Regency Fireplace / FPI Fireplace Products International review: Stay away 31

It seems to me that you made a huge error in judgement going with the least expensive system. I would suspect you knew the difference between the higher and lower costs was like that for a reason. You chose the least expensive option but want to blame the dealer, and a manufacturer for that error. I have been involved in this industry as an instaler and sweep for a very long time and can tell you that decisions like the one you made aren't uncommon. However, they often come back to haunt you like this. From my experience, you can point fingers wherever you wish. Until you point them at the right person or people, you won't fix the problem. Get your head out of the sand man. You made a mistake. You are paying the price for that mistake. No manufacturer in the industry would do anything different.

So...because the general manager in Illinois wouldn't give you the corporate home email address, the company in Canada hates and disrespects Americans? Maybe it's a bit more accurate to say that the managers in their USA branch aren't concerned about providing proper installation the first time. Have you contacted the BBB or perhaps the Illinois Attorney General?

I bought a Regency fireplace from Mountain Home Utopia in Jefferson, NC. They improperly installed it, made a mess and refused to fix it. I managed to get to Regency in Canada, called and E mailed a man who said he was head of the technical department and he was really helpful, Got the local factory rep to get another dealer involved and fixed it and no charge!
They removed Mountain Home as a dealer, seems they did everything right for me. 5 Stars to Regency, --5 stars to Mountain Home Utopia.

Regency might make a decent product but their customer service is terrible. They do everything possible to ignore, stall, and deny any customer's warrranty claim. That starts with the Dealer and goes all the way to the top. Our Warmhearth cracked last year and the dealer ignored us (didn't even come to see it for himself) then without explanation dumped us on the distributer who also stalled. We had the crack inspected by a metallurgical engineer and he concluded it was improper design and possibly faulty steel. We sent a letter to the distributer and the company and a replacement insert mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and without explanation at the dealers. The dealer said he was responsible for getting the insert and we should just be satisfied. He would not come to see the job for pulling out the faulty insert and replacing it unless we acknowledged Regency would not pay his labor (in spite of our claim falling within the 5 year clause). Next he gave us a padded and outrageous bid to do the work. Regency has offered a paltry percent in "subsidized" labor coverage. I've never seen a company go to such extremes to avoid its own responsibilities and even attempt to keep their customers happy.

AGREE with comment on MORGANS FIREPLACE AND SPA. I too purchased a regency stove from them-NOT RECOMMENDED! Be very careful dealing with this company. Best NOT to use their installers (they will not help you out when there are issues). Make sure you have EVERYTHING in writing. Do not just go off of what they say - sales rep will not be installing the unit! Do your homework - look at other reviews! Not sue why BBB still has them rated as A+?

My husband and I bought the Regency I3100 from Morgan's in Centerville, Ohio in December of 2011. We spent $4, 000 on this insert. We paid Morgan's installer $400 to install it for us. We stayed with the installer the entire time he and his fellow installers installed it. It took them about 8 hours to install it. After they were done installing my husband had to call them back because the middle pipe in the underneath the baffles kept falling out. Well, to this day it still falls out.
The Regency insert is our main source of heat in the winter, but we do not use it in the summer. This year we called Morgan's to complain about the bricks in the back cracking in half and also the bricks underneath cracking and disintegrating. At that time we found out that they had changed their names to Centerville Home Fireplace and Patio. The new President of this company told us he would replace the pipe but nothing else because we had bought it from Morgan's. He also told us that none of the employees remained but the gentlemen Christian that sold us the fireplace was standing right next to him. UGH! So he ended up giving us the number to Regency to speak to them about our issue. My husband called Regency 5 times before Mike called him back. Them Mike proceeded to tell my husband that we put trash, painted wood and used a poker in our fireplace. Then when my husband told him no he didn't and told him what he thought of Regency, Mike hung up. Meanwhile, I went and bought real fire bricks from Snyder's in Moraine. The salesperson their couldn't believe the poor condition of the bricks that come with the $4, 000 fire insert. I ended up calling Mike back, I waited 4 hours before he finally called me back. I told him I didn't appreciate him treating us like trash. We would never put trash in a fireplace that is inside our home. How ridiculous? Everyone knows that fumes from trash can harm you. Secondly we own a tree company and we only use Locus, Oak and Maple in our fireplace. And for the poker, if you let the wood burn down you can put adequate logs on top of the hot coals. He told me not to use the bricks I purchased from Snyder's because Regency hasn't tested them. Everyone I know that have different fireplaces haven't had to replace a brick in years. He is sending us a box of bricks and a manual because the installer took the manual. I still put in the fire bricks I purchased from Snyder's because they are more sturdy than the horrible ones from Regency. So buyers beware! Centerville Home Fireplace and Patio will do nothing for you! As for Regency I am glad that he is sending us new bricks but they are of poor value.

