Woodburners Two (Fireplaces and Grills)

From: K***, Jim arial, sans-serif;">Date: Thu, Jun 18, at 4:PMSubject: Response to Complaint ***To: ***
Dear *** ***:
I am in receipt of your letter referencing complaint ID ***, *** ***, *** *** ***, Falls Church, VirginiaOur company does in fact continue to honor the manufacturer warrantyHowever, in June of 2012, the ownership of the company changedWhile the name remained the same, ownership, staffing, and servicing have all changedIt is the policy of this business to perform a diagnostic service on a fireplace unit before any parts are orderedThe company has qualified, certified fireplace installers on staff who are trained to diagnose and troubleshoot issuesDue to liability issues, the company does not accept customer diagnoses on fireplacesIf the customer wishes for us to perform a diagnostic service (fee is $139), we will be happy to do soAgain, given the change in ownership, we can not perform a diagnostic service for freeWe neither sold nor installed the productWe incur a cost to send a technician out to diagnoseMoreover, with regards to the other dealers that the customer dealt with to receive warranty service, that issue is separate and not something that this company can address or resolvePlease ensure that this does not reflect negatively on the Revdex.com website in association with Woodburners PlusI am available for additional questions and clarifications should they be requiredFinally, your initial notification of this complaint was sent to the former owner of this company whose email address is inactiveHenceforth, please ensure all communications are sent to my attentionRegards,
Jim K*** * General Manager * Woodburners Two * *** *** ***, Falls Church, VA * Office ###-###-#### * www.woodburnerstwo.com

July 24, 2014Dear *** ***: I am in receipt of your letter referencing complaint ID ***, *** *** of *** * ***, ***, Washington, DCWoodburners Plus disputes this claim in its entiretyWe worked extensively with *** *** to select the correct fireplace and
accessories for his remodel jobWe prepared no fewer than five extensive quotes for each fireplace that he selected, each requiring a unique installation due to venting configurationsMoreover, what further complicated this transaction was that the customer chose to change the location of his fireplace within the home, which necessitated new venting plans and configurations, all resulting in time delays.When the final unit was ultimately selected, we did incur some delays in receipt of the productHowever, this was due to a freight company error that delivered only part of the pallet to our location and the other part to another locationWe worked diligently with the freight company to locate the missing pieces to have them delivered to our location.The customer's claim that I have not corresponded with him is incorrectIn fact, have exchanged several emails with him including making a personal delivery of a piece of his fireplace to his home, using my own personal vehicle and time.While we regret that this customer has had an unsatisfactory experience, we are only able to control things within our own enterprise, When Woodburners Plus is at the mercy of its suppliers and logistics providers (not chosen by us), we do our best to manage the issues and errors to resolution as swiftly as is possibleWe have certainly enjoyed working with *** *** and despite the delays, hope that he is happy with his purchasePlease ensure that this does not reflect negatively on the Revdex.com website in association with Woodburners PlusI am available for additional questions and clarifications should they be required,Sincerely,
Jim K
General Manager

I am in receipt of your letter referencing complaint ID [redacted], [redacted] of [redacted], Aldie, Virginia 20105. We have completely replaced the fireplace unit that suffered a manufacturer defect under warranty. Additionally, the company is working with the customer to finalize the...

installation of his fireplace. We have one final piece to install to complete his job. It is a custom-ordered facia plate and will be installed within two weeks. I have remained in regular communications with Mr. [redacted] and he is aware of the final timeline.We regret that there were delays in this project but have worked diligently and quickly to resolve them.
Please ensure that this does not reflect negatively on the Revdex.com website in association with Woodburners Plus. I am available for additional questions and clarifications should they be required.
Sincerely,
Jim K[redacted] General Manager Woodburners Plus

