Obadiah's Woodstoves Sold Stove Pipe not originally ordered,in my opinion is firehazard as assembled, then refused to accept back on return. Troy, Montana

The above title say's it all .

I am a very satisfied customer of Obadiahs/Woodstoves.

It was not all plain sailing. The shipper (major US shipper) damaged the boiler on 3 separate occasions while transporting it to our address. This was no fault of Obadiahs.

Woody and Annette followed up, dealt with all the returns and went above and beyond to make sure I was happy and satisified with my eventual boiler delivery.

Due to the damaged boilers, my successful boiler delivery was delayed. This could not be helped along any more than it was. 

My part in this transaction was to realize that sometimes "these things happen".

Obadiah's made it right !

I was so impressed with their follow up and customer service that I have since bought some wood cookstoves from them.

These arrived first time on time and in pristine condition.

This is the first time I have taken the time to write anything in a blog/report. I have done so, because from my experience, to suggest that Obadiah's is anything other than excellent in the way they deal with customers is simply wrong.

Try them, you will be in good hands and have a most excellent customer experience.

 Tim Mathis states: There was just no service after the sale.

My Experience is the TOTAL oposite. After my first fire box failed, I contacted Woody, and he got me a second FREE. After the second fire box failed, he got me a third, upgraded brand new, next generation stove (not just the fire box) upgraded stove FREE.

Woody and Obadiah's bleed customer service. There is no other way to state this truthfully.

Before I knew the group there I too had arguments/disagreements about my order shipment notification and delivery dates. They patiently worked with me to resolve my problem to point where I realized that they would do anything to get and retain my buisness. Since then I only buy stove gear from them as they are true friends and very good people.

Tim Mathis states: However, if you look at the rebuttals, they are all from a week window of time.

This one comes four months after Tim makes this statement.

Tim Mathis states: Appears to be rebuttals from Obadiah's or their employees possibly.

Totally untrue.   I word for a multi-national electronic test equipement manufacturer and live over 1800 miles away from Woody.

I have tried to read all of the rebuttals from all of Woodys other customers and agree whole heartedly with what they've said. It seems that this whole back and forth boils down to a single request from Woody to have pictures sent. This request is not unreasonable since it would take a fraction of the time and effort you Sir, have put into smearing Woody and Obadiah's customer service. 

Tim from what I have read of your posts,  I respect you as an intelligent hardworking person and realize that sometime frustrations from miscommunications can occur. But there are better more constructive solutions to this type of problem than the ones you are persuing. These types of comments about Woody and Obediah's live on the internet in perpetuity - far longer that you, Woody, or I will live. I wonder if it is really the type of legacy you want to leave yourself - the only guy on the internet (and in the history of mankind) who says Obediah's customer service sucks.

Regards

Scott

I have known the Chain family for quite some time through my dealings with Obadiahs Woodstoves and Obadiahs Wildfire Fighters. Woody will bend over backward to help you at any point in the juncture with whatever problem you may be having whether its personal or business related for starters. 

It sounds like you sir... Yes you, the one terrorizing, needs to use a Q-tip and listen to what he is offering. All he wants is a picture or three of this "damaged stove pipe" and is willing to pay your freight on the return. Nothing more. Nothing less. From what I have read between both postings, (Obadiahs/consumer report) you are the one who is at hand for being un-reasonable.

Personally, you should take the deal! You are slandering and about to put yourself up crappy creek with two broken paddles. Let me reiterate, he has offered time and time and time and time again to pay for the freight back to where this stuff belongs and send you on your merry way. 

Keep in mind that the client base that backs this company is the size of Bill Gates friend pool and you are the only person out of hundreds upon thousands that have ever put together a bogus report like this. Don't be a trouble-maker! If you want your money back so bad then re-package the pipe and they will refund you and even pay for your shipping! Sounds like an exquisite deal to me.

Do yourself a favor and package it or stuff it. They've gone out of their way to help you as much as you have allowed them to. I do realize that I have made the statement about the freight multiple times. It's because I have read what Woody has to say! A+ company with excellent customer service in my book.

Cheers,

The Mountain Man 

I bought a Kitchen Queen 480 wood stove with optional heat shield and a Class A chimney from Obadiah's Wood Stoves.  The entire experience from start to finish was painfree.  They gave me great buying advice initially and I have been very very pleased with my purchase.  Woody and Annette Chain really know a lot about wood stoves and burning wood.

I had a small problem with my chimney as one piece was too short, but they shipped me an extension that took care of the problem.

In addition, they are also there to answer any questions that I have.  I am new to burning wood and I have had a lot of questions over the past few months.  They have been happy to help me with every step of the way.

I think that if you treat people with respect, you are most likely to receive respect in return. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone looking to buy a wood stove.  Obadiah's really knows what they are doing.

We purchased a stove from Obadiah's in the winter of 2011/2012. Woody Chain, the owner, has been extremely helpful to this day (Feb 2014) with any questions that I have. He has gone above and beyond what I would expect from any company. Please DO NOT hesitate to purchase products from this company due to this single complaint. You will not find a better business to work with!

2014-02-02

I thought that my last post was my last. For the record, this post is my last. Consumers will be the jurors and finders of fact. I hope your "poll" works to your favor. My last post has stated CLEARLY my intentions. I hope you had a good Christmas. Have a great new year. Whatever you decide to do from this post forward is entirely up to you. ALL my posts speak for themselves. If you have found them so beneficial to your business, why threaten me with court? I trust that all your business from inception of this report has been as good as you have posted here. Old luck on your continued business success.

