My new stove--with cord--Really?

[mszina]

Here's a pic of my new stove. When I got home, I wasn't too happy to see that the cord was not connected to my already-existing power supply. The installers claim that the Pacific Energy Summit's cord was on the wrong side to connect it to my power supply. They had taken out my propane-powered stove two weeks prior and were waiting for a part to install my new stove.

The manuel states, "The fan speed controller is factory installed under the ash lip on the right hand side. If required, it can be relocated to the left side by following the instructions below. To make this as easy as possible, it is suggested that this be done prior to fitting the surround and installation into the fireplace."

When my husband called the installer to complain, the installer told him to "read the manuel" because he didn't have one. Also, the installer said he would charge me more (I've already paid $4,500) to pull out the stove, move the stove's connection to the left side, and connect the power to the house's power supply. He also said they were more than a month out and couldn't come back until after a month.

If the installers would have put the stove's power supply on the left side, they could have connected it to my already-exisitng power supply. They would have needed to go under the house to run the power supply through an already-existing hole in the bricks to connect it. But they never even bothered to go under the house.

So, here's my question. Can this problem be rectified without pulling the stove out? My husband would need to change the power supply to the left side, then feed the plug through the wall inside the fireplace. There is two inches of clearance, and the hole is seven inches back.

If the stove needs to be pulled out, what do you suggest we do? The installer seems to have washed his hands of the issue, but I have not paid him yet. Is it ethical for him to charge me to move the stove out and change the connection when it should have been done before installation? Needless to say, I, again, am not too happy with these people (read my other post for more info). I hired professionals so that the job would have been done right. I did't expect to see a plug when I got home. We should not have to tell professionals how to do their job.

Should we call an inspector?

Thanks for any suggestions or help.

 

[begreen]

If this was an important decision, was it communicated to the installer as a requirement before the installation? If so, then the installer did not follow the requirements that were bid on. If not, then the installer did what he was contracted to do.

 

[mszina]

As customers, we were not aware of the predicament before hand. Since the installers removed a gas stove that was connected to our house's power supply, we assumed they would connect our new stove the same way. How could we have even foreseen that they would have plugged the stove into the wall? The thought never entered our minds. It would have been great if they would have given us option A or option B, but we were unaware there were any options.

 

[begreen]

Seems like a reasonable assumption. It would have been great for the installer to have asked about this, but it's getting to be their busy season and perhaps he didn't know that switching the cord location was an option. From the installer's POV I can see how this looked like a no brainer with the outlet nearby. In hindsight, it's always a great idea to download the manual and read it in advance in these cases. Have you called the dealer to ask what they think?

It's not that big a deal to remove the surround, following the manual steps. Or maybe wait until the chimney is due for a sweeping and then ask the sweep to remove the surround?

 

[mszina]

My husband called the installer this morning and told him that the stove's electrical cord could be positioned on the left side, according to the manuel. The installer told my husband that they usually just plug their stoves into the nearest outlet. My husband replied, "You can't tell me that you do this type of install in mission-dollar homes. This is not a portable stove that you move around." At that, the installer said he would be out Monday.

The installer did admit that he would have done the job differently (his sons put it in). So, we're crossing our fingers that they move the electrical to the other side and feed it through the hole. My husband can hook up the wire under the house because he does electrical. The problem is that the stove may have to be moved out to accomplish this. It sure would have been great if they could have fed the cord through the hole before they installed the stove.

My husband moved the surround, that's not the problem. The manuel "suggests" relocating in the power supply before installation "to make this as easy as possible." Some people like to do things the hard way, I guess.

 

[begreen]

Hope it all works out well in the end. That's a nice insert.

 

[firecracker_77]

As long as you have some of the money, you have a bartering chip. Use that chip. If need be, he can come and fix it in a month. At that time, he gets paid the remainder. Holding back part of the money is critical when dealing with people.

