Flue and Flame

Failed to order part as statedUpon completion of service call diagnostic the technician indicated he would order the needed part required...after hearing nothing for 2 1/2 weeks I called for an update...apparently nothing had been done!! They indicated they would need to order the part now and wait the 2 weeks previously promisedDesired SettlementRefund of service call $179.00 as they failed to do as promised!!!Final Consumer Response /[redacted]/Issue has been resolved, I wish to withdraw my complaint...THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

Rusting of Napoleon Grill purchased less than a year ago.I personally stopped into Flue & Flame on Friday April 10, 2015 about the rusting of my grill. I waited a long time and talked to [redacted], the owner. She asked me to take pics and sent to her which I did within a week. I was asked to do because she said she would contact her local supplier. Since that time I have called three times and only get an automated phone system where No One ever answers and have left three messages and never a response. Today I took upon my self to research the manufacturer and have contacted them directly about the quality of the product and the issue with their retail vendor who is not responding.Desired SettlementI am not a hard person, only one who expects a business to respond and do what they say they will do. If the whole grill is defective then it should be replaced and if not then at least the area that is defective. I purchased from them in an attempt to support small locally owned businesses and as a result it appears a poor decision on my part. The real disappointment is that the owner gave me her business card, I did what she asked and she has done nothing.Business Response /[redacted]/Contact Name and Title: [redacted], OwnerContact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]@flueandflame.comMr. [redacted] visited our store on April 10, as he states in his comments. He expressed concern about areas of rust on the right side shelf of his Napoleon grill. I asked him to email pictures and informed him I would forward those photos to the manufacturer of the grill. I let him know that Napoleon will review the issue and I would reply to him as soon as I heard from them. Often warranty claims can take several weeks.I received the pictures from Mr. [redacted] on April 12 and immediately forwarded the email to my contact at Napoleon, along with the model number and serial number of the grill, as per protocol.Almost two weeks later, on April 24, Mr. [redacted] left a voice message for me. I was out of the office for the weekend but, upon my return, I proactively followed up with Napoleon Dealer Services, inquiring on the status of the warranty claim. I then returned Mr. [redacted]'s call to inform him that I did not yet have an answer from the manufacturer. During this conversation, Mr. [redacted] was quite terse. He harshly informed me that he had contacted Napoleon himself - spending 2 hours on the phone with customer support. During the conversation, Mr. [redacted] also informed me he had filed this complaint with the Revdex.com and threatened to take to social media to cause harm to my business name, because of an apparent lack of response from me. I tried multiple times to explain that I had followed procedure and sent the images to the manufacturer. I also informed him that I had contacted my dealer representative. He kept insisting that he was a "reasonable person" and insinuating that I had failed to do my job. I am a small business owner - at the forefront of nearly every single transaction my company conducts. I personally know and remember many of my clients and, in seven years in business, I have never had a customer unleash such wrath. In my shock, that one of my valued customers would express such anger and hatred toward my company and me personally, I failed to ask what resolution Napoleon customer service proposed to him during that 2 hour phone call...At the conclusion of our phone call, Mr. [redacted] provided me with a deadline. Either I respond to him by May 11 or he follows through with his threat. Further, he stated he would "find people on social media" to assist him in carrying out the defamation of my company.Ten days passed since that conversation. Again, I contacted Napoleon dealer services twice. I emailed Mr. [redacted] on the morning of May 11, informing him that I had not yet heard from Napoleon. I decided to review his images, something I had not done prior to sending them to the manufacturer. What I found was quite interesting. Fortunately, Mr. [redacted] sent very high-resolution images. I enlarged them and found what he called "rust" to look more like grease splatter, barbecue sauce, food particles, even a ring from a beverage can! In my email, I stated, "I just wanted to provide you with an update. No one from Napoleon has responded, yet. One thing I recommend to assist in pushing this through - clean the side shelves with a stainless steel cleaner. We recommend Barkeepers Friend or Bon Ami - something that won't scratch the surface. When we enlarged the images you sent, we saw many areas of what appeared to be grease splatter, dried food, and a ring from beverage/condiment can. Napoleon makes an excellent quality grill and will stand behind their product but until the debris is removed, they aren't going to be able to see any rust or determine a next course of action."Later, on the afternoon of May 11, I spoke to the manager of the Dealer Services department. She apologized for the delay and explained that the reason I had not heard back was because their department had marked the case as closed. You see, what Mr. [redacted] failed to inform me or the Revdex.com of is that Napoleon Customer Service reviewed his pictures during that 2-hour phone call he had on April 29. At that time, they too recognized the food and grease, and the ring from the beverage can on the right side shelf. They informed him that any metal barbecue tools he leaves laying on the shelf can leave rust deposits but that does not indicate that the shelf has any manufacturer defects or is rusting. They recommended he clean his grill. Further, they offered to ship to a complimentary bottle of stainless steel cleaner!So, interestingly enough, Mr. [redacted] DID receive a response from the manufacturer in a timely fashion, as a result of me forwarding his photos promptly. Unfortunately, it was not the response he wanted so he unleashed a furry on me. Fortunately, as a company, we have been blessed with thousands of wonderful, reasonable customers over the years who appreciate the quality products we sell and take pride to care for them properly. As for next steps, Mr. [redacted] should have received his bottle of stainless steel cleaner by now. He has not replied to my email or returned my phone calls as of yet. Provided he uses it per manufacturer recommendations, I'm certain he will once again enjoy cooking on his Napoleon grill. Consumer Response /[redacted]/The response from the owner contains many false statements and some statements she makes not knowing all the facts. I NEVER threatened to make entries on social media....I DO NOT use it or know how..I am 70 years old. Her statement from a picture that the stains were food related is complete false and I find insulting as it states that I am dirty and do not take of things..just FALSE statements... she certainly does not know me or my actions. As to replies from the manufacturer I did not hear back or receive directions from them until Friday May 9th as I have been away from all types of contact. The reply from the manufacturer was this was surface rust that can happen with 400 series stainless steel and they sent a cleaner to me. What I have learned is this dealer showed little response and always said she had contacted her sources. I called another dealer in another state told them my issue and they put me in touch with the manufacturer who was most helpful..these are things as a consumer I though the dealer I purchased the unit from would do. As to not hearing from me I did receive her e-mail yesterday morning and did not reply as it was insulting basically telling me I did not take care of things and it food dirt on the grill. Then there was a V/M left for me at home that I received after arriving home from a day of volunteering. Do to her false statements about the dirt and food things and tools I leave on my grill I will not be replying to her e-mail or v/m. The company Napoleon gets a 10 in their response, direction and follow up..this dealer really did little to nothing until I turned the heat up then it was I am working on it. Would not purchase from this dealer again. Final Business Response /[redacted]/We are glad to hear Mr. [redacted] received the bottle of cleaner sent to him at no charge. As he states, the manufacturer "gets a 10" for addressing this issue. Clearly, this bottle of cleaner resolved his issues. We are pleased to continue to represent this brand of grills. We wish Mr. [redacted] many more enjoyable meals from his Napoleon grill!Final Consumer Response /[redacted]/(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)the local business did not help in resolving anything...Would not recommend