American-fireplaces

My wife and I decided to install electric fireplace inserts in our two fireplaces. After doing some online research we chose the Heat&Glo SF-INS35. After putting in my zip code the Heat&Glo website directed us to American Fireplace, Sevierville, Tn, as the closest distributor. This was about 45 minutes from my home in Knoxville. I called the number and talked to "Jerry" who informed me that "they had just had a $100 increase in price" the day before my call. After negotiating we agreed on a price of $2,850 for two inserts which would be shipped to American Fireplace. I was told that I would have to pick them up in Sevierville in two weeks. This price was "out the door" including tax and shipping. After being notified that the units were ready for pick-up I drove to Sevierville and presented my Visa card for payment. The cashier told me there would be a 3% charge for using credit which I refused to pay. She begrudgingly processed my payment and I loaded the units and left. I installed the first stove and was pleased. I had a question during the installation which was not clear in the the instructions so I returned to the internet for information. My search using the model number revealed a distributor in Cleveland, Tn offering the same unit for $325 dollars less. I called and talked to "Joe" who was very nice. He verified the price. I did not mention my previous purchase. My wife and I decided that we would purchase another unit from the Hearth and Grill Sales, Cleveland, Tn, if we could return our remaining unit to American Fireplace. After driving to Sevierville we were informed that the unit could not be returned because it was a "special order." We argued that it was not a special order and that it was a back order. We were then made to wait over an hour until "Jerry" returned to the store. We realized that our return was subject to a 20% restocking fee but we asked not to pay that amount because we bought one stove which we were keeping. After negotiating for 15 minutes we agreed on a refund of $1,300. I ended up saving $100 and Hearth & Grill shipped the new stove directly to my home. Heat&Glo makes a good unit but they should be embarrassed by their Sevierville distributor. I could have saved myself some grief if I had read reviews. It is now obvious to me that American Fireplace in Sevierville, TN is less than reputable.