Chimney Cleaners Accused Of Scamming Newton Homeowner

NEWTON (CBS) - A Newton man and his 88-year-old mother are on edge and don't want to be identified in fear of retaliation. They say a couple of con men from New York based Patriot Home Services were looking to make some quick cash cleaning chimneys and charged them $2600 for shoddy work.

They say the company did work that seemed very professional but it was far from it. Patriot put in a liner that was 3 feet too short, now this family has to dish out more money to get the chimney fixed.

It's the same MO exposed by the i-Team in our undercover sting this winter. Police say Adam Joyce and his crew from New York were using different company names and scamming people all across New England- leaving a trail of damaged chimneys behind.

WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran reports

Newton Police are investigating this latest complaint. Lt. Bruce Apotheker said, "You're not getting the work you thought you were going to get. Ask family, friends, the better business bureau, don't be fooled, don't be scammed."

The homeowner told us Patriot Home Services called them and offered them a deal of $49.99 to clean their chimney. But according to the Massachusetts Chimney Sweeps Guild no local company would cold call and they'd never offer such a bargain. Apotheker added, "There are a lot of reputable companies that will do a great job for them but some contractors are just there to take your money."

The alleged victims of this scam offer this advice, "If a company calls that you don't usually use say no or hang up."

It's substandard work that costs thousands and could put people's safety at risk.

A representative from Patriot Home Services in New York tells us they don't want to cause anyone harm and they try to fix any issues that come up. So far no criminal charges have been filed.