Tim, the only thing ludicrous here is you sir, you obviously can’t follow my instructions or the instructions that came in the box with the original chimney pipe which is why you could not properly install it. It was too difficult for you to simply send me a picture so I could help you, but it was more convenient for you to post this slanderous and libelous assertion against my company, which had completely backfired in your face.  It will become painfully obvious to anyone who will take the time to read these post’s that you have absolutely no intent on ever being happy no matter what I try to do to make you happy. Everyone that has posted here has agreed with me on that fact.  You make this derogatory comment to my generous offer to refund your purchase price for a superior Security Chimney product which I clearly demonstrated is more expensive and carries a higher UL listing, but because of your unwillingness to read and follow instructions were unable to install properly. What is your reply to my simple request to resolve this matter? “To "offer" to buy back pipe, "unopened and in the original box" after opening the boxes to attempt the install is ludicrous.”  This proves my point, I will now triple your refund if you can go back anywhere in any post I have made here and pull up that quote from me that I requested that you return the pipe in unopened original boxes. You can’t because I never said it, just like most of what you have said is also untrue.

Here is what I said, “We were always willing to give you a full refund for your upgraded Security Secure Temp purchase as long as it is in resalable (not scratched, drilled, dented, or burned) condition still in the original boxes”

I went on with these instructions, “Even though 3 yrs has passed, to show our good faith and make this as easy as possible for you, we’ll even arrange for the return shipment for you and cover the cost to return the chimney system. However you will have to take pictures of the each chimney pipe and parts before you ship it and send it to us to verify there is no damage. We need you to do this is in case the chimney system does get damaged in shipment so we can make a claim for freight damages as the chimney pipe is not shipping from one of our warehouses and has been opened and installation attempted. Please package it well and attach it to a pallet with shrink wrap. A freight truck will show up with a liftgate to load it and return it to us.

Once we get the Security chimney system back here we’ll inspect it, photograph any damage and inventory the undamaged merchandise refunding you what you paid, waving any restocking fees. If there is damage we’ll file the damage claim using the pictures you provided to verify that the shipment was undamaged when you sent it, comparing it to the picture we’ll take when it arrives here. Once the claim is settled we’ll refund you for any damaged parts we are compensated for. So we’ll repeat package it well, please.

You will receive an immediate refund for all parts that arrive back here safely. I hope you can respect this request and comply with taking the pictures.

If this is unacceptable you, then you will have to be the shipper and make the freight arrangements. If the chimney system arrives here damaged, you will have to file a claim with the freight company to recover your money as we won’t be able to do it for you.

I hope this is acceptable to you so we can put this matter to rest once and for all. When it is all said and done, you just need to allow us to help you by cooperating with us. Something you yourself have admitted that you refused to do! “

You twist the truth and have done so from the beginning. I merely asked you to take some pictures of the open chimney to verify that it is not damaged, re-pack it in the original boxes and I would pay for the shipping to return the chimney. If the chimney arrived back to us in saleable condition I would refund all your money, no restocking fees, no shipping cost, no cost to you at all. If you would take some pictures to verify the condition of the chimney, I would even file a freight claim for you if the chimney arrived damaged. This is a very fair and generous offer considering your behavior from the beginning.

I am now doubting that you even still have this chimney to return. Perhaps you hired someone to install it and have been burning it all these years and have nothing better to do than cause trouble for others. Being that you’re a professional Bail Bondsmen if I remember correctly, fit’s the ticket to the tee. You refuse to comply with sending any pictures or cooperating in anyway.

You said, “The moral of the story for any readers of this complaint in totality is this, It took almost three years for this Rip-Off Report to gain an offer from you to finally accept return of the pipe, I did not order and under impossible and laughable restrictions. I'll keep the pipe. I have had it for three years already. Please, keep the money. You must need it more than I do. Merry Christmas!!! “

The truth of this matter is, you would not by your own admission take the time to send us a picture so we could help you, and instead you thought it prudent to post lies and mistruths here. We were still waiting to receive the picture so we could help you. We assumed you had resolved the issue as we never heard a word from you until this post showed up which we thought was and has now been verified is a total scam. We were always willing to return the pipe and give you a full refund. Just like you refuse to cooperate here and lie about our offer to help you and return the pipe then, you continue to do now, the only reason this has drug on so long is because you’re a totally unreasonable person as you continue to demonstrate to the world over and over again, I truly pity you Tim, someone here said you need to take a long look in the mirror, someone else said that you should learn how to cooperate, I agree with them both.

You said by your own admission, “I contacted Obadiah's and talked to the Co-Owner, Annette Chain and explained the fire hazard concern I had with the Security Pipe they shipped me. She wanted me to take pictures and send he something to explain better what she could not understand over the phone. Instead of wasting my (Cunsumer) time, Realizing that she was not interested in making me happy by just sending me the Dura Vent Pipe that I originally ordered, I ordered the Dura Vent Pipe online from another company for $250.00 less than I paid Obadiah"s for the same price on my receipt from them. “   

Note**** you could never produce a receipt to prove this fact, also notice that you said you were wasting your time by cooperating and sending the requested pictures, this still has not changed from the beginning to where we are now.