I got ripped by a concrete guy. He didn't do everything agreed to. Learned a lesson. What's right is right, and they don't get all the money until you are happy. What are they going to do? Take you to court. You have an opportunity to present in a small claims setting and let the judge decide. Business owners who are busy don't want the hassle or expense. If you win, they eat the court and attorney costs. More likely to come out and fix it than to deal with hassles.

 

[mszina]

Wonderful idea. The installer is coming out Monday. Clearly, making us wait a month was an attempt to put us off. Since we haven't paid yet, we definitely have the ball in our court, metaphorically speaking.

What bugs me are the untruths. When the installers' sons finished the job, and my husband saw that the stove was plugged into the wall (come on, it's a fireplace), he said, "My wife's not going to like that." They told him that was the only way they could install the stove because the cord was on the right side. It wasn't until they left and my husband looked at the stove and we read the manual that we discovered that the plug could be moved to the left side. Why do we have to tell them about the stove when they are the professionals? I didn't realize that I would need to research the nuances of the stove before they put it in. I'm paying them to do that.

 

[firecracker_77]

Wonderful idea. The installer is coming out Monday. Clearly, making us wait a month was an attempt to put us off. Since we haven't paid yet, we definitely have the ball in our court, metaphorically speaking.

What bugs me are the untruths. When the installers' sons finished the job, and my husband saw that the stove was plugged into the wall (come on, it's a fireplace), he said, "My wife's not going to like that." They told him that was the only way they could install the stove because the cord was on the right side. It wasn't until they left and my husband looked at the stove and we read the manual that we discovered that the plug could be moved to the left side. Why do we have to tell them about the stove when they are the professionals? I didn't realize that I would need to research the nuances of the stove before they put it in. I'm paying them to do that.

I agree. I run a small tax and acctg firm. It is my job to provide the service. If I make a mistake, I eat it.

 

[firecracker_77]

Bad news spreads much faster than good. Any decent businessman understands this and always covers his butt.

He should have said..."I'm sorry for your inconvenience and I understand your frustration. I will be out to fix it as soon as possible, which may be a month."

 

[firecracker_77]

If he was really clever, he would have told you five weeks, but I may be out in 4 since it's such a priority and then come out in 4.

 

[mszina]

I live in a small community with relatively no jobs. Being booked for a month is an outright lie. He probably has only three jobs lined up for the week, if that. Business owners here are struggling to get business. It looks like he is going to fix the problem on Monday. We'll see.

Yes, in a small community, bad news spreads fast.

 

[firecracker_77]

I live in a small community with relatively no jobs. Being booked for a month is an outright lie. He probably has only three jobs lined up for the week, if that. Business owners here are struggling to get business. It looks like he is going to fix the problem on Monday. We'll see.

Yes, in a small community, bad news spreads fast.

He's an idiot if he doesn't make you content.

 

[Blue Vomit]

The installer sounds like he owns the business. I'll bet he will rectify the situation. He has a lot to loose. On the other hand, his sons who installed the insert are probably considerably less concerned with taking the extra step and pleasing the customer. Probably more concerned with texting their girlfriends and getting to happy hour on time (I'm speaking from experience here).
Good luck

 

[mszina]

Ha, so funny. One of the sons just had a new baby, so his mind is on his new baby girl. Hopefully, the owner (the dad) will come out and see how tacky the cord looks coming from a beautiful rock fireplace. The rock goes two stories high and is quite stunning, hence my shock at finding a cord with a tag coming out of my fireplace. Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Blue Vomit]

Ha, so funny. One of the sons just had a new baby, so his mind is on his new baby girl. Hopefully, the owner (the dad) will come out and see how tacky the cord looks coming from a beautiful rock fireplace. The rock goes two stories high and is quite stunning, hence my shock at finding a cord with a tag coming out of my fireplace. Thanks for the laugh.

Sounds like a beautiful fireplace, post a full size pic so we can tell you how great it looks.

 

[mszina]

When the cord is gone, hopefully it will be, I'll take pics from my second story balcony down, so you can see the whole effect. I can't wait to see a fire in it, but I'm not in that big of a hurry. Our winters are cold here. I'm not ready to stop wearing shorts yet.