Retail is Retail - Dealer Refuses to Honor Jotul Promotion

[desorja]

Hello,


I guess you can call me a veteran newbie to the wood stove life. I purchased a house 5 years ago and inherited an old Timberline wood stove which I am guess is just as old as my house which was built in '69. I recently had my local dealer come out for a consultation to replace my stove which by the way was $100. I settled on the Jotul F600 and was told about the $300 promotion if I wanted to get rid of my old unit. I got a decent quote on it with installation but still shopped around to see what else was out there but came back to the F600. The dealer said that I had to have my old stove sent to the junkyard by them which was $150 so technically I am not getting the full $300 Jotul promotion. The two other dealers both told are there is no strings attached as long as you purchase a qualifying model...you don't have to do anything else to get the $300 promotional discount offer. The dealer I settled on which is also the only one within a 50 minute drive now says that I can only get the $300 promotional offer of the full price of the stove or the discount they offered me. So as a new person to the wood burning game and my first wood stove purchase is this typical of dealers? Give you price and promise you special offers to then pull the rug out from you??


By the way... nothing in the quote or emails they sent me says their discounted price can't be combined with any other offer. I called Jotul but of course they directed me back to the dealer even though they said there are no requirements as long as I can prove to the dealer I have an older non EPA certified unit.

 

[webby3650]

$300 off the full retail price is normal.
Also, the $300 discount is split with the dealer. So the dealer is losing $150 of profit right off the top, so they aren’t giving a discount and the rebate combined very often.

 

[desorja]

$300 off the full retail price is normal.
Also, the $300 discount is split with the dealer. So the dealer is losing $150 of profit right off the top, so they aren’t giving a discount and the rebate combined very often.

Thanks for the info...it makes sense now why they insisted in hauling out my old stove for $150 even though I could do it myself. Well I didn't expect buying a stove would be like buying a car...nothing surprises me anymore.

 

[Light in the Dark]

My local Jotul dealer is 6 miles away.... I drove 45 miles to buy my stove. Find a dealer you like first, then the stove second.

 

[Ashful]

My local Jotul dealer is 6 miles away.... I drove 45 miles to buy my stove. Find a dealer you like first, then the stove second.

I also bought my two stoves from a dealer that was quite far from my house, there were at least two other BK dealers closer to me, but I didn’t like either of them.

But I’d only agree with metalsped’s method if you live in an area without a lot of stove dealers. Find the stove you like first, then a dealer for it second. There are at least two or three dealers for every major brand, servicing my area.

... and yes, pricing can vary a LOT from one dealer to the next. The prices I was quoted varied by roughly $1000 for a pair of stoves with delivery, no installation.

I’d also say, I’ve not met a dealer that I think is really fantastic, around here. They each have their strong and weak points, but none of them know their product as well as some of the folks on this forum.

 

[desorja]

You all have given me a lot of good info. The dealer close to me is less than 3 miles. I reached our to another that carries a few more brands and they will come out to do a free consultation even they are about 50 miles a way. Lol...looking at you metalsped . The search goes on!

 

[begreen]

My local Jotul dealer is 6 miles away.... I drove 45 miles to buy my stove. Find a dealer you like first, then the stove second.

Went 90 miles to buy my stove from Tom's shop in Bellingham,WA and was very happy to do it. He gave me the best advice and price with no BS. I left at 9 in the morning and had the T6 running by late afternoon.

 

[Bad LP]

My dealer is great when cash is in the conversation. Both for the stove and one of my Big Green Eggs.

 

[Light in the Dark]

My dealer was up in NH. Cash deal, he ordered in the stove and was in his showroom for about 2 hours. Thats the way to do it... saved about 600 compared to list.

 

[St. Coemgen]

I also shopped around for our retailer. Eventually found one that required the stove shipped to us. But it was still cheaper.

The stove was only delivered to the "curb" by the delivery company, and the house is up quite a hill. But I put it on my tractor and hauled it up to the house.

 

[webby3650]

I also shopped around for our retailer. Eventually found one that required the stove shipped to us. But it was still cheaper.

The stove was only delivered to the "curb" by the delivery company, and the house is up quite a hill. But I put it on my tractor and hauled it up to the house.

Sounds like one heck of a dealer. I sure hope you don’t need anything from warranty. I’ve never heard of such a thing...

 

[St. Coemgen]

Sounds like one heck of a dealer. I sure hope you don’t need anything from warranty. I’ve never heard of such a thing...

Yes, they were very accomidating. It was a special order anyway, and they just re-directed the stove to us, still in it's original crate, once it arrived at their address.

Warranty issues were certainly something to consider. But from my experience, a pricey, quality product (it was a $2,500 stove) rarely needs warranty service. So I decided to take the risk -- since I was able to save about $400 on the retail price. Have had the stove for 7 years now. Works great. No problems. Love it.

 

[Ashful]

I’ve only shopped for new stoves once, but I got quotes on two of the same stove from at least three different dealers. When I said I’d handle the install myself, all three quoted with delivery to my hearth, without me asking. I just figured that was standard practice, but maybe that’s just something the manufacturer of my stove requires from their dealers?

Curb delivery would present a real challenge for a lot of folks.