I wasn't happy with the first Regency dealer I contacted. Was just about to get in the car to see another dealer when I decided I would first contact Regency directly to tell them about the first dealer and to get a few specific questions answered and/or to ask whether I could contact Regency directly if the next dealer was unable to answer them.
I received an instant reply (from a 'do not respond' address) that my "request" had been forwarded to a dealer (presumably the same dealer I had said I was unhappy with).
Then, I came upon this very helpful page. I greatly appreciated all of you who took the time to complain about your complete inability to reach Regency directly.
You just freed up my afternoon.
Any suggestions about an alternate source for a gas fireplace insert would also be greatly appreciated.

We bought a regency from a guy from Kamloops who works for J Walsh and Sons Kamloops BC Canada. When our stove wouldn't heat our house and the glass door broke, the installer was more that fair and tried to help us. But the dealer would not back me or fix or offer us no more that a good deal if we buy a new stove. Customer service at regency is horrid. I have sent them at least 50 emails and have not received one back. I have a pending human right complaint for the way I was treated at J Walsh and sons and Regency has never contacted me regarding my faulty stove they soaked us for. It's the same old story the rich get richer while the little guy pays. I hope the media can expose this company for the lack of customer care and expose the dealers they approve to sell there product. There is no customer service at all, just take the money and run attitude.

We purchased a Regency I3100 last year (2013), From day one we knew their was something wrong with the unit. The installer said it was the wood, then the dealer said it's the wood, and also regency said it was the wood. This has been going on now for over a year, when we did finally get the Regency rep out here, he brought his own wood.(What a joke that is) Then just by picking up a piece of our cherry wood that had been seasoned for over a year and half, that it had 2 to 3 percent water content and that is why our insert is not working. Question? How can anyone tell how much water is in a piece of wood just by picking it up? What is he God? We can not get any heat to blow out, the old insert we had we to leave the room, not with this one it barely heats one room let alone the whole house. But they insist it's our wood not the insert! We also had another professional dealer come out and they said it was the insert not the wood, they even tested the wood and the wood was fine. You can tell some things not right. All we wanted was a newer efficient wood burner, we got a piece of nothing! Our dealer was through Fireplace and Grill Shop downtown Kalamazoo MI. They do not back the product that they sell and suggest you do not buy anything from their! The installer should have also informed us of the fact that the piping down the chimney should have been wrapped, and that did not solve the problem. WE ARE COLD! My boyfriend has had a wood burning insert in his home all his life, so it's not like this is his first time at using a wood burning insert but yet they treated him like he didn't know what he was doing, almost like he was stupid. Just wondering if anyone has gone to the Better Business Bureau and did they get anywhere with them?

Our landlords had a dealer install a Regency Large Woodstove. We are extremely unhappy with it and are glad that it wasn't our money that put it in. The burn time is much shorter than stated, it is filthy to clean, burning wood breaks and falls out of the door in short order, and the list goes on. When using it to heat the home we are in it is extremely inefficient and we have burned more wood already than we would have with a Blaze King. Lesson learned and we'll avoid this stove brand in the future. There is more to it than the pretty little window so one can watch the flames. Then there is the door that continually squeaks.

