A Warn Glow In Your Wallet (internetfiresdirect.co.uk)

Member Name: eiley123

Product:	internetfiresdirect.co.uk
Date:	05/09/08 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good prices, competitive, good customer services.

Disadvantages: Should have been perfect frst time around.

Although our fire was not flood damaged we decided that whilst the builder was doing the restoration work that we may as well pay him and make some other changes. One of these was a new fireplace. Since we moved in in 1999 we have had a new gas fire installed but had not changed the actual fireplace. This was a rather old fashioned seventies brick effort which had definitely seen better days.

We began by researching the alternatives and settled for one that had a wooden mantle, cast iron back, granite hearth and incorporated a living flame gas fire that had a Victorian look.

Our local Flames had a lovely one but at around £900 with £299 for fitting as extra it was just too pricey. We shopped around locally and on the Internet and found one that was almost the same. The price of this varied at a little above and a little below £699.

Still I persevered and finally found just what we were looking for at Internet Fires Direct. This one was just over £500 but one weekend there was an extra £100 off so we decided to go for it. The price including delivery was around £420 and our builder charged us a reasonable price for the fitting. Remember though that the gas fire part must be installed by a Corgi approved gas fitter.

So what was our verdict on Internet Fires Direct?

When the fire was due to be delivered I received an email and then an actual phone call to specify the day and the time of delivery. They could not deliver for a few weeks as they do particular areas of the country certain days etc. You may need to allow a couple of weeks so make sure that you have checked this out before you purchase. For us time was not of the essence.

The problems.

1:-
When the fire arrived it was in quite a few separate boxes. My husband took delivery and signed that it was accepted unopened. As we were not having the fire fitted straight away it was sometime before I took a close look. It was then I saw that the fire we had received was actually an electric fire and not what we had ordered. Oh no, I thought, I bet this will cause us problems. Wrong. I emailed Internet Fires and received a phone call the next day. After I explained what had happened the correct fire was dispatched and received within 48 hours.

2:-
When the fire was fitted the matrix of the fire which holds the artificial coals was damaged. It had been damaged in transit and I thought 'Here we go again'. However yet again when I contacted Internet Fires Direct, by phone this time they were really helpful. They sent another matrix immediately but this too was damaged. When I rang the guy at the end of the phone admitted that they were not very good at packaging such items, they were cr-p was what he actually said. So he faxed the manufacturers and within a couple of days a brand new perfect matrix was received with an additional set of coals as a bonus.

3:-
I did not realise that the matrix was made up of two separate parts and unfortunately the front part was also damaged. When I rang them this time I did apologise as I felt as if I was an absolute pain although the damage was not our fault. I explained that I thought the matrix was just in one part. The guy was very helpful and within a couple of days, direct from the manufacturer came a well packed component to complete my fire, at long last.

Recommended?

Now I know that you are thinking-What a palaver, and up to a point I agree. However the fire and its surround are lovely and now all fitted and up and running. Perhaps the problems happen regularly or maybe they were a one off. With the chap's comments about their packing I seem to think that they may happen more than they should. However I cannot fault Internet fires for their:-

Customer Service.
Quality of goods, once all had arrived.
After sales response.
Price of goods.

The web site was easy to access and there was a range of fires and fireplaces such as gas, electric, wood burning, marble, stone, cast iron, wood, flue less and more. If you are looking for a new fire check out the Internet first as you will be sure to get a better deal and if Internet Fires Direct are anything to go by you will be amazed at their customer service. After all, despite the initial problems, we have saved between £250 and £550 which can't be bad, can it?

Thanks for reading
© Eiley 2008

Summary: Good fires at knock down prices.