The last rebuttal I offered to take this to arbitration, you ignored that offer too, I wonder why?   Perhaps this time you’ll like to take this to court?  I’d say you’re damaging my reputation and slandering me, you and this site have brought me more business from your ludicrous posts. I receive phone calls all the time from folks that say they read your complaint here online and they are making their purchase from me because of how well I have tried to resolve this matter with you. They also say they are duly impressed by what all the other customers have posted, they ask me are you for real or did we set this up as a advertising gimmick. They can’t believe that someone like you actually exist and can’t believe I have not already sued you and this website if this is indeed true. You keep giving me the ammunition to do just that.

How about we take a vote and leave this up to the general public who read this website and see what they say about this matter, kind of like a jury trial. Would that make you happy? I’m really beginning to enjoy this as well as all the business it is generating for us.

Please vote on this matter everyone who reads this.

Here are the questions,

1.    1. Should Tim quite slandering us get his camera take the pictures and take our offer? Yes or No?
2.    2. Should we contact our law firm and file a lawsuit for Liable and Slander? Yes or No?

I leave this up to those who come here, rather than register on this site and subject yourself to having your e-mail sold by these folks; yes they are selling your information to the highest bidder if you set up an account and log into this site. I invite the general public to go to my Facebook page and post their opinions, we’ll let this ride another year and see if Tim wises up and takes our generous offer to return his chimney and give him a full refund, or ignore my repeated request to stop slandering and libeling my business and my good name publicly and haul him into Federal Court?

facebook.com/pages/Obadiahs-Woodstoves-and-Alternative-Energy/128623547190032

 Only in Canada EH! My husband, Frank, shopped around for a woodstove/boiler for a couple of years and researched companies all over North America and Europe. The only company where he got all his questions answered in an EFFICIENT and KNOWLEDGEABLE manner was OBIDIAH'S WOODSTOVES in Montana, USA.

This customer service so impressed him that he purchased a wood gasification boiler from Obidah's. This company is owned and operated by Woody Chiam. Imagine buying a CANADIAN product from an AMERICAN, who he had never met and sending off thousands of dollars to him based on a TRUST that had grown out of Woody's  customer service to him and the product he was looking for.

The person who filed report #569085 did not want to be a good customer! It looks like that although Obidiah's staff, LISTENED, EVALUATED, ACTED, RESPONDED AND FOLLOWED-UP to his concern he refused to LEARN!!!!

Our experience in the purchase of the boiler did not stop once it was delivered. Any question...Woody would always follow-up in a timely manner. He worked deligently on factilitating help from the manufacturer when we encountered a few gliches with the stove. We have only good things to say about Obidah's Woodstoves. Anyone can sell you a product, BUT it is the person behind the product that makes you feel that you made the right purchase.

Friends ask about the boiler and how it works, ect. If they show an interest in purchasing one we always tell them where we bought it from......OBADIAHS WOODSTOVES in Montana, USA...EH!

Thanks, but your "offer is not an offer." As stated in my ORIGINAL COMPLAINT, I tried to install the pipe until I got to the ceiling box and realized that you had not sent me the right pipe or the parts that would match up correctly. Please see original report.

To "offer" to buy back pipe, "unopened and in the original box" after opening the boxes to attempt the install is ludicrous. After three years with the pipe sitting in my garage apartment and my money sitting in your pocket, I can live with the fact that it took three years and this Rip-Off Report to get an overwhelming dialogue of how great your friends think you are. Maybe, I am the only one that has complained. However, I have a valid complaint. You have my money and three years later, you "offer to buy back unopened, in the box pipe," while claiming that I am the one that was, and is still unreasonable.

It boils down to this. I asked to buy a stove and Dura vent pipe! You have admitted to sending Secure pipe instead, all on your own, without even calling me to ask if that would be acceptable. I built my own home and have installed several wood stoves. Sending you pictures was moot. All I ever asked was to send you the wrong pipe for the right pipe. 

For the record one more time, I have enjoyed the wood stove that I bought from you. The only issue I had with you was that you sent me something I did not order without my permission or knowledge until I received and "opened" the boxes of pipe. I contacted you and instead of "Offering" to accept the return and replacement of the pipe with Dura Vent, you continue to blame me for my unreasonableness in not sending you pictures of what I already installed with Dura vent pipe. 

The moral of the story for any readers of this complaint in totality is this, It took almost three years for this Rip-Off Report to gain an offer from you to finally accept return of the pipe, I did not order and under impossible and laughable restrictions. I'll keep the pipe. I have had it for three years already. Please, keep the money. You must need it more than I do. Merry Christmas!!! 

My name is Kevin Lamp and I would like to say that I have purchased a cookstove and chimney pipe for multiple chimneys from Obadiahs Woodstoves and have personally know Woody and his wife Annette and their family for 14 yrs. now. Of the many business out there that do business online, they do business the Montana way, where a handshake means something and a man’s word is his bond. In today’s world where once they get the money it’s hard to get service, Woody and Annette see their customers in a different way. They actually care. Woody has spent many hours making You Tubes to help folks do things easier and safer.  Annette spends long hours making sure their customers are taken care of in an extemporary manner. They also go above and beyond to help folks and have donated time and money to help many folks less fortunate. They go above and beyond for their customers. I know this personally because I have also been involved on the local Volunteer Fire Dept. with Woody and doing business with the Chains for many years and are proud to call them my friends. There are few companies out there these days that I can recommend as strongly, or folks I would feel comfortable trusting completely as I do Woody and his wife Annette, they are truly outstanding folks and everyone I know who knows them would agree.

