ComplaintsforHasty Heat

• Initial Complaint

  02/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a small stainless steel tube grate heat exchanger and a fireback accessory to passively distribute heat from a wood fireplace on 3 December 2023. The online merchant is hastyheat.com and total purchase price for both items was $1015, including shipping. The website description of the item(s) claims the "tapered Fanless Fireplace Grate heaters...naturally convect providing silent heat, improving the efficiency of any fireplace." In use, the heat exchanger does nothing at all. No heat is transferred into the room from the fireplace. After trying it twice, the ambient air temperature, measured from the middle of a 12'x15' room didn't change by a single degree, remaining at 69F for hours. The bottom of the website does have a link to Returns and states "We will withhold the cost of shipping we incurred by your purchase, as well as assess a 20% restocking fee to used returns" so I recognize, as a buyer, to beware of these conditions should I need to return the item. However, I feel the website and advertising is misleading and the response from the merchant, when I addressed that the item doesn't work, responded, "if it is the lack of heat output, this is why we recommend getting one with a fan if power is available. The fanless put out heat like a leaky faucet, whereas adding a fan is like turning the faucet on." Who would willingly spend a grand for a leaky faucet, out-of-the-box?

  Business response

  03/11/2024

  That is great, our response is below:

  
  

  The custom fanless fireplace grate was built to the customers specifications, it cleared QC, and was delivered to the customer as he ordered it in good condition and upon delivery no shipping damage was mentioned. Upon unboxing the customer was satisfied with his custom item and did not message us about any damage or flaws or other concerns. Upon building fires in and using his item for a while he was underwhelmed by the heat output of this fanless item that relies on the natural convection of rising hot air to emit heat back into the home from the fire. The item was not defective, it did just not perform up to the customers expectations.

   
  The customer emailed us, he requested a return authorization, and we issued him one. After he shipped the used item back to us we issued his refund according to our published used item return policy.
  
  As to the efficacy of this fanless convective fireplace grate we custom build to fit the individuals fireplace and needs. We are not the only manufacturer offering fanless fireplace grate heat exchangers on the markets, there are several others that have been available similar in form and function to ours for decades. The physics of natural convection works the same everywhere on earth.
  
  Our fanless grates in the last 4 years have received over 80 positive replies by customers happy with the heat output of their natural convection fanless fire grates:
  
  Below are the 2 most recent reviews in the customers own words:
  "Great apparatus
  I purchased the small fanless grate. I am really happy I did. Does it put out a lot of heat No, but I didnt expect it to. It heats up my small living room about 5 degrees more than room temperature and I am really pleased. I highly recommend this company."
  
  "very satisfied
  easy set-up...i wanted a tube type fanless exchanger for emergency use in case of power outage, and have the option of running my own usb rechargeable fan if needed, this is perfect.."
  
  The fanless grate heat exchanger we delivered to this customer may have not met his expectations but it most certainly did function properly.
  
  In the last year we have sold about 50 fanless grates, only 2 of which were returned by dissatisfied customers which included this return by **************** #****
  
  We understand that all customers may not be happy with their purchases and we do have an easy published return policy for this which we adhered to in this customer's case. Since an item that has been used having had a fire burned inside it cannot be simply restocked as new we state there will be a 20% restocking fee, when customers return unused unburned items we waive this restocking fee. The unrecoverable costs of shipping the item to the customer to look over and or use are stated to be a refund deduction.
  
  We have acted in a fair and prompt manner to handle the return and refund of this customer's order.
  

  
  

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