I asked Mike for a consult after I got a $19K estimate from another company. He repaired my fireplace much quicker and easier (and a much smaller bill!) than the complete replacement I was originally told I had to do. I really appreciated that! (I love my vintage fireplace) He was so quick, so efficient, so thorough - I wish every home repair service was this easy!! read more

Showed up in time... Great work. He even cleaned my mess. Called him Saturday. He came out Monday.

Mike came out to assess our chimney cap, arrived on time and returned on a Saturday to fix the problem. He's knowledgeable and charges reasonable rates. We'll use him again read more

Absolutely worst company. Mike installed a wood burning stove in our cabin and it has been the worst company I've dealt with. First of all he did a bad job overall. He said he would buy all new parts to replace the old chimney pipe. Well he didn't. Only replaced a few. Now that is raining and snowing, I've had so many leaks. One for leaving old pipes and another for using mismatched pipes. I've had 2 other companies check out his work and both said it was badly installed. Now I've had to repair the leaks because he would not respond to my calls. Do not hire him. Beware of this guy. Absolute waste of my money. I now have a fireplace I can't use. read more

What a disappointment with a very scattered individual. We were referred to Absolute. I called, spoke with Mike, and scheduled an appointment on 12/12/2020 between 1-3. He was a no show. I called him at 3:30 and he denied speaking with me, let alone scheduling an appointment. Promised to be at the house on 12/13 @ 10:00 am. No show again. I sent a text at 10:30 and left a VM around 11:00ish. No response to text or VM, but showed up at the house around 11:45. Took one look at the fireplace, walked back to the door while saying he was to busy, said to call sweeps in Blue Jay, and walked out the door. read more

Mike came through my rental property between clients, got the job done, and were out! Great communication, fair price. They let me know they didn't see any problems other than the dirt and grime of a lot of warm and cozy nights. I have used Absolute Chimney Service twice and will continue. read more

Scheduled for inspection and quote fir our chimney needs. Was suppose to be here by noon. Came up the mountain for the appointment. No show from company, not even a call to say late. read more

Mike did great, high quality work at a very affordable price and was professional and on time. He went above and beyond to fix up my wood-burning stove, in addition to cleaning the chimney, and made it look brand new. Highly recommended! read more

He came out and cleaned my cap outside without charging me. I already told him I wanted him to replace it. But he didn't want us left without being able to use our woodstove. Very nice and professional. He is ordering my part and will come back when the part comes in. Very Happy! Thank You! read more

Horrible service and atrocious customer service We had this company out the first week of December to clean and inspect our chimney After 4 fires - smoke filled the house with a thick haze. I called the company to see if they would come out to take a look at it. I asked if he could come and look at it either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday - the "gentleman" said if I couldn't be there all day, I'd have to wait till Thursday - because he didn't like to set "time slots" to arrive in as he might finish with a job early and wanted the flexibility. I reminded him we were going to get a beastly storm on Thursday, are you sure we can't set it up for Wed or Tues, and we have guests coming up to spend the weekend. He assured me he would be there Thursday at 5pm. 5pm - no Absolute Chimney guy - he said he tried to call at 3 to see what was going on as he might have the wrong address (I did give him the receipt order number and the address previously- oh and the receipt order paperwork has the address and contact information on it also.) He stated because he called at 3, he did not have to come out. He "might" be able to make it on Saturday, if not - he'd make it after the snow cleared. My significant other offered to transport him so we could have heat during the major snow storm. This fellow was so very cocky and insolent, he told me that he could come over and I quote "Do you know what I'll find? I'll find that there are red flags that you haven't taken care of and that is why you are getting smoke in your home" I looked at the order form and noticed that no red flags were notated. I would have taken care of them if they had been written down. He also told me if he had cleaned it, there is no possible way he could have missed something - it must be our fault. We were lucky he was going to come out and inspect it for free. And, he added why hadn't I called when it was clear - so he could come look at it? I was aghast - my voice went up and I said emphatically I ASKED YOU TO PLEASE COME OUT ON TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY - You promised you could make it here Thursday!!! He replied - well, maybe - depending on the weather - I could make it out tomorrow or Saturday. I'm not going out again tonight - mind you at this time of the evening it was 5PM!!!!!! The time of our appointment. He got mad and hung up on me... Rotten, rotten follow up and arrogant owner. read more

If being spoken to rudely and canceling at the last minute give this guy a call You won't be disappointed.

