Lowes and Englander pellet stoves..lack of knowledge?????

[shaggy205]

Well I just returned from my local Lowes store and struck up a conversation with the "hearth associate". Boy what a mistake that was!! They sell Englander pellet stoves. I told him I was having my vent run straight up through my roof, because we often lose power and I wanted a good length of run to avoid smoke in the house.
He told me that running the vent through my roof was illegal because on Englander stoves you can have no more than 12 feet of vent run. I said "oh really" and how do you know that and he replied " I just attended a 15 hour seminar on pellet stoves so I know what I am talking about". I told him he should have taken notes because you are wrong!! That didn't go over well!! I replied that if you exceed 15ft. in run length you can go to a 4in. pellet pipe instead of a 3in. He said they don't even make a through the roof kit for a pellet stove. i again replied"oh really" and they told you that at the seminar too?? He said that pellet stoves are only for heating basements and garages because I have one in my basement with an 8ft. run and they said he is "pushing it". I asked him what about inserts for a masonary chimney that the liner exceeds 12ft.--he says you need to buy an auxillary blower to put in your damper to exhaust smoke or" you will die from carbon monoxide". At that point I had to leave I couldn't listen anymore. With people like this how does Englander expect to sell their stoves, with a salesman who is giving people WRONG IINFORMATION!! I own an Englander pellet stove and I am very happy so far...even though my install is ILLEGAL!!

 

[MCPO]

I don`t usually fault the salesperson in a big box store for their lack of knowledge of products. The purchaser should not expect him to be an expert on these things.
That said, it`s a shame that some of them have so much opportunity to spew out so much false information to so many ignorant consumers.
I think it`s incumbent upon a potential stove purchaser to research products out more carefully .
The world has changed in regards to product knowledge being available at your fingertips and anyone who refuses to get with the program and go on line is just going to be at the mercy of these clowns for their product education..

And don`t worry about Englander selling enough stoves in spite of these mis-informed sales folks.

 

[DiggerJim]

It's not just Englander and Lowes. I had a specialty hearth shop in West Springfield Mass (one of the largest & most expensive dealers around) tell me similar things. He told me what I wanted to do with my insert (place it into a prefab fireplace) was illegal, against code, and unsafe. When I told him that the manual for the stove I was inquiring about specifically approved of that install, included instructions on how to do it and my building inspector was okay with it he refused to believe me. When I tried to discontinue the conversation he made me wait while he looked it up in the manual. He ran into the back, did indeed find the manual that had pictures & instructions dealing with the install I wanted and had some conversation with someone because he came back and said that it did appear to be approved & legal but their store felt it was unsafe and wouldn't do it He just couldn't admit he was wrong, so they lost the sale (and subsequent accessory & pellet sales as well).

Just because someone is a "heating professional" doesn't mean the advice is going to be any better than the 18 yr old kid at the big box. That's what research, factory help, and places like this are good for (although you do need to watch out as a few of the opinions expressed here are just that - opinions - and not backed up by facts...always ask for sources and real data if you see something that makes you scratch your head).

 

[webbie]

Englander sells to the DIY market on price (that is their ace in the hole). I really doubt any serious training of sales associates is done. Don't worry, they are selling plenty of stoves without decent sales people......

 

[Shortstuff]

That's very unfortunate. Myself, I would not hesitate to go speak with the store manager and explain to him just how wrong his salesman is and offer all the proof he wants if necessary. If he/she is a good manager, they can only appreciate your comments and genuine concern for their business. Can you imagine the number of potential buyers who he has either scared away or given false information to? More than a few times I have spoken with store managers to inform them of both bad and exceptional employees. They have the right to know how things are working in the trenches.

By the sounds of it, this particular salesman did not attend that 15 hour seminar and is one of those wanna-be know-it-alls. Although an experience like that reflects badly on the store, don't let it stop you from shopping from an otherwise good store.

I would NEVER have learned half of what I know (which is limited) about pellet stoves if I had not found this incredible website/forum. Some of the simplest questions may seem insignificant to some can mean the world to people like myself who are looking for good answers.

Steve

 

[billb3]

Lowes expert.

That's rich.





May as well walk into an Apple Store and argue with the Mac genius about Dells.

 

[webbie]

Ideally, Englander and other makers would simply print a "white paper" or FAQ......a little brochure which was available where ever their stoves are sold and on the web site. In fact, the pellet org already prints something like this - it could be distilled down and used to answer the very basic questions.

 

[imacman]

Well I just returned from my local Lowes store and struck up a conversation with the "hearth associate". Boy what a mistake that was!! They sell Englander pellet stoves. I told him I was having my vent run straight up through my roof, because we often lose power and I wanted a good length of run to avoid smoke in the house.
He told me that running the vent through my roof was illegal because on Englander stoves you can have no more than 12 feet of vent run. I said "oh really" and how do you know that and he replied " I just attended a 15 hour seminar on pellet stoves so I know what I am talking about". I told him he should have taken notes because you are wrong!!.......

