Is Harman Giving People the Shaft?

 
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dkononczuk
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Post by dkononczuk » Tue. Oct. 28, 2008 7:07 am

I ordered mine VF3000 in mid May and got a call last friday that my pickup date is in first week of november...

Dan


 
bigchunk
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Post by bigchunk » Mon. Nov. 24, 2008 12:45 pm

a Harman dealer told me that Harman will not just throw a bunch of stoves together just too make the needs of stove buyers. they make a quality product and stand behind their name. the people who scoffed about wood stoves and pellet stoves and especialy coal stoves. are now holding their hands out . the ones who said its just easier to push a button or turn a thermo stat are now reaching for alternate methods of warming there houses. and Harman cant keep up. sooo whos to blame. some folks have never even heard of these companys before, they were never interested with the old school methods. its incredible theres stove shops all over now who say they sell coal stoves
. what you mean people want to burn coal now. the coal mines cant keep up with the demand either. I was told by a coal dealer. so wtf. right?

 
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Nov. 24, 2008 4:09 pm

bigchunk, the issue is they were giving delivery dates as early as the mid summer for stoves they could not make delivery on until now or into next spring. Let me give you one example as to why this bad business. One forum member here ordered a stove and was given delivery date of somewhere in July I believe. In the meantime he sold his existing stove only to find out he's not getting one for quite some time. He lucked out and was able to find one but it wasn't what he wanted. As for the people that ordered them and are still waiting how many of them lost the chance of getting another product with the expectation of having a Harman already installed?

That is the issue, not Harman's inability to meet the demand.

 
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Post by bigchunk » Mon. Nov. 24, 2008 8:28 pm

its a total bummer that a situation like that happened. the stove dealers hopefully exsplained the situation to the customers. the dealer I get my supplies from is very honest to there customers. they actualy broadcast a infomercial to the public on tv and exsplained that those who ordered a stove before the heating crisses happened would get the stove when it was exspected to arrive. and anyone now who wanted a stove would have to wait until the spring or early summer to get one because the jump in sales with Harman is huge all over the country. stores are out of Harman stoves everywere my dealer said that everyone of his pellet stoves, wood stoves, and coal stoves were bought out of his store he is the largest Harman dealer in ny state. he had to borrow some breckwell pellet stoves to put on display cause his were all gone. and because Harman puts pride in there product they wil not slap a stove together just to sell it in a hurry plus the workforce isnt as big as some would think. if someone realy wanted to stick with Harman they were gonna have to wait there turn. my friend is a installer for this place he said its unreal how the stoves were taken out of this store so fast and how many angry people were in the store and some were even crying becouse they didnt know how they were gonna make it this winter. I don't believe that any stove company right now is trying to give anyone the shaft. we cant let the world and its b.s. get the best of us right now. Harman is a good american company why would they want to loose customers by f/ing people around.what do they have to gain . btw this was inevitable many folks have been murmering about this for a long time, I visit different stove dealers now and then and thats been the talk for quit some time. the fact that this running out of stoves could possibly happen and folks should be prepared for a event like this.

 
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Nov. 24, 2008 9:02 pm

bigchunk wrote:harmon is a good american company why would they want to loose customers by f/ing people around.
Good question but that's what happened. Someone dropped the ball somewhere. You can't blame the consumer for being mad if they were given a delivery date.

Go back to the very first post in this thread from July 17....

http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/ ... 40413.html
Rocky Gaslin of Rocky's Stove Shoppe in Augusta learned Tuesday that Pennsylvania-based Harman Stove Company is unable to deliver more than 300 pellet stoves promised Gaslin just a few months ago.

Harman dealers across the state were given similar notices this week, Gaslin said.

"We sold based on the number they said they would give us. Then they changed (the numbers)," Gaslin said. "I'm extremely frustrated. People are counting on them."
Assuming the article is accurate at some point Harman should have told the dealers what the situation was... There was one Harman dealer who I beleive mentioned in this thread that he ordered a stove in May. they told him June then waited until July to tell him he wasn't getting it until next March. Is that fair to either the dealer or the customer?

