Judge orders chimney repair company to stop NJ operations

A New Jersey judge has ordered a Long Island-based chimney repair
company to stop operating in New Jersey following allegations that it
charged thousands of dollars for chimney repairs, and then did not
perform the work or performed it incorrectly, the Star Ledger
reported.

State officials say All Care Chimney called residents and went
door-to-door soliciting business, offering chimney cleaning for $39 to
$60 and then convinced consumers that much more work was needed.

In one case, workers told an 84-year-old woman in a condominium they
needed to perform maintenance on her dry vent, and then performed
$1,300 in repairs, according to the complaint filed in Middlesex County Superior Court. In
another instance, state officials allege workers convinced a
63-year-old developmentally disabled man that he needed a new chimney
liner at a cost of $4,300.

“These are consumers who don’t even know if the repairs were done
correctly or adequately or were even needed in the first place,”
Cathleen O’Donnell, deputy state attorney general, told Superior Court
Judge Glenn Berman in New Brunswick.

Work was done without permits or inspections, and resulted in exhaust
and carbon monoxide leaking into homes, O’Donnell said in court today.

Michael Lyon, president and owner of the company, declined to comment.
Robert Lee, a Florida attorney representing All Care, said the company
was served with the complaint last Thursday and needed time to prepare a
response. A full hearing has been set for Nov. 10. [Star Ledger]