Johnson Chimney Company Austin, TX | Chimney Sweep

Borderline scam. Their advertised prices only appear to be there to get a technician in your house and then ask for more. I booked a chimney cleaning and inspection for $99.00, but then was told it was “extra dirty and hadn’t been cleaned in years” after he glanced up the chimney and required a “deep clean”so it would be $645 plus tax. I later verified nothing can be seen up the chimney by glancing up the chimney. I didn’t want to wait to rebook due to Christmas being soon, so I reluctantly agreed after they said they would repair a small mortar crack and add the damper clamp as well, thinking maybe a “deep clean” would take 3-4 hours. The time for the chimney sweeping was about 45 minutes, which is the same amount of time I have experienced in the past for any other chimney cleaning. The technician claimed a basic chimney sweep is only five minutes, which is a lie as ChatGPT confirmed an average chimney cleaning takes 45-90 minutes. Additionally I had booked air duct cleaning for “$199”, but the technician said it would “probably also be more” since those “probably” hadn’t been cleaned in years as well, without even looking inside. I refused this service as soon as I heard that. I had also asked about replacing the glass on the fireplace, which he said usually costs around $1500 for the two small panes, so I declined even getting a quote. When he saw I was unhappy he was still charging so much after spending average time cleaning, he discounted the price by 10%. I will not use this service again and do not recommend it to others. I called and complained to the company, who said they would inform the manager of my complaint. They said on the phone that the only difference between a basic clean and a deep clean is not the amount of time spent, but only if they use a cleaning chemical or not - ridiculous.

also scheduled the advertised 99 dollar chimney cleaning, but when the technicians arrived two hours late the conversation immediately shifted to repairs and estimates totaling more than $3,500 plus an additional $500 for the cleaning itself. When I questioned the estimate for a new capstone, which they could not even see due to the cover, they pushed payment plans and offered to call their boss for a possible discount. This all occurred before they conducted any real inspection of my chimney or firebox. When I declined the work, I was charged $89.45 for an inspection even though they never cleaned the chimney or examined the chimney or firebox. I asked for the photos they supposedly took as well as the written estimates so I could make an informed decision. It has now been over a week, and I still have not received anything. As they were leaving, one of the technicians pulled up a QR code and asked me to leave a 5 star Google review. He said I did not need to write anything, just rate them 5 stars because he receives a bonus for reviews. I will not be using this service again, and I have reached out to request a refund.