Buying Harmon Stove Out Of State

[solismaris]

After research I've determined that the Harmon Accentra is the only product that will fill my needs. (That's another topic.) So I can put a nonrefundable deposit down at my local dealer and maybe have a stove by next January at the earliest.

Or I can do the same at a distant dealer and supposedly have it by mid-September. However, I must drive 600 miles round trip and pick it up myself. They are not allowed to ship but they are willing to sell.

Problems:
If they are wrong or being dishonest about the delivery date I still have paid a deposit and will have to make the journey to pick it up when it does come in.

I could hire someone locally to install (already checked this) but warranty issues? They have a good warranty (3 years on everything) and I'd want to take advantage of if if anything goes wrong. Is a local dealer required to service it? I realize I would probably be behind all the other customers who bought from them, but can they refuse to provide warranty service if they wish?

Any other advice? Sure would be nice to have this completed before it starts getting cold around here.

 

[webbie]

Short answer is they 100% can (and most do) refuse to provide service. There are some exceptions to this.

As far as where you will be in line.....consider that your local dealer probably has thousands of units in the field. Then consider that they tend to have problems only during cold weather. What I am saying is that even their customers often have to wait a couple weeks in-season.

Obviously the choice is yours.....the question becomes whether for such a long term purchase....do you need it now? Heating oil has come down to around $4 in many areas and may be headed down further. That is a LOT of gas you will burn up getting that unit.......etc. etc.

Note: based on past reports here, calling the factory with warranty work will do very little....so your local dealer is the connection.

 

[MishMouse]

The best would be to buy and have it installed from your local dealer.

But, you can see if you can make a deal with your local dealer.
If you buy the stove from a distant dealer, and you have your local dealer do the install and you buy all the extra parts from your local dealer. Since he is an authorized Harman dealer and he did do the install there is a better possibility that he would support the stove. If, not I wouldn't buy the stove from that dealer.

 

[bigbird]

I just purchased one out of state. Went back to my local dealer who canc my order after two month wait.
He felt bad about not being able to deliver and had no problem installing stove. I thnik if your local guy
can not obtain a stove due to market conditions he should have no problem installing.

 

[STOVEGUY11]

I dont see it happening. If someone took a deposit back from me. Am I going to run out and install there stove they just bought from someone else. No way. Its busy enough dealing with your own customers. The dealer is not obligated to do so either.

 

[cac4]

I just bought an Accentra from a place in TN, and they shipped it to me. (not "allowed"???? don't think so). They only charged me for the liftgate fee to get the thing from the local freight depot to my house...(which I could have avoided by going to the depot to pick it up...but I'm glad I didn't, because it would've been a real groan to get it out of my pickup. anyway...).

I'll plug 'em again (please don't - that seems commercial)
yeah, I'll have to risk the "service" issues. I'm pretty handy, though. ymmv.

 

[bigbird]

I had call my local dealer end of May. He said "no problem" i have 7 in stock. I showed up June 1st to pick one up and he was sold out. But again "No problem" he was getting in 20 more the end of June. So i waited. In the mean time i had called two other local dealers in my area. One had 3 in stock and the other would sell his floor model. Come July 4th weekend i never heard from him. So i called. Factory is backed up. But "no problem" he now expecting 27 coming in the end of July. I had told him that as of that date i could leave with a stove from one of the other dealers. His reply "no problem" getting my stove before Aug1. He assured me not to worry. Come Aug 1st no call ??? i showed up in person at the store to find out he would not be getting any more Harmans till Jan 09. At this point i was hot. Also at this point both other dealers had sold out of there stock.

So i must have called 35 to 40 dealers in several states. Located one and pick it up on Fri. I then called my local guy and infomred him i had loacted a stove and assume since he could not deliver, i was sure it would be "no problem" doing the install and he agreed. They were out over the weekend and job is done.

I don't see were a Harman dealer could get off telling me he would not install my stove. I should wait till Jan and keep paying the high oil prices till then because he took my order and $'s and could not deliver. Maybe Harman / dealers should be responsible for the difference in heating costs since i have in writing a delivery date that was not met. Yet they sat on my $'s for two months.

 

[gw2kpro]

I had call my local dealer end of May. He said "no problem" i have 7 in stock. I showed up June 1st to pick one up and he was sold out. But again "No problem" he was getting in 20 more the end of June. So i waited. In the mean time i had called two other local dealers in my area. One had 3 in stock and the other would sell his floor model. Come July 4th weekend i never heard from him. So i called. Factory is backed up. But "no problem" he now expecting 27 coming in the end of July. I had told him that as of that date i could leave with a stove from one of the other dealers. His reply "no problem" getting my stove before Aug1. He assured me not to worry. Come Aug 1st no call ??? i showed up in person at the store to find out he would not be getting any more Harmans till Jan 09. At this point i was hot. Also at this point both other dealers had sold out of there stock.

So i must have called 35 to 40 dealers in several states. Located one and pick it up on Fri. I then called my local guy and infomred him i had loacted a stove and assume since he could not deliver, i was sure it would be "no problem" doing the install and he agreed. They were out over the weekend and job is done.

I don't see were a Harman dealer could get off telling me he would not install my stove. I should wait till Jan and keep paying the high oil prices till then because he took my order and $'s and could not deliver. Maybe Harman / dealers should be responsible for the difference in heating costs since i have in writing a delivery date that was not met. Yet they sat on my $'s for two months.

To be fair to your dealer, Harman completely shafted a huge number of their dealers this year, and gave many of them multiple "incorrect" delivery dates which ultimately went unfilled, you can read about it in several threads on this site -- they had a system that was telling dealers they were getting product when, in fact, they did not have the capacity to make or fill those orders. It's likely that your dealer was giving you information that Harman had communicated to him, which is the best info. he would have.

If I was a dealer for a company that did that to me, I wouldn't be a dealer for them anymore.

 

[bigbird]

I understand fully. I would use this same dealer again. I plan on having him service the stove and i will by all my pellets from him.

I would have had a real problem with him telling me he would not install my stove and i have to wait till Jan.

 

[DiggerJim]

I just bought an Accentra from a place in TN, and they shipped it to me. (not "allowed"???? don't think so). They only charged me for the liftgate fee to get the thing from the local freight depot to my house...(which I could have avoided by going to the depot to pick it up...but I'm glad I didn't, because it would've been a real groan to get it out of my pickup. anyway...).

yeah, I'll have to risk the "service" issues. I'm pretty handy, though. ymmv.

Ditto. I used the same place. Getting a Quadra-Fire Classic Bay 1200I. It's being shipped tomorrow (I went with the home delivery option too - it was only a few bucks more...less than the sales tax I would have paid locally). Delivered it was $2300. Lots better than I could find locally and without the wait until "November...or January". They encouraged me to call anytime with questions, issues, etc. because "that's what we're here for". Very nice folks. Although they don't have to worry about post-install warranty issues beyond whatever shipping damage might occur (which he wanted to make sure I opened it up the first week so if the glass was damaged or anything that I could get replacements shipped by them).

BTW, when I was looking at Harman's locally the target date was June of 2009.