Good Afternoon
Thought i would share a few thoughts with you before i dissapear back to the Factory in Langley Mill to load both of our Vans for tommorows deliveries.
The case of the missing limestones is well and truly closed with second 54″ corbel limestone being found in Wimbledon.
The customer has opened the crate and likes the mantel he has decided to keep it and as he is having it fitted on Thursday this has saved us a huge headache getting replacement to him in time.
So lesson learnt i have restacked them in our factory and marker penned each one so it does not happen again.
This is in addition to the labels on the side telling me whats in the crates so fingers crossed that is the last time it will happen.
The second thought is regarding the new workshop and how the sale is progressing, as some of you may be aware the mineshaft saga is close to being sorted and as the maps of that area are so old it could now be within a 20 metre radius.
So fingers crossed on that it wasnt found when buildings were erected and as it hasnt surfaced for over 150 years i dont think it will be doing now.
So hopefully that will all be sorted byt the end of the month ready for us to continue with our move and building new showroom etc so i will keep you all posted on how things progress its in the hands of the solicitors.

Just got back into the office to finish off the day after an early start this morning due to the amount of goods arriving at our Fireplace Warehouse today.
Believe me it is now groaning at the seams and the doors are only just shut.
So again i have been to the showroom this evening to show customers some of the fireplaces and stoves we have in our showroom with 1 customer who was from Codnor which is just round the corner collecting a Firefox 8 Stove after veiwing them in the showroom.
He was very pleased he could take it away with him and was very happy about the late night viewing after work.
The second customer was from Northampton who had come to view the 48″ Brompton Limestone after i had emailed her yesterday to say they were coming into stock.
Quite a drive on a Tuesday evening but well worth it im sure, it also turns out she reads our blog and knows all about our company which is nice to hear.
Too many people shop online without knowing who they are dealing with and she remarked on how good it was to deal with a proper family firm and felt she could trust us and our advice.
Anyway back to business just speaking to people alters things and i know when we ask you questions on the phone or at the showroom we do it for a reason.
She had her mind set on 48″ brompton which turns out is to small for the 58″ chimney breast she has is now looking at 51″ or 54″ as an alternative.
Also the benefits of the Deeper Cast back for solid fuel were explained and she was shown the difference and how logs fitted in etc.
We try to be very thourough in the advice we give as unless you want to make an expensive mistake it really is worth listening.
So she has headed off back home with our fitters telephone number and some ideas to make carboard cut out for the chimney breast to confirm sizes etc to see which fits best.
All hearth options were also explained i can honestly say if she hadnt spoke to us and just ordered online from us or any other company the fireplace would have been wrong for what she needs.
Thats what we are here for Free Advice with no sales patter or pressure we just want to offer you the Best Fireplaces at the best prices with no Ifs or Buts
Thats why shopping at Castfireplaces is so good.

As we have now returned to work i was in the office at 7am this morning printing off website orders and raising invoice that our Fireplaces website has been taking all week whilst we have been off.
Im not joking when i say i have had 1 hour out of the office today and that was to wrap up some parcels to be sent out that people had ordered from our spares and care products sections on our website.
Apart from that i have been here all day with Rhian working away through a huge mound of paperwork and its now 8pm and im just about to switch off for the Night.
The phones have been going like mad people placing orders and enquiring about delivery days and times and Stuart and myself have a huge job delivering everything in quiick timely fashion so customers are not kept waiting for their Fireplace or Stove Order.
All the office work will be up to date by around lunchtime tommorow after we both have another early start at 7am to get things shipshape.
All delivery runs will also be planned tomorrow and ill then start ringing customers to advise days and times etc so by the end of Wednesday i will know whats going where when.
Thursday and Friday this week is spent delivering along with Stu it really is a good job we have two delivery vans with the amount of items going out and the places we have to deliver too.
And also on Sunday we have 3 vans out delivering Fireplaces and Stoves down south as again i have roped in one of my good friends as there is too much for two vans.
Its just like Mid Winter at this rate with fireplace arriving again on mass this week to replenish our stocks and loads of Timber surround arriving too we are going to be bursting at the seams too.
Right im off to take the dog out for an hour and get some peace and quiet for a while just me Sammy and Fields i really enjoy winding down this way.

