Kidd Fireplace

I find it hard to believe how people have had a bad experience with these guys. Couldn’t be nicer and more accommodating. We’ve mostly dealt with Perry who is a gem. Recommended.

During my search for two gas log fireplace sets one of the places I visited was Kidd Fireplace. When I walked in, the man sitting at the entrance desk completely ignored me… no one else was there but me. After a while I told him I was there to shop for gas log fireplaces and he rudely pointed to another guy and told me to talk to him. Perry was helpful and answered my questions. No way I would purchase my log sets from Kidd but, after buying them from another vendor, I needed an additional part and called Kidd again. When I did, the person that answered the call was again very rude «I don’t know what you’re talking about.» Note that at this point, they did not know I hadn’t bought the log set from them. So, if you’re in the market, buy your logs online. Hansen Wholesale was the best and they ship free.

This past winter I had a Mendota gas insert installed by Kidd. I have been very pleased with the responsiveness and courtesy of all the staff at Kidd. As it turned out, the unit that was first installed had quality control problems (no fault of Kidd) and so the whole experience turned out to be something of an ordeal. Finally, the unit had to be replaced, with Mendota providing a new unit at no expense to me. Throughout the several months of trying to figure out why the original unit was emitting a strong and very unpleasant odor when turned on, Randy and others at Kidd were very receptive and worked hard to resolve the problem. I would highly recommend Kidd to anyone wanting the products and service they offer.

Still as fantastic as ever! Great service, fast, affordable and just generally good people.

Wow, I can’ believe how wonderful the fireplace looks (Rasmussen Evening Prestige), and working with Kevin was the best. Before ordering, he came to look at my fireplace and measure — he said I could easily have a 30-​inch (see the photo — it’s perfect), then he recommended the unit where the logs sit on sand so there is no grate. I still don’t know how the flame gets through the sand, but it does! We also selected remote control with variable flame adjustment — it is the best setup! The burning «embers» and lava rock around the base of the fireplace make it look very real. If you have a gas hookup already, you just need a plumber to install the unit to the gas line. You can do the rest yourself, the directions that come with the unit are clear. I did call Rasmussen (on a Saturday) for one question and they were very helpful. I laid out the sand and embers, then positioned the logs the way I wanted them. So happy to have it installed for the holidays!

I had these folks come out an service my fireplaces a year ago last May and I was happy with the result. The fireplace worked all winter long. Yesterday I attempted to fire it up and the pilot light went out. Tried several times to light it, no dice. Called Kidd and was first asked if they had serviced at my home before. After being placed on hold, they came back to the phone and told me this: (1) We are not doing regular maintenance on any fireplaces until AFTER the new year and (2) We can come out and look at your fireplace for repair purposes but the first available appointment is December 16. HUH? And as for DECEMBER 16? Yesterday was NOVEMBER 17! It’s cold and I need my fireplace working in my family room. Not happy. This is how they treat return customers? Obviously so. Disappointed, to say the least. I gave them such a great review the first time, it’s hard to believe this business is the same business I worked with in 2013.

The gas stove in my home was installed by Kidd Fireplace. They send out multiple postcards throughout the year as reminders to service your stove. When I called to make an appointment the woman who answered seemed annoyed and told me she didn’t know if she could schedule an appointment for me and that she’d have to get back to me. She called me back later and after a very confusing conversation let me know that they would not service my stove. She told me they send out hundreds of notices throughout Oakland and have no intention of helping everyone?? This is no way to run a business. Please uphold your service agreements and hire someone competent to man the phone lines.
–A month later the owner contacted me and explained their situation which helped me to feel better about their business practices.

I recently contacted Kidd Fireplace to schedule a time for a gas fireplace repair. After a very confusing conversation I was told Kidd does not service gas fireplaces other than those they sold. When I argued the point that service and repair is service and repair I was told that they would refer and defer to Randy (?) and get back to me. This is why I gave one star… I did receive a follow-​up voicemail from Kidd Fireplace to say no they would not provide repair services to my gas fireplace. Huh? Of further note, I received a mailer/​coupon for an annual maintenance visit. Kidd Fireplace wouldn’t honor the coupon either. Double Huh? Check out their website… it does say they provide repair and maintenance service. Clearly not.

