Anyone bought from fires4u?

Mr_Proctalgia

Esse stoves are very good quality and still widely sold, also you can get Mica from these people Here

I have an Esse 300 and it often goes for 24 hours on one fill of smokeless fuel.

bagathacat

If you're thinking of buying a gas fire/ woodburning stove from an online dealer, please bear in mind that the majority of manufacturers will not supply to these people - they have bought them in bulk from another dealer. Most manufacturers will have a recognised dealership network set up. I work for a firm who supply and fit gas and woodburning appliances, and all of our suppliers have asked us not to sell or advertise prices on our website. You will find that the majority of manufacturers will not guarantee any of their products if purchased from an unauthorised dealer, so if you have a problem with the fire, you may find that you have no guarantee whatsoever, and not a leg to stand on. The prices may be more expensive when you buy from independent retailers like us, but you get your guarantee and aftersales care in with that price.
For the guy looking at mica, another good supplier is https://www.calfire.co.uk
Also remember that if you're fitting a woodburning/ multifuel stove yourself, you must get building control approval and a certificate of compliance with the building regs (you have to pay of course). You're best off looking for a HETAS registered installer in your area - they should leave you with a certificate of completion and data plate. HETAS are for woodburning and solid fuel what CORGI are for gas.
Hope this helps people.

moonrakerz

bagathacat wrote: »

If you're thinking of buying a gas fire/ woodburning stove from an online dealer, please bear in mind that the majority of manufacturers will not supply to these people - they have bought them in bulk from another dealer. Most manufacturers will have a recognised dealership network set up. I work for a firm who supply and fit gas and woodburning appliances, and all of our suppliers have asked us not to sell or advertise prices on our website. You will find that the majority of manufacturers will not guarantee any of their products if purchased from an unauthorised dealer, so if you have a problem with the fire, you may find that you have no guarantee whatsoever, and not a leg to stand on. The prices may be more expensive when you buy from independent retailers like us, but you get your guarantee and aftersales care in with that price.

I'm afraid this smacks of a bit of "protectionism" and price fixing, they are trying to frighten you ! If one "recognised dealer" is telling you not to buy over the net, then is selling fires in bulk to a web trader - pots and kettles spring to mind !!!!
Apart from which the manufacturer of an item is not responsible for supporting any guarantee - the supplier is.

If you buy over the net, it is nearly always by credit card; if you have a problem that the supplier will/can not rectify, the credit card issuer has as much responsibility for those goods as the supplier.

bagathacat

You may get your money back via your credit card, but you can then be stuck with an appliance that requires parts, and your supplier will not be able to provide them, as the manufacturer will not supply to them. Believe me, we get plenty of people in who have bought appliances from the net and are in this situation - they've been left high and dry by the supplier and we have to charge them for the parts.
Our suppliers, with whom we have dealerships, do not supply to these web traders. Unfortunately, some of the dealers will buy in bulk and then sell them to third parties who then sell them on the net. Our suppliers are trying to crack down on this, but trying to find out where they came from can be tricky - retailers are losing dealerships for this reason alone.
Yes, I may be biased because I work for a retailer, but then I see the fall-out. I'm more than happy to buy books/ DVD's/ etc from internet suppliers, but with something as expensive as a gas fire or stove I'd buy from a recognised dealership who are trained in the products and know what they're talking about, and who can offer me a guarantee. If someone has a problem with a fire bought from ourselves, they can come back to us for up to a year and we will work like hell to get the required part or the replacement fire, within a week. We get to know our customers and build up a relationship with them, so they know that they have someone to call on if they have a problem - we even give them stuff for free, like glass cleaner or fire cement or even a pack of fuel, just because we work by word of mouth, and need to keep our customers happy.
As I said, I may be biased, and if people want to buy stuff on the net, they're more than welcome, but I just wanted to warn people of the potential problems.

melb

Thanks to all for their helpful suggestions - and telling me the right name for it! Has anybody any idea how much I might expect to pay (very roughly) for A Hetas engineer to fit the new mica and install our Esse fire. I actually think it is meant to to burn coke or coal rather than logs as the area for the coal is quite small with a little chicken wire like grate under where it goes. The stove is very old - I tried to do some research on Esse when I first bought it from a junk shop/antique shop but couldn't find anything much about it. Anyway, any suggest ions as to cost would be very welcome - we're in Leeds (not that that is probably relevant).

bagathacat

You can contact Esse on 01282 813235 and they should be able to give you more information on your fire - they may even be able to supply you with an instruction manual!
I would phone around a few HETAS installers to get quotes for fitting - if you need a flue liner installed, you're looking at approximately £1,000 plus VAT (the retail price of 316 grade twinwall flexi liner in our area is currently about £94 plus VAT per metre!), plus any parts for the stove. HETAS's website - https://www.hetas.co.uk - will provide a list of registered people in your area, and it's worth getting at least 3 of them out for quote comparison. They should provide a free of charge on-site quote.
Replacing the mica should be a DIY job, but most installers will do it for you.
Hope that helps (oh, and bear with Esse - they can be a little slow at times!!)

moonrakerz

bagathacat wrote: »

Y
Our suppliers, with whom we have dealerships, do not supply to these web traders. Unfortunately, some of the dealers will buy in bulk and then sell them to third parties who then sell them on the net. Our suppliers are trying to crack down on this, but trying to find out where they came from can be tricky - retailers are losing dealerships for this reason alone.

I would hazard a guess and say that the Office of Fair Trading would be interested in this - Resale Price Maintenance was made illegal years ago !

I say again - this is scaremongering !

deca_321

my advice to any1 who wants 2 buy a gas fire is = dont bother, gas fires r more hassle than they r worth. A corgi gas man told me that once. Stick to just rads, much easier and no risk of gas leaks which may ruin your floor boards.

hilary1

I've ordered my Roco from a local well established company. I asked for trade price ( I do actually work at a builders) and they reduced the price by £150, which ends up a lot cheaper than fires4u.

Because when I investigated further the price you first see is without the frame which then made it the same price as the shops

I still paid by CC for added protection and am very happy with the deal.

Just need a decent reliable plumber now:rotfl:

Poppycat

Well we have just rads and the price of heating the house when we want too its well daylight robbery. I simply cant afford to heat house up from 4-11 every day and thats without mornings. We only have a coal fire which is almost new, thats going out and putting a living flame in. Had one before in old house and it was brill anc heap to run but I didnt get a cheapo fire but a good economy one

The best fires are those old fashioned fires with the grills in or whatever they called.

deca_321 wrote: »

my advice to any1 who wants 2 buy a gas fire is = dont bother, gas fires r more hassle than they r worth. A corgi gas man told me that once. Stick to just rads, much easier and no risk of gas leaks which may ruin your floor boards.