Amish Miracle Fireplace

I purchased our Amish "miracle" Fireplace in the month of April of 2009. I live in upstate NY so the unit was not used until the cooler weather arrived. At first the heater ran fine; then the problems started setting in and has been nothing but a huge mistake purchasing this item. The unit would run for a short period of time and turn off. I spoke to their customer service dept and they walked me through how to reset the unit which worked for a short period of time. Now that won't even work anymore.

The unit runs for a total of 9 minutes now and shuts itself down. I reset the unit as instructed by the cs dept and it ran for 3 minutes the second time. What a waste of money for the amount of time that this product was used! I called customer service and they offered me the option of purchasing a new insert only for $270 with a 90-day warranty. I don't think so. I am very dissatisfied with this product and would not recommend it to anyone unless they have money to waste on something that they can only utilize for a short period of time.

We purchased the Amish heater about 10 months ago to heat our great room area. My wife wanted to return the heater before the 30-day warranty period because she said she could feel very little heat from it and it was definitely not worth the $350.00 we paid for it. I persuaded her to keep it. We used it and it seemed to warm a small area of the house. The more we used it, the more our electric bill went up. My wife talked to her sister and was told that you have to keep the heater on continuously to feel any results. After 10 months, the heater died and we have a very short winter here in Savannah, GA. So we might have used it 2 months last year and a few weeks this year. We are very dissatisfied with this product for the money!

I purchased one Heat Surge Amish Fireplace in December 2010. I tried to place the order online and it wouldn't go through so I called the company. I asked them to check and make sure only one order went through. I was assured that I only ordered one. The next evening I was notified by my identity theft insurance company that there were 5 fireplace orders being placed on my credit card. I received one cherry wood and tried to cancel the others before they were shipped out. Finally they got the message and canceled the others.

It took me from December 2010 to August 2011 of stressful arguing and frustrating phone calls with inept Customer Service Reps who didn't seem to know or care what I was talking about, to get this matter resolved. The heater did very well, but I didn't use it much for we had a lot of snow and I kept my other heat supplies going. In September 2011, I began to use the Amish Heater again. I ran it about 30 days or more. It began to make dragging sounds like the blower was hanging up! It continued to get worse until it started going off!

I had to unplug from the power a few minutes then plug it back in and turn it on to get it going again! Then it got where it wouldn't stay on but about 5 minutes! I dreaded so much having to call this company again because of all the confusion and frustrating conversations I had with them before with no help, but just more confusion and headaches! I did call and was given a number to a local dealer here for repairs. I have a 3-year extra insurance on my heater!

The fireplace quit working after a year and the flicker won't work at all. I tried calling Amish and they said they can't fix them.

We received the Amish fireplace by the end of October and started using it instead of the cadet wall heaters. We let the fireplace run 24/7 since we got it. My power bill for October was $150 and with the fireplace running the entire month of November it jumped to $267. This is outrageous! Last year I lived in a house that had windows from the 1980's and never had a power bill that high. The house that I am in now has vinyl windows that are only a couple years old, there is no reason for my power bill to be that high.

Yes we have had some old weather here in Washington, but not that cold. The advertising for these fireplaces says that it will lower your power bill, and I believe that is false advertising. This unit does put out some nice heat, but not a nice power bill as the advertising states. I think that heat surge should give me back my money and quit advertising that these fireplaces will save you money on your power bill.

We purchased two of these Amish heaters in late 2009. The first winter, both of them worked well and kept the chill off as we had hoped for. However, a bit disappointed as running these heaters is not inexpensive as the advertising says approximately $50 / month per heating unit. Then in early 2010, one of the heaters started making horrible noise. My husband took it apart and said it was a bad fan. We put it to the side as the second heater was still working well. Now we just started using the heater again for the 2011 season and the second heater started making the horrible noise. If you want to keep your mind, you don't want to be in the same room with this noise.

I called the service center today and after a good 2.5 - 3 hours, I did get a return call. The customer service lady was adamant that it was not a fan I needed but a loose wire and the units just needed to be reset and a wire wiggled in the back. Long story short, the units are put together with cheap ** fans and the only fix will be for the service center to agree that I do indeed need replacement fans as my husband said. I will not recommend to my friends that they purchase these cute little heaters unless they like throwing their money away. The Amish need to mandate that better products be stuffed in their nice looking mantels.

We've seen an ad online and we thought we were going to get a heater for $174.00. The order total said $174.00 and we opted for 2 payments. We tried to cancel it right away, this is Saturday morning, but the hours are 9-5 and not even answering today.

They have already taken a total $348.00 out of our account this Saturday morning, but they could not find the order on Friday. What a rip-off! We would not recommend anyone to order an Amish heater anywhere! Horrible customer service!

