There are many honest professional chimney cap repair contractors in Annapolis MD and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, there are also gangs of scammers going up and down the East Coast pretending to be honest professional roofers. Fortunately, there are easy ways to quickly determine real contractors from scammers. Follow these tips and you and your chimney will be covered.
They Call You First
You get a phone call about a chimney cleaning and repair company that’s new your area. They offer a special chimney inspection rate that is only $25 or less. The scam is that when they arrive they will produce rubble that they claim was found inside your chimney. This means that you need a new chimney. Some will even remove chimney caps and take them away or even kick holes in your roof so that it looks as if your chimney and roof need expensive repairs. Always hang up on roofing or chimney contractors that call you first. A good company only calls you back. They do not call you to trump up business unless you are a former client.
They Claim That They Will Get Your House Condemned
Once these scammers get inside of your door, they become relentless about what they plan to do if you do not engage them to “repair” your chimney or roof. They claim that they are state licensed housing inspectors and that they will recommend to the state to condemn your house. This is all lies intended to scare you to open up your wallet and pay for repairs that you did not need in the first place. Show them the door. Get the license plate number of their vehicle and contact the police.
They Give You No Physical Address
The scam artists may give you an official-looking invoice which has the company logo and a phone number. They usually do not have a physical address listed. If they do, this address will be faked. They may even give a website address. Good Chimney Cap Repair Contractors in Annapolis MD will have a physical address that you can visit. They have itemized, detailed invoices which leave no question about what is being paid for and how much it will cost. Browse our website to see what a professional contracting site should look like.
