As most of our customers know with our tiled fireplace packages we offer a selction of gallery Fireplace tiles for our customers to choose.
At the moment they are only listed by name but were not 100% happy with that and are working on a format to show them in picture format so our customers can see exactly which set they are adding to there order.
On our old site we did have a link to view tile choices but found it a hassle clicking backwards and forwards to view different tiles so again with customers ease of use a priority on our website we are intending to have the best option available from any website online.
So please bear with us whilst we test this feature before its up and running and then added to all our tiled products it really will be worth the wait and then our customers will be able to see the tiles as they add them to the order.
Another great feature we are working on is when customers choose a particular fireplace the image will change to the item selected this really is work in progress as there are so many photos and options available it will take a while before this is up and running but ill inform you more when its all ready for you to use.
As always at Castfireplaces we are trying to make our site the most simple to use anywhere online and if you have any suggestions please drop us an email.
New Tile selection choice is running in our test area
March 19th, 2010Pembroke Black Fireplace
March 18th, 2010The Pembroke Black Fireplace package is this weeks featured fireplace and this just happens to be our best selling cast iron Fireplace package by far.
The Pembroke is available in Black as shown here and also a full polished finish which is availble on our website too.
So a little bit more about this fantastic fireplace, it has a 48″ shelf width and is a 41″ x 41″ square of cast iron. Its very simple in design but thats does not mean its a plain looking fireplace.
In my opinion it is the best looking fireplace in the gallery range and from our customers point of view they agree with me as it appears in our best sellers list on the right hand side of our front page.
For customer swith smaller chimney breasts it does have a smaller brother called the Celtic which has shelf width of 36″.
The Pembroke Black is ideal for solid fuel use and now availble with the Deeper back (extra £100) it creates an area big enough to throw on some large logs.
Most of the black ones we sell are for solid fuel use and with prices at £420 with a 48″ granite hearth to match its an absolute bargain which you would be mad to miss out on.
We do have plenty of these in stock so if you wish to buy this weeks featured fireplace product click on the picture link below to take you straight through to the item
Customer damages tiled fireplace hearth whilst fitting
March 17th, 2010There is nothing worse and a you get a real sinking feeling when you damage something whilst putting it together ive done it with an american fridge trying to squeeze it through a narrow doorway and i know how frustrating it is.
Well today we have had a customer ring us to see if they can buy a single fireplace tile for a 54″ x 18″ ebony black hearth they were fitting they went to get the spirit level to check all was level and crash it came down on one of the tiles knocoking a ten pence piece size whole out of it.
Luckily it is the front tiles with a single rolled edge on it so they could continue fitting the fireplace and surround so the day hasnt been wasted.
It is no problem to supply spare tiles so its now on its way by 24 hour parcelforce to Haverfordwest. The damaged one has been removed and the new one is supplied with some matching black grout so it will be an invisible repair once done.
Its not dififcult to do just use some tile adhesive to bond it to the clean area press into place and allow to dry then grout up using plastic spreader and remove all excess then wash down after that has dried too.
Sometimes the corner tiles do work loose in the wrapping too so most fireplace fitters are quite used to tacking these back on so dont despair if you do damage a tile there only £2.50 each so its not exactly going to break the bank.
It could have been alot worse it could have been a granite hearth but there alot tougher i know ive dropped the poker on mine at home and fearing the worst checked the hearth and there wasnt even a scatch.
So another happy relieved customer whose not going to get grief from his wife this evening as i bet the fireplace is fitted and in the morning the hearth will be as good as new.
We just Sell Fireplaces and Stoves
March 16th, 2010Recently we have a had a few customers order items of us saying they felt more comfortable dealing with a company that only sells fireplaces and stoves.
I have visited most fireplace sites online and it seems quite a few of them sell other items including Bathrooms,Furniture,Doors and one even sells cast iron garden furniture too.
Call me old fashioned but i believe to be an expert in the field you work in you should stick to that item i can understand people selling cast iron radiators as its heat and home related but doors, garden furniture and bathrooms.
You do not see a heart surgeon mending broken bones do you its all about being profesional and being good at what you do and offering the customer the best service you can.
Thats why i can state we never will sell other non fireplace related items we concentrate solely on the fireplace and heating related items so you our customers can be sure we know what we are talking about and when you speak to us you can rest assured you will get the correct advice
Some companies customer service is a joke with people with no fireplace experiance all they want to do is sell you what they have on their websites or what the boss says is this months best deal.
