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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that chimney sweeps are...

37 replies

PoisonousSmurf · 18/10/2016 10:56

The rudest tradesmen ever?! We get our chimney swept every two years and usually book a year ahead. Unfortunately, our usual guy is ill and can't do it.
I must have messaged over 20 different sweeps and none of them get back to you!
Do they not want any work? They get paid £60 per hour to sweep a chimney and hoover up the dust. How hard can that be?
I may get my own set of brushes...

OP posts:

Grumpyoldblonde · 18/10/2016 11:11

They're too busy dancing and singing on the roof to ring you back!

liquidrevolution · 18/10/2016 11:13

My sweeep is lovely. Only charges £40 if you get it swept over summer (his low period) which is the time of year you should be getting it done so its ready for any early cold snaps. I forgot this year but he managed to squeeze us in 4 weeks ago and still only charged the summer rate as we are repeat customers. He is very knowlegable about installaitions, gets us parts at cost price and checks our chimney every year as well. plus pretends to be a friend of Bert (aka Dick Van Dyke) for my Mary Poppins obsessed 2 year old

This is their busy period so you can't expect them to drop everything to sweep your chimney. They will prioritise exisiting customers and new installations or repairs.

Especially over a new client that frankly sounds hard work.

ShesAStar · 18/10/2016 11:15

I had the opposite, I phoned about 4 and left messages expecting only one or two to bother ringing back but they all did!

AllTheShoes · 18/10/2016 11:15

It's standard for any tradesman around here. I've been trying to get quotes for various different things around the house and I seem to have to call 10 people to get one quote (they either never call back, or call but don't book a date to come and have a look, or come and have a look but never send a quote).

TheoriginalLEM · 18/10/2016 11:16

We do our own.

You actually have to complete a really expensive ttaining course to sweep chimneys.

ElphabaTheGreen · 18/10/2016 11:16

Our sweep was lovely! Always got back to you and remembered me every year because I always give tradesmen posh coffee. He'd also done every job under the sun and was fascinating to talk to - had a speaking voice like an old-school BBC presenter as well, which was totally at odds with his filthy exterior.

We don't have a chimney that needs sweeping in our current house

BoreOfWhabylon · 18/10/2016 11:17

Got mine done yesterday.

Not a speck of dust afterwards and £48.00

Microwaste · 18/10/2016 11:17

We have a lovely guy do ours (happy to recommend if anyone is in Somerset).
On the other hand, we're trying to get quotes for new windows and they never get back to us!

ElphabaTheGreen · 18/10/2016 11:18

They're too busy dancing and singing on the roof to ring you back!

^^ There is this issue too. Can't hear their phones ringing over the orchestra.

user1474627704 · 18/10/2016 11:18

Get your own brushes then

Independent tradespeople don't owe you anything just because you called them. They are obviously doing well for themeselves, fair play to them.

ErrolTheDragon · 18/10/2016 11:18

They probably haven't got back because they're up to their ears in work at the moment.

bearhug · 18/10/2016 11:19

Sorry this is what happens when you want this done in October. The trick is to organise this for May, or June, when no one else is thinking about heating. Same with boiler servicing.

Oh and YABU. I no longer have a chimney that needs sweeping, but in my previous house a rather wonderful young woman did them. Polite, professional and very cheerful.

SquatBetty · 18/10/2016 11:21

Ours is lovely too. Charges £50 and he's either on time or a bit early and friendly. I always get the chimney swept over the Summer which is possibly why I have no problems booking a time with him.

If you're in Surrey I can PM you his details if you like.

deepdarkwood · 18/10/2016 11:24

Squatbetty - I need a Surrey based sweep - and am conscious of trying to get one at the worst time of the year! Could you pm me details?? Thx

gleam · 18/10/2016 11:27

Currently wauting for our sweep to turn up. He's already an hour late.

gleam · 18/10/2016 11:27

waiting, even

Original poster

PoisonousSmurf · 18/10/2016 11:31

I'm in the Cotswolds. Looks like we'll have to do it ourselves then. Or take our chances. We only use kiln dried wood and coal anyway. So there shouldn't be any tar deposits, that can catch fire.

OP posts:

LikeDylanInTheMovies · 18/10/2016 11:35

Bloody hell op cut the guy some slack.

Have you seen how difficult urchins are to get hold of these days? Bloody loony left, PC do gooders stopping small children clambering up chimneys.

c3pu · 18/10/2016 12:23

If you want it swept ASAP, I have two children I'm happy to sell into slavery?

Ifailed · 18/10/2016 12:29

I suspect that all the ones you've contacted are busy, and unless there are other jobs nearby, don't fancy making a long journey just to do your chimneys when they could do 2 or 3 others.

SquatBetty · 18/10/2016 12:53

deepdarkwood - have PM'd you his details

KurriKurri · 18/10/2016 13:52

I haven't had my chimneys swept (not a euphemism) so wouldn't know about rudeness, I suspect October is the busiest time of year as others have said.

However I see your chimney sweeps and raise you my removal men - 'get the kettle on love' shouted at me every half hour while they threw my boxes marked 'fragile' down the stairs to each other like they were going for the olympic beach volley ball gold. Fuck off Keith mate, make your own bloody tea in future.

(Disclaimer - I'm sure there are wonderful professional removal men out there, unfortunately I got the Marx Brothers)

LikeDylanInTheMovies · 18/10/2016 13:57

Not a speck of dust afterwards and £48.00

Op Given it is a £50 job and if they have to travel any sort of distance or it is outside their usual patch, it'll soon become a job that isn't worth their while. As someone up thread pointed out, it might only be viable if there's several in close proximity or you're a short ride away.

EvansOvalPies · 18/10/2016 14:07

PoisonousSmurf - have you tried actually calling and speaking to someone or leaving a voicemail message (as opposed to an email, for instance)? Tradesmen are often out on calls and don't always get to read and reply to their emails straight away (or, if you're my DP, even text msgs). I often get calls on our home landline from someone with an attitude (who usually either is a SAHP or someone who works in an office, thereby having constant access to a device offering such access to telecommunications) saying "I've tried calling his mobile but he can't be bothered to reply". When in actual fact, DP is more often than not sitting atop a chimney pot or scrambling across a rooftop or through an attic. Nothing to do with 'not being bothered' ..... more a case of actually being busy working and possibly in too dangerous a position to answer a call or reply to a msg. He catches up with his calls as soon as he can (evenings or quiet moments). We often get calls or messages early on a Sunday morning, or very late on a Friday or Saturday evening. As we don't offer a 24-hr service, I do wonder why some people think we are available to be able to respond to messages during such anti-social and unreasonable times.

Perhaps some of the people you have messaged are on holiday, OP - they are actually allowed to do that too. What timescales are you referring to, regarding them not getting back to you? Hours, days, weeks? Only asking as some people do want an immediate reply from a tradesperson, and it is really not always possible to accommodate those requests.

EvansOvalPies · 18/10/2016 14:13

They get paid £60 per hour to sweep a chimney and hoover up the dust. How hard can that be?

I don't know too much about chimney-sweeping, but I really do think there is a bit more to it than you appear to think. Also, bear in mind overheads: equipment, vehicles and associated costs (insurance, maintenance, wear and tear tyres are not cheap, fuel to get to you, Public Liability Insurance, taxes, salaries etc, etc, etc). Not a lot left from £60 after all that, is there? That's not even taking in account any training and education in their craft.

If you think it is so easy, perhaps you should take a course in it and start your own business.

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