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We do understand the need to not spend more than necessary on any product and service. We are also consumers and we know how difficult it can be to pay more than we wanted to pay - and we also shop around to get the best value. As noted above, we understand that not everyone will agree with our business philosophy and chose to buy their hearth products from one of our competitors. This is one of the things that make this type of business interesting and beneficial for all involved. You, as the consumer, have choices. In some types of purchases we, as consumers, simply don't have enough choices and we have to settle for less quality, or less service, than we wanted simply because there was no alternative. In our case, we have several competitors in our marketplace and we all offer a selection of quality products and varying degrees of technical services. We think this is a good thing and we support the efforts of all small businesses to compete and offer their products and services to a strong marketplace.
We don't feel that our prices are too high. We believe we offer a great value and competent service to a large portion of the community where we do business. Yes, it's true - some people tell us we have prices that are higher than they are willing or able to pay. But we have set our prices so that we can provide a high level of service and be responsive to our base of customers who have invested their funds in our company by agreeing to become one of our clients. And we find that our schedule is always busy and that it is a challenge to maintain the high level of service we provide. If our prices were really too high we think we would be struggling to sell our products and services. Instead, we are kept busy as we work hard to supply the products and services in demand by the customers who shop in our marketplace.
"But the source we found on the Internet will save us a lot of money? Why are your prices so much more than the Internet company?"
"But we really need to save money and we found almost the same products somewhere else for less. We really like you guys but your prices are too high. Can't you make an exception?"
The full answer is complicated and certain aspects of this topic can be considered confidential trade secrets. However, the simple answer is that the Cracker Mill needs to bring in an amount of revenue at least equal to it's expenses. A large portion of the revenue needed to support the services we offer comes from the sale of quality hearth products.
The Cracker Mill works hard to supply competent and professional hearth services to the community, and there is a certain cost involved in maintaining the high level of service our clientèle expects. Included among these services are a clean and informative showroom, a good selection of quality products that are known to be of high value, and a staff that understands these hearth products and can help assure a safe and comfortable fireplace experience.
The Cracker Mill tries to offer a balanced policy to the community that will allow us to continue to provide a high level of professional service to our clients who purchase their hearth products from our store, while also freely sharing our knowledge and expertise with prospects and customers who may choose to purchase their hearth products elsewhere. We understand that not all customers in the community will chose to buy from us and that there are other sources for hearth products and services. We also understand that all of us, as consumers, must choose where and how we spend our funds, and that these choices are based on our own personal preferences, and that the Cracker Mill does not always have the best solution for every prospective customer.
While the Cracker Mill may wish to service every possible customer and provide specialized service to all in the community, we understand that this simply is not possible. The Cracker Mill has chosen to focus our efforts on our clients who purchase their hearth products from our retail store. This choice has allowed us to maintain a high level of service for these clients. We feel it is important to protect our ability to provide this service by being careful not to get overloaded to the point where our service level drops below what we are capable of supplying. To be truly professional takes a tremendous amount of commitment to training and product knowledge, and we know that we can only serve a limited number of clients with a professional level of service. In order to continue to provide our clients with this level of service we have adopted a policy that limits our service offerings only to customers who purchase our products.
We offer a complete "turn-key" service and we believe we offer a good value for the prices we charge for these services. Part of the contribution that allows us to provide this valuable service comes from the sale of products. We price our products fairly and we choose only quality products that have been proven to satisfy the demands of the hearth installations we perform. Our prices are set at an amount that will continue to support this turn-key service for our clients year after year. We do not offer our installation and repair services apart from product sales. We hope that our customers will see the value in this method of providing products and services. But we also know that not everyone will share our service philosophy and will choose to purchase their products at another outlet. We respect that choice and we hope that these potential customers will respect our decision to not install and service products that we did not sell.
Further reasons why we do not service and install what we did not sell:
Most manufacturers of quality hearth products require their products to be installed and serviced by the dealership who sold the appliance. If a dealership is not willing to service and install the appliances they sell they may not be a good choice for troubleshooting performance and/or maintenance issues that sometimes come up with these complex appliances. The manufacturer's rely on qualified and competent dealerships to ensure proper installation and to care for any warranty claims from the end user. For this reason we feel it is imperative that the end user buy the appliance and all supporting materials from a local qualified dealer that is also a service company. Some dealerships choose not to offer service and installation to their customers. In those cases, the dealership should have an available network of installers and technicians that may be hired as sub-contractors to help the end user get the most out of the hearth products they have purchased from the non-installing or non-servicing dealer.
Our policy to not install what we did not sell will encourage prospects to consider carefully their choice of outlets for the purchase of hearth products. We believe strongly that the dealer and end-user relationship is more important than the base price of hearth materials and that the installing dealer ads value to these products by their willingness to invest in the end-user's satisfaction and safety. Most hearth products are not "plug-and-play" and will require some specialized knowledge to properly sell, install, and service. To acquire this specialized knowledge takes a strong commitment on the part of the dealership and we believe they should be fairly compensated for their efforts. Part of the compensation awarded these hard-working dealerships comes from the sale of hearth products through their own company.