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
Subject:  Jim K[redacted]’s
response to Complaint #[redacted]
This is in response to Mr. K[redacted]’s e-mail to the Revdex.com dated
June 18, 2015 concerning the referenced complaint.  Mr. K[redacted] is being disingenuous when he claims
that Woodburners II honors the manufacturer’s warranty.  In our case, Woodburners representatives specifically
stated they would not honor [redacted]’s unconditional lifetime warranty despite
several attempts to have them do so. There was never any mention of a required
diagnostic service by either Woodburners representatives or in the [redacted] Fireplace
Products Warranty.
Apparently Mr. K[redacted] is claiming that the purchase of Woodburners
II by [redacted] effectively voided all warranties in which Woodburners
was the servicing entity and substituted a new requirement that requires
Woodburners to perform an expensive diagnostic service before a warranty is honored.
Notwithstanding that this new requirement (not contained in the warranty or
sales documents) was not communicated to us at any time during this ordeal, the
diagnostic service requirement is obviously just a deceitful way for
Woodburners to extricate more money from its unsuspecting customers and/or to
discourage customers from pursuing warranty claims. Poor service like this is
apparently fairly common at Woodburners as it earns just 1 ½ stars out of 5
from reviewers at Yelp.
It defies common sense to say that Woodburners needs to send
a diagnostic expert to our home (for a $139 fee) to “diagnose and troubleshoot”
a baffle that simply had a corner break off (apparently a fairly common occurrence
after several years of normal use).  The
baffle is roughly 13” by 11” by 1” (basically the size and appearance of a
brick) and costs about $35 each.  We had
brought the baffle with us to Woodburners to examine.  Does Mr. K[redacted] really expect a customer to
pay $139 to have Woodburners travel to a customer’s home to examine the same
baffle that a customer brought to them at its place of business?  For a $35 part? For an obvious and fairly
common wear and tear defect? This is illogical and foolhardy on its face.  It seems obvious that Mr. K[redacted] is trying to
obfuscate the fact that his company will do everything in its power to keep
from honoring the warranty it provided when it sold us the stove.  Yes, contrary to Mr. K[redacted]’s claim, we DID
buy the stove and have it installed by Woodburners II.  We also brought the documentation and written
Warranty with us to Woodburners on the day we were told in no uncertain terms that
they would not honor the Warranty. 
Finally, it should be pointed out that we DID contact the current owner
of the company, Mr. [redacted], the owner of [redacted]. As noted
earlier, we never received the courtesy of a response from Mr. [redacted].
In regard to Mr. K[redacted]’s request that the issues involved
in this complaint not reflect negatively on the Revdex.com website, we believe that
the facts speak for themselves and ask only that they be presented as such,
including the fact that in the seven months since we asked Woodburners to replace the broken baffle under warranty, it steadfastly has refused to do so and never did make any effort to resolve this issue. 
We want to conclude this response by mentioning that after
several months of unresponsiveness from both Woodburners II and [redacted], we were finally
able to obtain new replacement baffles from the [redacted] regional sales manager,
Mr. Gordon B[redacted], who personally delivered and installed them. He was the lone
honorable individual we met during this painful experience. 
Regards,
[redacted]

I want Woodburners Plus to refund me for the fireplace screen and door that I never received. The amount owed to me is $1,961.00. In addition, I think it should be on the record that Woodburners does not follow through on orders placed. I started the process of ordering the fireplace door and screen...

in April; I paid for the purchase in May. As of today, my order has not been filled and according to my credit card company, I have received a refund.
Please let me know if you need additional information.
Thank you,
[redacted]

I am in receipt of your letter referencing complaint ID [redacted] of [redacted], Fairfax, Virginia.
Our company successfully installed Mr. [redacted]'s fireplace. According to him, he has used it to heat his home a number of times.
Mr. [redacted]'s issues are not...

