Pro Masonry & Fireplace

I called this company for a quote to have our chimney cleaned. I was told there would be a $150 fee to come out and inspect the chimney but this would be applied to the cleaning charge. Hugh came out to assess the chimney. After 10 minutes at the house, he handed me a $175 bill for the inspection. I didn’t question it because I figured the cleaning would be $200 or so anyway. He said there was some work he recommended and would call with a quote for doing the work and cleaning the chimney. He called back with an estimate of over $1200. I told him I simply wanted just the chimney sweep service at this time. He said he would not just clean the chimney, he required at minimum $775 of work to clean and paint the damper? Are you kidding? I can clean and paint the damper in 5 minutes. I again reiterated I just wanted to have the chimney cleaned of soot at this time. His response was “I get a crazy person like you at least once per year” and then hung up on me. I was irate and couldn’t believe I was treated this way. I’m 8 1/2 months pregnant and feel like he totally took advantage of me. He of course immediately cashed in on his $175 check, so no chance in getting my money back. I have nothing to show for that money aside from Hugh’s recommended repairs. If I paid for a professional inspection shouldn’t I at least have an official document outlining what was found on the inspection? At least I could call other companies with the report and get fair prices to address. I guess that’s Hugh’s scam, get you to pay a decent amount of money up front, give you a ridiculous quote for repairs, and refuse to do any work unless you let him do the repairs. Pretty smart- $175 for 10 minutes of time for crazy people like me or a lot more money on price gouged repairs. Win Win for Hugh. Hugh, you should be ashamed of yourself. It’s amazing that you are still in business if this is how you treat people on a regular basis.