Customer Service Integrity

[Lake Girl]

I've been struggling with this concept after my bad experience with Woodmans Parts Plus. I ordered a specific appliance adapter for the Elena that their website said they had. I received the wrong part - twice - so I am out shipping costs on the first order and the cost to ship back the wrong parts twice ($20 approximately + whatever portion of the original shipping for a $40 part). They did refund the full second invoice with shipping but why am I still out the cost to return parts that were not my mistake? This is little stuff compared to other stove owner problems but it speaks to the same integrity problem.

Some stove manufacturers use a dealership system. This keeps the manufacturer at arm's length from their product. What vetting are they doing for their dealers? We know all dealers are not created equal... When you have problems with a product, is the manufacturer truly standing behind their product or dumping the problem largely on the dealer. When stove companies are sold, what happens to the warranty provided from the original company? Is the new company honouring these warranties? This became a question when Northland Distributing went bankrupt (where we purchased the Elena). Luckily, we have not needed to worry about this but there were comments that you could be left hanging...

Then there are companies who handle their own customer service or become involved due to serious issues. Sometimes the stove owner receives ambiguous responses if you get answers at all...

 

[bcarton]

The short answer is "buyer beware." I'm lucky that I found this forum and did a lot of reading before I bought a used stove. A big percentage of the posts here are cries for help, from consumers who are stuck between a less-than-helpful dealer and a manufacturer who won't answer the phone.

For people who do come here to ask questions before they purchase, I often see the sound advice to make sure they find an established, reputable dealer with a good track record. Far less often do I see the advice to check out the manufacturer's support and parts policies. I came close to falling in love with one used stove I saw, until I started checking around to see if common parts were available online. They weren't, and then I did a search here and read a few troubling stories about "bought a used stove, can't find parts online, local dealers won't even look at me because I didn't buy the stove new from them." I really don't care how good the stove quality is, if the support and parts policies put consumers at a disadvantage.

 

[bags]

I think the lack of overall support from any manufacturer and dealer is that sub par is the ("it's your problem now, Chuck,") and industry standard. I've seen it over and over and thru every name out there for the most part.

Huge generalization but very true. Sure some dealers are good and get right back to you and remedy issues quickly. They can only stretch themselves so far though which can still leave others waiting in a cold house with a non-working stove. That said, I find it piss poor. Period. It's not like you can throw these things into the car trunk and return them. If I would have wound up with a bad stove you can bet it would have been loaded right back up and returned but many do not have equipment and trucks. They were looking for heat and banking on a new appliance to be good for that. You would think that given this that dealers and manufacturers would keep that in mind. Doesn't seem to be the case. Granted pellet stoves are not for everyone but still.....

I had good luck with Woodmans although the gal on the phone seemed a bit confused as to what I wanted and clearly stated. I was ordering parts for two different stoves at the same time and finally said let's handle this one first and then add on the stuff for the other for one shipment. It worked out OK but was way more confusing than it needed to be. I did get the parts in 2 days right at high tide on holiday shipping.

After shopping for my first stove I ran into several dealers who knew less than me at the time and I knew little. I feel these manufacturers do little to really train many. Don't care either as long as they are selling product. They'll deal with it later. Maybe.....

I find this pathetic in so many ways it isn't funny. Especially when unsuspecting customers lay out large sums. Lake Gal you have experienced something minor here overall but your point of view is quite valid IMHO.

 

[rona]

A lot of people here are Harman supporters and they are a good stove but can have problems like any other piece of Equipment. The common advice is to go through your dealer who will get you parts needed to keep your stove in good running condition. The warranty starts out by saying 6 years then below it will say 3 years for normal use. What happens when your dealer dies? You can't get parts from the factory on your own and another dealer can say, to bad not my problem and there you sit. This happened about 5 years ago and a lot of people who bought what they thought was a good product with a so-called "Gold Warranty" found out the other side of the picture. A company that wouldn't help the people who bought their stoves and a crooked dealer that wouldn't help them since he didn't get the commission for selling them their stove.
That experience taught me to learn as much as I can before I buy any appliance. The moral of the story is look carefully at what you buy and be ready to find generic parts to repair what you own yourself without having to depend on someone else.
Using the computer and finding websites such as Hearth.com can not only answer your questions but help find a parts source.

 

[heat seeker]

All good points! I deal with the situation, with cars and stoves and tractors, etc, is I buy used for a reasonable price, and expect no service from the seller. Overall this has worked for me, since I can fix most things, but I realize that's not the route for everyone.

Stove makers are shooting themselves in the foot by not supporting their products. These are not toys, they are an important part of the buyers' lives, being both expensive and often the primary source of heat. If I were to buy another stove, I would seriously consider an Englander, just for the the factory support shown on this forum. I love my St Croix, but wonder about factory support. I've heard mixed reviews. My local dealer is a nice guy, and helpful to a point, but doesn't really understand the stoves as well as I do.