bostonbaked said:
Thanks, I think the stove order is most of the reason I recently started taking daily heartburn medication. Can't wait till I have something installed that can burn the four tons of pellets I have in the basement.
Quadra-Fire Deliveries
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Thanks, I think the stove order is most of the reason I recently started taking daily heartburn medication. Can't wait till I have something installed that can burn the four tons of pellets I have in the basement.
well, save those Tums and Rolaids, you can toss them to the oil man as he passes right on by your house this winter.
Ordered Quadra Fire Classic Bay 1200 FS end of May, delivered and installed yesterday the 29th. Bring on the COLD......!
I have want it to get cold now so I can start doing that. My wife figures that with our luck oil will drop $3 and it will be an abnormally warm winter -- and all due to the purchase of the stove & pellets...which still nets out as a good thing if that's what it takes.bostonbaked said:
If you look back to 05 there was a shortage of stoves and everyone was calling all the dealers wanting a stove. Of course the dealers didn't have one but would write that phone message as a potential sale and reacted by telling the factory they needed X number of stoves. So the factory reacted by adding a second shift or building a building and adding another line of production. Most of the popular companys did this and kept building stoves. Then the price of corn went up and demand dropped like a rock which was a disastor for the stove companies and their dealers. Now they are sitting on stoves they can't sell and the companies are caught with a large invetory that is costing them money. That is why Harman got sold to the folks who own Quadra-Fire, St Croix is owned by another company and also why you could buy a Bixby for 1750.00 on E-Bay last summer and fall.
Lots of dealers got burned on those deals and like now the dealers word is only as good as the company he is working with. Harman and Quadrafire are trying but a line can only produce so many stoves. Also they won't put themself in the same position as they were in a few years ago. From their viewpoint it is better to not make as many stoves and be able to sell them all at a handsome profit then to have a surplus and be paying interest.
Having said that it is maddening to be treated this way when you expect something because you made a deal and it goes bad through no fault of yours.
I have a friend who ordered a bunch of Harman stoves in that fiasco and still has close to 20 PC45s to sell so it isn't all roses no matter where you sit.
Lots of dealers got burned on those deals and like now the dealers word is only as good as the company he is working with. Harman and Quadrafire are trying but a line can only produce so many stoves. Also they won't put themself in the same position as they were in a few years ago. From their viewpoint it is better to not make as many stoves and be able to sell them all at a handsome profit then to have a surplus and be paying interest.
Having said that it is maddening to be treated this way when you expect something because you made a deal and it goes bad through no fault of yours.
I have a friend who ordered a bunch of Harman stoves in that fiasco and still has close to 20 PC45s to sell so it isn't all roses no matter where you sit.
rona said:
I understand the dealer and Mfg. problem well. However they should have learned from the past and should be able to now give accurate delivery dates - not a one or two month delivery window. They know how many stoves they can produce an hour and should be able to que up the orders, fist in first out, to give accurate dates. Waiting 4 months for product is not my problem - it's the loose way they commit. Also if a dealer and Mfg. take a customers $ they should commit to the customer a specific Sales/Work order so the customer can track it thru the system, on-line, lots of mfg.'s do this and its very comforting to the customers. I also think that if they miss a deadline they should discount the product to the customer. Customers pay penalties for missing payments - mfg. should pay for missing delivery of product.
Just my 2 cents.
Customers pay penalties for missing payments -mfg should pay for missing delivery of product. LOL Dream on my friend I agree life would be nice if everything went as planned. Seems like if you want perfection in this modern world you have to do it yourself.
rona said:
I write contracts with suppliers and believe me - their penalties for missing a delivery - and their escallating. All I am saying is that the Mfg's, in this case Quadra-fire, needs to get their act together and stop this loosy goosy stuff.
I keep reading about all this unsold inventory here but if that's the case why is there so much unmet demand? If there was unsold inventory, it's gone now -- or triple shame on the mfg for not being able to simply ship the stuff out of inventory vs. needing to build it.rona said:
It was reported that Harman had 23000 units unsold last winter. Then this spring the factory had a special sale in which you could get a 2900.00 stove for 2199.00 But who is to say those stoves stayed in the USA?