with the installation of the fireplace. Mr. [redacted] is experiencing issues with operation of the fireplace itself, which is manufactured by [redacted] Industries of Mukilteo, Washington. Mr. [redacted] has engaged our company to troubleshoot, diagnose, and ultimately, claim under the manufacturer's warranty, parts which are defective. Given that our company does not build, manufacture, produce, or otherwise fabricate fireplace units, we cannot guarantee that each component on each unit that we sell will work 100% of the time.In Mr. [redacted]'s case, we are working with the manufacturer's technical services division to remotely diagnose the issue and have ordered the recommended parts required to perform a successful repair. Our company does not warranty fireplace repairs. We are however, out of good faith, incurring the labor costs to repair Mr. [redacted]'s fireplace while the manufacturer is covering the cost of the parts.
This is synonymous to purchasing a new car, driving it for a few months, and experiencing a malfunction. The buyer returns the car to the dealership, which then troubleshoots, diagnoses, and agrees to repair the car, but only in accordance with the manufacturer's warranty. Items that are deemed outside the coverage scope of the manufacturer's warranty are billed out to the customer. While the dealership does not build the vehicle, they service it based on a compensation schedule set forth by the manufacturer. The dealership does not perform repairs without adequate compensation.
Our installations are covered by a ninety-day warranty. This warranty covers issues related to the installation of the fireplace unit, the chimney system, the electrical supply, and any associated decorative facias that complete the look of the fireplace. Mr. [redacted]'s installation was governed by the City of Fairfax through two permits: electrical permit ([redacted]) and mechanical permit ([redacted]). Both permits were subject to an inspection. In fact, during an inspection, the jurisdiction requested some additional measures be taken to insulate the electrical junction box serving the fireplace. The parts and labor for this were both covered by our installation warranty. A subsequent final inspection was then called in to the jurisdiction and both permits received a status of "passed.” Therefore, Mr. [redacted]'s claim of a non-functioning installation is false.
We are already absorbing the costs associated with resolving Mr. [redacted]'s warranty issues. We will continue to do so until the issue is resolved to Mr. [redacted]'s satisfaction. However, our business practices dictate that we maintain a level of service across our entire customer base that employs fairness and consistency at its core. We will continue to schedule service calls for Mr. [redacted] in between our already-scheduled paying service and installation calls.
Please ensure that this does not reflect negatively on the Revdex.com website in association with Woodburners Plus. I am available for additional questions and clarifications should they be required.
Sincerely,Jim K[redacted] General Manager Woodburners PlusJim K[redacted] General Manager?ffice ###-###-#### Mobile ###-###-#### Fax ###-###-####

Review: When gas fireplace was installed the damper was improperly opened all the way instead of partially. Although the gas logs were installed in 2002, I just learned about the improper installation. Also, the log set that was installed was the incorrect size resulting in the ignition box having to be placed outside the fireplace on the brick hearth rather than inside the fireplace. I'm not sure if this is actually a problem with the log set or the installation. Woodbuners Two will not inspect the work to determine if it was properly done and wants to charge an $89 inspection fee. Woodburners Two should stand behind the work done done by their technicians. I've had a number of problems with this company regarding service when the log set was initially installed regarding the ignition failing but I was able to solve the problems without involving the Revdex.com.Desired Settlement: Set the damper to the correct position without charge. Determine why the ignition box was not properly placed inside the fireplace and correct without charge.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: Customer requests references to the [redacted] codes re: the requirement of open dampers. Customer will also discuss placement of ignitor with other companies to determine if this is standard practice vs the improper irecommendation/installation of logs.

Regards,

Review: There are several issues involved in my complaint. The first one being that an employee (first name: Stewart) of this company requested that I pay by cash or check made out to him personally and he would discount the fireplace doors. I should have discontinued doing business with this company after that incident but I was assured everything would be handled in a professional manner after that problem. The next issue was that the company charged my credit card $1,961.00 on May 13, 2014 with the promise of delivery and installation within six weeks. When the product did arrive, it was 7" too short one way and 5" too short the other direction. This company did the measuring for the custom fireplace doors. After that problem, the manager assured me that he would personally see to it that the correct measurements would be made and a new order placed. He said that he would put a rush on the order as I had already waited too long. I believe that date was June 14, 2014. As of today, July 29, 2014, I still do not have my fireplace screen and doors.Desired Settlement: I want the corporate office of [redacted] (owners) to know about the issues of Woodburners. Their top management of the corporation needs to know the type of employees they have working for them and they need to be aware that Woodburners does not deliver on their products.

Consumer

Response:

I want Woodburners Plus to refund me for the fireplace screen and door that I never received. The amount owed to me is $1,961.00. In addition, I think it should be on the record that Woodburners does not follow through on orders placed. I started the process of ordering the fireplace door and screen in April; I paid for the purchase in May. As of today, my order has not been filled and according to my credit card company, I have received a refund.

Review: On 31 Dec 2012, my wife and I ordered a gas insert fireplace (Regency Model) after receiving an estimate for the cost of installation and the unit. Our credit card was charged 50% deposit (charge was completed 3 Jan 2013). We were instructed at the time of ordering that the company, Woodburners Two, would be in touch for the initial steps of installation (electric and gas line). No contact was received by Woodburners Two until 15 Feb 2013, when I was called by one of their staff to ask me how I was enjoying our fireplace, which had not been intalled. I was assured that someone would call back; no one called back as promised.

