A little angry here

[jjmatte]

We just got our Mt.Vernon insert cleaned. A few months ago we were told we needed a new convection blower, but it was under warranty and they would do it at the same time as our annual cleaning. Well, they came and charged me $150 labor for replacing the convection blower.
Part of the annual cleaning is to take the convection blower off and vacuum it out and put it back. By them replacing it, it actually was LESS work for them, no cleaning of the old one had to be done.

Should i complain that i want the labor refunded? (I wasn't home during this and my wife is the one that paid them.)

 

[jjmatte]

In addition to the $170 I paid for the cleaning.

 

[WoodPorn]

I'd be all over 'em

 

[Delta-T]

so you paid $150 for a warranty replacement of a bad part, that you purposefully put off replacing in order to accommodate the service people? thats backwards. I'd be furious. Does the warranty include labor? I'd demand the $150 back for sure.

 

[tinkabranc]

I'd be all over 'em

I would be all over em too.

IMO If they did not make a special trip for the blower changeout, the labor chgs should have
been waived since they were doing a cleaning job.

 

[Fsappo]

Yup, considering they would have to take the combustion fan off for a proper cleaning anyhow..well, lets just say they billed you "differently" than I would have billed you under the same circumstances. Then again, we do charge $195 for a pellet stove cleaning.

 

[jjmatte]

I just called and apparently it was the convection motor not blower that got replaced.

 

[woodsman23]

CLEAN IT YOUR SELF!

 

[Delta-T]

I just called and apparently it was the convection motor not blower that got replaced.

thats just silly terminology, they are the same thing. The "blower" is the motor attached to the housing with an impeller attached to the shaft.

still dirty in my opinion.

 

[newf lover]

Even if labor wasn't covered under the warranty, they should have replaced the warranty part and not charged you for labor. You were already paying them to come out and do a cleaning. Doesn't make sense in the long run to treat customers this way. As far as doing it yourself, if this was your first year with the stove, I don't think it's a bad idea to have the dealer do it. After that, maybe give it a shot yourself, especially after how they handled this warranty repair.

 

[hossthehermit]

You keep hearing about these situations. Seems like dealers read these posts, and figure, "I can get away with it, too". Ya wouldn't see this happenin' to Tony Soprano.If you need permission to tear this guy a new one, you have mine.

 

[jtakeman]

Doesn't sound right and this dealer would hear it from me. Probably the last time he touches my stuff or anyone I know.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

You were had.

 

[schmeg]

I am so glad I took the approach of diving in and learning how to do my own stove work. It's rediculous to here about dealers having their
hands in peoples pockets, in today's economy, dealers ought to be creative in how to keep customers, not piss them off.

 

[jj1949]

If your insert has the same warranty as my Mt Vernon freestanding, look in your owners manual. For a period of I believe two years that blower replacement was under warranty including labor charges not charged to the customer. I just had my convection motor changed out plus a new firepot. The dealer tried to charge me but when I pointed out what the warranty actually stated the billing was reversed. Quad pays for their time and it shouldn't be YOU. I'd complain big time too. Come this August my stove will be two years old. Good Luck

 

[Lousyweather]

yes, warrantee work in this biz is certainly interesting.

In short, as a dealer, I think you were "had" as well. Most warrantee coverage does not include the ubiquitous term "travel time and expense". Most warrantees will allow a dealer to charge for travel time, since they are not reimbursed for such in the warrantee. Sadly, warantee work is a money losing proposition for dealers....the amount paid to do the work is simply insufficient. The idea being that the profit from the original sale should take a little of that loss in the warrantee arena. But, what happend is you find yourself, as a dealer, in the unenviable situation of possibly doing warrantee work on a unit which you DID NOT sell or install? In this case, we certainly DO charge travel time, and frankly, most stove owners are happy to pay it. Often you get asked to do warrantee work by either the manufacturer or the owner, as there has been a falling out in their relationship (read that as: dealer pi$$es off owner).......we are here to take care of our own customers....not the competitions, but since we are also here to make a profit, we take care of theirs as well.....for a charge.