I had purchased two of the Amish Miracle Fireplaces. In the past 2 years, it resulted in two burnt-out electrical sockets with smoke coming out of the wall. Today, 9/19/2011, I plugged in one to use while my grandson is visiting and the electrical plug began to melt! I have pictures and the units to prove our misfortunes.

I paid most of the cost in October and the funds ($400) were taken from the account. I was to pay additional funds on time but when we failed to receive it in six to eight weeks, we decided to close the account. I will try to recoup my money but I need help. Thank you.

Regarding the Amish heat surge "free" heaters on TV ad and from the website buyheatsurge.com, I called for a free heater based on the TV ad. They are trying to sell mantles for $300 and then give you a "free"heater. This is false advertising. There is no mention on the TV ad about having to buy a mantle nor do they list prices for anything.The "free" heater rep said it was a buy one get one free deal, not a free heater and claimed the ad explicitly makes this known which it does not.

Someone needs to shut this scam down in my opinion. Furthermore, the heater isn't amazing. The energy only has a certain potential for heat and nothing I can tell makes this a more efficient heater than any other electric heater. It's a total scam. Tyrone gave me a "customer service number" which no operator would answer, 800-924-7964.

I am so upset. I have 4 friends who live in different areas of the country, who purchased the Amish fireplaces and are delighted with them. Two friends live in upstate New York, and two others in Maryland. In both states, one of the families purchased second units last year and claimed they could not be more delighted. Although the electric bills went up a bit, their oil usage was a great deal less. Reading the negative remarks I read here have left me wondering what to do as I planned to buy two of them.

My wife, one month old baby and I woke up and our bed room was full of smoke from this miracle heater. It's a miracle we didn't die of smoke inhalation.

We received one of these worthless units as a gift, it didn't last thirty days before the "squirrel cage" generic "bearings" if you can even call them that wore out. As a marine engineer/mechanic, I've seen a lot of "Rube Goldberg" designs but this is a classic. I told my wife "I know when I look up complaints on this junk, they'll be others with the same problem", sure enough there is. I would really like to know what the "miracle invention" is, all their using is a "toaster type" element and fan to blow out the heat, and not much heat at that.

I've had shoe box size ceramic heaters on board boats that put out 5 times the heat and where safer than this "miracle" heater. The wooden mantle "amish made is OK. Maybe I can convert it into a book case or something. The best thing about this product is the advertising, kudos to Madison ave. for this one. Don't even try to call "customer no service." You'll just get more disappointed. I guess you just have to take your lumps on this one. I feel bad that my in-laws got taken. I would have never fallen for their fancy ad in National Geographic. So save your money, unless you want a high priced book shelf.

I purchased a heater and warranty. The heater quit working. I called and was told to send it back and it would be replaced within 2 weeks. Two weeks passed and I called again, I was told it was in the shipping department in the process of being shipped. That was 2 weeks ago. Every time I call, I am told it'll be another couple days. I'm just being given the runaround. I use the heater to help heat my home. I have crippling arthritis and this heater helped to make a room warm enough to be comfortable for me.

I bought the Amish fireplace with the heater last fall. My husband had passed away and I had to move to an apartment. I thought the fireplace would keep my heating cost down as I was living on social security only. A few weeks later, I also purchased the base and the mirror. When I received the first heating bill in December it had doubled, and doubled again in January.

I called the electric company and they checked my meter and it was correct. I knew then it was the miracle heater, which I have stopped using, only running it on low for a very short time on some nights. The heater is getting noisy. When I received the base, the fireplace wouldn't set in the base where the wheels go. I had to hire a contractor to come and he had to wheedle the legs down as they weren't round like they should have been and wouldn't fit in the holes in the base. It is so tight now in the base that I can't get it out to roll from room to room.

My brother purchased two miracle heaters. He paid around $300 each. He uses one at his home but only seldom in the evenings. He gave my mother the other one. The past month she used hers constantly and her electric bill was three times that period last year. She loves it but she can't afford it. Last night it started a roar and she was very displeased to have to turn it off. I took it apart and found the little fitting on the fan on the left side under the rubber grommet out of position. I realigned it and it was back to normal. We will see how long that lasts. I hope it goes crazy again so we can get rid of it. She believes it was just the cold weather that increased her utility bill. Wanna bet? Goody.

My friend came to stay with me and brought his Amish Fireplace, which he bought from the TV advertisement for $180.00, shipping included. This item was at a discounted price, because it was a display model and had a very small nick in it (barely noticeable). I loved it! It heated up my entire two-bedroom home and is absolutely beautiful. I have baseboard heat, so the forced heat is definitely better.

My electric bill, however, did increase from the month before, but I was running it 24/7 and it was December in the state of Washington, so it has been cold. And comparing it to last year's bill during the same month, it was only about $25 higher. So, I have to admit, it is serving its purpose; it has made my living room much more cozy and warm, and it is by far better than the baseboard heat. So I'm extremely pleased and think it was worth the money.

