Said it months ago & it still makes sense ---- for all of us

[muss]

As i've said before on this forum, I feel very strongly that every pellet stove manufacturer should hold a free or nearly free 1/2 day workshop at their dealers to run us thru the hows & whys of our stoves. I don't know 'bout you folks but $2700 was & is a big chunk of change . I think the workshop would elimenate alot of our trial & error . Muss

 

[Lobstah]

Completely agree.
It would make good dealers better, and weed out the bad dealers up front. Should be a requirement from the manufacturer that goes with every stove.
I sent a fairly detailed account of my lack of support from my dealer to Travis Industries.

Jim

 

[kinsmanstoves]

We do at least one open house a year for customers and anyone else who wonders in off the street for hot dogs and beverages. This year we will go above that with the Harman Stoves arriving.

Eric

 

[Sting]

Doesn't it appear (sometimes) owners know more about the daily operation of the appliance than the builder - or the lowest bidder that installed it?

If it were not places like this -- how could we share that wealth?

 

[tinkabranc]

Both my dealer and the installation guys walked me through the basics on how to operate
and clean my stove.

The rest of my learning comes from everyone here at hearth.com

 

[Lance1]

Training would be great from shops, however, the only "pro" in my town is known for his stupidity. He would definitely benefit from manufacture training or maybe, even reading a manual.

Thank you for this forum!

 

[rowerwet]

My CB dealer didn't know much about my stove, CB sent a rep and they held a one day open house. Most of the info was for OWB, but I found out the basics for installing my pellet boiler there. My dealer found out most of what he told me about operating my maxim from another customer who got his stove fired up very quickly.
I found out just about everything here, You guys are great!
My dealer is going to get a Maxim next year (2009) so he will have a better idea about the maxim, He already has a CB OWB.

 

[Xena]

I dunno, I'd think the Dealers wouldn't be
too interested in this for us do it yourselfers.
Might be beneficial for them to do something
like that for the owners of stoves they installed.

 

[Bushbuck]

a simple solution would be that a dealer must attend a service course as to how the stoves that they sell actually operate. There are some dealers on here that really know there product, but I think it mostly comes from there experiance in the business.
Unfortunitly this is not limited to this business alone. There are many retailers that do not have a clue as to how the product they sell actually works. You dont need a license to sell. As with any product that you purchase that may require service in the future, it is our job to find a retailer that we feel is competant to handle our questions.
Most of the time it is not nessessarily the dealers fault, it is the consumers fault for simply looking for the lowest price, and then expecting the highest quality service.

 

[Rickster]

I agree.
But $2700?
I am in for almost double that amount, and that's with doing my own install and hearth pad.

 

[bungalobob]

I agree.
But $2700?
I am in for almost double that amount, and that's with doing my own install and hearth pad.

I feel your pain.

 

[foldsct]

I got pretty much NO training at all................I am one of those that got their stove off the internet.

If it weren't for 2 great, very close friends who have had one for over 8 years, and this forum...............I'd be screwed.

 

[glassman]

I did a lot of learning on this forum before I got my pellet stove. My installer went through just the basics, then the owner ( a good friend) stopped by a couple days later, and made sure I was happy with install etc. I surprised him with my knowledge (thanks to this forum) this is definitely the best forum I have ever seen.

 

[wilbilt]

Along the same lines, it would be nice for pellet manufacturers to stage trainings for retailers and consumers on the proper storage, transport and care of pellets. The stove manufacturers might want to get in on it too, as crappy pellets can make a good stove look bad.

 

[lass442]

I would think that a half day workshop for new stove owners would save them a million phone calls and a half a million unnecessary service calls, not to mention the customer referral base it would build! A short-term and long-term investment by my view.
Hold it on a Saturday morning, serve coffee and donuts and have a rep from each manufacturer ( or at least one manufacturer... the one who wants to promote their product head and shoulders above all the others ). Great idea! Even invite a few pellet suppliers.
If I were a dealer, I wouldn't put it together for just anyone; I'd do it for my own customers and friends they want to bring.

 

[wilbilt]

If I were a dealer, I wouldn't put it together for just anyone; I'd do it for my own customers and friends they want to bring.

If I were a dealer, I would use the opportunity to gain some new customers.

 

[nautiquer95]

These are all very good points. Being a new owner, stove operation - with all of the possible setting combinations to generate maximum heat/comfort levels while minimizing fuel consumption and combustion by-products are not very intuitive to me, but I'm learning. Based on all of the questions throughout this forum, especially the ones that are asked again and again, I believe many would agree that not only would owners benefit from a training course, but as wilbilt said, dealers may benefit by attracting new customers as well. I tried to learn as much as I could from the forum members here before making any final decisions. I especially wanted my wife to realize the maintenance that was involved in pellet stove ownership before making such a commitment and - to us - a large investment.

Training on operation, maintenance, and repair played a role in our decision since offering a half day class is exactly what our dealer does. I was recently asked by one of the members here why I didn't do the install myself and forgot to mention this as a factor. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the last class. I am on a calling list for the next session and my wife and I will both be attending it.

Although I am the first to admit that the dealer had his own agenda, he was willing to (and did) come out to the house, have a look around, ask many questions, and advise us regarding the best placement of the stove. He also told us that he would be happy to take our money to perform maintenance and repairs for us, but that with a little instruction most people can perform nearly everything required themselves.

The only part of our install I did was build the hearth. That experience alone gives me great respect for anyone who did their entire install themselves. I will continue to frequent this forum in an attempt to suck the knowledge from all of your brains.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

We do at least one open house a year for customers and anyone else who wonders in off the street for hot dogs and beverages. This year we will go above that with the Harman Stoves arriving.

Eric

DUDE! hot dogs? im there , when is it??????

 

[stoveguy2esw]

I did a lot of learning on this forum before I got my pellet stove. My installer went through just the basics, then the owner ( a good friend) stopped by a couple days later, and made sure I was happy with install etc. I surprised him with my knowledge (thanks to this forum) this is definitely the best forum I have ever seen.

i have built stoves for better than 15 years , and i learn stuff i didnt know that i can pass on to my customers constantly in here. i agree its the best out there for its diversity of members and backgrounds. i guarintee i have learned far more than ive "taught" in here.

 

[imacman]

I agree Mike. This forum is a treasure trove of information. Just when I see someone post a threat about an obscure stove or some part needed for one, and I think to myself "nah, they'll never get an answer to that one", someone comes up with some info.....it's amazing.

I have NO dealer contact for my stove in my area, since the place i bought my Astoria from got taken off Travis list because of poor service (and then went bankrupt), and the other 3 in the area refuse to talk to me since I didn't buy the (dealer used) stove from them. So I HAVE to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can. Their just cutting off their nose to spite their face.....I won't buy any parts from them unless I absolutely have to.

This forum and all the great members is a godsend to me. Thanks everybody!

 

[lass442]

If I were a dealer, I wouldn't put it together for just anyone; I'd do it for my own customers and friends they want to bring.

If I were a dealer, I would use the opportunity to gain some new customers.

Absolutely. Use evite or mail out postcard invitations to all new stove owners & offer a token gift (some small stove related item) if they bring/refer a friend who's considering buying a pellet stove.

Our dealer is very reputable and gains new business through word-of-mouth; they may feel a workshop would be unnecessary for adding to customer base. However, the time it would save them in service related phone calls would make it worthwhile, I'm sure.