 

[krooser]

Stop payment on the check... that should get their attention. Or put in a dispute with your CC company.

 

[Former Farmer]

You could contact the manufacturer. They might not like to hear one of their dealers trying to charge for a covered repair. Sometimes, an end around is more effective than a direct approach.

 

[krooser]

You could contact the manufacturer. They might not like to hear one of their dealers trying to charge for a covered repair. Sometimes, an end around is more effective than a direct approach.

From what I here they could care less... most manufacturers bring new meaning to the words 'customer no-service'....

 

[imacman]

You could contact the manufacturer. They might not like to hear one of their dealers trying to charge for a covered repair. Sometimes, an end around is more effective than a direct approach.

From what I here they could care less... most manufacturers bring new meaning to the words 'customer no-service'....

I want to chime in here and add my opinion that the OP was HAD by the dealer, and any & all of the above mentioned remedies should be tried. I'm not sure about the next part, but maybe a brief mention of this "fine dealer's" name will help other forum members keep their distance from this rip-off place.

Now, that all said, I must once again bask in the wonderful feeling I have with my stove company (Englander), and the SUPERB customer service I get.

 

[tchdngrnby]

Hate to argue with you Krooser but, after finally running out of options and patience with the dealer that sold me my St.Croix EXL, I contacted the manufacturer. Within an hour I received an e-mail with a promise of a contact from either a tech or a rep. Within a week the area rep for St. Croix followed up with me and replacement parts were ordered and shipped to my door. The rep offered to make the 3 hour drive to make the warranty repairs to my stove but, I declined and installed the new motor myself. So, not all those manufacturers are customer-no-service (at least in my case).

The dealer is still in business but no longer sells St. Croix products. The local pellet plant dropped him as a distributor. The State's contractor compliance folks busted him for not having a license. He is the type that really gives reputable dealers a bad name. No telling how many other folks he has left hanging.

 

[krooser]

Hate to argue with you Krooser but, after finally running out of options and patience with the dealer that sold me my St.Croix EXL, I contacted the manufacturer. Within an hour I received an e-mail with a promise of a contact from either a tech or a rep. Within a week the area rep for St. Croix followed up with me and replacement parts were ordered and shipped to my door. The rep offered to make the 3 hour drive to make the warranty repairs to my stove but, I declined and installed the new motor myself. So, not all those manufacturers are customer-no-service (at least in my case).

The dealer is still in business but no longer sells St. Croix products. The local pellet plant dropped him as a distributor. The State's contractor compliance folks busted him for not having a license. He is the type that really gives reputable dealers a bad name. No telling how many other folks he has left hanging.

Well you did good... if all stove makers did the same the world would be a better place. I also have a St.Croix that's been pretty good for me...

 

[smwilliamson]

I can change the convection motor in a Mt Vernon in less than 10 minutes, just my 2 cents. Good thing they didn't have to make a return trip....it might have cost you $500+, keep up the good work dealers!! I lOVE IT!

How do you know the motor was actually bad??? Did they test the control box too for TRIAC failure? That motor should last the life of the unit.

 

[smwilliamson]

We just got our Mt.Vernon insert cleaned. A few months ago we were told we needed a new convection blower, but it was under warranty and they would do it at the same time as our annual cleaning. Well, they came and charged me $150 labor for replacing the convection blower.
Part of the annual cleaning is to take the convection blower off and vacuum it out and put it back. By them replacing it, it actually was LESS work for them, no cleaning of the old one had to be done.

Should i complain that i want the labor refunded? (I wasn't home during this and my wife is the one that paid them.)

Was that $150 in addition to the cleaning or $150 total?

Ask them straight out what is actually included in the service they perform. Have them write it down. Did they perform any diagnostic test as part of this service?

 

[renewablejohn]

In UK we have Trading Standards to report incidents like this for them to take enforcement actions. If it happened here the company would be named and shamed could even be a candidate for the rogue traders TV series.