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"I have a file that says 'chimney'," said Bonnie Ford, a professional organizer, who got a fast education about chimneys at her former home in Fair Lawn.

Her nightmare began last October, about six weeks after Hurricane Irene slammed New Jersey and around the time chill blankets the air. As the seasons shift, many people, including Ford, have their chimneys and fireplaces checked in preparation for winter fires.

Not remembering her previous chimney sweep from a few years before, Ford took advantage of a $29.99 coupon from SuperCoups. The sweep came, and her husband remained home while she went to the supermarket.

By the time she got home from ShopRite an hour later, her chimney had been dismantled, lying on the ground. The sweep had told her husband that there was extensive brick damage caused by the hurricane, and the chimney was structurally unsafe. The routine cleaning ultimately morphed into a rebuild of the exterior chimney for which, Ford said, the sweep wanted $24,000.

Industry professionals say there are many misconceptions about chimneys and fireplaces, and whether you are an owner or a buyer or seller, you need to be proactive: educate yourself about your chimney and its maintenance, and conduct due diligence to avoid scams in this unregulated industry.

Last month, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs filed suit in Superior Court in Hackensack against two Bergen County-based home improvement companies, AAA Reliable Inc. and Old Reliable Construction LLC. The suit alleges that company workers would falsely tell customers they had serious chimney problems, costing hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair. In a few instances, workers allegedly damaged chimneys and roofs intentionally, creating hazardous conditions which had not previously existed.

The companies allegedly targeted senior citizens, many of whom were among the more than 50 complainants. The companies agreed to temporary restraints, which essentially stopped them from operating and advertising while the case is pending, said Jeff Lamm, spokesman for the DCA. Attorneys for the companies did not respond to a request for comment.

"Unfortunately, the chimney industry in the state of New Jersey is quite a disaster," said Michael Segerstrom, owner of Bridgewater Chimney Sweeps and past president of the New Jersey Chimney Sweep Guild.

He said there was legislation proposed several years ago to regulate the industry, but it needed to be rewritten.

"It's still floating around but hasn't made it back to committee," said Segerstrom, who is also a board member of the Chimney Safety Institute of America, a nationally recognized non-profit educational organization.

Many variations

Segerstrom said people would be amazed at how many schemes and strategies are out there.

"The only way to get rid of bad chimney sweeps is public awareness," he said.

In the Fords' case, though they asked several times how much the completed job would cost, the sweep said he would not know for sure until he had dismantled the chimney. Several times, she said, he told them, "Don't worry. Insurance will pay for it."

They gave him a $1,000 cash deposit and put $10,000 on her credit card toward the additional work. But when he quoted $24,000 for the rebuild, "I flipped out," she said.

"I said to him, 'Before you touch another brick, I want a second estimate,' " she said.

Over the next few days, she found several chimney cleaning businesses that had different names but the same address as the chimney sweep who had come to her home.

"This is when I started to get a little bit of brains," said Ford.

Within 72 hours of his being at her house and getting a permit for the work, she got three other estimates — ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 — and stopped the credit card payment.

"He didn't even fight it," she said.