I hate my Regency gas fireplace. The pilot light won't start this year despite going through the cold start lockout process. Plus it goes through remote control batteries in the fireplace unit every 2-3 weeks even when hardly being used! Never again. Stay away from any Regency product.

I have a Regency U39 gas stove (fireplace), the blower motor went out the first season we used it. Called the company we purchased from, had a difficult time getting it replaced, but after several weeks they finally came out and replaced it. Two years later, the blower has stopped working again, the company is out of business. The only way to get the stove serviced is through a company selling the product, they are few and far between. I have spent the last 3 weeks trying to find someone to come out and service the stove, no luck. DO NOT PURCHASE A REGENCY PRODUCT! They look beautiful and are great when they work, but when you need service, forget it.

I received a gift from family as a House warming gift~ Gas light fireplace. Look so Beautiful, but we the true need arise for me to us the Fireplace~ It blows out from High winds. I am unable to use my fireplace during any storm in Buffalo, NY~ I had to live in my bedroom in January 2014 Blizzard and NOW our most recent storm~ Again I was unable to stay in my living room as the Fireplace is Broke. I contacted the dealer ~With NO call Back. I contacted Regency, with A call back 3 days ago, nothing since. I have been emailing Regency, but they are stating "Its not there problem". After the fireplace has been out for 4 days I attempted to re-start it, but it will NOT start. I informed Both the dealer & Regency ~ When it blows out I get Ice, Moisture from a severe backdraft~ I was told NOT to worry`~ Really ll the Moisture will eventually cause FAULTS within the internal structure~ Wiring, Lighting, ECT... I am SO SO SO Disappointment that When I REALLY REALLY need this fireplace ~ IT DOES NOT Work. Please attached picture of my fireplace during a STORM :O(. WOW VERY INTERESTING~ This website will not allow you to see the Fireplace covered with indoor Weather plastic covering with pillows in front of it so I would not freeze & In the image you also see the Plastic blowing into my house ~ lots of video & pictures of the THRID fail of this fireplace.

Sadly yours,
RAB

I have an 8 year old insert HI300. It has worked well up this this point. My blower fan has 2 sealed bearings that have worn out. I guess I have around 3 years of actual run time on the blower. I went to my local dealer, Bayside Stoves in Edgewater Maryland and ordered a replacement. The part is only sold as a unit. All I needed was the blower motor, not the entire assembly. Oh well, I ordered the part. It took 3 weeks for the part to be delivered across state! Regency was too busy to process the order. The dealer had the same unit on the floor. I wanted to use the blower unit until my unit arrived. No such luck. Not even a return call saying no. When the blower did arrive I was out of state. My wife went to pick up the blower unit and wanted it plugged in to make sure it worked. The sales person was very rude. The unit also had to be assembled. You have to purchase an assembly, but you have to assemble the unit. I will not purchase from the dealer or the manufacturer again. I will rebuild the old blower unit myself.

My problem with Regency is that they do NOT stand behind their products. I purchased a Regency stove in Feb of 1995 and had it installed that same month. We had a Ventnox insulated flue system installed at the same time. Now all these years later we have noticed at least four hairline cracks in the firebox. After almost a year of runarounds here is what Regency told us..."We didn't start offering a lifetime warranty on our fireboxes until October of 1995 and since you bought and installed your in Feb. we will not honor our current warranty." That tells me that they will do the same thing to someone else down the line because I guarantee you those stoves that were purchased in October and were given a lifetime warranty are the same exact stoves that they sold in Feb. It is pretty pitiful since I have had many people inquire about and purchase stoves like mine. I have sold many of them over the years to friends and families based on my reviews. So I am now forced to go buy a new stove, and you can bet your bottom dollar it won't be a Regency. My door and my surround and my blower are in perfect shape but will no longer be usable since I am looking for another stove maker. Thanks Regency, for nothing but a run around and bad customer service.