I have personally witnessed them go through the trouble of driving hundreds of miles to exchange a woodstove of one brand for another to help an elderly woman how was having troubles operating her cookstove. This was free of charge on a cookstove that this elderly lady had been using for a few years. I was throughly impressed with this act. I have a hard time believing that they would not do anything they could to help and make sure the customer was happy.

Tim, I never intended to “screw” you buy sticking you with anything. I resent your slander and libelous verbiage. You said I sold you inferior chimney, I have clearly proved that to be false. You said we were unwilling to help you but lots of folks have testified here that is not their experience and we go above and beyond for them and we would for you if you would allow us too.

We were always willing to give you a full refund for your upgraded Security Secure Temp purchase as long as it is in resalable (not scratched, drilled, dented, or burned) condition still in the original boxes. It’s unfortunate that you had issues installing the Secure Temp Chimney System. We just wanted to see pictures to understand the problem you were having so we could correct it and learn from it. We could not supply you with the DuraTech as we did not have all the parts to complete your order.

When you refused to send the pictures you made it very difficult for us to resolve your issue. This is a two way street, you say we had no intention of ever helping you, however once again, the opposite is true, you have to cooperate with us so we can cooperate with you. You refused a very simple request to send us pictures; everyone who has posted here has made it very clear that when you do business online that is part of the deal, why you can’t understand that is still beyond me. It is part of the process as I can’t be there personally to help you. It is very similar to my jumping a plane and showing up at your house to see what the problem is but your unwilling to open the door to allow me in to look at what your problem is…..How that poor is customer service is beyond me……it is your own stubbornness that has bought us here.

Even though 3 yrs has passed, to show our good faith and make this as easy as possible for you, we’ll even arrange for the return shipment for you and cover the cost to return the chimney system. However you will have to take pictures of the each chimney pipe and parts before you ship it and send it to us to verify there is no damage. We need you to do this is in case the chimney system does get damaged in shipment so we can make a claim for freight damages as the chimney pipe is not shipping from one of our warehouses and has been opened and installation attempted. Please package it well and attach it to a pallet with shrink wrap. A freight truck will show up with a liftgate to load it and return it to us.

Once we get the Security chimney system back here we’ll inspect it, photograph any damage and inventory the undamaged merchandise refunding you what you paid, waving any restocking fees. If there is damage we’ll file the damage claim using the pictures you provided to verify that the shipment was undamaged when you sent it, comparing it to the picture we’ll take when it arrives here. Once the claim is settled we’ll refund you for any damaged parts we are compensated for. So we’ll repeat package it well, please.

You will receive an immediate refund for all parts that arrive back here safely. I hope you can respect this request and comply with taking the pictures.

If this is unacceptable you, then you will have to be the shipper and make the freight arrangements. If the chimney system arrives here damaged, you will have to file a claim with the freight company to recover your money as we won’t be able to do it for you.

I hope this is acceptable to you so we can put this matter to rest once and for all. When it is all said and done, you just need to allow us to help you by cooperating with us. Something you yourself have admitted that you refused to do! 

 Woody,

With all said and DONE, I still own all the pipe and fittings I paid good money for that were not ordered or wanted in return. This pipe still sits in my garage apartment (pictures not needed I hope) unused. A reminder of wasted money. If rip off reports would indeed let you buy off my report posted, then shame on them. However, This customer only asked that he receive the product purchased. Instead, out of all your posts, "Customers" and employee posts, all I get is how you still wanted me to have what you wanted me to have and still retain today as a reminder of the wasted money I spent with you. I love my stove. I hate the wasted money for pipe I did not order. Please post, if you will, the total amount of money I wasted  for pipe and fittings in my purchase with Obadiah's. This has been my complaint since the first post. How do you correct a reputation when you still don't understand the screwing you gave me.    

We ordered our Vermont Bun Baker in early October of 2010. I had several questions regarding the unit prior to ordering, so I called the company. I spoke with Annette, she was able to answer most of my questions, if she did not know an answer she told me she would find out & call me back. She did just that.

I needed to make sure that the stove was not delivered by semi, due to our location. Annette called me back to confirm a straight truck was going to be making the delivery. 

Our stove arrived in late October. We ordered the soapstone with the stove. When the stove arrived, one piece of soapstone was cracked. I called the company & spoke with Woody. He asked me to send photos of the damaged soapstone, which I did. He called the company & had them send me another stone out. I received it with no problems. 

In January 2011, our glass in the firebox cracked. We had noticed that the glass was loose as we were cleaning it, so we tightened it, not remembering that glass expands when it gets hot. We had talked to Woody about this & he sent us replacement glass.

In February 2011, we started having problems with our stove. I explained what was happening. Woody asked if I could send photos. I did. He told me what I needed to fix the problem & sent me the stuff to make the correction without my asking. I was impressed & thankful!

 These two issues started me asking more questions about the operation of the stove. Woody sent me a lengthy email letter with all the information I could ask for. He even took some of my suggestions about adding some other info about the stove to the operating manual he was writing, since there was not much of one that came with the stove. I have never had any other company start asking me for my input to make their product better.

