JPapiPE,
Sorry to hear of your frustration. However, even though I don't know you, or Fred, and obviously I wasn't privy to your conversation, having done Customer Service for 20 years, I have to agree with the sentiment, expressed by others, that perhaps Fred does not deserve being publically pillaried. Particularly here, in front of two of his cowokers (Mike and Corie, the heads of Englander's R&D;and Cust. Service, if I'm not mistaken), who post here regularly.
Fred's not knowing "the answer" to every question,
especially when there seems to be a couple of terms in dispute, probably does not warrant a public humiliation. If it turns out that you were using terms that were other than those commonly used in the industry, would you want Fred roasting you, in abstentia, in front of your colleagues, because you didn't know the exact words the experts use?
And I mean you no offense--but I also know the embarrassment of having blamed someone for what turned out to be my mistake--I'm sure we've all been there. If, OTOH, the mistake(s?) are Fred's, well, you could always speak privately with his manager, who would ideally address any such deficiencies with training, etc....
But regardless, I'm sure Corie or Mike will soon assist you--I'm betting they can see the individual pages of that manual when they close their eyes, at night.
And as one who has received customer assistance from Mike, personally, (here, "off the clock," no less) I can say that Englander's customer service is superior to ANY other stove company I've dealt with,
many of whom do not even allow direct customer contact and instead simply refer you to a dealer. (For example,
see my experience with Harman Stoves--the latter half of the following thread is my one, brief, first-and-last conversation with the Harman factory:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/6822/ The dialogue is comical, IMO). In fact, I have found Englander's customer service to be outstanding generally, not just compared to other stove companies--and that's coming from someone who, as I say, has been the one on the "How can I help you?" side of the phone. Have faith--someone will be able to help.
All the best.
>
Sidebar to the assembled:
Didn't the
Harman Stove Company recently get sold, or go bankrupt, or some such? Couldn't have had any relation to the type 'o customer service I received, described in the above link, could it?
Nah.... Why should the factory either know, or publish, something as arcane as the size of their firebox, fer Chrissakes? I guess Harman is from the "Let the dealer make it up" school of disinformation....
>
BB:
I LOL when I read this:
I have two degrees, burned wood for thirty years, have been to two goat ropings and a worlds fair and have never heard of “B type” pipe for a wood stove.
(bold emphasis added)
Seriously, that phrase is priceless--and I am
so gonna use it!
>
Rick,
Re:
Maybe that’s because you’ve apparently not been to Maine, Spain, Spokane, and Coeur d’Alene...and maybe not a chicken pluckin’, either, eh?
Nice poetry, and I "got it," about Spokane. As an English major, I think the particular subchapter of the "poetic license" you used is known as "slant rhyme." IOW, it's allowed--so while I've never been to a poetry "slam," I'm pretty sure you would not get kicked out for that. LOL Your ditty worked for me (but then, I'm "not right," or so I'm told....) :lol:
As an adjunct to "goat ropin'," you mention "chicken pluckin'." Does an impromptu duck-pluckin' count?
Especially since I was one of the mother-pluckers? (I believe at least one of the ducks was a female, or a hen, or whatever the **** you call the counterpart to a male mallard.)
Peter
Fred, well, not so much!
Rick
