tl;dr - was a sh*tshow working with this company, fighting amongst themselves like school kids and at one point potentially putting my family in danger, then ignoring my concerns about the danger. Would not recommend using this company. Using this company was an adventure I would not wish upon anyone. It started in July, 2025 when we reached out and ultimately received a quote to have a ventless gas log fireplace installed and repair work to the chimney. In September my wife and I moved forward with this company, scheduled to start on 10/30/25. On that morning I received an email they had the wrong items for the install and would need to reschedule. Work was rescheduled for 11/12/25. On 11/12, two workers arrived close to noon, despite a scheduled arrival time of 0800-0830. The ventless fireplace was installed that day. However, no work was done on the chimney itself, in part because these two workers stated the work they believed was needed was significantly more than what they were told based on the quote we had been given. They gave several options on what they believed would be necessary, including taking the chimney down at the roof line. On 11/13/25 I reached out to the company informing them of the interaction of the previous day. I also asked for an itemized quote, separating the masonry work from the ventless fireplace installation, which I never received. I was told that Jim, the employee who gave the initial estimate, was out until 11/21. On 11/21, Jim came out. Long story short, he stood by his original assessment of the masonry work needed on the chimney. However, he went on to disparage his fellow employees, stating they didn't know what they were talking about, how dare they disagree with his quote, he's the expert with X years of experience, etc. It was like listening to a junior high kid talking about a rival. Complete lack of professionalism. So, we are moving forward with the same work as initially planned, just delayed. Now to have that work rescheduled. On 12/5/25, we reached out to the company to followup on when the work might be completed. We were told winter weather made the outdoor work impossible. While understandable, our house was losing heat as the chimney was open. Having the chimney capped was part of the expected work. Alternatively, they offered to install a flue inside to control loss of heat. Eventually, on 1/8/26, they came out and capped the chimney. However, after the workers left, one of them called my wife to admit that he noticed the ventless gas fireplace was improperly installed and should not be used, as the wrong logs had been used and due to the improper fit had the potential to release dangerous fumes into the house. He seemed surprised that whoever installed it was not aware of the error, as the logs fit in a specific manner. I was also surprised to hear this, as there had already been a delay due to the wrong item/parts being ordered by the company. After having the wrong parts once, wouldn't they be doubly sure. Company was contacted and an email was sent on 1/15/26 stating among other things reiterating concerns about the safety issues of this error. However, those concerns were ignored, as in they were never addressed in any response from the company. Kudos to that employee though for having the integrity to call my wife and notify us of the potential danger. On 1/16/26, a worker came out and replaced the logs of the ventless fireplace. Once the weather warmed, the chimney work was completed on 5/1/26. Once I had an accurate invoice I promptly made payment, while also notifying I would be submitting honest reviews relaying my experience with this company's scheduling issues, lack of professionalism, and the dangerous installation. In response, I did receive an email saying they were available via phone call on 5/4/26 to discuss the job issues. However, I was preparing for a work trip, and saw no reason to talk about these issues now, when they were largely ignored by them throughout the process. read more

I always call Chimney Cricket to inspect my old-fashioned cast iron wood burning stove and exhaust flue/chimney before I start lighting fires when the cold weather comes. The service technicians are polite, efficient, on time, and clean up well after completing service. Today's inspection by Jeramie was no exception; he did a great job. Now I feel safe lighting my fires and getting cozy. It's been my experience that they give those who have used their services previously a free inspection if you want to know if you need another cleaning yet. I believe they provide good quality service and good value. read more

Highly recommend Chimney Cricket. We had them install a large cap over our chimney to prevent animals from coming in seven years ago, and I recently noticed it had shifted. Jeremy and Will came out within two days and reaffixed it to the top of the chimney. Honored their lifetime warranty, which is refreshing. read more

Made service appointment for10/27. Half hour after two hour window i called and spoke to receptionist who said she would find out the status and call back. I am still waiting for the call! I can imagine the quality of work would probably mirror the communication and reliability. read more

I highly recommend Chimney Cricket. They installed a chimney cap several years ago that looked like it had shifted over time. We called them and they said we had a lifetime warranty. They came to the home this morning -- Jeremy and Will -- and took care of the problem. They also showed us their work, which they recorded on video. It is rare to have businesses honor their work like they do. Very professional and trustworthy. (And nice.) read more

They are scammers. Do not use. Made the mistake of paying cash for a clean out and they kept the money and didn't do the job.

