NEGATIVE experience with Naked Wood / Outdoor World of Hookset (cured my angst)

[Woodalot]

We are 5 year customers of Outdoor World of New England (Hooksett, NH). We order "Naked Wood" (rolled, dried, barkless) and are generally happy.
We ordered 2 more cords this year -- mid-season, and weren't satisfied. Apparently they were trying to beat the blizzard and got walloped by the snow. They said they "couldn't get all wood in the pole-barn" and ours came from the ground: frozen mud, ice, snow all over - and a lot of tiny pieces. We were very dis-satisfied and emailed them. Days later they responded by email and called us back.

They offered "A FREE CORD of THE GOOD DRY STUFF"

Instead - they just dropped of a HALF-CORD OF ICY, SNOWY, MUDDY FILTHY WOOD AND SPLINTERS/KINDLING.
They gave us five bags of fake THERMA-WOOD manufactured logs which last about five whopping DAYS.

The "Naked Wood" is SUPPOSED TO BE barkless is generally cleaner, lighter, and has less moisture and dirt trapped in "nooks".
The stuff they dropped off is FOUL, ICY, MUDDY, FROZEN-MUD, SPLINTERED, KINDLING, AND COVERED IN SNOW, ICE, and BIG FROZEN BALLS OF SNOW lumped in all over.


http://www.outdoorworldne.com/firewood.html THEY ARE TERRIBLE.
DO NOT USE THEM
Outdoor World of New England has two VERY committed and VERY satisfied customers. RIIIIIGHT!

SEE PICTURE OF THEIR PROMISED "BEST WOOD"
-The Augustas, NH Seacoast.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Woodalot.

I would not worry about wood like that at all. The snow will melt off and the wood is okay. Perhaps you are being a bit too tough with them. Rather than bashing them, from now on do better planning. You should already have next year's wood put up. If you do some better planning you'll never have anything like this happen again. Get 2-3 years ahead on your wood supply and live happy.

 

[Woodalot]

Dennis, Something tells me you're affiliated with Outdoor world and don't BUY from them.
I don't have STORAGE for a whole year's wood, which is why I spring for the EXTRA MONEY to buy "Naked Wood".
Go to their web site and see what they promote. "Clean! DRY! BARK-LESS!"
I've been buying it for FIVE YEARS. Each Year they've gotten WORSE. Kindling, mud, snow, ice, SOAKING WET.
So - you can buy it.
I like to get what I paid for -

How would you feel if you ordered a healthy SALAD with chicken breast and was given a bag of deep-fried pig ears with "only some mold" on them.

So I buy FOUR CORDS this year 2 at a time. The second load (now stacked up front and I can't get to my dry wood which I SPLIT) was TERRIBLE - RIPPED from the frozen mud. I have to heat and dry it for days near the stove, then BRUSH IT OFF. I let them know. They offer a "FREE CORD OF THE GOOD DRY STUFF THAT WAS KEPT INDOORS".
They deliver HALF a cord and five "baggies" of "fake wood" for condo owners (about 5 days worth, whereas a 1/2 cord last me 3-4 WEEKS.

THE WOOD IS EVEN WORSE. KINDLING. ICE. MUD. SNOW, DIRT. SPLINTERS. FILTH.
They were going to just dump it when I wasn't even around.

Now they won't come remove it and are MAKING INSULTING COMMENTS TO US IN EMAILS.

So, glad you're not "worried" and "melting the snow off wood" that is also SOAKED AND FROZEN THROUGHOUT is NOT what I paid for, have time for, nor good to prevent chimney fires.

I'm not BASHING THEM. I'm EXPOSING THEM. I have two videos I'm WAITING TO SEE WHAT THEY WILL DO before we release them. You'll find you will retract from your statement if we do share them.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I can assure you this is the first time I've heard of this company. But if they are getting worse year by year, then simply stop buying. If they are bad, others also will stop buying too and they will soon be out of business or shape up.

