Elite Hearth Distributing

After notifying the company that I needed a new firebox I was given verbal assurance that a replacement would be on its way in short order. The lead time is normally two weeks, as the company has to build each individual unit. I never could get a firm deadline or schedule from the people at Elite Hearth as to when the unit was actually ordered, when it would ship, and when it would be installed. Phone calls didn't help. That's when I decided to drive to their office location to try to work things out face to face. It turns out that their "office" doesn't actually exist. They're currently (I'm writing this in May 2009) operating out of a U-Haul office on a month to month rental and their Hudson Bend office is empty. After some wrangling I got in touch with Pat Krapf, the owner of the business and we had our face to face meeting. Although he seemed nice enough, he did acknowledge: 1. His company had never actually installed this fireplace before (something I was rather disappointed to learn then). 2. He had not actually ordered the replacement fireplace. I told him how disappointed I was with his job performance and informed him that I expected him to go the extra mile to make things right. His responses were basically used car salesman type responses that basically contained vague statements of intent without firm deadlines or commitments. I eventually received an email informing me that he could procure the replacement by June 8 or 9, with installation a week later on the 15th or the 16th. Meanwhile I'm left holding the bag while this guy fiddles and diddles. I asked him: 1. When the unit was actually ordered. 2. When it will leave the manufacturer. 3. Whether it will be FedExed to Austin overnight. 4. Why there is a one week delay. No response. I guess my questions were a little too specific for him. My advice: stay away. He can say he's done "hundreds if not thousands" of installations as much as he wants. With this one he screwed up royally. His salesman who actually won the contract was fired and I wasn't even notified. That says a lot right there as well.