Hearthlist Digest #511 - Wednesday, October 11, 2000 Hearth Trends Lack of service by "climate control systems" <[email protected]> Pellet Stove installs by "Louis Tweed" <[email protected]> What would you do? by "Roger Sanders" <[email protected]> commodity fireplaces by <[email protected]> Lee Gilchrist whereabouts by "Ben Weathersby" <[email protected]>
(back) Subject: Hearth Trends Lack of service From: "climate control systems" <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 12:52:31 -0400 Is it just me or has Whitfield... oops they are call Hearthtrends, oh wait it is now Lennox Hearth products what ever they call them self? they have spent so much time changing their name they let customer service gone down hill???? First they take away the independent Sales reps and hire on staff people. Sorry Dave I like you But I had much better service with Jay Hanson and I seen him more than once a year. In Baltimore they tell us that they are not going to make the powder = coated Advantage Plus pellet stove and just have a painted black model. That was = OK with me because that would reduce inventory and cost. A few month down the road I call to order more and I was told that they stopped making all Advantage Stoves in August. Gee guys thanks for the notice! The only pellet stove they have is the Profile 20 and 30 the funny looking automatic stove that has a lower heating rating than the = Advantage. Ok Ill order a few Profile 20's and 30's. "sorry we are Back ordered for 6 weeks" Do you have any Inserts? " Sorry they are back order also" It is not even peak selling season and I can't get any stoves to replace what I sold during the NCNHPA Great stove change out. I would have liked to know about the shortage before I spent thousands of dollars on advertising. It would have been nice to have a Rep to call on = me once in a blue moon and see what I need and to tell me what is going on. = It is a good thing they have Retta Broadway to pick up the slack and take all the complaints for them. I Left 5 messages in the past 2 month with the Sales manager and never have had one returned call. Just my feeling.. Sorry to Ramble on Side note on the HNG debate: I gave up on Showing HNG products a few years ago because of Local distributor selling to MY CONTRACTORS at my cost. How could I fight that? = I was just being called a crook. Rod Poplarchick Climate Control Systems Oakhurst, Ca www.hearthtools.com [email protected]
(back) Subject: Pellet Stove installs From: "Louis Tweed" <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 12:52:45 -0400 I have some questions concerning pellet stove installations. We have been selling and installing pellet stoves for a while now and always seem to run into the question regarding hookup to an existing chimney. We recomend to all our customers that the Pellet stoves be installed with a chimney liner sized accordingly. I understand that there are pellet stove manufactors who say you don't have to line the chimney for their stoves (Whitfield comes to mind.) How can a pellet stove be installed into an existing chimney and meet the NFPA 211 codes. Or doesn't a pellet stove fall under the 211 codes? The code I am most concerned about is the sizing of the chimney vs the appliance connection. ie. no more than 3 times the area.... Thanks for any advice, Louis Tweed Mace Energy Supply, Inc.
(back) Subject: What would you do? From: "Roger Sanders" <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 13:00:00 -0400 Craig, Great advice about service and return policies in #510. Hope everybody reads it. Here's a situation that we recently ran into: 1. We recently sold and installed a wood stove and chimney system into a customer's home. 2. Two months later the customer wrote us a letter stating that: a. Our wood stove didn't work b. They replaced it with a pellet stove, purchased over the internet. c. They demanded all their money back for the wood stove, chimney and installation labor. 3. The wood stove model we sold has always been a super performer 4. The customer did not give us an opportunity to do a service call and see if there was a problem with the wood stove nor to give them a price on replacing the new wood stove with a pellet stove (we sell the same brand that they purchased over the internet). What would you do? Roger ------------------------------------------ (Craigs Answer) I would not take the stove back....unless it was a disputed credit card situation and I thought I'd be forced to. At best, I'd write a letter explaining the above, and agree to resell the stove (leaving it at the customers house until and if i did) to another customer. Or, offer to take it back for a 25% or larger restock charge. The above might change if they were they were the type to file though the county consumer affairs office, etc. - It takes a lot of time to deal with these complaints. Even though it appears you lost this customer for good, they still represent possible referrals in the future. You'd be amazed how many places and vendors I've returned to and done business with after being screwed once or twice. The customer can be very forgiving over time...especially if they know that the problem was not endemic. Tell them you have that brand of Pellet stove and they may send other folks in! ---Craig
(back) Subject: commodity fireplaces From: <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 13:00:16 -0400 dialog and observations interrupted by a sale.... AKA: Commodity fireplaces continued: Roger, I have been enjoying the HNG - Bubba dialog about how we can survive competing with the HVAC dealers and low margin mass merchants, but I missed the last posting. I was interrupted and lost all my email >>>>> I had to provide some price quotes to a lady that had just bought one of those Bubba - HNG commodity Fireplace's from her plumber. She needed a mantel surround and some decorative accents to finish off her installation. Talk about living off the mix. I know what ya mean about making the extra dollars from providing stuff the HVAC and plumbers don't have to offer. Yup, living of the mix. Well, I got the sale >>>> all I have to do is order the cherry mantel and the tool set from my suppliers .... ( I already have the remote control and hearth rug in stock). It was a great sale >>>> and of course, now all I have to do is ship it all to some place in Oregon......but, hey with no overhead my 25% markup is all clear profit >>> These Internet sales are gonna add to my bottom line this year.. I tell ya this website stuff sure has made selling across country as easy as answering the phone. Gonna ship her the stuff next week. Got talking to her on the phone, (Oregon people are cool). She says she is saving enough on her bargain fireplace deals that she may buy a big buck $3500 gas grill for her new deck. I guess she saw one on another web site she was surf'n. She told me she was saving over a $1000 off the local dealers price on her grill. I think I'm gonna add some gas grill to may web site too. Well keep up the dialog. I love it };>) Ken Fulgione wesellitcheaper.com
(back) Subject: Lee Gilchrist whereabouts From: "Ben Weathersby" <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 16:24:03 -0400 --=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D_-1240826652=3D=3D_ma=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3D"us-ascii" ; format=3D"flowed" Does anybody know the whereabouts of Lee Gilchrist, an industry leader in 1970's and early 80's, OR have a photo of her? Let me know asap at <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] or by phone at 770-414-9571. Thanks, Ben Weathersby --=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D_-1240826652=3D=3D_ma=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Content-Type: text/enriched; charset=3D"us-ascii" <fontfamily><param>Arial</param>Does anybody know the whereabouts of Lee Gilchrist, an industry leader in 1970's and early 80's, OR have a photo of her? Let me know asap at <<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] or by phone at 770-414-9571. Thanks, Ben Weathersby </fontfamily> --=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D_-1240826652=3D=3D_ma=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D--