We are different here we find out what our customers want and where they want it to fit and offer advice based on this thats why we have a high percentage of returning customers
So if you want the best advice from the best fireplace company with some of the best prices online you are already at the right place so search our online shop or even better ring us to discuss your fireplace or stove and get advice from someone who knows exactly what there on about based on 15 years knowledge.
Replacement Firebricks for my Celtic Fireplace
March 15th, 2010Today we have had a phonecall about the cast iron back firebrick in the celtic fireplace and why does it move up and down and do i have to seal it shut.
The idea is to have this little replacement brick as when the fireplace is being used for solid fuel use there is a little expansion and contraction but primarily this firebrick is where all the heat is contained and as these are proper working fireplaces the brick is designed to be replaced when it shows sign of wear and tear.
Now recently we have had one or two customers ring up saying that the replacement brick has bowed in towards the fire and it is really damaged.
This basically is though not backfilling the fireplace as the area behind the cast iron back needs to be packed tightly with vermiculite or rubble making sure that no air pockets are left.
Heats registered fitters will enusre this job is done properly and its normally DIY people we find who have not backfilled at all or done it wrong.
Its not the end of the world as the bricks are replaceable and cost £25.
So back to the original question leave the firebrick with its cast iron brackets that hold it in place and do not overtighten and make sure it moves up and down backfill the fireplace properly and all will be good for years to come.
Will you Price match a Second Hand Tiger Stove
March 14th, 2010Now call me odd if you want but is this not one of the most daft questions anybody has ever asked im not really sure what they are thinking.
We only sell brand new items here at Cast Fireplaces no seconds no returns just genuine 1st grade gallery products.
Anyway Mr Tiger stove man has been trawling thorugh ebay looking for a bargain stove and has come accross a listing where someone is selling a 12 month old Tiger stove and wants £250 for it now this really is a fair deal there is not a lot to go wrong with them and for someone wanting to take a chance on it its a good deal.
Now Mr Tiger then decides to Google search tiger stove doing a little research i presume in to how much they cost new and comes accross our website with the Tiger stove there for sale at £310 and then as he says ” i saw your stove for sale and at the top of the page it says seen it cheaper let us know”
Now technically he is right but what sort of person thinks to themselves these are brand new at £310 i bet they will price match a 12 month old second hand stove sold on ebay with no warranty offered.
MMMMMmmm now let me think for a short while errrmmmmm NO way would we possibly price match a new stove sold by us brand new in the crate for a second hand Tiger.
I wouldnt have minded if he had somehow come across a brand new Tiger stove sold by a company who offers warranty and is a genuine business id see what we could have done.
Needless to say i declined his kind offer of £250 for one of our shiny new stoves and im sure he didnt fully understand why we could not price match it anyway you live and learn im off for a lie down now im not sure i can take anymore today now
Why do you have so many Wooden Fireplaces
March 13th, 2010I took a phonecall at ten past nine this morning asking me why we have so many choices of wooden fireplaces and as the range and options are so big it is really making choosing which one we like best really hard.
I apologised for offering too much choice and she laughed saying its a womans right to be indecisive.
It turns out she had been looking for the past two days and had now narrowed it down to three options for which they were going to have
Jubilee and Oak Brompton
Henley and Oak Stourhead
Coronet and Oak Lincoln
After finding out that the shelf width was going to be a 54″ surround we could then rule out the Coronet and oak lincoln as this is best suited to a 48″ mantel i did mention the crown half polish its big brother to be told the polished band was to wide and was not what she wanted
Now the Henley and the Jubilee are two different inserts one decorative one plain and offer i think different looks and styles so to choose between these two is odd.
Anyway after further questions about wall colours and decor and what type of furniture was in the room a firm decison was suddenly made
Ill have the Jubilee and Oak Stourhead i just laughed out loud it wasnt even an option that had been discussed or considered but now when comparing the two together in side by side screen shots without telling me she had clicked on the Jubilee and Oak Stourhead and was now happy with what she was ordering.
I double checked to make sure she was happy with everything and now was so firm in her mind im not sure why we had been chatting for 22 minutes about fireplace options when all along the perfect answer had been sitting there.