Does the Cracker Mill service and install products they did not sell?
No policy should be so strict as to not allow reasonable exceptions. We do consider each request on a case by case basis and we have taken on new service clients even though the appliance was not purchased through our store. However, before we agree to service an appliance we did not install we insist on a full inspection and verification of all applicable codes and installation requirements. We may decline to service an appliance that is not installed correctly unless the installation is first corrected to meet the required standard. (This also applies to products purchased through the Cracker Mill where we did not do the installation).
Sometimes a customer moves into a house where an appliance already exists and it happens to be a model that we support in our store. Sometimes a customer has difficulty getting service from the dealer where they purchased the appliance. Sometimes a dealer goes out of business or drops support for a particular manufacturer. These are some of the cases where we may consider providing our repair and maintenance services even though the appliance was not purchased through the Cracker Mill.
It is rare for us to provide installation service for appliances and products not purchased through our store. In those cases where we may agree to do so there will have to be a special need and it will usually only be scheduled during our "off-season" (roughly the summer time). If you are asking just because you found a similar product for a cheaper price you will probably be turned down. If you have a special need (low-income, senior citizen on a fixed budget, or similar) we will consider your request on a case by case basis. Please respect our decision and, if we decline, we will usually be willing to give you some pointers on doing it yourself or finding a local service company that may be of some help.
We hope this explains our policy about installing and servicing hearth products not purchased through our retail store. If you have further questions about this policy please ask one of our sales representatives.
Cracker Mill Hearth & Emporium
Boiceville Cracker Barrel, Inc.
Shokan, NY 12481
Exceptions for special circumstances:
We do not know all the reasons a competing company may have a lower price than the Cracker Mill. But we are fairly confident that there are few internet companies that invest in the local community and in the level of training and dedication to hearth products that we have demonstrated over our 40+ years of doing business. Many outlets, including some internet companies and some local discount box stores, have a different business model and they have a lower cost of doing business. Since most of these companies do not invest in a quality showroom, competent sales staff, or qualified and friendly service departments, they can operate on a much smaller margin (the difference between cost and revenue).
Many discount outlets maintain only a warehouse of products and offer no support services at all. For most consumers of hearth products this is not a good fit since they need assistance to install and service these appliances. Some consumers are good at doing these things themselves (the DIY set) and they can save a substantial amount on the purchase of some hearth products available through these outlets. But not all the best quality hearth products are available through discount outlets. In fact, many of the best quality products are sold only through the supporting dealerships. This is in the best interests of the consumer, whom the manufacturer wants to please and satisfy, not only with good quality workmanship, but with good service and support. The dealerships are the best place to get this level of service that many of the best manufacturers want to provide to their end customers.
These manufacturers expect the dealers to invest in nice showrooms, local advertising, and specialized training to help satisfy the needs of their prospective customers. This business model, naturally, has a higher cost and, consequently, requires a higher margin to maintain the same level of service year after year. Many consumers appreciate the extra effort a local dealership puts in to selling, installing, and servicing these fine hearth products and are willing to pay a little more for this level of service and professionalism. On the flip side, not many of these dealerships are very appealing to the DIY consumers, who are naturally looking for a lower price and less service. But there is no stereotypical dealership and each dealer will decide on what level of service they will provide and how to price their own products and services in their community. Most internet stores will not provide any service and will therefore have lower prices and by our definition are not truly "dealers". The consumer decides whether they need the service of a local dealer or whether they will install and service the products themselves.
Another alternative to a local dealer, for those who need to spend less than the local dealer can accommodate, is to hire a service technician or chimney sweep company to install and service these hearth products. Many chimney sweep companies also invest in training to become qualified product technicians and/or installers. Some chimney sweep companies do not offer these services, but there may be a local company that does that you can hire to install or repair your hearth appliances. Also, there are a few independent technicians that do not own retail stores that may be qualified to install and service your hearth appliance. Generally, a chimney sweep is a good source for wood stoves and fireplaces, and some local gas plumbers can be good sources for gas burning appliances. Bear in mind that the installer should take the primary responsibility to communicate with the manufacturer, the dealer, and local authorities, to ensure proper and safe installation. The dealer, where you purchased the product, should provide a source for parts and warranty claims and work with the technician/installer to keep your product in good working order.
At the Cracker Mill we do not require that all of our clients purchase our installation and service along with their hearth products. Sometimes one of our customers will prefer to install and service the appliance on their own, or hire a sub-contractor to perform these tasks. This is acceptable and is not the same as asking to purchase only our installation or repair services for products that were purchased elsewhere. As the dealer we fully support the products we sell and we will provide any level of service required by the end consumer of those products. We do occasionally sub-contract some repair work or installations but we take the responsibility to ensure that the end consumer is satisfied. Most of our services are provided by our own staff and we prefer (not require) to be directly involved in the installation and service of the products we sell.
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