On 11/8/21, I called and scheduled the next available appointment for 11/29/21 between 1pm and 4pm. Took a half day off of work. Got a call at 315pm from an employee at Chimney Cricket. He confirmed the address which was wrong. He said he would call his boss and get back to me. Obviously someone else's appointment was more important because they never called back. I tried calling their main office phone number and it went to voicemail. Complete waste of time read more

Had Chimney Cricket repair our cultured stone chimney for a lightning strike insurance claim. The request to them was clear, replace the damaged part of the chimney, exactly as it was. It started out friendly and prompt, and the workers were nice, but the work quality was terrible. Workers made mistakes at every turn, and even being around and correcting them, I could not catch all the issues. Brand new masonry had to be ripped out for reworks. They were more than willing to hide their mistakes, including leaving out the roof flashing, or tell me they would do something, like cleaning stone debris out of the gutter, and then just not do it. They got increasingly non responsive, or snotty. I am left with ugly, crooked stone, and it stands out because they put a nasty reflective plastic coating on part of the stone. I have to talk to the stone manufacturer to see if there is anything I can do about it. The three worst attributes - they are terrible communicators, they try to hide their numerous defects, and their work is crooked. read more

I cannot write a more disappointing review of Chimney Cricket, Livonia. I had them come to my home for a fireplace inspection. They put a camera up the chimney and subsequently knocked the cap off the top which I didn't realize happened for a week or so. They came back with a ridiculously high estimate to put a liner in my chimney (over $6,000.00) I have since had other chimney companies come to my home and neither believe I need any repair. On top of that I had birds and Bird's nests and cicadas move into my chimney. I called for Chimney cricket to please come out and clean my chimney since it is being inhabited because of their negligence and they won't do it. They keep saying they have me on the schedule and no one shows up. This has happened multiple times. Now they ignore my calls. This company is completely fraudulent, unreliable and money seeking. DONT USE THEM! read more

I used them to purchase a chimney liner kit. My husband and I were looking for a specific type that was difficult to locate online. The website offered the product we were looking for but didn't give details. I was able to get in contact with Linda via the phone number listed and she was incredibly helpful and nice! We wanted to change a few parts of the kit to meet our chimney needs and she called the vendor to confirm all of our questions. It was so nice being able to talk to a polite and helpful human being to get what we wanted. The kit came within two to three days! read more

The worst!!!! They do not show up when scheduled or even return calls to reschedule... literally crickets. Not that I would actually want to reschedule and waste any more of my time. read more

We purchased our Michigan home 11 months ago and everything passed inspection. We haven't used the fireplace since we moved in. I hired Chimnee Cricket in Livonia to clean the fireplace, and the workman snaked a camera up there to say I need $3200 worth of repairs (i.e. new chimney liner and outside work). I told him I''d get other opinions from licensed chimney inspectors. Fast forward: I had two separate fireplace inspections done by different licensed, reputable companies. Both agreed that the wood burning fireplace is in good working condition (I have their written reports) and that the cost to make some outside repairs with the company we are hiring, is no more than $500. No new chimney liner was needed. It's interesting that Chimnee Cricket for telling us we needed an expensive repair when 2 other outside (and licensed) inspectors both said our fireplace was fine (and safe to use) and only needed a tuckpoint and crown rebuild (not a complete liner). We ended up using a company with high Angie's List and Home Advisor ratings and awards. Chimney Cricket's reached out to me and their snarky response is that "they are only one of three state licensed mechanical contractors in the industry and that they are right." They even stated I'm trying to 'slander their good name.' read more

