). I am requesting for All American Chimney to be held accountable for their negligence. Please review documents.

  

  Business response

  11/09/2022

  Ms. *******A very mild amount of soot was in a few areas when I came to your home the day after the occurrence, Friday, July 31st. We offered to have an IICRC Certified restoration company at your home the following Monday morning, August 1st, to clean your entire home and belongings professionally & provide documentation to the insurance carriers to ensure prompt payment; their estimated time for this service was 48 hours. You could have been in your home by Wednesday, August 3rd; you denied this offer, and You elected to vacate your home for 27 days on the advice of another restoration company of your choosing.A valid loss statement from State Farm has yet to be delivered to our insurance company, corroborating your claims. You have repeatedly requested financial compensation from us directly since this happened, using lawsuits and reputation damage as a cudgel.We are a fully insured company; however, you must submit documentation supporting all expenses, not just a list of items. We have asked you for this documentation for over 90 days. You have not provided anything to the adjustor or us except a list of things you want replacing. If you need this documentation, I suggest contacting the company that provided the restoration work for you. Every reputable contractor that handles insurance directly delivers the required documentation to the insurance company to avoid this predicament.

  Sincerely,

  **** ******
  

  Customer response

  11/12/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  This response offers no resolve to the issues at hand. I have provided all documentation to my insurance, All American Chimneys insurance, and ****las ****** personally.

   

  If this "mild amount of soot" was in my Living room, Dining room, Kitchen, Bathrooms, Play room, All Bedrooms, All hallways ect. It was on every square inch of my home. I have photo evidence. Am I supposed to accept a "mild" amount of carcinogens, that should have never been spread throughout my home?

   

  I chose to proceed cleaning my home in the proper manner. I did not accept help from a company that is not qualified to clean soot. 

   

  If All American Chimney had accepted responsibility for their negligence, and covered the outstanding funds we lost due to this event, this issue would not have been escalated. Frances ****** told me at the beginning of this issue that they would reimburse us for what insurance would not. Now they are negating the seriousness of this event. They are lying about the extent of the damage caused, just as they lied about reimbursing us for our losses that are not covered. Would a "mild" amount of soot have caused a $31,143.80 clean up? This is not including our loss of income, and lost items. 

  I attached documentation proving the payments made by my insurance company to the restoration company.\

   

  Regards,
  *** *******

  Customer response

  02/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution. Please respond here ONLY]
  
  Regards,
  
  *** *******

• Initial Complaint

  02/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We paid $1,883.75 retainer on 11-04-2021 to All American Chimney as retainer for Glass Doors, Gas Logs, and Gas Log Burner plus installation charges. On 11-05-2021 received the contract for same by email. On 01-16-2022 shortly after 9:00PM sent email inquiring about installation date -firm offers to answer questions by you typing your question and someone somewhere types a response - responder did not seem to know anything about customer or project - email was discontinued. On 01 -17-2022 @ 9:32 AM asked about status of project - was told doors had not been received. On 1-24-2022 @ 6:00PM **** called and said doors had not been ordered and offered a $760.00 discount to be applied to balance to complete contract. On 01/25/2022 talked to **** was told vendor has ten (10) day lead time and to expect to wait at least two (2) weeks before installation date is determined. On 01-25-2022 @9:34 AM received email stating installation was set for 02-11-2022 between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. On 02-11-2022 @11:07 AM called firm and talked to **** asking him where installers were. They did not come because the doors have not been shipped was his response. I THEN ASKED THAT CONTRACT BE CANCELLED AND RETAINER BE REFUNDED. He said I will cal you back. On 02-14-2022 shortly after 2:00 PM I called and asked for **** - wanting to know why he did not call me - he said he left early because he was ill. I then asked when I could expect the refund of my retainer. He responded that the doors have been shipped. I asked when were they shipped and he said on 02-11-2022 and so the retainer will be retained if you still want to cancel the contract or we can complete the contract. At that point I told I would call him back.

  

  Business response

  03/07/2022

  I thought this had been resolved with the customer. Could you please answer the resolution you came up with for Mr. ******. He is the customer who had purchased glass doors . This email had gone to spam for some reason. Thank you!

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