[protected]. Regency canada

bought a I3100 in 2014, claim of 10 hour burn times is false, burn time is about 5 hour. 3000 sg ft. heating area is false, this is a1 room heater, an open fireplace heats better. glass will stay somewhat clean if you keep a blazing fire going, but burn time then is even less than 5 hours, very inefficient heater, burns a lot of wood for little heat. wish I had my $4000 back.

I bought a regency gas stove U-39 ultimate? The dealer, under new ownership, refused to install it himself and recommended several installers. I had a very good experience with this dealer 20 years ago. I thought I was buying the best heat stove on the market. This thing is unbelievably noisy. The whole box rattles in sympathetic vibration with the fan. You cannot sleep in the same room as this 'ultimate ' heater. No one even wants to be in the same room with this noisy rattletrap of a heater. It looks nice and heats OK but it is made of flimsy sheet metal, not solid, heavy, thick metal like my old Dovre. Regency will not return my emails. Their customer service is crap and so is their flimsy product. I'm glad my neighbors haven't complained about the noise of this junky heater but I think that may be coming. Regency is junk.

We purchased a house two years ago with what looked to be an amazing insert pre-installed. It is a Regency I1200. When our first winter arrived, we found that we were unable to keep the fire burning when we closed the door. We contacted our local regency dealer to have them come out and check the stove. When the technician asked to start a fire, of course we told him yes. All seemed to be going ok until he closed the door. He was amazed at how quickly the stove snuffed itself out. He made a call directly to the regency representative for our area (Halifax Nova Scotia) and made an appointment for a site visit the following week. The technician felt that there must have been a air control problem with the stove. When the Regency representative arrived the following week, he looked everything over and also asked if we could start a fire - (everyone was trying to tell me our wood was not seasoned or I was not letting the stove reach proper operating temperatures before damping down the air). When he saw how the fire reacted when closing the door his solution was that the stove was initially installed with a 5 inch flu liner and the stove required a 6 inch liner. Of course this made me a little upset as we purchased the house under the impression that the stove had been properly installed. I started calling around and come to find out the same dealer that I paid 150.00 to come out to the house were the ones who originally installed the insert. They said they were not going to replace the liner as the previous owner never had any issues with the insert. They did however advise me that they would give me a deal on breaking out the clay liner to accommodate a six inch liner and installing the new liner. We agreed to an appointment the following week to have the work done, (After all we were now in our second winter and still no heat). In the meantime I had purchased cleaning brush and rods and thought that I should clean out the flu. While doing so I discovered that the bolts holding the flu collar on the back of the insert were not fastened through the insert. This allowed the collar to be seperated from the insert by a couple of inches. I got the socket set out and put washers on the bolts and fastened them to the collar -- VOILA ! - the stove now stays lit when the door is closed. Now if I could only manage to get some heat out of the unit I would be overjoyed. I have had three masons in since, looking at replacing the unit with an actual wood stove in front of the fireplace, but our living room is small and my better half just does not want to loose the space - all of masons that we had in are telling me this unit should drive us out of the house. I am not quite looking for that - but warmth would be a real bonus. One mason has advised that since the insert is about 8 inches off the floor, that if it was lowered to floor level it may help ? Does anyone have any thoughts on this - I really want wood heat that I remember growing up without having to start all over from square one. Cold and frustrated in Nova Scotia

We bought a free standing F5100 wood stove in 2013. The wielding in the back of the stove has come apart. Talked to the Director of Technical Services he said they would replace our stove, but that was incorrect as it never happened. He said it was our fault that it cracked. Can't figure out how he came up with this Looks like they don't stand by their lifetime warranty against defects. Regency is a horrible company, we've had so much trouble with them. Guess we will weld it ourselves. Then it will be done right.

