1 year ago

[PAJerry]

I started my search process on New Year's Day 2006 after a nice walk through my woods, contemplating the $325 gas bill we got a few days earlier. Hearth.com and woodheat.org moved me along the road toward getting the Vista. Although we only had a few weeks of using it last spring, we're looking forward to a nice, warm house this winter. All the neat stuff I've learned here makes me feel more confident that we did the right thing.
My wood is all stacked in full sun on my side yard, and every time I pass it, it makes me feel pretty good.

 

[webbie]

I don't think so. Craig has no power over user posted opinions. I've read several posted negative dealer opinions on the current reviews. Craig seems to be surviving ok.

Yes, there is really little liability with this.

I do have the following policy - if a manufacturer or dealer contacts me about a negative review they have taken care of or otherwise addressed, I will contact the reviewer and remove the review if fixed. I will also remove disputed reviews with no valid email address - reason? It's not fair becaus the manufacturer or dealer may want to fix it or already have fixed it.

Only about 4-5 reviews have ever been removed.

I also delete very old ones as it is my opinion that stoves over about 12 years old should not be represented. After all, we have to give manufacturers a chance to improve their stoves and ratings.

Good suggestions on the ratings changes. It's always a compromise, because many people don't know a lot about their installation, so asking for too much info might chase them away. A number of reviewers add extra info in the comments section.

Yes, it is important to know the region or state just so we can gauge the performance of the units in various climates.

I may even be able to move the reviews over to this software (Expression Engine). Right now we are trying to move the simple QA section over and I will see how that goes.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

[elkimmeg]

reviews: My oppinion: Reviews are often made by inexperienced first time users, all too quick to cast fault at that stove. Many within weeks of opperation. Some to no fault of their own thinking they bought " seasoned wood" that was not dry and can not get that stove to preform up to expectations, so the blame the manufacturer and diss the stove. Or they barely get going shut down the air and damper it down. Then as mentioned, they install it in a 12/12 fireplace chimney, direct connect and wonder why they can't maintain a fire.
How many post are what is wrong with my stove I believe manuracturing defects to be the lowest cause of malfunctioning.
Dealer response. It gets real tired trouble shooting a stove, where nothing is wrong but user error.

Maybe one should qualfy the time of ownership before the review post, Whether they have owned a stove before or that they are first time stove owners.

 

[begreen]

Good point. I've seen rants where the person really never tried or understood the feature; caveat emptor here. I don't think there is much one can do about these reviews. There is also the risk of phony reviews that are actually plugs from manufacturer sales reps or dealers. I see these pretty frequently on Amazon.

 

[Nokoni]

One year ago.....I didn't have a stove, only dreamed of having one. I knew nothing about getting a stove installed. I just picked out one I liked the looks of! I'm glad it turned out to be a good stove and not just a pretty piece of junk. In any case, I could not have done any of it without this forum. Even though I knew nothing about stove installs I wanted to be involved so I had some idea of what was going on. Since I was clueless it was frightening to think of something 600 + degrees sitting in my living room. I was obsessed with clearances. In the end, once I got it running for a few days it seemed normal and I relaxed about a fire box in my house. It's great to have a place to go where there are so many people who know codes and know what is normal and what isn't. I wish I had known about the site earlier in my install process! Thanks to elk and Craig and everyone else who contributes. I still learn something new every time I visit the site.