Mt Bob
Minister of Fire
OK Communication,Matt.Read first post.Thelin told him to order from dealer.Let us not take a giant leap backwards.
A note regarding Thelin customer service...
- Thread starter CMMartin
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
Thelin also provided the part numbers...Like how really hard is this..In my 2002 manual i have 10 parts listed for the Parlour 3000, and i would bet that none of the part numbers are right because, the new owners decided too change them.., that was there first mistake ,Now the stove owners have the older numbers, the Manufacturer has another and the dealer, if they have been selling thelin before the where bought out, could have both numbers.
In this case with a mix up in the parts, that Thelin provided the part numbers, its pretty simple, give the guy the right parts, and cover the costs..it was Thelin mistake , not the owner , and not the dealer. The owner did the right thing he called the manufacturer to make sure he would get the correct parts.
WOW...
Ok so this AM I just received an angry email from the dealer that I have been working through. First he told me that the burn pot holder is extinct and that he was told that I was bad mouthing him on the web. I only spoke very negatively about Jeff (that is the name he gave me...turns out might actually be a Jim) who is a service manager for Thelin.
So the other day when I sent the images to Barney, she could have easily told me that they no longer support this stove or parts for it and that I was on my own...She did not. She passed it back to this dealer to tell me and wanted to toss a bit of mud at the same time.
I do not believe that I had spoken anything negative about the dealer nor had I identified him. I did encourage him to find this forum and read through for himself. After working through this mess I completely understand that none of this is the dealers fault.
This is just crazy. This is not a company that cares about customer service nor do they communicate well with the customers. Matt I appreciate your attempt to help and I would encourage you to find a better company to work for. Also to be very clear I did not go on my own to order the parts...I went to the dealers web site and searched for the numbers Barney had given me, added the items to my cart and checked out (with a cringe due to the very high cost). Then there was an additional layer of communication from the dealer and Thelin to ensure the correct parts would be shipped.
I am going to go buy the sheet metal stock today to start making it myself. It won't be 309 stainless but it will last at least long enough to buy a new stove from a more reputable manufacture.
Chris
Ok so this AM I just received an angry email from the dealer that I have been working through. First he told me that the burn pot holder is extinct and that he was told that I was bad mouthing him on the web. I only spoke very negatively about Jeff (that is the name he gave me...turns out might actually be a Jim) who is a service manager for Thelin.
So the other day when I sent the images to Barney, she could have easily told me that they no longer support this stove or parts for it and that I was on my own...She did not. She passed it back to this dealer to tell me and wanted to toss a bit of mud at the same time.
I do not believe that I had spoken anything negative about the dealer nor had I identified him. I did encourage him to find this forum and read through for himself. After working through this mess I completely understand that none of this is the dealers fault.
This is just crazy. This is not a company that cares about customer service nor do they communicate well with the customers. Matt I appreciate your attempt to help and I would encourage you to find a better company to work for. Also to be very clear I did not go on my own to order the parts...I went to the dealers web site and searched for the numbers Barney had given me, added the items to my cart and checked out (with a cringe due to the very high cost). Then there was an additional layer of communication from the dealer and Thelin to ensure the correct parts would be shipped.
I am going to go buy the sheet metal stock today to start making it myself. It won't be 309 stainless but it will last at least long enough to buy a new stove from a more reputable manufacture.
Chris
This saga has 2 more chapters...
Actually getting my money back for the incorrect parts. I will not hold my breath on the shipping, I believe that I will just be out that cash.
Selecting a manufacture and a new stove... Now that is a whole new problem.
Actually getting my money back for the incorrect parts. I will not hold my breath on the shipping, I believe that I will just be out that cash.
Selecting a manufacture and a new stove... Now that is a whole new problem.
Chris it is hard for me to believe that if you gave the correct Serial # of your stove that you could have been given the wrong Part #'s. So crazy to me but it is what it is at this point.
As far as Rick's comment. Manufactures especially in the Hearth business change Part #'s all the time along with a new staff of people working their. So what happens? Miss communications changes in product, etc. without necessary notice to the Staff or the training.
All we ask for is a Serial # which only goes so far at times. Tells us what Fan Motor, Feed Motor what chip is installed & Igniter.
The Motors are easy but Firepots, Types & lengths of Igniters, Types of Switches were all different. Since I came on to the Company I have revamped the Parts List to reflect Measurements of every Igniter that I know of that was used in a Thelin Stove.
I try to train anyone that either answers a Phone or Emails to request not only the Serial # but a Photo & measurement of the Part. It has gotten rid of a lot of issues with returns etc.
It is not a perfect science Rick but I think what happened with you is I was not given you the answer that you liked or wanted to hear & I am sorry for that.
