ComplaintsforAcme Stove Co.

• Initial Complaint

  09/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I will say the details I'm listing are a shortened version of the trouble I have experienced. November 2,2023 I purchased the *********** ********** efficiency wood burning insert to replace my gas fireplace ** ***** . I spent $8512.48 for the product , materials and labor. I had to wait a month for it to come from the manufacturer. It was installed on December 2, 2022. Within four days of use I experienced the door dragging on the front lip, the bypass valve got stuck, the catalytic burning system thermostat is faulty. I found out after 3 different visits, 1st man was the installer and then 2 representatives from the store that there were definitely problems. The installer told me not to follow the manual because it was in error. **** and **** each said there were problems definitely covered by manufacturer warranty because many units had the same problem nation wide due to a design flaw. I have emailed, called, been to the store and called to speak to the owner to be told he's in the field, The manufacturer number ************* message states the number is no longer in use and to go through the sales store. It is now 10 months later and no one is trying to help me after all the initial talk of guaranteed product and service. **** the owner of ACME Stoves in Maryland and Fairfax, Virginia has not followed through with his guarantee of service for products he sells in his store. I have been trying to support my local business and American manufacturing. This situation is very disappointing. My husband was killed in combat in ***********, I got out of the military to raise our minor aged children. It hasn't been easy but I used to continue to believe in the American business, if this is what it has become then it doesn't matter if I support American industry.

  Business response

  10/02/2023

  We are currently working directly with the homeowner to resolve this complaint. We will be providing a new appliance that we can be sure is undamaged and working as intended. This will be taking place within the next couple of weeks. Regarding the substance of the complaint, we acknowledge that there were serious communication issues, both internally and externally, and we are doing everything we can to correct them. The owner purchased the product from a location in Fairfax, (in fact a different business entity that is associated with our Rockville location), it was installed by a third party that was referred to the owner by our Fairfax location, and the warranty complaint was being processed through our Rockville location. Our communications processes and systems will be examined and any changes needed to avoid situations like the one stated will be undertaken as soon as possible.

• Initial Complaint

  06/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed an order for a fireplace and hearth in August of 2022. m When my order finally arrived, the hearth was not included. ACME apologized for the oversight and placed a new order, which arrived in November of 2022. They sent the wrong hearth and replaced the order. At this time, the house was still being fully renovated and I did not need to install the fireplace. This week, I hired someone to come out and install the fireplace (paid them in full). As the fireplace was being installed, we realized that ACME AGAIN sent the wrong material. I called *********************, sales associate who had been assisting me, and expressed my frustrations. I advised that they will need to send me the correct material asap and send someone to finish the installation. It is the least they can do after inconveniencing me this much. ***** called me and stated that his supervisor, *********************, advised that I have to pay for a second installation. Further, ***** had the audacity to request I return the incorrect material first before placing the new order(wanted me to drive up to the store). I advised him I will not inconvenience myself further and will bring the incorrect material once the new material has arrived and is ready for pickup. ***** only seemed to care about whether the incorrect material was still in "sellable condition" and not concerned at all with remedying ***** multiple mistakes. Truly disappointed in the treatment and service I have received.

  Business response

  06/26/2023

  To whom it may concern, In regards to the complaint included in the letters we received. Despite the names matching, The ACME Stove and **************** has two completely separate"mother branches" with three of those locations in Virginia, and the other two locations in Maryland. The correct address for these letters are *************************Rockville, MD. Their phone number is ************. Thanks, ********************* Acme Stoveand Fireplace Center- Charlottesville ******************************* Charlottesville, VA 22901 ************(Office) ************(Fax) www.acmestoveandfireplace.com

  
  

  Business response

  08/04/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ********************* <************@acmestove.com>
  Date: Wed, Aug 2, 2023 at 8:39 AM
  Subject: RE: Complaint ID ********; ***********-******
  To: drteam@mybbb.org <drteam@mybbb.org>
  Cc: ********************* <**********************************>, ********************* <*************************************>
  

  
  

  Good morning,

  
  

  We have received your notice of complaint from ***********-******. Please see our response below.

