Light My Fire

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I am so happy that we ultimately chose "Light My Fire" after visiting 4 fireplace stores in Bergen County and getting their advice on converting from a masonry wood burning fireplace to a gas-fired one. They (Frank the Sales Manager, John the owner and his wife Melissa) were the most professional people to deal with and had great suggestions, esp. on the log set (Eiklor) for a double sided fireplace. John, the owner, stuck to his planned completion timeline, was prompt on all appointments, and was extremely competent and pleasant to deal with. The pricing was fair and we couldn't be happier with the finished product!

Not truthful about Product or Pricing!!



A friend recommended LMF to us. So we reached out and spoke to Frank the sales manager & eventually dealt with Melissa, the owner’s wife.

First the good points. Frank was knowledgeable & friendly which was a huge relief after dealing with the other local fireplace shops. We met several times to plan out our fireplace and asked Frank dozens of questions which he was happy to answer. He never hassled us for a sale. We signed a contract for roughly $7,000 initial install & selected an additional $2,000 worth of finishing options. Unfortunately, that’s where the trouble began as I describe below. They simply were not truthful about the product or price.



ISSUE#1- New Fireplace Installs are tax exempt capital improvements. That means the homeowner does NOT pay sales tax on the materials or labor. Homeowner fills out an ST-8 form to waive taxes on labor, installer pays sales tax at time of material purchase or pays use tax at time of installation. This is all explained clearly in the S&U-3 Bulletin issued by the NJ Dept. of Taxation which is found online. See pages 2, 7 & 8. LMF initially confirmed there would be no taxes then tried to add 7% tax for labor & material to my bill at the end. Taxes should have been paid on the lesser material amounts when purchased and included in the pricing. When I protested, they offered to remove the labor taxes only. Melissa argued that she is registered as a fabricator/contractor & she doesn’t pay sales tax but instead must pass on the “use” tax on to the customer. This is untrue & specifically contradicted in the bulletin.



ISSUE#2- We’re building an exterior chase wall to house the fireplace. After seeing a photo in LMF’s photobook of what I wanted, I requested the contractor’s info. The contractor came to my house but clearly did not perform the work in the photo. When I called back, LMF admitted they gave me a different contractor because he was easier to work with.



ISSUE#3- We were purchasing a 36” Astria Georgian fireplace with gas conversion & gas logs. I asked to see the unit we were purchasing installed somewhere. LMF advised their showroom unit was the exact 36” model we were purchasing… only it wasn’t. My last trip, I borrowed a tape measure to check some measurements for my contractor & saw that this fireplace was larger. LMF then admitted it was in fact a 42” unit modified to 38” with upgraded refractory panels. They said it didn’t matter because it was so close in size and all other dimensions were the same… also untrue. The depth & rear width are off by several inches as noted in the brochure.



ISSUE#4- There are several options for refractory panels at significant price points. I was told LMF priced out the matching one to the showroom model but they wouldn’t put that in writing.



ISSUE#5- LMF’s standard contract requires a 20% down payment, 75% at start of work & 5% after final inspection. NJ Consumer affairs recommends 33% down, 33% midway & 33% at completion. LMF wants 95% payment prior to starting work which is insane.



ISSUE#6- The permit process was a mess.



CONCLUSION: I gave LMF the option to remove the taxes, deliver what was promised & change the payment terms. Melissa declined so I cancelled my contract. She then immediately called the building department to cancel my permit review. Checking out McNamara & others this week.

do not ever go there. the owner is a psychotic a hole. he leaves an attack dog (huge doberman) in the shop while he is in the back. the dog will block your exit and menace you and your kids. the owner comes out and smiles as he pulls the dog away from killing your kids.

I just recently had a gas fireplace installed to replace a gas wall heating unit in my family room. It was a pleasure from beginning to end to work with John from Light My Fire! He accomodated my work schedule, presented a fair price, and knew what he was doing every step of the way. I love the fireplace!!!!!!! John was meticulous and respected my home. He was a steady and quiet craftsman and I can't wait to save enough money to have another one installed in another part of my house. Very dependable-honest-clean!!! Diane K. from New Milford