Amish heater a stupid tax...for shame!

berettafan · 11-24-2009, 05:09 AM

Seahawks mancave thread reminded me of just how irritated i get when i see this commercial. It literally suggests to people with broken/poorly performing HVAC systems that they ignore them and buy this heater instead.

As if this thing is going to be more efficient at heating a home?

It is yet another stupid tax and shame on whatever hopefully small group of amish who agreed to be a part of it.

competentone · 11-24-2009, 05:16 AM

I think the commercials are hilarious.

The Amish building electric heaters!

LOL!

flatbutt · 11-24-2009, 05:28 AM

They're probably Mennonite

URY914 · URY914's Garage

No they're probably actors

legion · 11-24-2009, 06:00 AM

I could see using something like this for a garage...

Dueller · 11-24-2009, 06:20 AM

One of many articles raging against these:

"Amish" Space Heaters: Will these lower your heating bill?
Reported by: John Matarese
Email: jmatarese@wcpo.com
Last Update: 10/27 5:24 pm

Related Links
BBB Report
EdenPure Heater Report

Remember the Amish fireplaces ads in newspapers last winter? Well, they're baaaack...but with a new twist or two this season.

Newspapers around the country are once again running an ad for the Heat Surge Electric Fireplace. The ad features a photo of hard working Amish people polishing the fireplaces.

It says by buying one, you get to take part in a "heating bill relief program" ...which sounds like a government rebate.

Reality check!

But despite what the ad implies, these are not made by the Amish: They're made in China. If you read the ad carefully, you realize that only the wood mantle is made by Amish craftsmen. Amish have nothing to do with the fireplace itself.

They're actually sold by a Canton, Ohio company that gets a B from the Better Business Bureau. (Click link above)

There's no government rebate on them. The "rebate" in the ad is really just a discount.

It's really a $250 electric space heater, with a fireplace appearance.

Consumer Reports Magazine says you can buy an excellent space heater for less than $100, from companies like Honeywell.

Next: Will any Space Heater Lower your Bills?

john70t · 11-24-2009, 06:26 AM

Never mind adding insulation, better windows, and/or fixing the drafts...just crank up the heat!

Aren't the Amish against electricity?

targa911S · 11-24-2009, 06:27 AM

They are made in China. Didn't know there were Amish in China. The ad says the heater is free, but you have to buy the mantle for $300.00. The also misrepresent the BTU's. 1500 watts delivers X amount of heat...period. There is NO science here just deceptive advertising. The Amish do not allow they're picture to be taken either so those people are actors.

Total rip off. Sadly the Amish prolly don't even know about it.

Dueller · 11-24-2009, 06:33 AM

Amish Fireplace Offer Leaves Family Cold Printer Friendly Version Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Thursday, Oct 16, 2008 @07:48pm EDT

view largerASHLEY, LUZERNE COUNTY --A warning tonight for everyone looking to cut heating costs this winter. Don't be fooled by products that promise warmth but just blow a lot of hot air! Consumer reporter Jeff Chirico is live on the roof investigating one of those offers.

It's called the Heat Surge Electric Fireplace. Here's the offer --pay $300 for this supposedly Amish-made mantle, and you get this Chinese-made flameless fireplace for free. The ads call the heater a work of “engineering genius". But some say the only ingenious thing about this product is how it's marketed.

The newspaper ads show what looks like Amish craftsman building wooden mantles for flameless fireplaces. The headline vows rock bottom heating bills --and that you'll never be cold again. Carol Cierniakoski says "I slept on the couch and I was cold with the darn thing in front of me. It's a rip off. It's a fraud."

Cierniakoski bought the Amish fireplace for her son. She says not only didn't it keep him warm, Hank says his electric bill tripled. "It promised to lower the gas, which it did somewhat but the electricity went through the roof."

Hank Cierniakoski says “It promised it would only take the voltage coffee pot --electric coffee pot."

So we ask electrical engineer Len Crawford of Len Crawford Electric to test that advertising claim. Len Crawford says “I based on our studies right here we found the coffee maker draws about 35% less energy than an Amish stove." And the fireplace is on much longer. Len says you could get as much heat from a much cheaper space heater.

But the vice president of Heat Surge --the manufacturer --says comparing his product to a $30 space heater is irresponsible journalism. It is an electric fireplace with heater and all real wood mantle made by Amish. It features an innovative design that looks like real fire.

But Hank says he's not interested in tripling his power bills just to have a wooden mantle and fake fire. "Its a fraud. I don't want to see anyone be taken the way we were. We put our heart and trust into them and they failed us."

The Better Business Bureau reports nearly two hundred complaints. All have been resolved. However carol's been trying to return her unit for months. --but it wasn't until the I-Team got involved that she finally got a call back from the company. By the way, if you're looking to conserve heat, Crawford says get a programmable thermostat that'll will turn down when you leave the house. And add insulation.