Chimney Cleaning/Sweep Service Atlanta Goergia aka Melvin Kelly bait and switch, scam artist Atlanta Georgia

On 2/10/14, with a winter storm bearing down on us with warnings of possible power outages, I feared that I may need to use my fireplace for heat. I had never had the chimney checked in the 5 years I had lived in the home and was surprised when I reached this company and they said that they could get someone out the next day. The website advertised a $79 cleaning fee.

On the morning of 2/11, the Technician, Melvin Kelly, phoned to say that he would be late and sounded OK on the phone. When he arrived and looked at my fireplace he stated that I needed a "level 2 cleaning" and that would cost $129. I was skeptical but afraid enough to use my fireplace without an inspection that I told him to proceed. 

He produced what looked like a drill with a long snake like device on the end of it that he ran around the inside of the fireplace. When he was finished, around 20 minutes later, he showed me a little pile of ashes and said that my chimney was clean and checked out OK. He then asked to be paid in cash. I had not been told this before and my distrust escalated. I didnt trust him with my credit card information so I gave him a check.

the receipt that i was given was scrawled on ruled paper torn from a notebook and did not look official or professional at all. I noted that he had the company name "Alpha Steamers" on the receipt. When he left I checked out the company and it seemed to be a defunct company. I emailed the address listed on the original company website to register my concerns and never received a return call.

I'm pretty sure that I was ripped off or so my intuition tells me. I am getting ready to sell my home and would like to show that I have had the chimney recently inspected, but don't think I received a valid inspection. If I had, someone would have tried to contact me to ease my concerns.

It doesn't help me feel any better to read these other complaints about this same operation. Someone needs to shut this website and its scam artists down and I hope they burn in Hell for taking advantage of a widow.