DO NOT USE. They are impossible to get ahold of, NEVER return calls, and aren't showing up on time for the job. The lack of communication has been terrible and they make you pay 50% in advance so you're stuck with them even though they may never show up. read more

We used a Groupon from them to get a chimney sweep and inspection of our 50 year old house fireplace. The tech was very knowledgeable he ined to us th various options from cheap snloted some cracks in the flue and recommended we get estimates for repair. He explained to us options from cheap and short cut to expensive and Nell complete. Because we use our fireplace a lot we wanted to error on a good fix because we used to smell smoke in the house so we had it relined and flrue replaced , ni heavy pressure. My only issue wiirberukth this company is their lack of co gmdmunication to the customer they promised they are working on it. Their prices were reasonable and they offer senior discount too. I'd give them a chance to get their Livonia office in better working order and as long as the quality is good, overlook the communication frustration if you can read more

This company is unethical. We hired them to remove a dead animal from our Chimney, they offered an inspection (unsolicited) fished a camera up there and then told us we need a $4,500 steel insert or we were at risk of our home burning down. I had four different companies inspect the chimney after, they all were familiar with Chimney Crickets "hustle" all four other inspectors said our Chimney was in excellent condition, just needed a cleaning. They said the cameras Chimney Crickets use for the inspection are easy to manipulate to make teeny-tiny cracks appear large, then they pray on peoples fear of losing their homes in a fire. Wanted to warn other home owners, always get second opinions and do not use this company. read more

Purchased chimney fireplace cleaning, they left the job with ashes and half burnt logs in the firebox. I wanted to close for the summer and was expecting a completely clean fireplace. This was a Groupon deal. Groupon foes mot stand by their service providers. Beware! read more

I had a gas stove moved by Chimney Cricket last year to install a new carpet under it and it was not used subsequently until this year when it would not light up. I contacted Chimney Cricket for service. There was a 'misdiagnosis' by the Chimney Cricket service technician who spent over an hour at my house with him on his cellphone speaking to a dealership about his car getting fixed, so I am not sure how much time or effort he actually put into attempting to fix my stove. I was told my stove needed a new thermistor and control valve which he could not access without turning my stove upside down, or it needed to be replaced with a new stove for $ thousands of dollars. I had a second opinion from another company whose service technician 'fixed' the stove by switching on a gas 'kill switch' inside the stove that somehow had been turned off (not by me). No actual repair or replacement was needed and the stove lights up and works just fine as before. No new thermistor or control valve was needed, which the second technician also said was accessible without having to turn the stove upside down. I subsequently spoke with the Chimney Cricket manager to complain and educate them about the stove kill switch and got nowhere with a refund of $200 for the inept service call fee. No apologies. No explanation of why he had tried to sell me a new $$$ stove. We have had service in the past from Chimney Cricket but this will be the last. Inept scheduling service also. We do NOT recommend this company. read more

They did a great job repairing our unusable fireplace. When 4-5 men arrived at my house they were working inside and out all day to complete the job that day. Our fireplace works great!! Price was good!! Followed up with me the next day about the repair. read more

Where do I even start? First I scheduled an appointment for a free consultation. I took the day off work, and waited. No call, No Show. So I called to see what happened, and they told me they didn't have an appointment for me. So I reschedule, but this time they tell me if I pay $85 they will more than likely be able to fix my problem on the spot. The technician shows up, guesses whats wrong with it and says we'll have to order parts. I pay $85. I call to order parts, because I hadn't heard from them, and the technician calls me and says he wants to come over to clean the same parts to try to save me some money even though I said I'd be happy to just pay for new parts. He comes over again...cleans the parts...it still does not fix my fireplace. He says again...we need to order parts. I call again, to order the parts...the technician tells me he needs to come over again to get the information on the fireplace. How he hadn't already collected that information is beyond me. So he comes over again. Gets the part information, tells me he will call me back with the info and a price. I call him, AGAIN, and he tells me he can't find the parts, but he knows it will cost $260, and I need to put down at 50% deposit to order them. I say, fine, whatever. Take my money just get the parts I was this thing fixed. I call AGAIN 3 weeks later (this has been going on for 2 months at this point), and I am informed no parts have been ordered because they cannot find them. Even though I have a Lopi, which is like the most well known brand but yet the technician had never heard of them. So I demand a refund for the parts, I'll go somewhere else. I am told I will get a refund. 2 weeks later, I am still waiting on a refund. This offer staff is nice, but completely uninformed about what they do and how they do it. NO ONE will call you back even if you request them to do so. What a nightmare. I'll be disputing these charges very soon. read more