  
  

  The customer's statement that some incorrect material was provided is generally correct, however there is some additional context required. The original order was placed in August of 2022 for a firebox enclosure, a gas burner, and the media (decoration) that goes onto the burner. The sales order was for Supply-Only and does not include any charges for installation or delivery of any product. We received the materials (except for the media) on Sept 10th, 2022. We notified the customer immediately that the product was ready for pick-up. The customer picked up the product in October 2022 and at this point we discovered the media had not been ordered. Immediately we sent the customer a follow-up sales order confirming the media type they wanted to order. We sent an order for Fire Stones to the customer for approval. The customer signed the sales order and released the order on Oct 27^th. We received the Fire Stones in November and immediately notified the customer they were ready for pick-up. It should be kept in mind that the enclosure for this burner was correct and the customer was able to proceed with their installation of the enclosure, allowing for framing and gas piping to be completed.

  
  

  Some time passed until the customer hired an installer to install the burner and media. The customer claims that they paid for the installation in full, and up front. While it is unfortunate, the decision to engage in this type of practice does not involve us. It is regrettable that the installer retained the full installation charge despite not performing any work. This is not a typical practice and certainly not something we would do to a customer.

  
  

  We were notified by the customer that the media was not what was desired, and instead they had desired Fire Balls (instead of Fire Stones). It is important to note that the customer signed and approved the order for Fire Stones and the words "Fire Stones" were clearly visible on the sales order that was signed. In good faith, we agreed to accept an exchange on the media, which is not usually done with special order items. In order to use the Fire Balls, the burner would also need to be replaced as they are specific to the media. Per standard practice, we informed the customer that since this was a direct exchange and that it was a special-order item, we would need the supplied burner and media back before we could place the order for the new burner and media. They agreed to provide the product back but some days later, decided that they did not want to drive to our location and return it. I immediately agreed to come pick up the product to avoid any inconvenience to the customer and we picked up the product within 24 hours from that notice.

  
  

  The customer also insisted that we not only supply the new product but install the product at no additional cost. Unfortunately, this is not something that we are able to do. Supplying the product is an entirely different agreement than installing a gas-burning product into an enclosure that was installed by others, connecting to gas piping that was installed by others, and incurring the expenses of permitting and inspections. We offered to install the product at a 50% discount (which would have been a few hundred dollars in total) and supply the permitting and inspection at no charge (another value of a few hundred dollars). It is extremely important to note that based off of pictures we received of the installed enclosure, we would need to correct a gas piping error made by the original installers in order to meet code (specifically having an appliance connector in a concealed location).

  
  

  The customer declined to have us perform any work for any additional cost. We placed the order for the new product immediately after receiving the incorrect product back in June 2023. This is a special-order product, and it takes several weeks for the manufacturer to fulfill orders. This was explained to the customer multiple times, dating back to the original sale. Despite this, the customer continued to call us and express frustration that the order was not fulfilled in one week. Unfortunately, the customer came up with an arbitrary timeline for the order to be fulfilled that was just not possible for the manufacturer to meet. The customer also threatened to reverse the credit card charge after signing the exchange agreement (agreeing to the resolution we offered) and after being told that the order was being fulfilled as quickly as possible and it would take several weeks.

  
  

  We notified the customer when we received word the order had shipped to us. We also offered to deliver the new product at no additional charge, the day that we received it (further costs we incurred in a good-faith effort to provide the customer with what they needed). Once we received the order on July 6^th, we delivered it on site the same day. Since declining the installation quote, we have not received any communication from the customer regarding the installation of the product until this complaint, dated July 28th, three weeks after the customer received the product and the order has been fulfilled.