In March 2011, as we were cleaning the stove, we noticed that the flue pipe was loose. I called Woody to see what might need to be done. He once again asked me to send photos. I once again sent them. It turns out that the professional chimney installer had installed the telescopic pipe upside down. Woody gave me instructions as to what to do & sent me the one adapter piece of pipe to make the correction. Another problem fixed. Once again, it was not Woody's obligation to help us fix someone else's mess, but he goes above & beyond the call of duty to make sure things are installed correctly. 

When Woody asks for photos to be sent it is so that he can help you fix the problems. As they say, a photo is worth a thousand words.

So you ask why there are no rebuttals until very recently. Why would any satisfied customer go to Ripoff Reports when we are very pleased with the service we have received? If you notice, you are the only one who has made any claims against this company. So maybe you need to re-examine the person who is staring back at you in the mirror.

Tim,

Please accept my apology at the frustration you have incurred, obviously there has been a miscommunication somewhere. At that time we were just trying to help you get your stove and chimney installed during a reasonable time frame.

It was a very busy time of the year and we were sold out of the chimney parts we needed to complete your order. DuraVent was having some production issues and was behind the 8 ball filling orders for their dealers. We had tried several other suppliers to fill the order with DuraTech chimney, with no success, so we upgraded you to a more expensive pipe (Secure Temp) thinking it was the right thing to do and you would be happy, obviously as it turned out that was the wrong choice. Had we known you would be willing to wait, we could have sent you want we had, and when DuraVent caught up and filled the back orders we could have sent on the rest of the parts. Most customers would not have been happy with that arrangement. When we fill a chimney order we don’t like to send a partial order and keep folks waiting, especially when DuraVent could not give us an answer when those parts would ship.

I am pleased that you’re happy with your stove and recommend us, that is what we strive for. I am not happy that you’re not happy with the Security Chimney we upgraded you to. This has blown up in my face… tell me what I can do to make this right. I honestly thought you would send me the pictures so I could resolve your issue so you could finish the installation. We did not think that you would want to wait for the DuraTech as we could not give you an answer when your order would ship, for most folks that would not be an acceptable answer.  We did what we thought would make you happy. We were not trying to force an inferior product on you. You suggest that folks do their homework research the different chimneys before they order, I totally agree so I have made that much easier for everyone.

Using a Copperfield Chimney price book, one of the largest chimney suppliers in the US and Canada I compared prices for you on a 6”x48” stick of SS DuraVent DuraTech $98.63verses 6”x48” SS Security Secure Temp $102.36, Most chimney professionals and firefighters like myself would install the Secure Temp in our own homes before we would DuraTech. DuraTech chimney is only listed to UL 103 which is not a very high rating as compared to the Secure Temp which is rated to a much higher standard and can be sold in Canada which DuraTech cannot. Secure Temp meets, UL 103HT, ULC S604 and ULC S610.  I won’t bore everyone else with the technical jargon that guys like me love. To put it simply, DuraTech is tested to 3-15 minute burns at 1700 degrees, or 2-10 minute burns at 2100 degrees, whereas Secure Temp is tested to 3-30 minute burns at 2100 degrees which is far closer to what one would experience in a real world chimney fire. Here are the links to prove that what I am saying is true and Secure Temp is in no way inferior chimney, infact the reverse is true. http://ulstandardsinfonet.ul.com/scopes/

http://ulstandardsinfonet.ul.com/tocs/tocs.asp?doc=s&fn=0103.toc http://www.ul.com/canada/eng/pages/ulcstandards/standardsactivities/newprojects/

http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/chimney-continuous-operating-temp-questions-or-ul-103ht-standard-vs-ulc-s629-standard.69224/

As far as the reply’s that have been posted here, I assure you that every one of them are from real customers, the only one that was from an employee “Larry” whom identified himself as such with inside knowledge of how we do business. Going to www.hearth.com will produce many other happy customers as well, who have posted on that forum. We have sold many of the moderators and minsters of fire on www.hearth.com their stoves, in fact one of them Scott, (heatstwice) posted a response right after you did. I replaced his defective stove even though I did not sell it to him. Another www.hearth.com minister of fire Charlie (Charly), posted about his Ironheart. Other customers have given similar responses; they are all legit, just go to www.hearth.com and ask them yourself if we do go above and beyond for our customers? Had you sent us the pictures we requested, I’m sure your outcome would have matched theirs. We would have made you happy, or taken the pipe back and issued a full refund. We were never not interested in making you happy, which is where the miscommunication seems to come in, this is very unfortunate, it would have been better to tell you to buy your pipe somewhere else but because we could not supply it as none of our suppliers had it we did not think you could find it, let alone at the reduced price, at least that worked out to your favor.

Most customers make a purchase, if they are happy they move on with life, never giving much thought about going back to post anything about their positive experiences. Our webmaster has informed us that Google pays attention to reviews and we need more on our site, he also said I should deal with your post, so I sent out an e-mail to our customers asking them to post a review on our site and we’d send them a pair of fireplace gloves, to try to get more folks to post. Those who I felt had gone through a problem and had actually firsthand knowledge about how serious we are about taking care of our customers, I sent a link and asked to post their reply here. That is why there is a string of reply’s dating after I posted my rebuttal. I’m pretty sure there will be many more happy customers that will get around to sharing their experience here. The only other way to deal with this was to pay Rip Off Reports $7500 to remove it and become one of their approved vendors, we cant afford that so, this is the only other option I could afford. Seems to be a bit of an oxymorn going on here.