Made an appt with Mike. No show, No call. Drove an hour and half to be stood up. Thankfully there is an actual business nearby that saved the day for us. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME read more

So I scheduled a noon appointment with Absolute to have my chimney cleaned. We came up from the valley, arrived at 11:58 to find a slip of paper from Absolute suggesting they had already left! No one called to tell me they were there, they just apparently knocked on the door sometime before our appt and when no one answered they left. I called and emailed them, but no answered until 6 pm at night. Mike called then to tell me he expected me to be here as early as 10 am so that "he wouldn't have to wait if he got there early". Sorry buddy, suggesting that it's okay for me to wait 2 hrs for you but you can't wait minutes for me if you arrive early for our noon appointment; not calling me to say you're there and see where I was; and then being unavailable to talk / text / email all day - doesn't work. If you're looking for a chimney sweep suggest you find someone else. I will be. read more

They did an ok job on the chimney but when they cleaned my dryer vent I had major problems afterwards.

Mike did a fantastic job inserting our new stove fireplace and restoring the chimney on our 1938 hunting cabin in Lake Arrowhead. Most important of all he is very prompt. He was there each morning on time to complete the job. I give Absolute my highest recommendation. Thanks Mike! Monica MacAuley read more

Recently had Mike install a new natural gas log set and clean 2 Chimneys in my cabin in Big Bear Lake . Very professional. Covered the floor and furniture with tarps and plastic. Completed the job quickly and at a very fair price. I would highly recommend this service. read more

Our brick chimney had extensive spalling and needed a new cap - the existing one from a previous owner let water in when it rained. Mike fixed the brick, installed a new cap, sealed the bricks, and gave it a good cleaning. His price was fair, work was high quality, and he got it done before the weather turned cold so we could use the fireplace. Overall, a good experience. read more

First off the guy installed our wood burning stove and painted our fireplace as requested but he splashed blue paint on my white and had to pay someone to come and paint the walls. This was in June. We moved into our home over the summer and never used the stove. It is now Fall and it is very cold so we decided to use it. The handle to the wood burning stove was put on backwards, he installed a broken fan but replaced. Then the encasement to the stove detached from the fireplace, he came and fixed it, but at this point I'm pissed because I paid for the stove to be ready when we moved here. This man has been to my house several times since June. His work is sloppy and mediocre at best. He came and adjusted the handle and it's still on wrong. I'm now looking for someone who can fix his mistakes. Save time, money, and stress and find someone else to do the work if you can. I called another three times about the loose handle on my wood stove and he won't call back. Very crappy service in my opinion. read more

Great work and great service. Spoke with them over the phone, they went to the cabin, assessed the issue. Called me back and gave me a fair estimate. Fixed everything quickly, and even did more than expected. Very fair and responsive. Will call them again, and recommend to anyone in need of chimney repair. read more

So I've dealt with Mike on a couple of occasions. Not the most punctual and a little scatter brained, but when I needed to pay him thousands of dollars for a new stove and a complete rebuild of the pipes on the roof, he was quick to take my money. Now that his job is leaking water into our house there is a different story. Mike will tell you that he lives up here and guarantees all of his work forever, however don't be tricked by him. No he has accused me of having "mountain panic" and I believe his exact words were "I have 30 customers waiting for me and you are at the bottom of the list." If there is any chance of bad weather, this mountain guy won't come outside and he'll make you wait til summer for the job. He has lost my business. Don't be tricked by the four stars. Read the one star reviews and that is a good representation of good ol mike. read more

Mike did a great job cleaning our fireplace after we bought our cabin. He noticed a couple of defects in the outside chimney that needed to be repaired. He gave us an estimate not knowing what the parts would cost. They came in less than the estimate, when does that ever happen. He was honest, on time, and did a fantastic job. Highly recommended. read more

