This is a follow-up to my last post asking if I was scammed after chimney repairs were done. The last thread wouldn’t let me add photos in the comments nor edit the post with new photos. Here are the requested photos of my fireplace and the flue the best I could get.
I know there’s a lot to read through but can someone tell me if what is being said is legitimate or not? We spent a lot of money to fix our chimney and fireplace and make it functional and after only a handful of burns we noticed a smoke smell in our upstairs. We had them come out to inspect it (after several failed communication attempts) and they’re saying there is creosote build up as if we burned 2-3 cords of wood and loose joints. I even had one of the guys test the wood we use with my tester to prove the wood was dried enough and that we weren’t burning wet wood. I’ve included copies of the work we paid to have done and then texts of what the owner of the company is saying. They think it’s a draft issue but my question is how did a draft issue that severe go unnoticed until we burned a few times and how did this much damage happen? When they attempted to apply the heat shield it took them many attempts. I don’t have photographic proof of what the work looked like when they were finished. We feel very frustrated and like we are out a lot of money. He is saying because we didn’t do a yearly inspection on time essentially one year exact to the date it’s not really his problem. We contacted him 3 months from the one year mark. We rarely used the fireplace maybe a handful of times because it was more for an aesthetic and not a functional use. It pulls heat out of the rooms and makes it colder so we only use it for a cozy night in here or there. But apparently this much damage and creosote has happened after only a few burns and he’s making it sound like we didn’t draft the fire properly or some other reason it’s our fault. If someone with knowledge could let me know if this is all legit or not I’d appreciate it. How after spending $13,000 did $5,000 worth of damage happen after a handful of fires? Also, when they were doing the work they hit our house with their truck and damaged the roof and gutters which they fixed. We could have made a big deal out of it but didn’t. Also, when I tried scheduling the inspection after we smelled the smoke he ignored my attempts for almost 3 weeks. He then scheduled an appointment for a Wednesday and when that day came and went and we sent a text questioning his integrity he said he was on a job with no service. We felt like he was evading us. So all of this together just feels like our level of trust is waning. He’s basically comparing this to mechanic work and saying it’s not his problem and making us out to be Karen’s. Please let me know if what he is saying is legit or not.