Mt Vernon AE has me seeing red!

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caseyclan

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Dec 23, 2007
66
Missouri
Actually, its the tech! We had our Mt. Vernon AE installed right before Christmas, and I have posted a few quirks I have experienced with it, especially the low hopper icon that has been on consistently since day 1. Other issues, such as misfire, min firepot temp, etc have been increasing in regularity. The tech has been to the house 3 times, the last in which he dropped the hopper door and scratch the &%*@ out of the door and the front of my stove. My wife heard him drop it from the other room and came to check up on him. At the end of his last visit (yesterday), we waited to see if he would "own up to it" and he did not. He even scratched the back black surround as well. Well, after he left, 10 minutes later (after the low hopper icon popped on again), we discovered even more scratches and damage, so we called the owner and explained to him what happened. At this point, we have accepted the fact that we have a lemon and have insisted we receive a new stove. After replacing the hopper sensor twice, a new control board and various other "maintenance" items, not to mention the multiple scatches on the exterior of the stove (certainly not performed by us considering what we paid for it - the kids have been told NOT to go near it!!) the owner has agreed, so now we wait for that to happen. Thanks for letting me vent.
 
That is nice of him to replace the stove but the fuel indicator has no real effect on the appliance i would not worry about it if that is the only real problem you have with the stove i would have them fix the scratches and keep the unit you have as the next one may have a bigger problem.
 
If he has anything but the black finish the touch up paint looks like hell. I tried some on our showroom model (which had a scratch) and needles to say we need to order a new casting now. I would want a new stove also, or at least new castings.
 
I agree....considering the cost of these stoves....if your not happy....GET what your happy with.....even if that means the same stove but a "non" lemon one. Thats great that the store will replace....good for you.
 
I'd change the title of the post. The problem is not with the stove, it's with the dealer's on site service. You need to take some photos and bring them in to the dealer. Don't do this over the phone. Speak to them politely with the intent of getting your problem solved and helping them improve service and customer satisfaction. There's no excuse for what you've described, but it doesn't sound like a big issue with the stove.
 
There have been issues with the stove, including prolonged startups (2 plus hours), among other issues. Unfortunately, the customer service we are getting now wasn't always there. In the beginning, there were unreturned phone calls, prolonged tech service schedules, etc. It wasn't until we threatened to call Matercard that the service "improved". I am not looking to scam anyone, and am fairly patient as I understand that there are other customers. However, the stove does not operate as intended, by the manual standards and according to comments from the tech. Additionally< there are way too many scratches to even try to correct them. I didn't put them on there, and would not have scrathc the stove as bad as he did, so why should I have to assume responsibility ( and liability) for them.

Joe
 
As bad as your situation is, imagine if you would have "mail ordered" this thing from a source that sells 10,000+ items (most not hearth related)! You can see why we caution against buying Pellet stoves long distance without some type of local backup. At least you were able to get someone out to the house....

A large enough % of Pellet stoves DO need setup and tuneup and troubleshooting, that it must be planned for. I hope you situation works out - you paid for one of the "best", so hopefully you should get it.
 
Webmaster said:
As bad as your situation is, imagine if you would have "mail ordered" this thing from a source that sells 10,000+ items (most not hearth related)! You can see why we caution against buying Pellet stoves long distance without some type of local backup. At least you were able to get someone out to the house....

A large enough % of Pellet stoves DO need setup and tuneup and troubleshooting, that it must be planned for. I hope you situation works out - you paid for one of the "best", so hopefully you should get it.

I couldnt agree more "admin".....I never once considered mail order....and i tell you what....THIS SITE here is what directed me in the way and HOW I chose my dealer/installer....it helped, believe me....and I thank ALL for the comments....this site is a tremendous troubleshoot and advice "go to" forum that I value ALOT.

Thanks admin, moderator and ALL....love the site.
 
AwsumSS said:
Webmaster said:
As bad as your situation is, imagine if you would have "mail ordered" this thing from a source that sells 10,000+ items (most not hearth related)! You can see why we caution against buying Pellet stoves long distance without some type of local backup. At least you were able to get someone out to the house....

A large enough % of Pellet stoves DO need setup and tuneup and troubleshooting, that it must be planned for. I hope you situation works out - you paid for one of the "best", so hopefully you should get it.

I couldnt agree more "admin".....I never once considered mail order....and i tell you what....THIS SITE here is what directed me in the way and HOW I chose my dealer/installer....it helped, believe me....and I thank ALL for the comments....this site is a tremendous troubleshoot and advice "go to" forum that I value ALOT.