Whilst ordering something online last week i noticed at the Checkout page of this particular website there was no padlock against the toolbar and my details would then be unsecure.
Now this is dodgy and i straight away logged out.
Interent card use is a massive business and you should only deal with repuatable firms.
On our fireplace website we use the RBS Worldpay Gateway to process all our payments which is the UKs number one payment solution providers we choose the best on so should you.
On our Home page you will see all the RBS Logos and cards that we accept this is to ensure our customers know what they can pay with and that we are a trusted website.
All the data transferred is very safe and is encrypted to stop identity theft as should be standard with any website, so when shopping online ask yourself this
Have i heard of the payment solutuion provider, does it have the Padlock Symbol on the address bar, does the site show who powers there payments and have symbols of the cards they take, most providers insist before setting up the gateways you have the correct images on your website and any company that does not have them just move along and order from the next website.
Chances are something is adrift and you would not want to put your peronal details into there website, i also understand some customers do not like filling in the forms with there details if not give us a call we can process it over the phone for you its as simple as that.

As you are reading this we are currently on our way to Devon for a week for a family holiday break, we are therefore closed this week im afraid and we have no deliverys or collections booked for this week.
As we are a small family firm we do have to close when we are on holiday.
If you are wanting to contact us regarding an order there is a message on our answer phone and we will be answering emails when we can.
We are only away for one week and return to work Tuesday 17th August and will deal with all enquiries not answered then.
If you do need anything urgent we do have our works mobile phone on and will answer if i can and if i dont answer leave me a message and i will return your call.
So we expect a busy week when we returning sorting out orders and deliverys etc and these will be processed as soon as we can so please bear this in mind when ordering from us this week it may take a little longer than usual for you to recieve your new fireplace or stove but im still sure even we will get things back up and running and deliver everything very quickly on our return.

Im pleased to say we will be starting work next week on our new fireplace factory showroom and moving a few items across as we look to complete the deal by the end of this month.
To say im excited about this move and our new factory and showroom is an understatement.
Im really looking forward to strating to move in our new limestone mantels and get them set out properley within our forklift area and i have done all the drawing s for the new larger showroom and our customer waiting area along with my new office etc.
New toliets and water heaters etc have been ordered and that work starts next week too so its all systems go whilst im on holiday with Daz who makes our timber surrounds sorting out the construction for the new showroom.
He is very used to my drawings and scribbles and we have site meeting monday morning to run through everything and make sure he knows what i want.
To start from a blank canvas with an empty factory is ideal so we can do exactly what we want with everything where we want it.
A new alarm system and cctv is also being installed and finnally a new set of roller shutter doors to complete the job.
So if you ring me next week and im at the factory and you hear a load of banging and shouting i will be probably helping whoever is there i just cant help myself.
I am going to take photos to bore you all with right throughout this transformation

Wow what a job i have been sat in front of my pc all day adding data and pictures to our admin section of our website so you can view and purchase our new fireplaces online.
I have also been updating a few photos and dimension drawings too and im pleased to say im nearly finished.
Its a mammoth job adding so many new items and options but it has to be done.
Speaking of new things i still havent got round to finishing our clearance corner section yet there are loads more to go in it and with time now getting on for our move in factorys i will attend to it next week so when we move we only move and and rack things we are going to keep in stock.
I also have two fantastic original fireplaces i bought when we first started Castfireplaces and to this day have done nothing with them im very tempted to move these on too but i do like them and one of them has a matching overmantel painted in a lovely green colour but thats another story.
So tomorrow i will finish adding our final marble fireplace packages and we will have arriving in the future a new range of white marble mantels to add to the range of carrara marble we already do so keep your eyes out for those.