Bixby had a large surplus and they were sold on E-Bay with no warranty but at a discounted price.
People are looking at pellet stoves not corn stoves right now and they should be looking at units that will burn either one or both because who knows what will happen down the road.
Bixby had a large surplus and they were sold on E-Bay with no warranty but at a discounted price.
People are looking at pellet stoves not corn stoves right now and they should be looking at units that will burn either one or both because who knows what will happen down the road.
I understand the dealer and Mfg. problem well. However they should have learned from the past and should be able to now give accurate delivery dates - not a one or two month delivery window. They know how many stoves they can produce an hour and should be able to que up the orders, fist in first out, to give accurate dates. Waiting 4 months for product is not my problem - it's the loose way they commit. Also if a dealer and Mfg. take a customers $ they should commit to the customer a specific Sales/Work order so the customer can track it thru the system, on-line, lots of mfg.'s do this and its very comforting to the customers. I also think that if they miss a deadline they should discount the product to the customer. Customers pay penalties for missing payments - mfg. should pay for missing delivery of product.
Just my 2 cents.[/quote]
I agree with In-Control. I understand it's difficult to tool up for a spike in demand but at least provide a resonably accurate date. My dealer originally promised July 2nd then pushed to the beginning of August. When August came I called only to get an end of October date. Meantime I'm buying pellets, giving away my cord wood and selling my wood stove based on empty promises. Sure would have been less frustrating to have some realistic expectations. I'm not looking for compensation but I think it would be in the dealers best interest long term to give accurate dates.
Just my 2 cents.[/quote]
I agree with In-Control. I understand it's difficult to tool up for a spike in demand but at least provide a resonably accurate date. My dealer originally promised July 2nd then pushed to the beginning of August. When August came I called only to get an end of October date. Meantime I'm buying pellets, giving away my cord wood and selling my wood stove based on empty promises. Sure would have been less frustrating to have some realistic expectations. I'm not looking for compensation but I think it would be in the dealers best interest long term to give accurate dates.
It isn't fair I agree with that and my sympathies are with the customer. Never meant to give the impression I agreed with what is happening. Having said that there really isn't much that can be done unless you want to sue for nonperformance and I suppose after doing that you won't have very good customer relations with your dealer.
You know hindsight is 100%. If we were all able to predict the future we could have bought shares in a big oil company like the politicians and at least made a little bit to off set the added expense of oil.
You know hindsight is 100%. If we were all able to predict the future we could have bought shares in a big oil company like the politicians and at least made a little bit to off set the added expense of oil.
Despite the nightmare this pellet stove order has been I'm still pretty happy with my dealer. They could do a much better job communicating but I'm sure they are swamped and dreading each customers reaction. This thing has been giving me some heartburn but I've been really cool with them and they've been pretty straight with me after the second missed date. If the weather gets colder I may not be as nice. Lets hope my stove comes soon or Indian summer sticks around for a while.
Very interesting. My SantaFe freestanding was ordered early June and installed mid August. However, the manufacturer's label inside the left side door says that it was manufactured in Sept. 2006. Has anyone else run into this. BTW, despite rumors to the contrary it was made in USA.
This is simply a spike in pellet stove demand and manufacturers didn't see it coming. Record oil prices were always on the horizon, but no one saw June/July 2008 coming.
As stated many times in this post, production lines can be increased, but not enough to satisfy the demand for the product. I don't know how true this is. I was told by a dealer that Quad is changing out wood stove lines and replacing them with more pellet stove lines. This is not an overnight change out so the output could be months before it's fully operational. There's also upstream suppliers that need to adjust their parts to Quad for increased demand of Pellet stoves. All these changes will increase output, but not in the short term. There's also a chance this could backfire and demand falls and then there will be a surplus of pellet stoves (not a bad thing for consumers).
