This is the continuation of my Thermorossi saga. To see how it started, please read the first blog post.
It is now time to narrate the email exchange with the Thermorossi factory.
I started the email exchange after I received the supposedly checked-out-fine remote control and still being unable to use it, after the distributor declined to send an advance replacement unit due to factory policy. For anyone interested I can forward the original SMTP messages.
I am posting this because this is the most amazing attitude that I have seen in my life. Is this the "Thermorossi" or the "Italian" attitude? I sure hope the former. These guys shame Italy itself!
For those bored to read all this, in my emails I describe my view that they sell an expensive device which can really only be controlled via its single remote control. Since, this is clearly an unacceptable design fault, they should amend it by providing a second, backup, wired or wireless control, which would enable basic control of the device (pellet flow and fan strength) in case the primary fails, without obliging the user to hurt his arm in his effort to find and reach a single non-visible button on the back of the device, after first pulling it out of its niche. Furthermore, since I have had my fireplace for two months without being able to use it for more than two weeks, all this in the middle of the winter, that they should send me an advance replacement unit.
The result: ridicule, mockery and insult. Its is evident that these people, apart from bad engineering, have absolutely no knowledge of customer support.
1st message from me, Jan 31, 2013
Sirs,
I have
recently purchased a Thermorossi Insert 60 pellet fireplace. It is a well
designed and good quality device, but I have a major complaint. About 2 weeks
ago my remote control broke down and I realized that without it I could not
operate my fireplace! The single insert on/off and flame adjustment button in
the back of the fireplace (where it is very difficult to reach) is in my
opinion not enough for basic operation of the fireplace. You should have placed
the minimum controls needed to operate the fireplace on a drawer or a panel on
the front of the insert. Alternatively, you should provide a second simpler
wired or wireless control for that purpose, in case the primary remote control
breaks down. I think that an expensive and quality device like the Insert 60
should at the least have such a provision.
Kindly
inform me if you can provide me with a second simple backup remote control, for
free or a small fee. I think that my complaint and request is reasonable and
that you should grant it.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dionysis
1st reply from the factory, Jan 31, 2013
Good afternoon,
please contact the dealer by which
you purchased the unit,
they will check the fault of the
remote control and get back to
us.
Regards
Nicola Menegozzo
2nd message from me, Jan 31, 2013
Hello and thank you for
the responce.
I have contacted the
dealer and he repaired the control. The problem was apparently a faulty wire.
However, apart from the bad manufacturing quality, I'd like to stress again
that the insert is not adequately controllable without a remote control.
This is unacceptable, in my opinion, for a good quality and expensive unit. I
was unable to operate it for almost two weeks, in the middle of winter. As
such, I regard this problem a bad design problem and I am asking you to amend
this by providing a second, simpler if needed, remote control for the smooth
operation of the unit in case the one and only remote control you provide with
it is not operating.
This will show that you
care for the usability of your design and for the satifaction of your
customers.
Sincerely,
Dionysis
3rd message from me, Feb 15, 2013
Sirs,
It has been two weeks since the last
email I sent you and I don’t have a response.
I think that Thermorossi try its best to
satisfy its customers’ requests and at least respond to them.
It is highly inappropriate for a good
quality product and company to not have proper customer support, as well as to
have fundamental faults, such as the one I describe, in its design.
Furthermore, it is very bad to build a reputation of being insensitive and
uncaring to customers’ problems and requests.
So, I’d like to repeat again that, due
to a faulty remote control, I have not been able to use my Insert 60 for three
weeks in the middle of winter and that, since you have not built onto the
device enough controls for full manual operation, you are obliged to provide a
second, wired or wireless, remote control for this purpose.
Sincerely,
Dionysis
2nd reply from the factory, Feb 18, 2013
Good morning,
your feedback will be forwarded to
the technical and design department.
The unit can be easily controlled by
a small red button on the back of main power
board also when the remote control
is not working.
We are sorry to inform you that it
is not possible to supply you with a second remote control.
Kind Regards
Nicola Menegozzo
4th message from me, Feb 19, 2013
Sirs,
Thank you for the (late)
response.
I am well aware of the
backside button. However, it is my opinion that the device is NOT controllable
from this single button. It is not enough for basic operation and it is not
easily reachable (my arm hurts from the effort to use it, especially when
shuting the device down).
Furthermore, my original
remote control is still broken, after comming back from your distributor. They
supposedly checked it, but trying to use it showed that it cannot charge,
although the charger does provide power. Eventually the batteries were depleted
and the remote shut down.
Now I again cannot use
the insert (I consider the backside button useless) and I am very very annoyed
both by you, the distributor and the seller.
If you do not ASAP send
me a replacement remote control and a second one as a backup, I shall start a
campaign against you, describing my story, to every single forum, site and blog,
inside Greece and internationally. Furthermore I am going to file a complaint
against you and your distributor to the local consumer protection authorities
for not honoring the device's warranty.
I am giving you one week
from today.