Crooks! These people came out to my home and charged us 250 dollars and told us to call back within three days if we decide we wanted them to repair our fireplace because they didn't have any parts with them.. told us to go on a website and choose which gas valve with burner we wanted and the 250 would go towards the repair. We called to inform them the next day we wanted it repaired and it took a week to get a call back because someone was out of town and we were told the cost of the part was 150 and we would have to pay for them to come back out. So you just took our 250 dollars... Thanks read more

Very disappointed .They called me after I got on Angies list.I was very happy and set an appointment for a free estimate.They gave me a window time .They never showed up or called.I called twice .No call back.No apology .If that's how they start their appointments. No thankyou.I wasted a beautiful day waiting for them. read more

If you call this company for a basic chimney clean and inspection that is what you get. The tech spent more time telling me what was wrong than cleaning. He didn't tell me a chimney cap was missing. He couldn't clean the smoke shelf because there was an insert (per 2nd opinion you can't clean the smoke shelf unless you pull the insert). It was a chimney cleaning so he wouldn't pull insert (that would be fireplace not chimney). The estimate was $1500.00-$4800.00 to pass inspection. I got a 2nd opinion $395.00 to install a damper and remove insert. I went with the 2nd opinion because it cost less than the "basic." My advice would be to call another company unless you have money to burn. All puns intended! read more

Gave me a 3 hour window for them to come and give us a quote on a brick repair project. They never showed up. They never called to tell me that they weren't going to make it. Would not recommend using this company. read more

Chimney Cricket - WOW, not a good experience at all: I called to get my chimney cleaned on a Saturday afternoon. No one answered (this will be a theme with this company) so I left a message. I got a call Monday afternoon and spoke with Denise. I asked for the earliest date for someone to come to my house and clean my chimney and was very happy when Denise told me that I could have someone do the job the very next day. She told me that Brad would arrive between 10:00 and 12:00 the next day. Yea! Fantastic! I took the day off work. The next day, the appointment time came and went. About 15 minutes later, I called to find out what the situation was. No one answered. I left a message. Half hour later I called again. No answer. No new message left. I did this several times and never spoke with anyone. Since I was home instead of work and it was only 4:00 and it was a nice day (and obviously the chimney guy isn't coming), I decided to do some yard work outside. Wouldn't you know it! While I was out in the yard using the mower, they called - twice! I returned their call. No answer. I left a message. I then noticed that they had left me a message. I listened to it. They completely didn't care that they didn't show up and instead asked if I was OK with them coming the next day. I called them again. No answer. I left a message saying don't bother. I hired someone else (London Fog Chimney Sweeps). All I've done so far is call them and they're already providing better service and customer care than these people - they answered the phone on my first call! Don't even bother with Chimney Cricket. They just don't care about you. read more

I agree with the previous review. Dealing with this company has been a nightmare! We bought our house in December 2012 and had this company do a basic chimney clean-up service. At that time they recommended a new cap&damper. We decided not to do it due to cost. They kept calling us about once a month asking if we were interested in having the work done till about August 2013 when we decided to do so, plus we added additional work to the order. It is November 6, 2013 and the job got finally done. Same as the previous reviewer noted, I would be waiting for people to get in touch for weeks, crews didn't show up, or showed up with several hours delay (without anybody calling to notify us), twice they ordered the wrong equipment and had to re-order it. Beware of their 3-week deposit refund policy! Each time a piece of equipment had to be ordered, we were asked to put down a deposit. When I finally got fed up with them and told them I wanted to take my business elsewhere, and demanded my deposit back, they told me about this policy. At that time, it has been way over 3 weeks due to them not showing up, etc. They offered me a $150 discount to appease me. I just got the invoice from them and the discount isn't even on it! Don't go with these guys!!! They don't wear foot covers and will leave your floors muddy, don't clean up after themselves, and have horrible job scheduling department. People on the phone are rude and hardly acknowledge their own mistakes. Not worth the hassle. read more

