Northern Fireplace Ltd. (Saskatoon)

Our natural gas fireplace kept going out and also the pilot light went out. Serviced on Oct 22, 2015 at the cost of $366.81. Quit working again,Natural gas fireplace installed by Northern Fireplace in Oct/94.Serviced in Sept 2001 as wasn't working. We paid $69.55 and problem wasn't resolved, reported to Revdex.com as they wanted to charge again. Fireplace worked okay until Feb/05 when we called [redacted] and it was cleaned. Bill was $98.44. Total service done again in Oct, 2008 by [redacted], $118.13. Problems again in Oct, 2015 as it wouldn't stay lit and pilot light kept going out.Serviced by Northern Fireplace on Oct 22, 2015. Thermopile replaced, $65, service call, 281.25 at a total of $366.81. Spring of 2016, acting up again. We called Northern Fireplace July 12,2016 as pilot light would not stay on. We were told if they came back it would cost $125 per hour. They couldn't tell us what they could do to fix it so we are stuck. [redacted]Desired SettlementWe would like the problem resolved: fireplace and pilot light to stay on as goes out in about one minute.Business Response In regards to Mr. [redacted]'s complaints, there are many points and reasons for this: 1. Mr. [redacted] gives a detailed list of the service calls he's had in the past 21.5 years. He's stated that the insert was serviced 4 times in that span. [redacted], the manual states that 'The appliance and venting should be inspected before initial use, and annually by a qualified field service person'. From his own statement, the unit has not been maintained according to the manufacturer's specifications.2. [redacted] The manufacturer's initial warranty covers parts up to a period of 2 years, well after the first indication of a problem (reported in September, 2001).3. [redacted], has changed their name to [redacted] in the late 1990s, and is part of the larger group, [redacted] there is a 90 day warranty period for all replacement parts beyond the initial warranty period. As stated above, the initial warranty was up in October, 1996, so the warranty on this part would have been done on roughly January 22, 2016, and therefore before the spring of the year (when he called in again to report the problem).4. He says we 'couldn't tell us what they could do to fix it'. This is a true statement. We cannot diagnose the problem over the phone. Chances are the thermopile is still good, but since it is past the 90 day warranty period, there is no guarantee of that. It could also be the valve, or another part that has lasted, so far, for over 20 years! These parts need to be checked by a qualified service technician ([redacted]) on site. Also, since these parts are not returnable after purchase, we would not want to misdiagnose a problem, have a customer or another technician buy a part, and have them replace a part that doesn't need replacing, while not solving the problem. Another reason we won't diagnose over the phone, is because it may be a venting issue. This is a b-vent unit, requiring indoor air for combustion. If there is a negative pressure situation where the unit does not vent properly, the pilot light can keep going out, again something that cannot be diagnosed over the phone. Yet one more reason why we cannot guarantee that the insert can be fixed, this model has been discontinued in the late 1990s, and not all parts are still manufactured for this unit. There is a distinct possibility that the insert cannot be fixed, and the entire insert would need to be replaced.