  
  

  We are always willing to work with our customers to correct any issues but taking on the liability of a gas appliance installation, permitting, inspections, and also correcting other workers' errors at no additional charge is just not something we can do, especially since we have already made several accommodations and incurred additional expenses to correct an issue in which both parties share some fault. These accommodations include exchanging a special-order product that likely will not sell for some time (for which we have paid for out of pocket), same-day pick-up of product from a job site for no additional cost, and same-day delivery of product to the job site at no additional cost. Our resolution offer (exchange of product) was agreed to in June 2023 and signed by the customer. This resolution was fulfilled by us on July 6th, 2023. We consider this order to be closed and have no further offers for the customer. We appreciate and understand the frustration experienced by the customer, and have made every reasonable effort to fulfill our agreements with as little inconvenience as possible.

  
  

  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions for follow-up.

  
  

  Thank you and have a great day.

• Initial Complaint

  01/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  12/05/2022 I went to Acme Stove, Rockville, MD, inquired about wood burning stove. Was told I must place order, pay for materials, then they will measure the premises. Order placed with salesman Jesse M****, check $3,385.10 paid. M**** said order can be cancelled if I change my mind. 12/10/2022 Acme Stove came to measure, the chimney is short, needs to be extended, need breaking and pouring new concrete, cost more money. 12/12/2022 Phoned Acme, left message for M****: more money and breaking the chimney are NOT acceptable. 12/13/2022 Spoke to M**** around 9:00 am. He said he may have solution of no more money and no breaking. Around 4:00 pm I phoned him back. He offered a solution of no more money and no breaking. I asked to have it in writing that it would pass county inspection. He declined, said he will issue a refund, to be mailed. Order was cancelled. 12/21/2022 spoke to M****, asked about the refund. He said it is in the mail, should arrive in 2 days. 12/23/2022 Phoned Acme, requested a call back from their manager. 12/26/2022 Phoned Acme, requested a call back from their manager. Mark T***** phoned back, said the check is in the mail, delay is due to Post Office holiday rush, said refund check number is *****. No clear answer as to when the check was mailed. 12/30/2022 Phoned Acme and was told the manager is not there and would call me back next week. 1/3/2023 Phoned Mark T*****, requested a new refund check to be issued and a callback to go pick it up at their office myself. T***** said will issue new check. Since then I have heard nothing. The original check never arrived. i do not know if Acme Stove will indeed refund my money. I do not know what is the time frame. I do not know what stage have they reached in this refund process. I would like clear and specific answers as to when I will get my refund. And I would like to receive my refund!

  Customer response

  01/20/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ******************* <*******************>
  Date: Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 5:35 AM
  Subject: Case Number ********
  To: <drteam@mybbb.org>
  

  
  

  Case Number ******** 

  
  

  January 16, 2023: 

  I went to the store in the morning, spoke to the manager, asked for my refund check. The manager said it will be ready later in the day. I sat and said will wait in the store until the check was ready. Once he understood that I was not going to leave without my money, the manager wrote the check and gave it to me.

  
  

  The issue is resolved.

  
  

  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  03/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My original complaint was filed in March of 2021. It cost me over $3000. to buy the fireplace for my townhouse, but it only worked about a dozen times. When the pandemic hit, we didn't want anyone working in our house, so we put off pursuing the complaint until the pandemic eased up. We tried repeatedly to light the pilot, which went out repeatedly. I ended up at Urgent Care, due to the sharp metal next to the pilot. I was lucky I didn't need stitches. Anyway, Acme came out to my house several times, but never fixed the fireplace. I called two other companies, ****** Chimney and ******** Plumbing. After a very long frustrating time dealing with Acme, ******** found the problem. But it cost me another $600. dollars. The real issue was the low gas pressure, when our water heater came on. I do think at the very least Acme should pay the 600. They have refused my claim. Thanks.********************* cell: ************

  Business response

  03/21/2022

  We have looked at the entire history of the job in addition to the work order from ************************ Plumbing and have reached the following conclusions:
  
  - The original complaint regarding the drafting of the fireplace (c. May 2021) was never duplicated and the chimney was able to draft correctly at each of our visits.