You made a comment that you were surprised that no one else had anything good to say in 3 yrs. since you posted. I thought this was a place to post complaints not complements. I am proud that no one else has posted anything similar to your post in 3 yrs. I have no idea how much business this has cost me and how many folks did not do business with us because of your post, but I thought it was high time to address it. Why we could not resolve this issue 3 yrs. ago still baffles me, I would have gladly returned the pipe and refunded your money, if I knew that was what you wanted; I thought you just wanted to get the installation completed safely. When I never received the pictures, I assumed you had resolved the issue, I guess I was wrong.

I assure you, my wife Annette is a very sweet lady and try’s very hard to make folks happy. We are a small family business, we work long hours trying to go above and beyond for our customers, but we are also mere humans and we do occasionally fail. As we have obviously in your case, for that I am very sorry.

I have been buying stoves and replacement parts for my stoves from Obadiah’s Woodstoves for six years. I have also received superb instruction and advice from their employees as to the proper installation of whatever I had purchased. I should also say that I always send pictures (if required) of what I am working on to help clarify verbal communications. I have never had any of the problems mentioned in the original post and I find it sad that such miscommunication occurred resulting in this customer of Obadiah feeling unsatisfied and then posting in this venue.

I write this rebuttal not only because I have only had the best service/support from Obadiah’s but also they have gone FAR out of their way to maintain my loyalty as a customer.

For instance, a stove I bought from a third party (not Obadiah’s) failed its “life time” warranty. This third party would not approach the vendor for a stove replacement. Woody (of Obadiah’s) did however. That is, even though Obadiah’s had not sold me the original stove, they went to bat for me with the vendor who then sent me a brand new stove!

Perhaps none of the above has much to do with purchase of “stove pipe” - the original issue, but wow, it’s hard to see how a single customer could have become so unsatisfied as to post in this venue.

I speak from experience. Obadiah’s is the only place I will ever buy equipment from as they are the most knowledgeable I have been able to locate anywhere (locally or on the web). As an engineer myself, I find them an invaluable resource for advice and confirmation of ideas. I have always been able to get what I need from Obadiah’s and have never had any of the problems outlined in the original post.

I contacted Obadiah's Woodstoves more than once. I built my house from the ground up, had to pass the local county test for plumbing and electrical to install these items in my home personally. The ENTIRE home was built by me under my direction and my own hands. To suggest that I don't know how to install a wood stove pipe is the only way for Obadiah's to rebuttal my complaint. 

There was just no service after the sale. I challenge anyone to price Dura pipe and Secure pipe as to price. Had Obadiah's written this rebuttal at the time of the original complaint, I would have been able to possibly attach the receipts to prove what was paid for the replacement pipe. However, if you look at the rebuttals, they are all from a week window of time. Appears to be rebuttals from Obadiah's or their employees possibly. You mean to tell me that no one else had a good experience over the past three years until August 28, 29 and September 8 and 9 of this year. Weird, ain't it. 

All I asked was to send back the secure pipe unused and be shipped back the Dura pipe I ordered and paid for. Obadiah's wanted pictures and explanations and me to retain the pipe they wanted me to have and not what was ordered. Still had two months before cold weather when I ordered my stove and pipe. Plenty of time to recieve the pipe I ordered. I was willing to wait. Obadiah's unwilling to send.

As for the stove, I am completely happy with the stove and have told guests that it was bought from obadiah's. However, I have told them where to buy Dura pipe cheaper than Obadiah's when ready to install. All I wanted as a customer was what I ordered, whether my brother ordered from them or not. I am the customer. My money wanted Dura pipe, not what Obadiah's wanted to sell me.

Service after the sale with regard to the desires of the customer and what he/she is/has paid for is customer service. Not a force sale. 

I suggest that anyone buying stove pipe research the different pipes and how they are put together before ordering. 

Tim Mathis

Obadiah's Woodstove's is in my experience an exceptional business and I would highly recommend them to anyone.

Purchasing and installing a cook stove and its chimney system is a project that, for safety reasons, requires close cooperation between the suppliers of the materials, in my case this was Obadiah's Woodstove's and the person installing those materials - in my case, that was me. I too had some difficulty conveying my unique cook stove to chimney piping needs. However, this was easily resolved by sending a few photos to Obadiah's Woodstove's.

In my opinion, a picture is worth a thousand words and it is irrational to believe that there is any better means by which to convey information short of a personal visual inspection. I commend Obadiah's Woodstove's for their outstanding willingness and cooperation in helping me install my new cook stove from over 1,200 miles away. I could not ask for a better business to work with.

I have purchased 4 fireplaces from Obadiah;s over the past several years and have always had a great consumer experience.  Any custom fireplace installation can require some improvisation and technical support.  The installation for each of the units I purchased was unique and each install presented a different challenge.  In every instance Obadiahs was there to support the questions that I had and always worked with me until the problem was resolved.  Pricing has always been competitive, they offer the total package and have always provided anything and everything required to install the fireplace.  Anette and Woody make a great team and I look forward to working with them again.   

