Problem with gas fire

[2Grumpy]

I got a new gas fire suite delivered from a shop & installed by local fitters (Corgi registered - not through the shop - they don't install) in October

 

It's an open coal effect fire,

 

We didn't use it for the next few months, but when we did (twice for a total of an hour) the back of the fire became discoloured in the centre & you can see spots where metal is showing through

 

I phoned the shop who got the manufacturer to call (xmas eve) to see what the problem might be. They said to re-arrange the coals so that the flames come throgh differently. They started blaming the installers for letting the flames touch the back of the fire. (There's very little space between the coals & the back of the fire.) There's no mention of this in the manual - avoiding flames touching the back of the fire.

 

The manufacturer is talking about examining the fire in the new year to see if it was assembled correctly. I'm concerned that they will try to blame the fitters who will blame the manufacturer & I will get left with a useless fire!

 

I think that the fire looks fine apart from the damage. The installation/user instructions are rubbish.

 

Can anyone advise how I can avoid getting stuffed?

 

I was thinking that I would try to get the installer to be here when the manufacturer comes to look so that they can decide between them what's wrong.

 

As far as I am concerned the fire isn't fit for its purpose.

[freakyleaky]

Have you been in touch with the installers? If the fire is not working properly then the first call should be to whoever installed it. The fire was complete and in good order bfore they fitted it so I would think the installation was not as it should have been.

See what they have to say first. If they are a reputable company they should be helpful and put right any minor faults.

[2Grumpy]

Installers haven't been very good at calling back (xmas I think)

 

They are used by a national diy shop so should be ok

 

I really think that it's the fire at fault though. It came as a kit of parts so it hadn't been tested before delivery.

[2Grumpy]

Well it's the new year now, and I am still trying to get this fixed

 

The importers of the fire keep saying that they are nt sure that it's one of theirs from the serial no - the distributors re-badge them, although they say that it sounds like the flameproof back lining is missing!

 

I have sent photos to the importers - a salesperson saw them before forwarding them to a manager said that they did not recognise it but thought that if it was one of theirs then there was an internal ceramic piece missing as well.

 

None of this is in the installation manual - presumably they should have been in place.

 

I'm keeping the shop in the loop - because they are the ones ultimately responsible for getting this resolved. I was put through to a customer services manager on Wednesday who tried to get things going quicker, but things are still going so slowly.

[2Grumpy]

At the end of last week I was still waiting.

 

It's obviously the fire at fault - the flames are uneven with most at the centre.

 

The shop (a national DIY chain) were passing me on to their supplier who said that their supplier would phone but never did

 

The shop's customer service line & escalation were no good.

 

In the end I contacted consumer direct & got a reference no, then I sent 2 letters special delivery to the customer services dept & registered office.

One letter was a complaint about the customer service

One was a letter saying that I wa dissatisfied with the fire & was rejecting it & required a replacement plus installation. I also emailed copies to the company secretary of the parent company.

 

Next day I got a totally different attitude from their supplier

They were going to get replacement parts sent off from their supplier, when I said forget it, I had already sent a letter rejecting the fire to the shop (he obviously knew that).

He rang back a bit later to say that my replacement fire would be delivered on Thursday & they were contacting my original installers to install it.

 

When I got home I had 2 messages

1 the shop chain MD's secretary saying that the fire would be replaced

2. trading standards checking on how I was getting on

 

At least things are moving now:)

[2Grumpy]

An update on this - a bit late - this finally got sorted at the end of January

 

I got a new fire delivered & installation paid for

 

The ceramic bits were damaged on the new fire so they sent some new bits

 

The new bits didn't fit properly - they left a small gap between the ceramic bit that the fames went through & the back of the fire, so they sent another then a company director with another

 

Turns out that they were sending the wrong ceramic bits with the fires (on all that they had sold), there should be a gap, that's why the back of my original fire was scorched!

 

Good job I persevered when their first comment was "you can expect a bit of discolouration, you can get a spray to cover it up"