Chris I am sorry you are going through what you are & honestly I am surprised at how this went down.
As far as Rick's comment. Manufactures especially in the Hearth business change Part #'s all the time along with a new staff of people working their. So what happens? Miss communications changes in product, etc. without necessary notice to the Staff or the training.
All we ask for is a Serial # which only goes so far at times. Tells us what Fan Motor, Feed Motor what chip is installed & Igniter.
The Motors are easy but Firepots, Types & lengths of Igniters, Types of Switches were all different. Since I came on to the Company I have revamped the Parts List to reflect Measurements of every Igniter that I know of that was used in a Thelin Stove.
I try to train anyone that either answers a Phone or Emails to request not only the Serial # but a Photo & measurement of the Part. It has gotten rid of a lot of issues with returns etc.
It is not a perfect science Rick but I think what happened with you is I was not given you the answer that you liked or wanted to hear & I am sorry for that.
Chris I am sorry you are going through what you are & honestly I am surprised at how this went down.
Matt I have given the same ssn and date code from the back of the stove from moment one on this.
I just received an apology from the dealer. I sent him a link to this thread and he sent a sincere email...
Mr Martin: Needless to say I didn't have access to this and was told by Thelin that you did say bad things about me. I have now read the article, and I will apologize for believing them. Thank you for enlightening me.
WOW...Just WOW...
I just received an apology from the dealer. I sent him a link to this thread and he sent a sincere email...
Mr Martin: Needless to say I didn't have access to this and was told by Thelin that you did say bad things about me. I have now read the article, and I will apologize for believing them. Thank you for enlightening me.
WOW...Just WOW...
Polar Bear
Feeling the Heat
Matt i have moved on , with a brand new stove, and this thread is not about me, its about Chris and i am really not that surprised what he is going through,my negative feeling about Thelins customer service since Jay retired is correct.As i said in a previous post you tried to help, but you can only do so much.
Chris is fortunate he is handy enough to be able to make his own part, that is no longer available,but should not be out of pocket.
Chris is fortunate he is handy enough to be able to make his own part, that is no longer available,but should not be out of pocket.
stillersnut
Member
Just like I've (gratefully) moved on from my Thelin, I'm moving on, from this thread...gotta load up 120 lbs of Pennwoods into my PAH hopper & let it rip! Good luck to all involved in this issue w/Thelin
Guys a few bad apples do not make this stove line bad. Yes obviously people have had some bad luck but there are plenty of happy people out their burning their Thelin stoves proudly for many years and many more to come.
Matt
Matt
Hello Chris sounds like he has been amazingly patient. I've worked with 3 dealerships, sold, installed and serviced many different pellet stoves. We sold a handful of Thelins- they offered a unique look, but their price was outrageous. Funny reading Matt gouging on dealers with the cost that his stoves have. For the few customers who did have Thelins, most liked them. Cleaning one wasn't too difficult, maintenance wasn't bad, but getting parts were always a nightmare. (My time for dealing with them was 2009-2012). Sorry Matt, too many better stoves for a better price being made. It is refreshing though hearing a MFR getting thrashed on here instead of a dealer taking advantage of someone, or providing no customer service as is published here often.
I'm one who has been happy with my Thelin,this is our sixth winter with it.I did replace the fan motor this winter and the feed motor is getting weak and will need to be replaced soon but this stove has been our primary heat source since it was installed. The only other things we have replaced is a T-1 sensor and a couple of ignitors, one of which I pulled the wires out of while cleaning the stove. This is only my experience, but we are very happy with it and also with our dealer who has always taken care of us.
Mt Bob
Minister of Fire
Make a customer happy and you may gain 1 to 4 new ones.Piss off a customer and you will lose 10 to 15.Don't forget,there were happy vega owers at one time.
John Fortier
Feeling the Heat
- Sep 29, 2013
- 450
Folks,
I am not going to stand on a soapbox and praise Thelin to the heavens. That said, I will say, with all the headaches I have had , they have come through for us. Myself and my better half have always loved the look and heat this stove puts out. Problems and wait times have been a major issue. Stoves and Stuff ( which now repair but do not carry this brand anymore) have been great. As of now it is running as it should and this harsh winter will be ending soon, fingers crossed. Matt and Thelin, thank you for getting this stove where it should be. IF the belief in your product is what you truly believe, then please make us believers. All we are asking for at this point is to help us get through next winter with no problems... extend our warranty by 6 months so we may have a trouble free heating season.