Two guys (one named Eric) came out to my house yesterday to repair a gas leak in my fireplace. They repaired the leak without a problem, and they were very knowledgeable. However, in the process, they discovered that the operating valve was malfunctioning. It is pretty clear that it's just due to its age. However, since he didn't check its operation beforehand, Eric felt obligated not to charge me at all for the service. I thought that was pretty noble. The two guys were also pretty entertaining to talk to. read more

Tried to get estimate from this company by scheduling an appointment, but they never showed up and did not call back.

Chimney Cricket was by far the worst experience I have ever had with a professional contracting company. I had three quotes for the Chimney work needed on my home, while they were not the lowest I chose to go with them as I believed I would receive a higher quality of work. Once I completed the 30% down payment the level of service I received was less than ideal. I completed the payment on October 26th, 2012 at which time I was told someone would call me early the following week to schedule the week. The week after that on November 6th 2012, I called them to schedule the work on my home. The work was then scheduled for November 14th, at which time I was told it would not be completed and they would be back on the 15th to finish. No one showed up on the 15th. Saturday the 17th I received a phone call to schedule an inspection, at this time I informed the lady on the phone the work was not yet done, which seemed to come as a surprise to her. Come to find out, the crew came back to my home without me knowing and completed the work on the 16th. My husband and I went outside to review the work done, and had many concerns. Before even getting on the roof, we noticed concrete poured in our driveway (I assume they emptied a bucket there), tire tracks in our lawn and bread crust where their stuff had been stored. While all of this alone is honestly not a big deal, it adds to the level of disrespect that was shown when the men were at my home. Upon reviewing the chimney we were further disappointed to the quality of work. There were broken bricks on the roof, and the flushing and crown did not appear to be done correctly. I immediately called the company and requested an inspection be done on Saturday November 24th, as my husband would like to review his concerns with a manager. Tuesday November 27th I called again as no one showed up for my schedule appointment Saturday, at this time I was informed the inspection occurred when we were not home on November 20th. I could not believe this company sent someone to my house a second time without my awareness, especially after all of my phone calls to them expressing my unhappiness with the entire situation. Due my husband's and I schedule we are only able to make appointments with the manager to review the work on weekends. With the bad weather at this time I was told someone would call me to set up a second review of the work. After several weeks passing by (with more enough weekends for the inspection to take place) I again called the company myself to set up a final review of the work in January 2013 (almost 3 months after the work was requested). This is the most unprofessional company I have ever worked with. Their receptionist, and work crew were beyond unprofessional and at times disrespectful. I did appreciate the professionalism I received when speaking directly with Bobby, but it was unfortunately not backed up by the company's work effort or follow up communication as promised. I only hope this review can save another family from going through the exhausting experience my husband I endured. read more

I'm not sure what's up with business that feel they can just offer NO customer service, professionalism, or care at all. We scheduled a Saturday appointment for an estimate and they were a no show or call. Gave the benefit of the doubt and rescheduled for a late afternoon and husband took time off work to get the estimate. And again -- NO SHOW!!! We called to find out what happened and they didn't even have is in the system the 2nd time around. Beyond pissed off. When the well of work dries up...you'll regret the days you couldn't establish good client relationships. read more

Tried to hire this company. Made an appointment during the week for an estimate. They cancelled 30 minutes prior to the appointment while I was driving home from work. Rescheduled for the weekend and they never showed up and didn't bother to call to cancel. read more

