Woodys Fireplace, I think not (Avalon, Honesdale: sales, 2009, house)

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

I posted an informational thread a while a ago asking for a good place to purchase a pellet stove. Many had highly recommended Woody's in Honesdale and I felt good about going there. We got a quote and told them we would be back in a couple of weeks. First, I have to admit my first impression was not that good. The sales women were not friendly and you almost had the feeling that they really did not want to deal with you. Aside from that we continued to do businesss with them.....that is up until today. We came in to make the deposit and one woman was very non caring and arrogant - she said she has no more Pellet stoves left and the one we were going to get are all gone. That means the manufactuer is not making any more until 2009. Disbelief, is a understatment.

I know if I owned that business, I would have called the customer and said, look, I know you need this item but we are running out fast. We would have run up there in a heart beat. No one told us anything and the sales person that we dealt with pretended not to want to even explain herself.

Lets go back to running businesses and being nice to people. A little kindness goes a long way and something bad..........news travels faster than the speed of light. So, with what just happened and the fact that we had been there several times, the nice thing would have been was to pick up the phone - how about a little hometown niceness - If good reputation spreads then people want to buy what you have.

The unfortunate thing right now is that pellet stoves are so much in demand - the only available stoves are wood and gas. I would not patronize Woody's based on what happened.

[thecoalman]

If it was Harman then they are to blame more than Woody's. They were taking orders since the spring and giving delivery dates to the dealers they could not meet. One dealer I know made a special order stove in May, was given a delivery date of late June and then was informed sometime in July he wasn't getting it to March. Chances are whatever you were looking at was sold a long time ago to someone else even if it wasn't a Harman, e.g all those people that had Harman's ordered and down payments got first pick of what was there. From my understanding other manufacturers have done the same thing but not to the same degree Harman did.

Here's an article from mid July: Pellet stove orders go unfilled

Any manufacturer making alternative heating systems like pellets or coal is in this position now, if you want a coal boiler you're probably waiting until spring. Smaller stokers and hand fire stoves are getting backed up until the start of the new year.

You can try Dan at The Fireplace Gallery in Noxen, not sure what he has left: (570) 298-2150

[wanneroo]

From the research I've done, pellet stoves are not impressive due to supply difficulties with pellets and the cost of the pellets. I haven't heard anything good either from those that bought them.

My sister was in a bad spot with an old house with no insulation and after researching it she bought a clean coal stove which is in the living room downstairs. It keeps the whole house warm and she spent only a few hundred dollars for heat last winter.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

If it was Harman then they are to blame more than Woody's. They were taking orders since the spring and giving delivery dates to the dealers they could not meet. One dealer I know made a special order stove in May, was given a delivery date of late June and then was informed sometime in July he wasn't getting it to March. Chances are whatever you were looking at was sold a long time ago to someone else even if it wasn't a Harman, e.g all those people that had Harman's ordered and down payments got first pick of what was there. From my understanding other manufacturers have done the same thing but not to the same degree Harman did.

Here's an article from mid July: Pellet stove orders go unfilled

Any manufacturer making alternative heating systems like pellets or coal is in this position now, if you want a coal boiler you're probably waiting until spring. Smaller stokers and hand fire stoves are getting backed up until the start of the new year.

You can try Dan at The Fireplace Gallery in Noxen, not sure what he has left: (570) 298-2150

Hello Coalman,
Thanks for your input. We ended up at the Fireplace Shop since we need one in a hurry. They had only one left plus the floor model. We had got one from them for our first house and dealt with a guy name Rich who was very nice. It wasn't a Harmon, but I believe a Avalon. When we ended up at the Fireplace Shop - he told us that people all over are coming as far away as Syracuse, can you imagine?

I thought since we had a prospective order and we had everything set up the least Woody's could have done is to called. If people just go the extra step it can make a big difference down the road with future recommendations.

We love the pellet stoves and had very good success with the first one we bought. Everyone is heat conscious this winter and the cost of everything is soaring. Even the pre-paid oil deliveries from Pocono Oil exist no more.

I think the one we picked is a Quatra Fire, and nice looking stove, small and heats up to 1,500 square feet!

The Hat

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

From the research I've done, pellet stoves are not impressive due to supply difficulties with pellets and the cost of the pellets. I haven't heard anything good either from those that bought them.

My sister was in a bad spot with an old house with no insulation and after researching it she bought a clean coal stove which is in the living room downstairs. It keeps the whole house warm and she spent only a few hundred dollars for heat last winter.

Hi wannaroo,
We are second time users of a pellet stove and like them. The pellets are not expensive. A fourty pound bag for five dollars and change and the new one can even burn corn. We had one in the old house and it heated just about the entire house. They are easy to keep clean and are relatively quiet. They came out with a really neat wood stove that looks like a time capsule and you wouldn't mind putting it anywhere in the house - very modern looking............but I can say I am glad we got one.....it looks like a cool winter soon.

[MermanMike]

Hey Hat,
Sorry to hear you didn't have a great experience at Woody's. I've dealt with the one in Larksville, so I guess the sales staff in Honesdale is not as great. I think the pellet is a great idea, cleaner and easier, my only concern is the need for electricity. Where I live, I like to have a supply of heat that doesn;t rely on the grid in case of an outtage.

You may be interested to know that a sustainable energy group I work with is planning an event for September 16 called Forest Fuels. We will have 3 speakers, ranging from tree farmers to technical experts talking about the future of forest fuels, particular the use of pelletizing since there is a big push to set up a pelletizing plant in the area. We will not focus on the typical split wood kind of heat available since most people know about that, and it's not relly sustainable if we all started heating that way anyway, but with all the forest and construction waste in our area, pelletizing could be a totally sustainable source of heat for many if we approached it correctly.