Awful experience. Hired AC to install 4 panels in a rental. Verbal quote was $440. Mike showed up, banged around for 3-4 hours, then said he'd be back in a few days. Inspected work. He'd only installed 2 panels in all that time and one was cracked and cut short leaving a huge gap so he filled the gap with some type of caulking. Called Mike up and told him we were not paying for a cracked panel. He came back the next day, removed cracked panel and finished work. Since we were not expecting him the next day, we had to go home to get the checkbook. We get ready to pay him and now he states the bill is $500 because of the cracked panel. We said we would be happy to pay him his quote of $440 but not $500 since the cracked panel was on him. Argument ensued. Decided the panels would stay put while we decided if we'd pay the higher fee. He left and took our panels with him which he was not authorized to do; he was only to use them as a template. We then inspect the job and discover the back panel is not flush with the back of the fireplace and it's because he put rocks from our driveway behind the back panel so it would push it forward to match up with side panels. Also, apparently while we were gone getting the checkbook, he spray painted the fireplace which we did not want done and got overspray on the fireplace hearth. After about 5 days we then told him we'd pay him $500 just to be done with him. He never responded. A day later, while high up on a ladder on the front porch of the rental, I see him drive by the property, then turn around and stop at the gate. He clearly saw me. He then starts to walk down to the house, then decides against it, presumably because he saw my husband, and instead tucked a bill with a NEW work description and a NEW price ($837.00) in the fence about 20 yards away from me. So first he quotes $440. Then wants $500. Then wants $837.00. We rescind our offer to pay him $500 because of this and tell him to come get his panels and return ours. Upshot, they accepted $440 because apparently he "forgot" to credit me for a panel, whatever that means. We paid. Will not use again. Awful experience. I have pictures of everything but don't see a way to attach at this time. Will do so after I post if I am able. UNABLE to post photos of bills with different prices. read more

Absolute Chimney Service - Rocks discovered behind back panel - Chimney Sweeps Near Me

I just bought a cabin in Fawnskin and Absolute just came and serviced my chimney this week. They were great. Mike made me aware of all of my options from the highest end, to the bare minimum and everything in between without being pushy. I wound up having them do a pretty big job, and the price and workmanship were great. I'll definitely call them again if I need more work. read more

Mike did a fantastic job cleaning our chimney! He was on time, covered absolutely everything our living room with tarps, and charged a fair price. We'll be calling him again next year. read more

Mike installed a new firebox and chimney flue pipe and securely guyed-out the chimney riser with his professional workmanship apparent throughout. I'll call Mike whenever I need a chimney sweep or maintenance, he's my go-to on the mountain. read more

Mike is fantastic! He's prompt, he's Educated on fireplaces, trustworthy, and does absolutely beautiful work. Plus, has very fair and competitive prices. He fixed my inner fire box, reinstalled my fire screen, painted my fireplace and also painted my exterior chimney, It all looks fantastic ! read more

When hired to do a simple chimney sweep, the employee arrived on time and charged a comparable price. At that time some minor repairs were recommended and agreed to. A price was set and signed for. Approximately five weeks later a bill was presented for almost twice the agreed upon price. Its difficult to deal with this company and getting a reasonable explantation of the extremely inflated costs is not possible. Be careful. It's uncomfortable to work with this chimney service. read more

Absolute Chimney Service is fantastic! Owning a vacation home in Big Bear can be frustrating especially when you need immediate services. Big Bear moves at it's own pace and trying to get something done quickly is almost non-existent however if you use Absolute Chimney you will find they are an exception to the rule. The two times I have called them (once on a Sunday) and now on a Saturday at 6pm, Mike has answered the phone immediately and been able to come over within an hour. He's prompt, clean (which is important when dealing with soot), honest and pleasant. I highly recommend using this company! Use them for your yearly chimney cleaning, you won't regret it! read more

Mike did an excellent job! We were running late for our appointment with Mike due to mountain traffic. Mike was very understanding and accommodated us. He was very thorough and also gave us tips to help maintain our chimney. I would definitely recommend him! read more

Mike was fantastic. He was here exactly on time. He thoroughly checked and cleaned the fireplace from the top down. After applying touch-up paint to the metal trim he gave solid advice on how I could easily clean the stone surrounding the fireplace. The price was affordable. Money well spent and great service also. read more

We had just purchased a vacation home in Big Bear and knew absolutely no one out there so we turned to YELP to help us find someone to service our fireplace. We called what was supposedly the best known and biggest company up there and was told that they could not do what we needed done and I was really surprised. I called and spoke to Mike at Absolute and it was very clear he knew exactly what I needed. Because we were only going to be there on the weekend he came out on a Saturday on a holiday weekend to meet with us, inspected the fireplace, asked what we wanted to do and gave us an estimate on the spot. They came Tuesday morning, worked quickly, were neat and clean and did much more than what they quoted as far as little things to make the fireplace look better. Then they corrected some issues with the gas line that the previous owner had botched, and continued the line all the way out to our fire pit. I am a Real Estate Broker so I truly appreciate professionals who know their craft, are responsive and responsible and fair with their pricing. Mike was all of those and I would highly recommend them. read more