Hello Tim,  I also have dealt with Obadiah's and can say they have been 100% to deal with. I bought an Esse Iron heart from them and couldn't have asked for better service.. I've also met another person who bought the same stove from the same company, again great people and great service... As to getting different pipe , out of the generosity of the good folks of Obadiah's you were sent an upgarde in stove pipe so you didn't have to wait for pipe that was out of stock, at no extra charge.. Something Obadiah's would do for any of their customers without blimking an eye...

As far as you receiving stove pipe that would be a fire hazard, that would be totally out of the question, LOL Woody who owns Obadiah's is a firefighter, that's the last thing he wants is someone with a bad install.. Sir to see that these folks are great people I suggest you go on the Hearth.com where you can put in Esse Iron Heart or Obadiahs and get unbiased reports of people who have dealt with Obadiahs.. I think you should take the time and work with the people who are trying to help you instead of filing a report that has no merit about the real Obadiah's!

Obadiah's has also taken the time to make videos showing how to take care or maintain the Esse Iron Heart amongst other brands he sells... Sir, your taking Woody all wrong... He's there to help.. He's there after the sale, believe me, I know!  I would send pictures to Woody so he can see what your issues are with your pipe... Again, he's not turning his back, he's there to help you, otherwise you wouldn't hear a word form him if he didn't care.

I hope this turns out to be a big misundestanding on your part and you get to see what a great  company Obadiah's is..  They deal with a lot of people and everyone is treated like a good friend.

"I purchased a cookstove from Obadiahs Woodstoves and had issues with it. I contacted the supplier direct and also received little help. I contacted Obadiah's and Woody and Annette and explained my dilemma. I needed a cookstove that would also heat my home, the one they sold me was not working for me. I am a widow on a fixed income. Woody and his assistant Kevin loaded a different cookstove in their van and drove to Washington where I live and removed the cookstove and replaced it with another for no charge.

They took the cookstove that I was having trouble with back to their place in Montana and took it apart to try to figure out what was wrong with it. I have been happy with the replacement Kitchen Queen cookstove ever since. Woody and Annette and their crew are great folks, they go above and beyond what most companies would do for their customers. I think if Tim would not have been so demanding and would have sent them the pictures they requested, he too would have been amazed at how they would have bent over backwards to make him happy. Sounds to me like he was being unreasonable with Annette who is a very sweet lady, shame on him!"

I had numerous phone conversations with Annette and she always went above and beyond to make sure I was taken care of. I think Tim is way off base with his filing of this report. His claim is nonsense and he probably didn't know what he was doing with the pipe. I am now Toasty Warm because of Obadiah's Woodstoves. Woody checks in on me regularly to make sure I am still happy and warm. Not like most companies that take the money and run, they really do care about their customers. Thank you Woody, Annette and Kevin!" Patti from Washington.

 I would just like to say that I had the complete opposite experience in working with Annette and Woody Chain from Obadiah's Woodstoves. I purchased not only a woodcookstove, but a propane fireplace in 2011.  My contractor and I both made numerous phone contacts with Obadiah's, and we always received good, accurate information.  When Annette needed to get more information for us, she did not hesitate to make the appropriate calls and get back to us in a timely fashion.

One example of how the owner's at Obadiah's treated us, was that we had a question as to whether our propane logs might be able to look more realistic.  Rather then them just trying to guide us over the phone as to how stack them to make them more realistic, they came out to our home (a 2hr. trip one-way), and demonsrtated how this could be done, and left us being very satisfied with what they had done.

Safety wise, I can't even imagine a company being more concerned about safety, as when they were at our home, though we didn't even ask them, Woody checked out our set-up just to be sure that our stove was set up properly!!

I don't know how this other consumer could have had such a different experience than we did, except if he did not give them a chance to resolve the situation!

I won't hesitate to use Obadiahs Woodstoves again in the future if necessary.

Sincerely,(a previous customer)

I purchased a new Vermont Castings woodstove and chimney from Obadiah’s Woodstoves for my own home to replace the Vermont Castings woodstove I had for many years. Working for Obadiah’s Woodstoves has its benefits, as we enjoyed a nice employee discount on our new stove.

I have worked for Woody and Annette Chain in their office in Yaak Montana for a year now.

I am also a former County Commissioner for Lincoln County in Troy District 2, where we live.

I have seen many businesses over the years come and go, but few as successful as Obadiah’s, which operates from a beautiful but remote location in NW Montana. I am amazed at Woody and Annette’s success online as business people. We serve folks from all over: Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, USA, Japan, even New Zealand and Australia. They are one of the largest Hearth retailers in Montana in terms of volume – essentially operating from the middle of nowhere.

Because I help answer the phones here and deal with customers, I personally know how they handle their business. I am impressed by the amount of referrals and repeat customers they have and how often the phones ring with new business. We are very busy during stove season. I can only attribute their success to the fact that they go above and beyond the call of duty for their customers. I have personally witnessed this many times. Annette and Woody work long hours for their customers. They will bend over backwards to try to keep them happy. They are a family owned and operated business with a work ethic that is becoming scarce in today’s world. Even their children are involved in their hearth business and also quite successful, as they had great teachers.