Sincerely,
Dionysis
3rd reply from the factory, Feb 19, 2013
Good morning,
thank you very much for this juicy
mail, or I should better say black mail.
No matters, this will be forwarded
obviously to the legal department.
At the beginning I was quite of the
idea that I could try to find an arrangement with
the local dealer and the distributor
(that still haven't been mentioned in this
correspondance) in order to have the
problem solved once for all.
Now, as obviously the situation is
quite chanced as you decided to use blackmails,
you only have one solution, which is
the one that is according to European
warranty standards and
norms: you can bring or send the "defective" remote
control to the dealer together with a document in which
there is well described model of the
stove, serial nr., purchasing date, details on malfunction, official purchasing
invoice. The "defective"
part will be send to our laboratories to make all tests (for example to
check that the
eventual malfunction is not
depending by the fact that the remote dropped from your hands...). Once the
test
will be completed and warranty case
confirmed, our distributor will be supplied with 1 new remote control
that will be consequently
supplied to you.
From this moment afterwards I must
advise that all correspondece will be archived and forwared to legal
department.
"If
you do not ASAP send me a replacement remote control and a second one as a
backup, I shall start a campaign against you, describing my story, to every
single forum, site and blog, inside Greece and internationally" I hope you are fully aware of what you are
writing considering that we are speaking about a product that comes with
official EN Certiciation with thousands of units sold, and for this
reason you are ready to take all responsibilities in front of an
official legal international court.
"Furthermore I am
going to file a complaint against you and your distributor to the local
consumer protection authorities for not honoring the device's warranty", I also can imagine here that you are fully aware
of European Warranty Norms, so you are completely sure that it is not necessary
to send back defective parts for tests before getting a replacement under
warranty and will also in this case take full responsibility of what is written
here.
Must be clear that from
my side I was open to find an accomodating solution also if your complaints are
based on a design and manufacturing aspect that sounds really strange
considering that there is a complete team of engineers and designers who cares
of the development of units that are all approved according to more restrictive
European Norms, and in particular this unit is on the market from many years
with excellents feedbacks.
Now, I remind once
again, that we are open to solve the problem, but after your blackmail
ONLY according to EN Warranty policy, that means internal check up of the
defective part, check up of documentation, and eventual replacement or
reparation.
You will find attached a
form that you can easily fill and deliver to the local dealer together with the
defective part. Usually this form is for dealers and distributors, but as you
never mentioned where and when you purchased the unit I cannot forward to
nobody else than you.
I will wait for
documentation and updates from the dealer who took care of the sale,
Have a good day,
Regards
Nicola Menegozzo
5th message from me, Feb 19, 2013
Sir,
I have not seen
any real willingness to help from you. I sent you my second email
describing my problem 31/1 and you replied 18/2 without offering any sympathy
to my inability to use the device.
You mention european
norms and standards, engineers and design teams. Instead you should hear your
customers more. And I as a customer how has paid for an expensive and important
device, all I known is that I've had a defective remote control, which I only
had a chance to use for 3 or 4 times before it broke down. I also know that I
have never in my life seen another, admitedly otherwise well made product, that
cannot easily be controlled without a remote control. The backside button
is NOT usable.
Furthermore, it is my
undisputed and inalienable right to freely express my opinion and experience
with a product publicly and you cannot challenge this at any court. Even if you
attempt to do that, you cannot change the facts. The device is not usable
without a remote control.
As for the distributor,
his name is Lazarou. The seller's and installer's name is Adamopoulos.
So to sum it up, I have
every right to truthfully express and publish my experience and to file
complaints to consumer protection authorities about a product. And I have every
intention to so, unless you send me two, I repeat two, remote controls, one as
a replacement to the defective (which I will return to the distributor) and a
second as a backup, due to the unusablitity of the device without a remote
control.
Sincerely,
Dionysis
4th reply from the factory, Feb 19, 2013
As comfirmed in my last mail, I only
wait for documentation and defective part from Lazarou.
The best thing you can do is to
supply the form (that now you find attached) completely filled
together with the defective piece.
Once we will be able to check the
part here by our laboratories it will be checked if there is a malfunction that
will be covered by warranty,
and consequently 1 new remote will
be sent.
The faster you do this the faster
you will be supplied with a new remote.
Obviously you can write whatever you
want whereever you prefer, as you did untill now here.
And obviously we can decide to take
any action against unprope slander campaigns, we have a legal department that
works on this.
By the time being to make resume of
the matter, untill now the situation is that you complain for design and
manufacturing failure for a unit approved with report nr 400186 from Kiwa
Gastec made on december 2009 according to EN14785:2006 and you advance warranty
case claim without having previously supplied any documentation and the
defective part for check up.
These are the facts untill now. All
other things that you wrote here or you will write somewhere else unfortunately
have no confirmation untill any documentation will be supplied.