This is a warning these people are wolves in sheep's clothing they lie to you about everything the secretary thinks she's a witch the owners always out of town says he'll be back the next day complete Liars never trust the prices they give you they will always go up if you're paying them and down if they're paying you I worked for them one day they told me the amount I would be paid suddenly when I was finishing back at the office it was $100 less the lady at the job told me it she tried to contact them for over a month never even got a return phone call and then finally I was sent out to do the job which they lied about the size of when she threatened to fire them and hire someone else to finish then I was sent to Grosse Pointe where they told the people they needed to tear down many courses of brick which was not necessary the problem was that the brick was and faced brick,which paint won't stick to, they told me just to what the work order says that I will not be a part of therefore I'm not be working for these criminals anymore save yourself the trouble don't call Walt Disney knock off read more

I called to set up an appointment for an estimate 2 weeks in advance. Was given a window of 12-2. Took a half day off work. Around 1:30 I called the office to ensure someone was still coming and was told yes. At 2:45, no one had shown up and I didn't receive a call either. I tried calling the office twice and it went right to voicemail. I decided to leave to run errands. Got a call at 3 stating he was at my house and apologized for being late. I was told I would receive a call the following week to reschedule and would also receive a 10% off coupon. No one ever called to follow up and reschedule. If their customer service is any reflection on their quality of work, I'm glad I wasn't given the opportunity to hire them. read more

I ordered a chimney insert a month ago (converting from natural to gas). I was told it would take up to two weeks because it's special order. I called and they sad it should be coming in and nothing yet. I have had to call both times. I put a large deposit down and I regret using this company. I'll follow up with the owner and a lawyer but this just seems like very poor business. The insert was a basic model, no bells and whistles. read more

I wish I had read these reviews before I hired this company . I wanted a fireplace insert . Three time they didnt show up for appointments. I would call to see what happened they did not call me back ,I would have to call several times after they said someone would call me back. finally after 3 months of my calling and them not showing up ( they had my deposit) The work was not what I ordered and I have made appointments 3 times so far to try to get someone ! back out to my house, they make an appointment and don,t show up. The worst experience that I have ever had with a company. please don,t call this company, they are horrible ! I dont know what to do. read more

They canceled last minute 2 weeks in a row! So unprofessional. I won't be rescheduling again.

Beware of this company. We had an appointment for them to come out to give us an estimate for a new front porch. They never showed and didn't call. Three days later the owner returned my husband's call and apologized for the mistake. We got an estimate and he gave us 10% off because of the inconvenience. We financed through them and waited for our work date. My husband took off of work because we were told they needed someone home. At 11:30 the day of the install, when nobody had called or shown up my husband called and they said, sorry nobody can come today. They gave us another date 3 weeks later saying that it was no problem doing the work even though it was half way into November. That day came and we came home at lunch time to see the progress to find nobody here. When my husband called, they said that someone had been out to start the work and were then called to another job. We were told they would be back the next day. It was a lie. Nothing had been started and from that day on we couldn't even get them to return our phone call. A month later, my husband had to cancel the financing because it was clear they were never going to provide the service they promised. DO NOT use this company. We have a cracked and falling apart porch that we're stuck with now until spring when we can try to hire another company. We're hoping that not getting it fixed will not cause more problems with leaks, etc. read more

I made an appointment with this company after left waiting three hours beyond my scheduled time without the benefit of a phone call. I was ensured that the company would make good if I rescheduled. I made an appointment for the next day and was once again left waiting without the benefit of a phone call. Will not recommend this company to anyone nor will i be foolish enough to try to work with them in the future. read more

My husband scheduled a cleaning with Chimney Cricket instead of our usual guy because we needed an estimate on a couple of repairs for our woodburning stove, which they said they could provide. The chimney sweep was nice enough but very unknowledgable and he managed to get a spot on my brand new carpet even though my woodburner was cleaned and vacuumed out for the summer. He said he had no idea what the repairs would cost but would talk to the owner and get back to us. That was October 26, the call never came. My usual guy cost HALF of what Chimney Cricket cost. It was not worth it in anyway; I'm even tempted to call my guy and have him check to make sure it was cleaned adequately. If you're in the Milford/Highland area give Mitchell Chimney Sweep a call and skip this place. read more