ok! all us regency haters! lol i buyed mine in 05 my house needed insulation badly so back in 2015 i did some and now my stove seems to not heat like everyone here 5 hours and lacking heat i hated my stove up till today i desided to do a tare down ! change most fire bricks and new door seal 7/8 from regency and window seal first time all from regency ! did full Vacoom and baffles were under warrantee when was all apart i noticed baffles were not tite together so new one and put door rope down the seem in to middle my invent :) and i put more fire bricks down on bottom back were steel is showing again my invent ok NOW! IMPORTANT NEWS when you open door you see small holes on front plate at top you need to vacoom that and run your hand up behind you will reach a crevice full of dust were those holes are in front try to reach and use your fingers to clear out that Chanel! and or get small narrow mouth vacoom up in there! a great find all these years of soot! cleaned out! that is your air wash door cleaning system work with your air tubes! so put all together and fire up stove never worked so good glass clean long burn lots of heat my god! if you want to email me on it im ok with that! thatsmygirlnelly@gmail.com or here! glad to help all! i guarantee everyone Chanel is blocked with dust soot! plus tap out are tubes too ! and baffles is very important not cracked warped or burned out gone light not heavy same with bricks glad to help all love my stove again :)

The way I see this complaint is the BUYER did no homework. Any reasonable person KNOWS where an attic or any chimney INSIDE the home NEEDS insulation. However chimneys built from brick, block and mortar that DO NOT go through an attic need none as these are OUTSIDE attached to the HOME structure.

Absolute junk. Had two units for 5 years now, and every year has been the same when fall comes and we put new batteries in etc. Fire will not light, pilot light refuses to come on. Remote useless, batteries do not sit into space properly, so does not work. When I do eventually get the flame to operate (only manually not with remote or smart temp.) the bloody fan refuses to go off and I have to disconnect at fuse box! DO NOT PURCHASE ANY OF REGENCY PRODUCTS

Absolute junk. Had two units for 5 years now, and every year has been the same when fall comes and we put new batteries in etc. Fire will not light, pilot light refuses to come on. Remote useless, batteries do not sit into space properly, so does not work. When I do eventually get the flame to operate (only manually not with remote or smart temp.) the bloody fan refuses to go off and I have to disconnect at fuse box! DO NOT PURCHASE ANY OF REGENCY PRODUCTS>

NEVER BUY THIS PRODUCT!
Purchased October 2017 from Warming Trends. Isn't as fuel efficient as advertised however does heat our home. Rely on this as our primary heat source. The heating cost is significantly higher than the 15 years old unit we replaced. 2017 & 2018 winters without a hitch. This year we set the temp, fire immediately came on and walla! Nope... No fan. Contacted Warming Trends in Boise, Id where we purchased. Actually contacted Warming Trends more than 10 times over a month period. Only get to speak to a voice machine and no call backs! Contacted Regency to file a complaint on that dealer as now warranty is almost up on the fan. They gave me a number of another dealer whom I contacted. Very professional and transparent. He is booked out until the end of October. To speed the process up, I began isolating the fan failure. The remote is not showing the fan in the icon. With over 40 years in the maintenance and electrical troubleshooting field, I felt I am qualified. I contacted Regency's customer care and asked for tech support. Apparently there is no tech support as the person I spoke with refused to transfer me then told me I needed to contact the dealership I purchased from. sO MY EMAILS SAY THEY WILL DRIVE 45 MINUTES TO LOOK AT IT AND TROUBLESHOOT, 45 MINUTES BACK TO THE STORE AND ORDER THE PART, THEN 45 MINUTES BACK TO INSTALL THE PART AND 45 MINUTES BACK TO THE STORE. Soooo, if the part is $15.00, I would have a fortune in labor for just driving time. Oh, by the way, labor isnt covered in the warranty!
This is my stove. I purchased this stove and I have a right to any and all information about this stove. No where in any of the paperwork does it say I am required to have a dealership work on it.
NEVER BUY FROM REGENCY.