Referring the thing that we have
answered late, I think you should better read again this correspondence. The
same day you sent the mail to info we answered to contact the official dealer
in order to proceed with warranty case. In my opinion it should be one of the
most obvious things, or when yo have problems with your Tv do you call
directly Sony in Japan?
So I am sorry but you are wrong, we
were, and I underline were, completely willing to solve your problem in the
shortest and more accomodating way possible, but as you decide to go ahead with
blackmails the only option you have now is to follow standard warranty
procedure after contacting our distributor. That is anyway a teandard
procedure to solve warranty cases, it doesn't mean we do not take care of this
as you hint at.
So now I think I was definitely
clear enough. You have all instruments and options how to proceed and you
are free to act as you prefer.
Once again, have a nice day...
P.S I put Lazarou in copy, so
they will be aware of the full correspondence and will be ready to act once you
get back to them with documentation and the part.
Nicola Menegozzo
6th message from me, Feb 19, 2013
Sir.
Instead of
"punishing" me for my "threat" to publish the true facts of
your product to possible customers of yours (which I have every right to do and
you will never be able to prove malice and slander on my part), you
should consider immediately sending me an advance replacement, with or without
the Larazou's participation.
I've had the device for
two months and in the middle of the winter I haven't been able to use it for
more than two weeks.
From my part I took the
time to send the remote to your distributor, who supposedly checked it and
found it OK. However, it still does not work (it does not charge). I have done
all I am willing to do as a customer.
Obviously you value
approvals, standards and formal processes more than customer's complains or
problems.
As far as communication
is concerned the transcript is as follows:
31/1-10:03 - Initial
email from me stating the design problem
31/1-10:52 - First reply
from you indicating that I should contact the dealer (no mention on the design
problem)
31/1-20:01 - Second email
from me, restating the design problem and confirming that I already have sent
the remote to the distributor (Lazarou) and requesting a second remote from
you.
15/2-11:53 - Still no
reply from you. Third email from me repeating (politely) my points and
requests.
18/2-10:08 - Second
reply from you (three weeks after my second email), not showing any
willingness to help.
19/2-11:04 - Third email
from me, restating my problem, my requests and the "threats".
If you call these
willingness to help, then you give new definition to it.
Incidentally, I have
contacted Sony (Europe) and had much better responce about a TV that is
much cheaper than your insert.
I suggest that you
restructure both you design and customer support departments and that you put
away all "hurt" feelings and respond to my requests like a proper
European manufacturer should.
I close this letter with
the wish to not have any further responses from you, the hope that with such
an uncaring manufacturer I will not have any more problems with the
fireplace and that reminder that for a week I shall do nothing but wait for a
replacement remote control.
Sincerely,
Dionysis
5th reply from the factory, Feb 19, 2013
Good afternoon,
this is my last answer becasue I
have no more time for this, you can be sure don't worry.
I put the matter on another way,
perhaps easier to understand also from your side, last attempt.
Let's start from the first
questions:
Who are you?
Do you have any direct commecial
deal with Thermorossi Spa?
Did you get any material directly
from Thermorossi Spa?
Do you have any documentation to
support your request of warranty replacement?
Start answering yourself to this
questions, than start thinking about this, and ask yourself if you were in our
position if you would send
replacement pcs for free without having the minimum detail about the story and
NO direct deal.
If you don't understand that I don't
know who you are and you think I should send you
not one but two pcs of remote
controls without the minimum idea of who you are and any details
about what and when you have
purchased I think you are really in the wrong direction, and you will have
to wait the pcs for a little bit
longer than one week.
I really find it funny that you
don't understand this, anyway maximum respect for you opinions, you are
responsible for your actions and words.
I do not comment all things about
customer care policy because it really makes no sense to discus about this with
you in these circumstances.
I underline once again and for the
last time that the aim was to find a common solution, but you decided to put
the matter
on another way with you inconvenient
and unpleasant blackmails.
Really hoping to receive no more
ridicolous and annoying mails from you, I suggest once again to contact Lazarou
and follow
the warranty replacement procedure,
on the contrary I wish you pleasant time waiting the pcs coming from Italy.
Sincerely
Nicola Menegozzo
7th and final message from me, Feb 19, 2013
Sir,
I had decided not to
communicate with you again.
Howerver, having received
your last email though I have to say that I am delighted that, instead of
communicating with your distributor to confirm my writings, you chose to accuse
me of being an impostor (presumably to get a couple of free remote controls
from you to use them with my TV and aircondition).
I am delighted because I
am sure that the local consumer protection authorities and the readers of
forums, blogs and review sites will be interested to know of your comments,
ridicule and accusations against me, as well as the time and means it took
you to respond.
They will be very
interested to know how you reacted, instead of facing and remediating two
simple facts: a) you sell an expensive device that is not really usable without
a remote control and b) you have absolutely no knowledge of customer support
and proper behaviour to customers.
I must say that in the
beginning I was just hoping for a quick fix of my remote. After your
insults however, nothing short of written apology and two remotes will stop me
from publishing everything.
Sincerely,
Dionysis