Their knowledge of the products they offer is astounding. Annette is very knowledgeable about many things, such as woodstoves and wood furnaces, gas stoves as well as fireplaces, and even pellet stove parts and chimney pipe. Woody is the Tech expert on staff with a background in building, contracting, HVAC, specializing in Biomass Boilers and firefighting. (He is on the local Vol FD, as well as a private contractor supporting the US Forest Service and BLM in wildland fire suppression and disaster management roles.) The thing that strikes me most is their focus on safety. They constantly stress how important it is that our customers understand the product, and stoves & fireplaces are installed properly. I have personally seen them refuse sales, if they don’t feel the customer has a good grasp of what is involved with the installation and operation of a specific hearth product. There is a lot to know in this business, and I am constantly learning many new things every day. As far as integrity, I can also vouch for that. Woody and Annette are honest, caring and totally committed to customer satisfaction with their purchase from Obadiah’s. They go to great lengths to insure customer satisfaction.

I am amazed at this complaint and can assure you that this is the exception and not the rule. We have many customers contact us with problems and send us pictures via e-mail. The Chains are experts at solving problems this way. I’m sure if Mr. Tim would have followed their request and sent pictures; they would have solved his chimney installation problem, as they have a thousand times before.

While learning products serving customers placing orders, I have witnessed extreme care taken to match proper chimney or venting pipe to each product sold, because many are incompatible. In fact, this is stressed during training. I know of no exceptions. That is the primary reason this complaint is questionable to me. It is totally inconsistent with our day to day operations.

In addition, Woody has spent many hours preparing videos that he posts on You Tube without any compensation at all, just to help folks, even if they purchased somewhere else, because that is the kind of folks they are, Christians.

First all I would like to apologize for the time lapse in responding. I had never heard of Rip Off Reports and thought it was a way to extort money from us when the report came in. Rip Off Reports was pretty new back Feb of 2010. I contacted Tim personally when I returned and tried to resolve this issue but he said he had already taken care of it and did not want to discuss it with me.

Tim reports "I contacted Obadiah's and talked to the Co-Owner, Annette Chain and explained the fire hazard concern I had with the Security Pipe they shipped me. She wanted me to take pictures and send he something to explain better what she could not understand over the phone. Instead of wasting my (Consumer) time, Realizing that she was not interested in making me happy by just sending me the Dura Vent Pipe that I originally ordered, I ordered the Dura Vent Pipe online from another company for $250.00 less than I paid Obadiah’s for the same price on my receipt from them."

Annette my wife, dealt with Tim on this purchase and was very frustrated as she found him very rude and unwilling to listen to her as she is a women. I am a professional firefighter and was out of the office for training when this occurred. She called me for help on this matter, I asked her to ask Tim to send the pictures so she could e-mail them to me so I could figure out what was going on. I suspected that the customer had the pipe installed upside down from what she and our supplier described.

I would like to point out a couple facts.

1. The customer was unwilling to wait until we had all the parts to fill his order for the Dura Tech chimney and demanded the chimney and stove be sent right away. We met that request to the best of our ability.

2. We substituted the Dura Tech Chimney for Security Secure Temp which is more expensive chimney at no extra cost to the customer. Anyone in this business know that this was very generous on our part. We did this in an effort to make Tim happy so he and his brother could install the chimney during the time they had planned to. Tim’s brother had purchased Dura Tech chimney and was familiar with how to install it which is why Tim wanted Dura Tech Chimney, we latter found out. It was not a matter of inferior chimney pipe but rather a matter of unfamiliarity with the Security Pipe.

3. Rather than contact Obadiahs who sold Tim the chimney, Tim bypassed us and went directly to our supplier because of the packing slip in the box, who reported back to us that Tim was rude and would not let him explain how to properly install the chimney and kept talking over him. Therefore our chimney supplier could not help Tim either.

4. Annette requested that Tim send pictures so we could help him figure out what the problem was. As a professional firefighter, I assure you that we go to extremes to help our customers understand the proper way to do things. A simple search in You Tube under my name "WoodyChain" or "Woody Chain" will bring you to my You Tube channels which verify what I am saying. I have invested many hours in helping folks understand how to do things in a safe manner. I also have dedicated my life and safety to serve and protect others as a Volunteer Firefighter in my local community as well as fighting Wildfires all over this nation.

5. Tim admits in his statement rather than "wasting his time sending us pictures" he felt it more appropriate to say that we were unwilling to help him. How could we help someone who is unwilling to cooperate with a simple request like sending pictures? Why would we send him more chimney when he was unwilling to work with us to resolve his question? Had he sent us the pictures we requested and we determined there was indeed a "safety problem" we would have gladly replaced the chimney for Tim.

6. I also find it interesting that he was able to find the same DuraTech Chimney at $250 less, as that would be less than our cost. We sell a lot of chimney and enjoy pretty good discounts. Who would sell chimney at below their cost? 

I think if you read the complaint carefully and stand in our shoes for a few seconds, it is very evident that Obadiah's went above and beyond to try to make Tim happy. Tim shows his impatience clearly when he states that rather than wasting his time resolving this simple issue and allowing us to help him, by taking some pictures and emailing them, he thought it more prudent to spend his precious time here bad mouthing my company. I ask you folks, is this really fair? Was there really a Rip Off? We were never given a chance to resolve this issue in a manner that would have made Tim satisfied. Annette was trying to understand what Tim was saying, she is a very understanding person, just ask any of our other thousands of customers who are very happy with our service since 1999. If she was not, I'm sure we would not have an A+ rating with the BBB and there would be more than just this one complaint out there online. Therefore I am requesting that this complaint be considered Libel and Slanderous and be removed.

Sincerely Woody Chain, Obadiahs Woodstoves and Wildfire Fighters