On 19 Feb 2013, having not received a call I contacted Woodburners Two and spoke to [redacted]. He researched my case and told me that the original order had not been placed. He also discovered that the unit that was supposed to be ordered was incorrect for what we wanted (a direct vent gas insert). He stated he would place the order after we confirmed the style and unit, which was done on 19 Feb 2013.

Since that time we have not received any contact from Woodburners Two. Both my wife and I called on 18 Mar 2013; I left a message requesting a call back and my wife spoke to a representative who assured her someone would call back later that day. She did not receive a call back either. To date, Woodburners plus has a 50% in the amount of $2984.85 without promised services or product.Desired Settlement: Professional, proper installation of the ordered gas insert, associated electric and gas lines, and accessories to city code within the next 2-3 weeks

Review: I contracted with Woodburners Two on March 26th to inquire about a turnkey installation of a gas fireplace in my home. Their contract was to provide for ordering and installation of the product. I subsequently met with representatives from Woodburners Two and their professional install team on 2 occassions, with a contracted installation and delivery date of April 24/25th. A contract for these services was signed on April 10 and payment was made to Woodburners. After missing their required installation date, I attempted on 2 occassions to have the installation rescheduled and to get the job put back on track - they were unable to do this. We eventually agreed that I would receive the parts and firebox unit from Woodburners, as it had already been ordered, but that the installation job would be handed over to another general contractor of my choosing (as they were unable to keep to schedule). Disruptive works began in my house to ready for the installation (holes in walls, floors, penetration of roof, gas line installation, etc.) the week of May 13, based on the word from Wooburners that all product was in and would be delivered to me on May 14. Despite several inteventions, and agreement for expedited shipping, the company was only able to have the bulk of the delivery onsite on May 28. Unfortunately, not all parts were delivered, and to date I have still be unable to complete installation. Last week, I paid another delivery surcharge to have the remaining venting materials guaranteed for delivery by last Thursday, June 5. They have still not arrived.

In summary, I contracted for works to be completed by April 25th. I subsequently narrowed their scope of work only to include product delivery, and even that has not bee completed some 6 weeks later. In total, this job, and the disruption caused to my house, will have lingered for more than 2 months behind schedule, and over a month's construction for what was to have been a few days time. My contractor costs are now escalating and I have had to paid for 2 professional cleanings of my house while we await parts mid stream. My GC says it is the worst experience he has ever had with a fireplace provider and would not be using them ever again for any DC/VA jobs. I have contacted their General Manager an additional 2x this week alone to try and resolve this latest matter, but I have had no acknowledgement of my correspondence.Desired Settlement: To date, the GM has offered a a paultry $300 credit on a job that was worth right at $10k for them (actually $19k had they kept to their original commitment). Even that credit was offered a month ago before the latest round of problems. That does not seem a reasonable remedy on a job of this size for them, nor given the amount of errors they have caused during this experience. I am recommending a 20% reduction in the unit price to pay for my contractor's cost overruns and the general disruption. Frankly, they don't deserve any margin or markup on this sale.

Business

Response:

July 24, 2014Dear [redacted]: I am in receipt of your letter referencing complaint ID [redacted] of [redacted], Washington, DC. Woodburners Plus disputes this claim in its entirety. We worked extensively with [redacted] to select the correct fireplace and accessories for his remodel job. We prepared no fewer than five extensive quotes for each fireplace that he selected, each requiring a unique installation due to venting configurations. Moreover, what further complicated this transaction was that the customer chose to change the location of his fireplace within the home, which necessitated new venting plans and configurations, all resulting in time delays.When the final unit was ultimately selected, we did incur some delays in receipt of the product. However, this was due to a freight company error that delivered only part of the pallet to our location and the other part to another location. We worked diligently with the freight company to locate the missing pieces to have them delivered to our location.The customer's claim that I have not corresponded with him is incorrect. In fact, have exchanged several emails with him including making a personal delivery of a piece of his fireplace to his home, using my own personal vehicle and time.While we regret that this customer has had an unsatisfactory experience, we are only able to control things within our own enterprise, When Woodburners Plus is at the mercy of its suppliers and logistics providers (not chosen by us), we do our best to manage the issues and errors to resolution as swiftly as is possible. We have certainly enjoyed working with [redacted] and despite the delays, hope that he is happy with his purchase.Please ensure that this does not reflect negatively on the Revdex.com website in association with Woodburners Plus. I am available for additional questions and clarifications should they be required,Sincerely,Jim KGeneral Manager