  - Out of good faith, at no point did Acme Stove charge the homeowner any amount for any of the follow-up diagnostic visits, despite not being able to duplicate the complaint.

  - There was a period of 1 year and 8 months between the initial complaint of the pilot going out (Feb 2020) and the second complaint about the pilot going out (Oct 2021)

  - The amount of wear present on the burner and logs is consistent with a log set being operated on a regular basis for more than one year. This wear is indicated by the degradation of the paint on the logs as well as the degradation and coloring of the paint on the burner and grate. These are common indicators that we see on all log sets that are consistent indicators regarding the amount of use an appliance has seen.

  - The work order for ************************* Plumbing makes no mention of gas pressures, the water heater, or any relation of the two to the pilot flame on the log set

  - The gas piping that supplies the log set is a 5-foot length of 5/8 ACR semi-rigid copper tubing that runs directly to the gas meter. This is much more than sufficient to supply the log set with the proper amount of gas. The only point at which the water heater and this log set would be interacting would be at the gas meter and regulator owned by ***. If there is a pressure drop at the log set when the water heater turns on, then this would suggest an issue with either the gas meter or the regulator, and *** should be contacted by ********************************************, or the homeowner, and asked to address the issue with their equipment. A pressure drop would need to take place prior to the appliance and is not an issue with the appliance itself. Considering there are no pressure readings recorded on the work order from ************************** Plumbing, we cannot offer any further insight to this matter.

  - The remote system that was replaced was documented by Acme Stove to have been damaged by heat in the 1 year and 3 months between our visit in Feb 2020 and our next visit in May of 2021. The homeowner decided not to replace the remote at that time as it was still functioning, and there was no report from the homeowner at any time of the remote ceasing to function properly.

  - The Fireplace Inspection that was preformed, based on ************************* Plumbing work order notes, was nothing more than a standard appliance inspection that the appliance manufacturer already requires, as stated in the manual. Based on the price structure outlined on the work order, no additional charges were added for the adjustment to the pilot hood and the pilot flame (which is adjusted as part of a normal service and had been previously adjusted by Acme Stove during our diagnostics). No repairs were documented to address any defects inherent with the equipment. No follow-up repairs were recommended. The unit was stated to be operating properly (as it was stated after each of Acme Stoves visits).
  
  The two charges the homeowner is asking Acme Stove to reimburse constitute a standard service and a replacement remote system. The standard service is required by the manufacturer and is a normal cost of ownership, not covered by any warranty. The remote system was replaced due to damage it sustained during the 1 year and 3-month period between Feb 2020 and May 2021 and is not the responsibility of Acme Stove, nor was it ever requested that we replace this remote system, despite two additional visits since the time it was discovered and reported as damaged to the homeowner.
  
  Of special note, it was during the period between Feb 2020 and May 2021 that a significant amount of wear to the burner, grate, and logs occurred (in addition to the damage to the remote receiver) and was documented during our visit in May 2021. This amount of wear is not consistent with the log set being used only around a dozen times and is consistent, based on professional observation of hundreds of different log sets, with normal wear over the course of more than one year of regular use OR with improper usage (such as burning with glass doors closed instead of open)which would void any manufacturer warranty.
  
  It is our decision to deny the reimbursement request for the invoice from ************************* Plumbing, consisting of a standard log service and replacement remote system.

  Customer response

  03/24/2022

  [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 as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because the response from Acme is completely untrue.  To spend over $3000. on a gas fireplace that worked only a few times is outrageous.  In one case, my neighbor actually sat there watching Acme work on the fireplace.  Another friend visited the Rockville store to try to help me. In the end, Acme said the fix was putting in an electrical starter.  That never happened.  Thankfully I found a company to thoroughly investigate the issue, but the cost was over $600.  

  Regards,
  
  *********************

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