On the January 8, I requested cancellation immediately while still on the telephone with customer service representative placing the order and was advised she could not cancel the order. I had to wait 3 to 4 hours for a call back from the customer service department and was advised that there was no record of the order. However today (01/12/2010), after reviewing my account, the charge is posted to my bank account, also, on the January 8. I sent an email on 01/12/2010. Amish has very poor and received a confirmation regarding my cancellation request. Very poor customer service

My wife and I purchased the "miracle heater" in early 2009 after seeing it advertised on TV. We paid $300.00 plus shipping. It worked fine and did what we thought it should do until this past week. I turned it on and it started to sound like a screeching fan belt on an old car. Because it only had the "30-day" warranty, I did not call the company knowing what their answer would be. I think it is the heating portion of the product that has failed by the way it sounds when I turn it off. This product should have lasted longer than a few months for the price we paid. We recommended it to a couple a few weeks ago and they ordered one because of that. I am going to suggest to them that they return for a refund because of the lack of quality.

A friend of ours gave us one of these "fireplaces" last week. I put it together, turned it on, and watched the disk on our electric nearly spin off its axis! What a joke. First thing I noticed when I opened the shipping container was the label "Made in China". I hadn't realized that the Amish had moved to China. There's nothing Amish about this piece of junk. Got a kick out of the advertiser stuffers in the envelope accompanying the piece of junk. Advertising for all types of vitamins and cure-alls for all that ails us.

This unit was one that, according to the email offer that I was sent was "THIS OFFER ONLY GOOD ON THE WEBSITE" and had only minor imperfections in the wood.

Well the first few days it worked ok. I live in a small house and use the heater in the living room. I pretty much keep it on low all the time with the "flames" turned way down low and it keeps the temperature at around 68 to 70 degrees (depending on how cold it is outside). I have only turned the unit on high maybe twice and that is when I noticed my electricity bill go way up! I have also found that the closer you have the unit, the less you will feel the heat. It's seems like the heat by-passes you. But if you have it a few yards away, it seems to work a lot better.

If you dont intend to display this e-mail thats ok but please take 5 minutes to think about what I have wrote really think about it. You might be very surprised!

I brought an Amish fireplace and it is now making an awful sound and caused my electic bill to from 36.00 to 95.00. Doesn't lower your heating bill. it triples them and makes an awful sound doing it

My husband bought 2 Amish Heaters thinking that he would save money on our heat in the winter and what happened was quite the opposite. Firstly, the heater is very noisy. Secondly, to make the heater blow on it's maximum output it still doesn't make much of a difference. We noticed that our heating bills went sky high. We NEVER use it. If there is a Class Action Suit we would like to be a part of it. Thank you.

We saw the advertisements for the "Amish" Heat Surge electric fireplaces on TV and decided to purchase one for our brother as a gift. We later purchased another for ourselves. Well, unless we sit directly in front of the fireplace, you can't feel the heat and it definitely does not even heat a room.

We then contact Jim, our brother/brother-in-law, and he said his does not heat anything. So it seems that we put out a lot of money for two worthless heaters. Contacting the company has been unsuccessful and with today's economic situation, we cannot afford to return the heaters unless we are offered a full refund.

We are out a lot of money (I don't have the invoices handy) and I believe it is around $600. We can't afford this as Steve is the only one working and reduced hours. We feel we were monetarily injured, scammed, and strongly believe a class-action suit should be filed again the company. From the reading of blogs regarding the same complaint, a lot of other people feel the same.

For the month we used it our electric useage went from just under 200 kwh in October 2008, to 450kwh for November 2008. I have advised others looking into this product not to purchase it unless it is only for the fake fire.

The one in our guest room almost never gets used, I guess that is why it can still heat. By Tuesday May 5th 2009, six months later, the one in our bedroom died.

We really need the extra heat source since the main or great room was an add on to the original structure. This room is not heated as efficiently by our furnace as the rest of the house. We need to replace this heater, preferably with a more depend- able heat source.

The $100.00 cost of shipping the heater back to Canton, OH for repair is not feasible, or economically possible at this time. We are retiries and like everyone else we are feeling the pinch in our budget. Turning up our thermostat is really not an option for us.

I purchased the free heater that cost me even more for the cherry finish. I even was offered insurance for the hester and bought it. The heater doesn't heat any better than the light I sit under! I have the heater about 20 inches from my feet and I cant feel any heat! What a rip off!

I was smiling the whole time reading the report on this MIRACLE HEATER. I've heard it and your staff has heard it. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH Enough said, I'm suprised the FTC hasn't toned down there advertisement. Good for you, good show

An ad in the USA Weekend was selling 2 free heaters. When I called you had to purchase the mantles from the Amish, but the ad said how to get 2 free heaters. The ad was very misleading. Unfortunately there is nothing free. I would like to see ads of this 'free' nature pulled from newspapers and magazines.