WhatStove?

Review of Langdale Stove

Very poor customer service

Susanne Schulz 5 years ago

We bought a Langdale stove from a local supplier. The stove looks great but unfortunately, after only a few months of using it the front glass pane cracked! We contacted the supplier who explained to us that the glass is not covered by the warranty. We also contacted Town and Country directly who wanted photographs and the serial number of the stove, but likewise dismissed our claim. We have contacted Citizen Advice Consumer Service who have advised us that under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, any goods provided by a trader to a consumer should be of satisfactory quality, which means they should be free from fault, last a reasonable amount of time, do what they're designed to do and be safe.

As the stove was not working properly (and arguable unsafe to use) with the cracked glass we had to buy a replacement for close to £190. The local supplier has agreed to install the glass free of charge, but we still had to fork out close to £200 to get the replacement glass. We are extremely disappointed in Town and Country. Surely, the glass should last more than a few months and if it does not it is reasonable to assume that there is an underlying material fault that caused the glass to fail after such a short time. We can only hope that the replacement glass will last considerably longer as we cannot afford to pay out close to £200 every 4-6 months.

There are also two minor issues with the stove: the clean air technology does not work - the glass gets black despite stringently adhering to the instructions we have been given by the local supplier on how to use the two leavers.

Lastly, the door is very difficult to close. The lever can be adjusted but ours is already down to the minimum and still the lever scrapes against the ''latch'' which means that the door is a bit difficult to close.

Stove expert replied: Glass is not covered by any manufacturer, if it cracks it can be down to various factors, it could have been knocked when loading the stove, it could be a stress point from the securing parts. It can be compared to a windscreen going on a car, sometimes the cause is obvious, like a stone hitting it and at other times a crack can appear seemingly from nowhere, would you expect the manufacturer to pay for the replacement after a few months of use? Regarding the clean air technology, have you re-read the manual to check that the guidance given matches the manufacturers instructions? Are you using dry and seasoned wood with a moisture content of less than 20%? Is there enough air getting into the stove to ensure a good rate of burn - a stove should not slumber for prolonged periods. Perhaps the door needs adjustment to assist the closure of it, again there may be guidance in the manual that comes with the stove.

Overall rating:

2.5 flames

Build Quality 1 flames (avg 3)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4)
Value for money 2 flames (avg 3)
Ease of use 3 flames (avg 4)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 4.5)
Firebox size 4 flames (avg 4.5)
How well does the airwash work 1 flames (avg 2.3)
Controllability 3 flames (avg 3.8)
Handle operation 2 flames (avg 2.8)
How likely are you to buy it again? 1 flames (avg 2)
What is your overall satisfaction? 1 flames (avg 3)