So after one of the most challenging sales for quite a while we now have another happy customer looking forward to her delivery next sunday to Fareham and it just goes to show be patient and listen to what the customer wants and needs and make sure you have the options to offer thats why we really have so many choices in our wooden fireplaces section it makes choosing easy
Fully Stocked Fireplace Factory except Granite
March 12th, 2010Well over the past two days we have had well over 100 cast iron fireplaces delivered to us to replenish our stocks and this now means we have all our stock items in bulk again ready to supply all over the UK via our fantastic delivery service.
John from our suppliers has been unloading them using our forklift as i have been in the office they are in temporary accomadation in the Unit next too ours until i get chance next week to remove all empty crates and restack these.
The only thing we are now short of is 48″ Granite hearths for solid fuel use and with those not arriving till the 1st week of April we will run out early next week, again with the cold winter we have had, all the stocks accoss the major stockists have run dry.
As these come from China there is not alot that can be done to speed up the process so we will just have to offer alteranative hearths or people will have to wait untill they arrive.
We do have plenty of 54″ hearths so please keep ordering the larger fireplace packages we do and it wont be a problem.
One of the main reasons we have run out is the amount of Black Pembroke Fireplace packages for solid fuel use we have sold everyone goes with a 48″ granite hearth and these have been selling so fast we ran out of Pembrokes too but we now have those back in stock so we may have to swap to offering tiled hearths untill the granite returns to stock.
Anyway ill keep you all posted as to stock situation…
Oooh nearly forgot the Oak mantel with the Fancy moulding has been done today it will be ready monday so ill keep you posted about that too
Tiled Fireplace Collected then Visited Derbyshire
March 11th, 2010Im not sure what has been happening over the last couple of days but we have sold 7 tiled fireplace sets and 5 of them have been sold today via sales from our showroom and our website.
We do offer the full range of Tiled Inserts from gallery and they are all on our website but for some reason today it has gone mad on them.
Most have been sold with traditional style surrounds from the Bedford in Pine throught to the Flat Victorian Brompton Limestone.
Only 1 of these inserts was sold on its own and a Mrs Brown from Dalton in Furness who drove down today to view and collect it.
Dalton is a fair way from us but after finding out if we had the Northmoor Black in stock they decided to have an afternoon in the Derbyshire Countryside before heading off home.
As we are close to Matlock Bath and the Gateway to the Peak District quite a few of our customers tie a visit to us with day out some even go to Denby Pottery which is a mile from my house.We have even have customers visit us at Langley Mill and go to Ikea and the DH Lawrence centre at Eastwood which is close to us too.
We are lucky where we are situated with good road links and being in the centre of the Uk we have customers travel from miles to view and Collect our range of Fireplaces and Stoves.
So next time your after a fire why not pick up a map or use your satnav to find some local attraction you can visit whilst out his way and make a full day of it exploring Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire there really is so much to see not just our beautiful Fireplaces
Why do Customers choose other Fireplace Retailers
March 10th, 2010Today i had a phonecall at 8.30 am from a customer in Acomb York enquiring as to whether we had an Asquith Limestone mantel in stock and if they could come and collect one which luckily for them is a stock item.
To be honest we get asked regurlarly for limestone surrounds on there own as we find customer sometimes just replace the surround to give an existing fireplace a new lease of life so i enquired as to what dimensions the existing fire place was just to make sure it was suitable.
Over the years us asking our customers various things has saved a huge amount of costly mistakes or wrong ordered items etc.
So half way through i found out they had ordered a fireplace from someone known to us who is a regular bandit and name of this particular company has loads of bad reviews online and beleive it or not can only be contacted by email for faults etc.
I find this disgusting if you have a problem you want to speak to someone not email them its just very rude
It turns out the Limestone they ordered was smashed to pieces and they are refusing to supply new one as customer signed delivery notes as ok and they have no comeback on the haulage company.
After telling him what consumer rights he has he still wanted to order Limestone as he had fitter coming Thursday Morning.
As we are short staffed this week with Rhian being in Hospital for once we could not deliver it before then so he drove down and we unboxed the mantel and he took it away in his car.
Damages do happen more often than not when sending by pallet delivery Fireplaces are fragile items and need handling with care thats why we deliver all over the Uk ourselves and never entrust them to pallet delivery.
So please bear this in mind when ordering your fireplace and Stove who will it be delivered by how am i covered if its damaged and what are my rights
We offer a transparent simple service if your not happy tell us and w ewill work as hard as we can to sort it out not just say sorry its not our fault.
But anyway with our fantastic personal home delivery service we dont do damages we inspect all items prior to delivery so im confident everything will arrive in one piece and if it doesnt were here to sort it out.