Chimney sweeps are so busy that they sometimes even introduce a customer stop. At the same time, the number of reports about bunglers presenting bills worth hundreds of euros is also increasing.
The pressure at the chimney sweeps is due to the fact that the sale of wood stoves has increased enormously due to the energy crisis. According to Gert Kooij of the Nederlandse Haarden- en Kachelbranche (NHK), the madness has now disappeared, but there are still companies with a full order book until the end of this year or longer. Last year, an estimated 32,000 stoves were sold, 50 percent more than in 2021.
Insurer
The chimneys of all those stoves need an annual sweep. This is almost always a requirement of the insurer to prevent chimney fire. When burning, deposits remain on the inside of the chimney and especially with older stoves and burning damp wood, coniferous wood or other defective combustible material, this can form a thick combustible layer that can cause a chimney fire and subsequently a house fire.
They say sweeping costs 40 euros and when they are done they say it is 40 euros per meter
,,Normally the summer period is a very quiet time for chimney sweeps, but now it is so busy that some of our 140 members only sweep the regular customers. They are often self-employed and you simply cannot do more than you can do in one day,” says Johan Schouten of the General Chimney Sweepers Bond (ASPB).
The scarcity is also known to scammers, brands in the stove industry and chimney sweeps. Schouten: ,,There are many bunglers on the market, we have been getting more and more complaints about that lately. Chimney sweeps who, for example, pay per meter. Then they say it costs 40 euros and in small print it says that it is 40 euros per meter and excluding VAT. With a smoke channel of seven meters, it becomes a very expensive sweep. A chimney sweep usually costs 50 to 75 euros.
Reviews
The rogue sweepers look like reliable companies on the internet. It is striking that there is no clicking on the so-called reviews that consumers would have placed on Google. There are also no address details or Chamber of Commerce number of the companies on the websites. The sites are also often identical in terms of structure, just with a different name.
“It is mainly older people who fall for it,” says Kooij. On complaint sites there are stories of people who sometimes received a bill of 500 euros for a simple sweep. “It is difficult to tackle legally, because it is stated in the small print that they charge 40 euros per meter. We do want to submit a complaint to the advertising code committee with the ASPB. Because it’s misleading to say the least.”
He advises asking family, acquaintances or neighbors with a stove who their chimney sweep is. “And see if he is affiliated with the ASPB.”
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