Thanks admin, moderator and ALL....love the site.


I'll second This!!!!! John
 
caseyclan said:
There have been issues with the stove, including prolonged startups (2 plus hours), among other issues. Unfortunately, the customer service we are getting now wasn't always there. In the beginning, there were unreturned phone calls, prolonged tech service schedules, etc. It wasn't until we threatened to call Matercard that the service "improved". I am not looking to scam anyone, and am fairly patient as I understand that there are other customers. However, the stove does not operate as intended, by the manual standards and according to comments from the tech. Additionally< there are way too many scratches to even try to correct them. I didn't put them on there, and would not have scrathc the stove as bad as he did, so why should I have to assume responsibility ( and liability) for them.

Joe

Joe, I think you have legitimate gripes. It sounds like the stove was possibly not set up right in the first place, nor tested by the installer to ensure proper operation and a satisfied customer. There isn't any excuse for that. It does make one wonder what else was done sloppily and whether this is a stove or installation issue. Hard to tell. But nothing you've described in normal or acceptable. Stick to your guns and get it working right.
 
When the dealer told me about the Mt Vernon and all the new things it does it sounded to good to be true.I think he told me the self cleaning is only on the Mt Vernon and may come out on the rest of the line for 08???


I hope you get a new stove joe. Its the only thing i would want at this point other then a complete refund.

John
 
johnnywarm said:
When the dealer told me about the Mt Vernon and all the new things it does it sounded to good to be true.I think he told me the self cleaning is only on the Mt Vernon and may come out on the rest of the line for 08???


I hope you get a new stove joe. Its the only thing i would want at this point other then a complete refund.

John

Self cleaning is nice.....but does it chip off clinkers for you if you have them? lol or do some of the other necessary vacuuming etc...lol. The dealer also showed me an e-mail a few days after I purchased my Castille that in Jan 08 there would be a 10% price increase in the stoves.
 
Self cleaning is nice.....but does it chip off clinkers for you if you have them? lol or do some of the other necessary vacuuming etc...lol. The dealer also showed me an e-mail a few days after I purchased my Castille that in Jan 08 there would be a 10% price increase in the stoves.[/quote]


The My Vernon has to shut off when it cleans itself? The Enviro Omega keeps running while it cleans itself.

I think i would like the stove to stay running.
 
johnnywarm said:
Self cleaning is nice.....but does it chip off clinkers for you if you have them? lol or do some of the other necessary vacuuming etc...lol. The dealer also showed me an e-mail a few days after I purchased my Castille that in Jan 08 there would be a 10% price increase in the stoves.


The My Vernon has to shut off when it cleans itself? The Enviro Omega keeps running while it cleans itself.

I think i would like the stove to stay running.[/quote]
Only takes me 10 min. or so once the stove is down...I kinda like the idea of knowing that "all" crevices etc etc were vacuumed and cleaned out....for my own mind. I'm not sure how the self cleaning stoves work...I'm sure they work well.
 
The My Vernon has to shut off when it cleans itself? The Enviro Omega keeps running while it cleans itself.

I think i would like the stove to stay running.[/quote]
Only takes me 10 min. or so once the stove is down...I kinda like the idea of knowing that "all" crevices etc etc were vacuumed and cleaned out....for my own mind. I'm not sure how the self cleaning stoves work...I'm sure they work well.[/quote]


There are some great pics on here "some where" with the omega after running for 10 weeks straight.


It impressed me to a degree.
John
 
Is there something wrong with the quoting or are people doing it wrong (johnnywarm)? It makes posts really hard to read. Anyway... yes the Mt Vernon has to shut down to clean itself out. Because it is a gravity feed unit the ashes dump out the bottom of the pot. If it cleaned it out with a fire the fire would drop into the ash pan.
 
The owner called today and said that he will replace our stove and it will be in next week. I am trying to be optimistic as he is trying hard to make things right. I appreciate the fact that I have a lemon and look forward to having the stove replaced. A this point, I really do not want a refund - when the stove is running, it produces fantastic heat and it is "good looker" in my fireplace. All in all, me and the wife are willing to try it once more. It is no doubt that the model we have is malfunctioning. It goes into shut/autoclean at various cycles - sometimes in 2 hours, sometimes in 45 mins. It has multiple min firepot temp errors, and it can take up to 2 hours in start up before it gets going. I am looking forward to a well functioning Mt Vernon in the near future.
 
That sounds Good Joe. Let us know how it go's.

John
 
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