Mowbray Fireplaces - how we do things at Mowbray Fireplaces
Your stove and heating needs
The first thing we want to do is talk to you about you and your property - it is not unusual to be talking to a customer for 15 or 20 minutes before we even get around to fires or fireplaces!
We don't just want to know about you so that we can make you like us and be more inclined to buy from us (for although we are, on the whole, very nice people, that is not a good enough reason to buy from us is it?). We need to know about you, your house construction, your chimney, your flue ways, your décor, your furnishings, your tastes and preferences and the way you live and use your rooms and heating systems. And we need to know these things regardless of how large or small your order might end up being.
We need to know so that we can advise you technically and functionally on which types of fireplaces and heating appliances will suit you, your property and your way of life. We can then guide you through the different options so that you end up with something that suits your own personal needs, tastes and desires./p>
But we also need to know so that we can be sure that it is installed correctly, works properly, is safe and legal, and complies with an ever expanding range of guidelines and legislation, from CORGI, HETAS, the Institute of Electrical Engineers, the Health and Safety Executive, and from Government through the Building Regulations, EU Directives, etc. etc.
The fireplace showroom
You will probably first meet us in the Mowbray Fireplaces showroom, where we employ our own sales people, training them ourselves and with our suppliers. We don't use agents and nobody is on commission.
You will get good, impartial advice and buy the fire, the fireplace, the heating appliance that you need and want - not whatever we have got stacked up in the warehouse (otherwise known as "this week's special offer") and not what earns the most commission. You will meet Angus, Janet and/or Joe (and possibly Ron or Peter) depending on which days you come in and how busy everyone is.
The site visit
If further information is needed to advise you, or if you want to use our installation service, we will continue the process with a site visit to your property to determine exactly what is required and how to fit it. Peter, who will often finalise the order details on site, usually carries this out, but occasionally it will be Ron.
The installation
The installation of fires and fireplaces and any building work involved is managed by our Installations Manager (step forward again Ron) and his team of fitters - again they are all our employees (Adam, Big Steve, Little Steve and Richard) with the sole exception of John, to whom we have offered a full time job but who prefers to stay on a sub-contract basis because he is planning to move to Australia soon. But he has been saying that for the last three years!
Unusually for a fireplace and heating business, we not only employ gas fitters and fireplace fitters, but people with full building skills too, so that we can carry out quite extensive modifications to chimney breasts and stacks, even building completely new ones, and installing new flue liners.
The administration
The final link in the chain is the back office where Roger and Wendy ensure that all the paperwork is up to date and in order, further helped by Angus, Janet and Ron who cover the purchasing and planning functions as well, co-ordinating suppliers, deliveries, fitters, equipment and vans with your installation date.
Mowbray Fireplaces 2007