 

[Woodalot]

That's the plan. Lets see if they will come remove the filthy dumped load left in my driveway.
I can't even get to my woodpile behind it.
I'd love to get some people behind me Dennis - thank you!

 

[SolarAndWood]

That is a whole lot of caps if you truly cured your angst.

 

[Woodalot]

Its not for me to cure brother.
Lets see what they do.
Ironically, I'm a placid person, sociable ale drinker, have a 6' fireplace and two wood stoves ('78 Vermont Castings Resolute with warming shelves), nostalgically appointed house of "working antiquities" like my manual-crank ice-crusher, bellows, etc. So, my point is I'm an old-school guy who endears a Rockwellian era who TRIES to be a guy of his word and appreciate the word of others.
When I get "SnowBalled" and then get a sheepish apology and excuse, and then get "Avalanched" with snowballs after: the charm goes out the window and the gnashing teeth get flared.

 

[smokinj]

Only way to get perfect wood is off your own saws!

 

[Woodalot]

Sadly - I can't deny your claim. There is a visible line of demarcation between the wood I split (DRY, slightly Yellow to Grey) and the Soaking Wet, Icey, Muddy, snowy, allegedly "dry" -- "Naked Wood". Basically I started stacking it on top of my good wood - making my good wood un-getable, and thought: "Bleep this". I'm calling them and they can come take their "complimentary garbage" back!

 

[leaddog]

Looks to me the bio-logs would suit your use better. I don't know what you are paying for dry splits but the bio stuff would be cleaner and dry which seems you are looking for. It seems to me they have been trying to do you right by giving you extra. snow will melt right off as soon as you put it in a heated spot but that doesn't seem like that fits your situation. Cord wood is a dirty fuel any way you use it even if it is supposed to be bark free. there will always be chips, bugs, bark and dust period. Go to utube and watch the wood processing videos and see what is involved. Even if you washed and blow dry-ed cord wood it would still be dirty. Just my take on things. I'd have been happy to have gotten the extra and found something I'd have been happier with.
leaddog

 

[Woodalot]

I hear ya, I know all about wood. Been splitting, stacking, burning, and lugging it for 39 years.
Normally everything you're saying is right (bugs, chips, dirt, wet, etc.). But they promised "we'll bring you the good stuff, kept inside, high, dry and clean". They ripped it out of an icey mud-puddle twice.
I fully stoke the VT Castings 4 times per day to heat an entire 1900 SF house (with a 3-blade Ecofan as well <-- TOTALLY AWESOME - GAINS ME 3-5' in the other room on the other side of the hearth).
A 1/2 cord will last me 3 weeks. A bag of Bio-Logs lasts me ONE DAY. They gave me five. The claim is they're better "pound for pound". But I'm not putting 6-7 of them in the stove (or a bag would be gone in 5 hours). You "chince out" and put in "3" and never get the same heat as the fully wood-stocked stove with flames licking at every inside edge. The bio-bricks are at the bottom, sitting on a thick bed of ash-insulation, with the majority of heat vectoring to the inside "roof" of the lid and the majority of the rest out the flu. The sides of the stove and corners are only MARGINALLY as hot as normal when you fully stoke it full of dry split logs.

 

[WoodPorn]

I hear ya, I know all about wood. Been splitting, stacking, burning, and lugging it for 39 years.
Normally everything you're saying is right (bugs, chips, dirt, wet, etc.). But they promised "we'll bring you the good stuff, kept inside, high, dry and clean". They ripped it out of an icey mud-puddle twice.
I fully stoke the VT Castings 4 times per day to heat an entire 1900 SF house (with a 3-blade Ecofan as well <-- TOTALLY AWESOME - GAINS ME 3-5' in the other room on the other side of the hearth).
A 1/2 cord will last me 3 weeks. A bag of Bio-Logs lasts me ONE DAY. They gave me five. The claim is they're better "pound for pound". But I'm not putting 6-7 of them in the stove (or a bag would be gone in 5 hours). You "chince out" and put in "3" and never get the same heat as the fully wood-stocked stove with flames licking at every inside edge. The bio-bricks are at the bottom, sitting on a thick bed of ash-insulation, with the majority of heat vectoring to the inside "roof" of the lid and the majority of the rest out the flu. The sides of the stove and corners are only MARGINALLY as hot as normal when you fully stoke it full of dry split logs.

