DESERT FIREPLACES & BBQ'S

Would give 0 stars if possible. This company took my order and deposit for a product that was never provided. That was back in July of last year. Song and dance about parts shortages ensued and I was patient. Now I have been demanding my refund since December and they are still holding my money and constantly claiming to be processing my refund. This is a shady company- beware!!

We worked exclusively with Chris from the original discussion about our requirements through the fulfillment (or lack thereof). While he may be part of a multi-store business, I hold him exclusively responsible for the experience we had. Bottom line, Chris’ inability to communicate accurately on delivery dates – something fundamental to construction timelines, delayed the installation of our fireplace two weeks, and his failure to order the correct materials based on his own installation suggestion cost us another week and $177.50 in “restocking” fees at the wholesaler… which he claimed to be surprised by. Given that Desert Fireplaces and BBQ’s has been in business out in Palm Desert for years, and this is the wholesaler he works with, I find that difficult to believe. Given his dodging of my calls, his unwillingness to credit us for the remote we never wanted or received, and his claims that he had vans in the shop making it impossible to deliver the fireplace on time– when it appears he works with a delivery service – all add up to an integrity issue as well as a communication issue. All in all, I would highly recommend that you work with someone else. Above is the gist of it. Below is the whole saga. On March 11th we visited Desert Fireplaces looking for information. We described our situation (limited budget, modern look). We had already gotten one quote for running the fireplace ducting straight up through the roof. Expensive. Chris suggested that we run it through an external wall, avoiding the added expense of work on the roof. Awesome! We discussed routing it through our attic crawlspace and out the side of the house near the roofline. On 3/13, he sent me a link to a fireplace he thought would work for us. Great! I called him and placed the order. He said they could deliver it to our home, and that it should arrive within three weeks. Based on this I anticipated getting it on 4/3. I asked him for referrals to install the fireplace. He gave me one name. I called, and called, and then the guy I called told me he had a guy, Diego… and Diego would come out to give us a quote. We scheduled a visit, and he couldn’t make it (my truck was in an accident, my phone was out of charge, the dog ate my homework… you get the idea). We tried to reschedule, and after many many calls, finally did manage to get Diego to come out and look at the job site. Meanwhile I had my plumber install the gas line. With so many problems with Referral #1, I called Chris and asked for another referral. Referral #2 came out seemed very professional, and left promising me a quote in three days. I never got the quote. I called, I texted, nada. Diego finally came out, looked soulfully at the wall where we wanted the fireplace, declined to go into the attic to see where the ducting needed to go, and left. Never to be heard from again despite many follow-ups. I’m a project manager. I get stuff done. I know how to work with multiple individuals to achieve a deadline. I was a bit perplexed. Meanwhile Chris has confirmed that the fireplace will arrive on 3/24, a week early. Yay! But no fireplace installer in sight. All this time we (myself, my wife, and a tile guru) are working on a whole house tile job. On 3/21 the tile guru gives me a name and I call, and the fireplace guy comes out the next day. He gives me a quote for all the work in 24 hours and I hire him immediately, telling him that the fireplace will arrive by 3/22 – maybe 3/24 at the latest… because in between Chris and I have had a conversation about his no-quote referrals and he’s said that they’re usually quite reliable, and oh by the way, the fireplace will arrive on Wednesday. Not maybe. Not, it looks possible. Not, it will be in the wholesaler’s warehouse on Wednesday. It will be in my garage. So my new fireplace guy says he’ll stop by Friday afternoon (3/24) to look at everything that’s been delivered and make sure we have all the material he needs. Thursday arrives, and the fireplace + ducting does not. I call Chris. Chris tells me that he thinks the fireplace is in “our warehouse”… but he has no way to get it to us because his vans are both at the mechanic’s. If my contractor or I wish to drive to Ontario (72 miles away), we can go pick it up. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait until the manufacturer delivers it – probably around next Wednesday. I have a sedan, no fireplace is coming home in that. So I call my fireplace guy and tell him that the materials won’t be there on Friday, but might be there on Wednesday. He says, call me when you have it and I’ll come on over. My fireplace guy and my tile guru jointly saved me from losing my mind… showing up on time, and telling the truth. So it’s now 3/29, the fireplace and ducting is delivered by some random delivery guy. He says it’s all here and breezes off. I call my fireplace guy and he comes out the next day, and lo and behold, Chris has ordered less ducting than I need, he’s ordered rigid ducting, and he hasn’t ordered an elbow to turn the venting run from vertical to horizontal, and the termination is for a vertical run on the roof. Several calls later he is ordering flexible ducting, an elbow, and telling me that the warehouse (no longer “our warehouse”) charges a 25% restocking fee. So despite the fact that he came up with the bright idea to run it through the attic to the side of the house, it is now my loss. Whatever, just get me the ducting so that my fireplace guy can install it. My fireplace guy comes on Monday 4/3 to frame out the fireplace and install the firebox. So another 353.21 worth of ducting later (including restocking fee) is supposed to show up on Friday, 4/7. Friday morning arrives and I call Chris to confirm that it will be in my house because my fireplace guy is scheduled to show up on Monday 4/10. He does not pick up the call. I call him twice more. Then I have my wife call him. He picks up immediately. “Oh sorry. The ducting is in the warehouse in Ontario. You can pick it up or have your contractor pick it up.” Yeah. So my Wife tells him that she will pick it up, and please text or email her the address, etc… 40 minutes later, nada. She calls again, and Chris tells her, “I’m really busy with a customer right now.” An hour later, my wife drives over to Palm Desert (17 miles the opposite direction of Ontario) and walks into the store where she finds not a customer in sight, and Chris sitting back at his desk. Meanwhile, I’ve sent Chris an email warning him that she is on her way, and telling him that I am not satisfied with the service we have received. He never responds. No surprise there. She gets the address and an invoice from Chris and drives over to Ontario. I look at the original invoice and discover that we have been charged $99 for a remote. This was another conversation I had with Chris. I don’t want a remote. I don’t trust them, and I’m happy to go over and flip a switch to turn the fireplace on when we want it. Also, no remote was delivered with the fireplace and ducting. My wife mentions this to him, and he says he’ll “investigate”. On 4/10 the fireplace is fully installed and by 4/15, the tile is up and everything is copacetic. I won’t even go into the order for river rocks (4), which I can’t tell whether I got charged for or not because they’re bundled in with the $239 charge for the burner… which is a separate charge from the firebox itself. Whatever. It’s now 4/23 and no credit for the remote. I also noticed that he has charged an extra $68.37 than the original invoiced amount for the firebox and all materials.

unknown

Punctual to the minute with a first class installation. Clean up was super. He took all packaging and other materials away and the house was just as clean as when he arrived. Friendly and very competent installer. I plan to use this company again in January to refit my outdoor fire pit.

unknown

THEIR SERVICE WAS GREAT. ONE THING THAT WAS VERY GREAT IS THAT THEY WERE ORGANIZED AND NEAT. HAVE NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT THEIR SERVICE. THEY OFFERED HIGH QUALITY.