 
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Post by bigchunk » Tue. Nov. 25, 2008 11:08 am

someone dropped the ball somewere. I like that, I will go with that ! its human error somewere. maybe someone will get in trouble for that or already has and that is now making people look twice at the company. its realy a shame and its too bad:( maybe some one will have a better exsplanation for this after its all over .

 
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Post by CoalHeat » Tue. Nov. 25, 2008 10:14 pm

This thread has been going since July. I guess no one at Harman has the internet or ever does searches on Google.

I did, and I actually found a statement from a Harman rep, or at least the page states it's from a Harman rep. Too bad it wasn't posted here.

http://woodpelletguru.blogspot.com/2008/07/letter ... ative.html

Maybe one of us should try to tell them we exist!

For some reason I can't get excited about wood pellets... ;)


 
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Post by bigchunk » Tue. Nov. 25, 2008 11:32 pm

wood pellets are abundent. I drove by the pellet factory in skyler ny that place is just pumpin em out. I got rid of my pellet stove. :oops: would like another one just for sh#ts and giggles but I guess I will have to wait if I want a Harman :mad:

 
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Post by MrMikie » Tue. Nov. 25, 2008 11:47 pm

I think everyone that was lied to should cancel their orders. Then maybe a company like that would wake up and stop treating people like dirt. :x

I feel fortunate that when I started looking at stoves, I preferred the Leisure line and a guy like Jerry that treats people the way he would like to be treated. :D

 
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Post by gambler » Wed. Nov. 26, 2008 8:13 am

bigchunk wrote:wood pellets are abundent. I drove by the pellet factory in skyler ny that place is just pumpin em out. I got rid of my pellet stove. :oops: would like another one just for sh#ts and giggles but I guess I will have to wait if I want a Harman :mad:
I think that a lot of pellets are going overseas. I know from reading other forums that people in the northeast can't find pellets.

 
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Post by CoalHeat » Wed. Nov. 26, 2008 8:18 am

As I stated before-buy your next new coal appliance from one of the manufacturers that has representation here on this forum.

Nothing like getting answers to your questions right from the horse's mouth.

There are exceptions , such as Keystoker and AA, you can call and get help. Any manufacturer who I cannot call and get help and parts right from the source wouldn't get my $$$.

 
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Post by heatwithcoal » Wed. Nov. 26, 2008 8:35 am

I live in Western Massachusetts and can say pellets have been in short supply which is one of the reasons I switched to coal this year. This year I did get my pellets but only because I ordered and paid for them in July at 270.00/ton, and didn't get them until the end of October and they came from PA. I am now selling my pellet stove with 2.5 tons of pellets. This almost pays for my new LL Econo. A friend of mine got a call from a local pellet supplier and they were asking $418/ton :shock: :shock: :shock: YES $418.00. Can you say "price gouging" I think the pellets were actually trucked in from Michigan.

Mark

 
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Post by Richard S. » Wed. Nov. 26, 2008 8:49 am

How can they possibly sell them for that price? Its cheaper to use oil or anything else for that matter. Even if oil was $5 a gallon you're still not going anywhere.

 
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Post by heatwithcoal » Wed. Nov. 26, 2008 9:05 am

I am not sure, I know they didn't make any sales to him. I just checked an online dealer.They want $348/ton delivered. ABSOLUTELY INSANE

Maybe people buy the stove then are hell-bent on burning? Maybe people don't do the math?

(love your signature Richard)

 
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Post by titleist1 » Wed. Nov. 26, 2008 10:03 am

"Maybe people buy the stove then are hell-bent on burning? Maybe people don't do the math?"

I think its the old....give away the razor and make money on the blades mentality!!! Although they certainly aren't giving away the pellet stoves! :D


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