With the understanding that this is a rant.......If you know this much about wood, you should be aware that you can not buy wood and expect what you'd get by doing it yourself.

 

[Woodalot]

Bummer but true. 27 ton Cub Cadet? NICE.

UPDATE FROM OUTDOOR WORLD: HEARTH.COM'rs ARE RECOGNIZED:

FROM OUTDOOR WORLD (peace offering and making good - very appreciated)

XXXX,

As promised I have sent in a check request to our accounting department for $___. See Attachment. I wish we could have resolved this sooner on our end. I truly hope that you are somewhat satisfied with the resolution that we agreed to this afternoon.

Because of our accounting cycle you should receive the check shortly after the March 10, 2011 check run.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me at anytime. It is always best to try and reach me on my cell phone.

Thank you,

Rick Sampson

508-xxx-xxxx cell

 

[pen]

So did you jump the gun bashing this company or are there still problems?

pen

 

[Woodalot]

Nothing Jumped. I was twice promised something of value and twice brought something of no value. I had to politely "inform" and educate what happened, the second time with appropriately more angst. Without the gripes, the likes of which this forum is comprised, there would have been no "Mea Culpa" and hence no comments asking if I'd jumped the gun. There would only be a frustrated and helpless consumer.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Wow.. I thought they ran over your dog or something.

I agree you sound like the perfect candidate for the biologs. You state they didn't burn well.. I have read that they are used a bit differently then cord wood, perhaps you may need to look into that..

You are already buying wood. You have limited space. You don't/can't stack future wood, therefore are dependent on finding good dry seasoned wood, in season. unpossible here.

I think if it was me, I would go pellet, whether large or small. With electricity here at $.10 a kWh, I would not burn wood if my property wasn't covered in it. I would still have a wood stove, and use it for back-up, but I sure wouldn't go 24-7.

 

[Woodalot]

Thanks for the wisdom (from the South?). Let me take your endorsements of fake wood and reflect it back/rephrase: "Wow - you sound like the perfect candidate for pellets (and biobricks)."
I've split, stacked, and lugged wood for 39 years. Not changing.
FYI: I have a 10' x 20' lean-to that holds 3.5 cords. I have plenty of dry wood, but when I got to less than 50% of my stock barely into January due to the combo of the worst winter ever and keeping the house warmer due to my newborn to keep warm, I ordered more.
The problem is that my lean to is accessible from the front only (both sides are open, but there's a rock wall and snow banks & trees and shrubs to get to the back.
So new (AWFUL) wood coming in blocks the DRY wood I already had. So yes, if I buy mid-winter (which was my first time) I search for advertised "clean dry wood". When I was told it was kept indoors: terrific.
When I got an pile of frozen mudsicles, I was not pleased.
I did NOT state the biologs don't burn well if you read the post. They burn well but do not FILL the stove, therefore they do not lick the entire stove with flames, and PORTIONS of the stove get hot, with less ambient heat being radiated 360'.
Enjoy your pellets (until the power goes out or pellets are not available or they are wet or the stove is junked with ash in 3-5 days).

STIHL 18"
GRANITE STATE
MAUL, WEDGE, GRENADES, & Racing Axe

 

[pen]

Wow.. I thought they ran over your dog or something.

That was my point

pen

 

[begreen]

Nothing Jumped. I was twice promised something of value and twice brought something of no value. I had to politely "inform" and educate what happened, the second time with appropriately more angst. Without the gripes, the likes of which this forum is comprised, there would have been no "Mea Culpa" and hence no comments asking if I'd jumped the gun. There would only be a frustrated and helpless consumer.

Is this company even looking at this site? This seems very much like a local issue. Using the forum to get action from a local company is not really what this place is about. Closing thread.