I wonder......was the 15 hour seminar from Lowes, or from Englander?? If it was Englander, I'm sure Mike Holten would be interested in this experience you had.

 

[JustWood]

I don`t usually fault the salesperson in a big box store for their lack of knowledge of products. The purchaser should not expect him to be an expert on these things.
That said, it`s a shame that some of them have so much opportunity to spew out so much false information to so many ignorant consumers.
I think it`s incumbent upon a potential stove purchaser to research products out more carefully .
The world has changed in regards to product knowledge being available at your fingertips and anyone who refuses to get with the program and go on line is just going to be at the mercy of these clowns for their product education..

And don`t worry about Englander selling enough stoves in spite of these mis-informed sales folks.

Couldn't have replied better myself.

Knowledge is power!

 

[DiggerJim]

May as well walk into an Apple Store and argue with the Mac genius about Dells.

Or about their own iPhone and software upgrades You wouldn't believe the nonsense I've had them spew at me. "Genius" used to mean something. Computer retailers are famous for having "experts" who just read (or maybe even didn't) the book and are trying to impress you. It's silly too because most software has about 5 times more features than any individual uses so trying to pretend you're an expert on all of it for even one package is absurd...multiply that by the amount of different software out there and then the different combinations of hardware & operating systems and the best expert is one who knows where to look something up.

 

[JBlank912]

What Digger said is absolutely true. I've been working on computers for years, I often look in stores to see what is around and eavesdrop on the salesman giving wrong information. Sometimes I correct the salesman in front of them. If I want proper answers i go to the source. For Pellet Stoves I come here. I've learned more in the past few weeks reading these forums then I ever could from a salesman.

 

[drizler]

I don`t usually fault the salesperson in a big box store for their lack of knowledge of products. The purchaser should not expect him to be an expert on these things.
That said, it`s a shame that some of them have so much opportunity to spew out so much false information to so many ignorant consumers.
I think it`s incumbent upon a potential stove purchaser to research products out more carefully .
The world has changed in regards to product knowledge being available at your fingertips and anyone who refuses to get with the program and go on line is just going to be at the mercy of these clowns for their product education..

And don`t worry about Englander selling enough stoves in spite of these mis-informed sales folks.

Couldn't have replied better myself.

Knowledge is power!

EXACTLY! You can't expect a guy working at a hardware store to have a lot of technical expertise, especially the young guys and gals. The older and retired ones often have a wealth of background experience. All that specialized information is best found right here actually. There is another source people often neglect, THE ONLINE STOVE MANUAL. Most makes make the full manual available to a simple google search, "the google" if you are George Busch. From there you have full access to the best info to be found regarding a specific product. Also around here if its Englander all you have to do is scream for Eric and he will come riding to the rescue on his white charger........................
As for the box stores in general I always get a kick out of everyone beating them up for being unresponsive, stupid or lazy. Can't say that has been my experience at all, especially Reno Depot in Canada. Those guys treat everyone like they are a major contractor and I can't say enough for them. Like most things in life if you want it perfect hire a professional. Its a matter of that age old battle of time vs. $$ and the answer is often unclear which is the more important. You can thank the internet for making the decisions all that much easier.

 

[strangemainer]

I did my research, shopped around, and when I went into Lowes to buy MY englander, I knew more about the stove that he did.
But thats not saying much, some of the people working in the big box stores just cant wait to get off thier shift and are annoyed by you bothering them,
Others have been so helpful to me. Hit or miss I guess. So do your own research!!

 

[natnyer]

I have found over the years that if you want to learn about anything you have to research it. When I bought my Englander pellet stove from lowes I read alot about pellet stoves and spoke with many people who owned various makes of stoves before I bought.Now I have always done my own work around my house from installing my own oil burner to my windows tiling etc.I am fortunate to have alot of friends and family from many backgrounds to borrow tools and pick their brains for knowledge. What they don't know I research either on the internet or library. There are online resources to pull from when installing vents and pellet stoves. This forum in particular is one of the best. That said why would you even dream of asking any one who works at lowes any technical question. I will say that one out of 20 may know something. But don't hold your breath.I bought my Englandr 55-shp10 from lowes last year.It took a half hour to find someone qualified to operate a lift to put it in my truck.I knew that would be the hardest part of the installation lol and it was. I love this stove and chose Englander because its perfect for me, ease of installation I could afford it and parts and knowledgeable service people are always available, no bells and whistles just alot of heat and it is a good looking stove. This is a great forum.Everyone have a nice day.

 

[pelletizer]

I guess it is hit or miss with the big box stores I have had good and bad experiences myself.
on 09/13 I called lowes looking to special order a 45 degree 3" dura vent elbow the guy I talked to was very knowledgable and knew what I wanted and knew the procedure to search for the item.