As stated many times in this post, production lines can be increased, but not enough to satisfy the demand for the product. I don't know how true this is. I was told by a dealer that Quad is changing out wood stove lines and replacing them with more pellet stove lines. This is not an overnight change out so the output could be months before it's fully operational. There's also upstream suppliers that need to adjust their parts to Quad for increased demand of Pellet stoves. All these changes will increase output, but not in the short term. There's also a chance this could backfire and demand falls and then there will be a surplus of pellet stoves (not a bad thing for consumers).
kt1i said:
That is interesting. When my dealer missed my August first date they told me that Quadra-Fire was attempting to pull back unsold stock from all it's dealers across the country and redistribute it out to dealers with waiting lists. That might explain the 9/06 manufacture date of your brand new stove. I also wonder if they were made in the USA back then but not now. You may have lucked out getting a US made stove. Glad to hear you got your stove, that must be a relief!
I think you would be surprised to find out that even if they say made in the USA some of the components are made in other countries And that includes all companies not just Quadra Fire.
Hello All;
I just recieved the below note from Quadra-Fire via our dealer:
==================================================================================================================================================================
September 2, 2008
Dear Quadra-Fire Purchaser:
Currently, Quadra-Fire is experiencing unprecedented demand for pellet and wood appliances. With oil prices skyrocketing we have received four times the normal orders for this same time last year. Regions of the country that are dependent upon home heating oil have seen the sharpest rise in pellet and wood appliance demand.
Your purchase is of the highest importance to us. We have implemented an aggressive production plan so we can deliver your appliance as quickly as possible. We have hired 120 new employees and made significant investment in capital equipment. This increased production plan is under way and we are already producing more than previously planned.
Even with these improvements, demand is exceeding our current production capabilities. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to deliver your product. As a consumer who has chosen to address our national energy crisis with the purchase of an alternative fuel appliance from Quadra-Fire, remember you are making a long term investment. We hope you realize it is worth waiting for this Quadra-Fire appliance. It will provide you with warmth for your home and savings for your budget for many years to come.
Thank you for your patience and purchase.
Jeni A. Forman
Quadra-Fire Brand Manager
I just recieved the below note from Quadra-Fire via our dealer:
==================================================================================================================================================================
September 2, 2008
Dear Quadra-Fire Purchaser:
Currently, Quadra-Fire is experiencing unprecedented demand for pellet and wood appliances. With oil prices skyrocketing we have received four times the normal orders for this same time last year. Regions of the country that are dependent upon home heating oil have seen the sharpest rise in pellet and wood appliance demand.
Your purchase is of the highest importance to us. We have implemented an aggressive production plan so we can deliver your appliance as quickly as possible. We have hired 120 new employees and made significant investment in capital equipment. This increased production plan is under way and we are already producing more than previously planned.
Even with these improvements, demand is exceeding our current production capabilities. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to deliver your product. As a consumer who has chosen to address our national energy crisis with the purchase of an alternative fuel appliance from Quadra-Fire, remember you are making a long term investment. We hope you realize it is worth waiting for this Quadra-Fire appliance. It will provide you with warmth for your home and savings for your budget for many years to come.
Thank you for your patience and purchase.
Jeni A. Forman
Quadra-Fire Brand Manager
in-control said:
Did your dealer revise your date based on the above letter, or are you still looking at the Dec./Jan. time frame you mentioned in your previous post?
Spoke with my dealer last week. Told me I was real close to getting my stove and the they should have a solid date this week. After not hearing back this week as promised called today and was told Quad has provided them no more info. Somewhere between Quadra-Fire and the dealers the straight talk express is off the tracks. Any others hearing back on thier stoves?
I got the Dec/Jan date. If its like Harman and turns into March April, and oil keeps dropping, I may decide not to take delivery and save the $5K and sell my pellets to my neighbor. I'd lose my deposit, but with pellets going up and oil dropping combined with a spring time delivery - it may make sense.
Now that they've used the "our systems were not working properly" and they clearly understand their order backlog, there is no reason to miss the timeframe they've given... we'll see.
Now that they've used the "our systems were not working properly" and they clearly understand their order backlog, there is no reason to miss the timeframe they've given... we'll see.
Daves said:
What if a month after you sell your stove, say around Memorial day , oil goes to $6.17/gal. You'll be kicking yourself in the CROTCH! At that time delivey dates will be out 2-3 years and stoves will be $9199.95 + instalation.
Have patients my friend. When oil runs out, THEN and only THEN will pellets be more $ than oil!
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