FLORIDA FIREPLACE SYSTEMS

unknown

:Mr. Simonton was, in the end, instrumental in referring us elsewhere. I appreciate at least one fireplace 'expert' who was able to isolate who MIGHT be able to do the work. Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the services of anyone who will refit the flu, making our fireplace (still ) unusable. I appreciated this company not just giving us a 'no' and would, for that reason, use them in future.

They are polite but completely unreliable. Don't waste your time.

unknown

The previous owner had installed a large Thermidor kitchen range hood with a roof mounted blower. Apparently rather than cutting a new hole for that vent he disconnected the gas fireplace vent pipes and ran the range hood 25' across the attic and into the chimney leaving the fireplace to vent into the attic. He also bent up the pipes from the fireplace venting and used them to support the duct he ran to vent the hood. Florida Fireplace Systems was able to track down replacement parts for the fireplace even though the manufacturer is no longer in business. Everything for the fireplace was restored back to the way it was before the previous owner mangled it. They also fabricated a stainless plate for the roof top blower from the hood to sit ,remounted the blower on the roof, reran the duct work from the hood and hooked the wiring back up for the hood. I am now able to safely use both the fireplace and hood. The staff was extremely helpful and really went out of their way to help me rather than just selling me something new and they made several trips to my property to properly coordinate the work with the roofing contractor that was replacing my roof at the same time.

We first noticed a leak into our fireplace when it rained really hard. We contacted our roof contractor who examined the fireplace chimney area of the roof and quickly realized the chimney cap had failed and what we really needed was a new fireplace chimney cap. As mentioned above we contacted Florida Fireplace System and they took it from there. On both trips out to our house, the tech. was very thorough, he examined our fireplace box inside the house so he could determine the make and model and then supply the appropriate chimney cap, and then patiently explained everything up on the roof so I could understand the problem and what was going to be required to fix the problem. On the second trip out he installed the new cap and our problem is now resolved.

Fireplace Xtrordinaire wood-burning fireplace insert in Virginia home, manufactured by Travis Industries, ceased working, and no service was available for that area. With online Users Manual, tenant identified the part needed and asked us to provide it. An online search indicated Florida Fireplace Systems (FFS) was an authorized dealer for this manufacturer. A single call was all it took for FFS to contact the parts supplier and take our order by phone, with the part to be shipped directly to the tenant in Virginia. While this service that FFS provided would produce almost no profit for them, they handled it quickly and professionally, and I am grateful for the customer focus.

Very Good

Could not have been a better experience.

Contracted with local installer to install gas fireplace log set. On 11/17/10/ installer arrived and was unable to complete installation due to set being defective. Electronic pilot light did not work. Called Fla. Fireplace Systems and allowed installer to speak with owner to explain the problem. Following their conversation, owner asked me to return the set so that he could order me a replacement under the warranty. Since I had to pay the installer who was not able to complete the job, I asked if Fla. Fireplace Systems would make me whole for the amount that I had paid my installer ($85). The answer was yes. I returned the set to their place of business on 11/17/10 and upon delivery requested that I be reimbursed for the extra round trip to Pinellas Park (68.2 miles) at a rate of $.50 per mile. The answer from the owner was a resounding No. From that point forward, things went downhill in a hurry and I asked that I be refunded for the purchase of the unit. I was given a refund and left the business after some additional unpleasant conversation with both the owner and his representative Cynthia. I have had no further contact with the business because I consider the refusal to compensate me for having to make an extra round trip, at the owner's request, unreasonable. I simply can't understand why he considers is unreasonable to compensate me $34 (mileage rate based on my employers mileage rate) for my time and effort in returning the unit as he requested. Instead he would rather lose the entire sale rather that take a reduction of $34 plus whatever their installer would charge. After all, his price of $1,200 is approximately $200 more that the unit can be purchased for elsewhere, and he would still be making a reasonable profit. I am so strongly convinced that my position is right, that I am willingly absorbing the initial installers fee of $85 even though I must pay for installation a second time.

I did not use the fireplace until the weather began to get cold, in the winter of 2009/2010. The inner surface of fireplace safety glass began to get sooty with continued use. After consulting the owner's manual, and finding that soot was normal in a new fireplace, I kept using the firplace for another couple of months. The fireplace LOOKED good and provided good heating, but the soot eventually built up to the point where I called for service in February, 2010. I called Florida Fireplace and Tony returned. He arrived, unbelievably, without tools, and cleaned the inside of the safety glass and the Fireback Liner with Windex and paper towels which I provided. He also repositioned the fireplace logs on the burners and said that the soot on the logs was too heavy and it indicated that an adjustment was needed to prevent the heavy soot buildup. He told me I could continue to use the fireplace safely, but that I should have the hearth stone removed by our granite supplier so he could get the access needed to make the adjustment. Before we could get the granite removed, the fireplace glass exploded with a mighty "WHUMPP" and sent tiny bits of glass flying through the steel safety mesh onto my living room floor. We used the emergency shut-off and called Florida Fireplace Systems immediately to report the damage. This time Cynthia Kay Shasteen, the owner of the company, came to our house with a genuine, State of Florida Certified, Gas Technician named Brian who was introduced as a sub-contractor operating under the name At Your Service Gas and Piping. Ms. Shasteen was defensive from the moment she entered my house and stated over and over that her company, Florida Fireplace Systems, including the installer Tony, are NOT licensed gas installers and that they were not to blame for the explosion. She stated the blame lay with the propane company that connected the Propane gas line to the fireplace. After talking in private with her technician, she said the fireplace should have had a conversion kit installed to allow operation with propane rather than the factory default, natural gas. Tony knew we were going to use propane. The propane company has stated the fireplace should have been installed with the conversion kit already in place and before Tony told them that the gas connection could be completed. I am more than skeptical of this company's ethics. On the latest repair-parts invoice they provided to me, they have now added the notation "Parts ordered by Florida Fireplace Systems, (are) to be installed by our recommended gas installers, "At Your Service Gas and Piping". Too late! Florida Fireplace Systems, as the installer, is responsible for installation compliant with the instructions supplied by the manufacturer in the installation manual. That would include the conversion kit parts, right? If they had used licensed installers to install the fireplace, perhaps I wouldn't have been staring at a gaping hole in the living room wall (and my wallet, too), while Cynthia Kay Shasteen, and Florida Fireplace Systems, pointed a finger at everyone else and failed to take FULL responsibility for all of the necessary parts and repairs. This company is misleading their customers when they charge $550 dollars for installation and then send an unqualified, unlicensed worker to install an appliance that can explode! UPDATE: They have not taken full responsibility for the repairs, and I had to pay for the replacement parts and the other repairs, listed above, that were necessary because of the explosion.