I purchased a Hearthstone Heritage stove in October 2014. It came/comes with a 10-year warranty on the stone panels......not 8, 9, 9 1/2. It's a 10 year warranty. It was expensive but thought the manufacturer and stove had a good reputation. I've burned wood stoves for almost 50 years so I can assure you I know how to use and care for them properly; we take immaculate care of our stove. This year (October 2023) I was cleaning the back of the stove and noticed the exact same problem that "catbird" posted on 7.25.2021; lots of red bumps and pits all across the back side of the stove. I touched one and a chunk of rusty stone material fell out! After closer examination I noticed this was occurring on all back and side panels and starting to do the same on the top. Well, I know now this is "spalling" and is leading to the eventual failure of these stones. So, I checked my warranty and verified that it is for 10 years and it specifically states that, "...all stones are warranted against cracking or breakage due to thermal stress, excluding surface and hairline cracks and scratches that do not affect the operation, or safety of the appliance." Well, there is no argument that they are breaking apart and since the problem isn't excluded under their (surface and hairline cracks and scratches) exclusion, you would think this is a no-brainer, right? Wrong.
I submitted photos to our local dealer and they forwarded them to the manufacturer as evidence. Then Hearthstone made the determination that my claim is invalid based on personal and arbitrary "opinions" that contradict their written warranty. First, they said, "the age of the stove was a factor". How can that be a factor when my 10 year warranty is still in force? 10 years is 10 years, period. Next they said, "the appearance of earth tones is to be expected". What? This isn't a case of earth tones, it's a case of poor quality in the stones and the result is a breakdown from the inside out. Not appearance. Their final deciding factor was "the tiny spots in the stone are unusual, but because the stone is thick....these won't have any effect on the operation or integrity of the stove". Huh? I don't see a single reference in the printed warranty that lists a specific acceptable size of a defect. Even they agree my case is unusual so how on earth can they determine this won't have any effect on the integrity of the stove.
It comes down to this. I bought the stove with a 10 year warranty and they are coming up with subjective, personal, and nonsensical reasons to not honor that warranty. If these "earth tones" are natural and don't effect the stoves operation or integrity, then why don't their new stoves look just like mine do now? Or why don't they take my stones and put them in a brand new one on the showroom floor? If somebody asks about them they could say "it's natural". You can have all sorts of personal thoughts and that's ok with me. But I have a 10 year warranty, my stones are spalling/breaking apart while under warranty, and I just want them to send me replacement stones. I'm not going to give up on this and I hope the company has a shred of integrity and will honor the warranty that came with my stove. I'm attaching a photo of one of the back panels; this is what they are all starting to do.
![[Hearth.com] Hearthstone warranty isn't being honored](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/318/318223-3712ec1b42a9e04edc017676225d6f8c.jpg?hash=q8zogm-WnI "[Hearth.com] Hearthstone warranty isn't being honored")
I submitted photos to our local dealer and they forwarded them to the manufacturer as evidence. Then Hearthstone made the determination that my claim is invalid based on personal and arbitrary "opinions" that contradict their written warranty. First, they said, "the age of the stove was a factor". How can that be a factor when my 10 year warranty is still in force? 10 years is 10 years, period. Next they said, "the appearance of earth tones is to be expected". What? This isn't a case of earth tones, it's a case of poor quality in the stones and the result is a breakdown from the inside out. Not appearance. Their final deciding factor was "the tiny spots in the stone are unusual, but because the stone is thick....these won't have any effect on the operation or integrity of the stove". Huh? I don't see a single reference in the printed warranty that lists a specific acceptable size of a defect. Even they agree my case is unusual so how on earth can they determine this won't have any effect on the integrity of the stove.
It comes down to this. I bought the stove with a 10 year warranty and they are coming up with subjective, personal, and nonsensical reasons to not honor that warranty. If these "earth tones" are natural and don't effect the stoves operation or integrity, then why don't their new stoves look just like mine do now? Or why don't they take my stones and put them in a brand new one on the showroom floor? If somebody asks about them they could say "it's natural". You can have all sorts of personal thoughts and that's ok with me. But I have a 10 year warranty, my stones are spalling/breaking apart while under warranty, and I just want them to send me replacement stones. I'm not going to give up on this and I hope the company has a shred of integrity and will honor the warranty that came with my stove. I'm attaching a photo of one of the back panels; this is what they are all starting to do.