The event will be at the Damascus Twp Community Center, 7 to 9pm on September 16. I will post about it again to let everyone know when the date is closer.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by TheHighHat

The pellets are not expensive. A fourty pound bag for five dollars and change

Bulk coal was about $160+ a ton delivered in the summer or $130 a ton if you picked it up yourself. 1.5 ton of pellets = 1 ton of coal. Your cost is about double that of coal if you're paying $4 a 40Lb. bag. The only advantage pellets have over coal is less ash.

Getting back to Woody's I guess they could have mentioned the demand but then again how customers are going to consider that a pushy salesperson? Damned if you do and damned if you don't. If they only had 2 left it might have been wise to put a down payment then. If you were looking at them as recently as even 2 or 3 weeks ago it surprises me they had any left at all. They are pretty much sold out across the Norhteast U.S. for anything that burns coal or pellets, the wood stoves will be next..

The one guy on my forum had a coal stove and ordered a new Harman in the Spring. In the meantime he sold his old one then found out he wasn't getting a new one until sometime after January in late July. He got lucky and found the last floor model at one dealer, it wasn't what he wanted but at least he got one.

There's lots of people in similar situations to you many of them that ordered months ago with full expectations of having them by now.

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by TheHighHat

I posted an informational thread a while a ago asking for a good place to purchase a pellet stove. Many had highly recommended Woody's in Honesdale and I felt good about going there. We got a quote and told them we would be back in a couple of weeks. First, I have to admit my first impression was not that good. The sales women were not friendly and you almost had the feeling that they really did not want to deal with you. Aside from that we continued to do businesss with them.....that is up until today. We came in to make the deposit and one woman was very non caring and arrogant - she said she has no more Pellet stoves left and the one we were going to get are all gone. That means the manufactuer is not making any more until 2009. Disbelief, is a understatment.

I know if I owned that business, I would have called the customer and said, look, I know you need this item but we are running out fast. We would have run up there in a heart beat. No one told us anything and the sales person that we dealt with pretended not to want to even explain herself.

Lets go back to running businesses and being nice to people. A little kindness goes a long way and something bad..........news travels faster than the speed of light. So, with what just happened and the fact that we had been there several times, the nice thing would have been was to pick up the phone - how about a little hometown niceness - If good reputation spreads then people want to buy what you have.

The unfortunate thing right now is that pellet stoves are so much in demand - the only available stoves are wood and gas. I would not patronize Woody's based on what happened.

Hi H.H.!! How does a pellet stove work?? I've never heard of it!!(hangs head in shame...) Do you really need electricity to work it??

When we lived up north we had a Vermont Castings Soapstone stove that worked great (AND looked like a piece of fine furniture to boot!!) It had some kinda "catalytic" device in it that even burned the smoke from the wood & cut down dramatically on the creosote build-up in the chimney!!

I let the stove go with the house (don't need any heat here where I am!!) & I miss watching the fire through the glass (with a nice cup of mulled wine....)

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

Bulk coal was about $160+ a ton delivered in the summer or $130 a ton if you picked it up yourself. 1.5 ton of pellets = 1 ton of coal. Your cost is about double that of coal if you're paying $4 a 40Lb. bag. The only advantage pellets have over coal is less ash.

Getting back to Woody's I guess they could have mentioned the demand but then again how customers are going to consider that a pushy salesperson? Damned if you do and damned if you don't. If they only had 2 left it might have been wise to put a down payment then. If you were looking at them as recently as even 2 or 3 weeks ago it surprises me they had any left at all. They are pretty much sold out across the Norhteast U.S. for anything that burns coal or pellets, the wood stoves will be next..

The one guy on my forum had a coal stove and ordered a new Harman in the Spring. In the meantime he sold his old one then found out he wasn't getting a new one until sometime after January in late July. He got lucky and found the last floor model at one dealer, it wasn't what he wanted but at least he got one.

There's lots of people in similar situations to you many of them that ordered months ago with full expectations of having them by now.

Hi Coalman, We wanted to put a down payment but they told us to come back in 3 weeks when the house was ready to be checked and fitted for the pellet stove. Since they knew we wanted it, it would have been nice if they called, we would have gladly gave them a deposit. Just the decent thing to do. The unfortunate part is that they did not even care, it was like they have the monopoly and know it.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by MermanMike

Hey Hat,
Sorry to hear you didn't have a great experience at Woody's. I've dealt with the one in Larksville, so I guess the sales staff in Honesdale is not as great. I think the pellet is a great idea, cleaner and easier, my only concern is the need for electricity. Where I live, I like to have a supply of heat that doesn;t rely on the grid in case of an outtage.

You may be interested to know that a sustainable energy group I work with is planning an event for September 16 called Forest Fuels. We will have 3 speakers, ranging from tree farmers to technical experts talking about the future of forest fuels, particular the use of pelletizing since there is a big push to set up a pelletizing plant in the area. We will not focus on the typical split wood kind of heat available since most people know about that, and it's not relly sustainable if we all started heating that way anyway, but with all the forest and construction waste in our area, pelletizing could be a totally sustainable source of heat for many if we approached it correctly.

The event will be at the Damascus Twp Community Center, 7 to 9pm on September 16. I will post about it again to let everyone know when the date is closer.

Hi Merman, I should have went to Larksville! Oh, well you live and learn. I think it is a great thing you are doing looking at the future of what we will be dealing with in the future. We have to find an alternative form of energy. Please keep us posted and thanks for all the valuable information you bring to the forum.