I saw a "paid advertisement" about this heater, endorsed by Bob Villa, on late-night TV. Living in the mountains and efficient and inexpensive heating always being an issue, I decided to give it a try. The satisfaction guarantee made it worth the risk. I did the research and everything seemed to be in order and reputable. The payment details were; an initial payment f $39 and then 4 monthly payments of $89.50, with a 60-day return guarantee.
The first red flag: My Visa debit card was debited 3 times between the time I ordered the heater and the time it was shipped, which took over 3 weeks. The debits that were submitted were the "make sure the money is there" debits, that fall off of your account in about 3 days. However, while they are "pending" on your bank account the money is treated as if it were a real debit and subtracted from your account. In my case, living on a fixed income and budgeting being critical, this activity overdrew my bank account each time they submitted the debit for $39, racking up return check charges; one month to the tune of $170. Eventually, they shipped the heater. I received it on 12/7/2010, got around to setting it up on 12/8/2010, it worked approximately 3 hours and quit! I called the company to begin the return process. I was told that I would receive, via email, a UPS return shipping label within 24-48 hours. By the time I finally received the label, 10 days later, I had placed 3 phone calls, sent 5 emails, and 2 faxes. I repacked the heater in the original box, slapped on the return label, and gave it to UPS. The "Proof of Delivery" said the heater was received, by Suarez Corp., on 12/21/2010. Now, I started watching my bank account for my refund of $39. On 1/4/2011 a credit of $39 was noted in my bank account. On 1/5/2011, they sent through a debit of $89.50!! Two weeks after they had their heater in their possession they billed my Visa for the first of four payments of $89.50. You would think when they sent through the debit they would see on my account that the heater had been returned, they had received it, and $39 had been refunded.
It is now 1/11/2011 and I have called 5 times, been told 5 different "stories, " sent a fax and countless emails, and still NO REFUND of the unauthorized debit of $89.50 to my bank account!!
When I called the corporate offices, because I was tired of dealing with "customer service, " I was hung up on, transferred to a voice-mail, and basically blown off by all I spoke to. I sent another fax and an email informing this crooked outfit that I had filed a complaint with Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is partnered with the FBI for white-collar cyber crimes. That didn't impress them enough to refund the money they took from my bank account. At this point, I have no idea how to get this company to refund the money they fraudulently took from my bank account. I did go to my bank and file a "charge back" on the amount. Hopefully, that will do the trick. In the meantime, I am out $89.50 I could use for groceries, or, to pay the electric bill. DO NOT buy anything from this outfit!! It has always confounded me how fast the money is taken from your bank account and how long it takes to get it refunded.