I am not going to stand on a soapbox and praise Thelin to the heavens. That said, I will say, with all the headaches I have had , they have come through for us. Myself and my better half have always loved the look and heat this stove puts out. Problems and wait times have been a major issue. Stoves and Stuff ( which now repair but do not carry this brand anymore) have been great. As of now it is running as it should and this harsh winter will be ending soon, fingers crossed. Matt and Thelin, thank you for getting this stove where it should be. IF the belief in your product is what you truly believe, then please make us believers. All we are asking for at this point is to help us get through next winter with no problems... extend our warranty by 6 months so we may have a trouble free heating season.
IF your Thelin is the same as mine, when you or your dealer pulls out the auger motor, make sure you/they change the, plastic or nylon bushing that is inside the stove that the auger shaft sits in. Over time the auger will wear and break this plastic part..
I have liked this stove...It looks nice. Puts out a fair amount of heat and I do really like the battery backup option. It was not until I tried to get parts that everything went south. Maybe if I had gotten to talk to Matt from the get go things would have been different. (I am glad that I did receive the correct fan. It did have a positive impact on the performance of this stove). It seems well built.
Now at this point I am going to make this stove preform the best it can until I can find a replacement. I did just invest $380 for a new fan.
One of my first projects: since I now realize that the auger feed motor will spin in reverse with a change in polarity...I am going to build a daughter board that will spin the auger backward when it jams. This should cost less than $25 in parts to build an automatic version, in the short term I will just wire a switch. This will resolve the biggest problem I have with the stove which is the feed jamming and needing to dig all of the pellets out to fix it. I will let you know if/how this works...
All things considered the stove was purchased for less than $4k and has paid for itself in the saving in LP costs over the years. I still hate hearing that LP kick on and I do like the convenience of loading the hopper and waking up warm. My last wood stove always died out about 4 or 5 AM and the house was cold as I needed to get out of bed.
My remaining question is:
If they don't make the fire pot holder anymore; why did they not just say that when I had sent the images to Barney? They had the dealer do it the next day, and told him that I was bad mouthing him. There are several time this could have been made better from a customer point of view. This should not be this hard...
Now at this point I am going to make this stove preform the best it can until I can find a replacement. I did just invest $380 for a new fan.
One of my first projects: since I now realize that the auger feed motor will spin in reverse with a change in polarity...I am going to build a daughter board that will spin the auger backward when it jams. This should cost less than $25 in parts to build an automatic version, in the short term I will just wire a switch. This will resolve the biggest problem I have with the stove which is the feed jamming and needing to dig all of the pellets out to fix it. I will let you know if/how this works...
All things considered the stove was purchased for less than $4k and has paid for itself in the saving in LP costs over the years. I still hate hearing that LP kick on and I do like the convenience of loading the hopper and waking up warm. My last wood stove always died out about 4 or 5 AM and the house was cold as I needed to get out of bed.
My remaining question is:
If they don't make the fire pot holder anymore; why did they not just say that when I had sent the images to Barney? They had the dealer do it the next day, and told him that I was bad mouthing him. There are several time this could have been made better from a customer point of view. This should not be this hard...
Lake Girl
Moderator
I wonder who went back to Thelin to spread a erroneous ray of sunshine to the dealer? I also read an intimation that a dealer may have "messed" with an insert when it was on the showroom floor and then reduced the price - my take was it probably was time to get it off his showroom floor so he could display a model that was actually selling well. I didn't see a regular forum member bad mouthing a dealer...
I will say this as many times as I need to...The dealer that was helping me was at no fault in this. They have changed some of their product descriptions now to avoid future confusions. Seems like a good stand up guy.
I never thought the thelin stove were a bad stove or not a good design.. they do look good, when they are working they put out good heat.I liked how they were simplified.
But the best stove in the world is no good without customer support, and the high cost of parts and getting parts makes the thelin stove not as pretty as it looks.
But the best stove in the world is no good without customer support, and the high cost of parts and getting parts makes the thelin stove not as pretty as it looks.
Bioburner
Moderator
? For Thelin followers, when did the gnome get auto ignition? Or was it a option for a period of time? With my inquiry of 12 volt stoves I was lead to one without igniter for 1k, supposedly very light use and clean.
bondo
New Member
So let me get this straight. The serial number and parts numbers are hard to match up for the company. How is that the customers fault in any way? Pictures are needed for the correct parts. Yet apparently no pictures were requested otherwise the customer would have gotten the correct parts. Then the fact that someone from the company told the dealer he/she was getting slammed here on the forum. Even though that did not happen. OUCH that is pitiful customer service. A company is measured by customer service. No matter what is said or done now I can guarantee there is one stove now I will never have in my home.
Bioburner
Moderator
Thanks, Got a Manufacture date this AM and the owner was off by a long ways. 2001. Doubt company has much in repair parts if needed in the future
Would the control board be analog with simple timer circuitry? No way I would be willing to pay 1K for a 14 year old stove.- Status
Similar threads