I would never use them again and would never recommend them. They were excellent at selling me a $ 3,500 Napolean gas fireplace. Told us they couldn’t install the fireplace because our home was too far away, but neglected to tell us that our warranty would be voided if they didn’t install it. Helpfully printed out the installation guide so that we could build the enclosure before the fireplace was delivered, EXCEPT they printed the WRONG guide so it was the wrong size and had to be torn down and rebuilt. The fireplace didn’t work from day 1, installed by licensed electrician, when the electrician said that the control module didn’t work I called them to get another control module and was then told that I had to pay $ 175 for the part because of the voided warranty. I would never have bought it from them if they had told me that I would have no warranty. I could have purchased the unit closer to home. Could not get any technical help from Kidd and cannot order parts directly from the Napolean. Kidd could not order parts the same day I called which made wait times unnecessarily long. My fireplace is now working and it is beautiful, but I would highly recommend that you buy from someone else. Service is not a priority with Kidd.

I purchased a wood insert for my fireplace. Kevin was the sales guy who took the order. He was very knowledgeable about the products and did a great job putting the order together. I had some special considerations as to when the unit would be installed. Kevin got me a great date which was most appreciated! When install date was upon us, Jason & Jeremy were my installers. They put the unit in and did a very professional job! The stove burns well and I am finally enjoying what has been the cold end of my house. Now it is toasty! I would definitely recommend Kidd to anyone! Great job guys! Thank you!

After a terrible experience with Blaze Fireplaces (see my 1 star review) I turned to Randy to fix things. What a professional! He showed up in a timely manner, behaved extremely professionally, and best of all fixed our gas fireplace. It’s now working reliably and is clean as new after he serviced it. Randy has a very friendly and helpful demeanor. We will be using Kidd again in the future.

We bought a Gas Insert from Kidd and had a great experience. We got estimates from all the major local places. Kidd was priced comparably. We ended up picking them because they are the only one that also does the Gas lines, and Electric. We figured, if something goes wrong it’s better to have «one neck to choke». I was afraid of a scenario where the installer blames the plumber blames the electrician etc. We did not regret the decision.
Something did indeed go wrong with the unit we bought (Regency U390, starter went south and wouldn’t turn on), and they stood behind the work. Randy had to come out twice, and had to disassemble and rebuild the unit. He did so without complaint, and we were not charged. While I’m sure we were still under warranty it was refreshing to see them stand behind their work with no argument. When I thanked Randy he made it clear that they «want to do right» by the customer.

Excellent service! Highly recommend.
I am currently remodeling my entire house and shopped around several vendors for our Napoleon HD81 See Thru Fireplace. I have dealt with several vendors and sellers and couldn’t have been happier with my experience with Kidd Fireplace and especially Kevin!
We are on a tight schedule and Kevin quickly got us everything we needed to accomodate our project. I couldn’t be more pleased and will definitely be back when we landscape our backyard and put in a firepit!

Randy Kidd was just here to service my gas Valor fireplace, which his company installed about 5 years ago.
This company is a good, solid business. They are prompt, knowledgable and stand behind their work.
They offered me the summer discount cleaning rate which I was happy to receive.

Same story as others. Randy came to service our gas fireplace which was lighting inconsistently, did nothing, charged $ 159 and promised to call back after the weekend to talk about parts needed for repair. Like others reported, no call back. Stay away from Kidd, the guy was creepy and/​or incompetent.
Next day, called someone else as recommended by a different Unilocal reviewer. Fireplace is now fixed… no parts needed, reasonable cost. I can only conclude from the positive reviews, that Kidd is at best inconsistent. I would not recommend them nor will I call them again.

Tremendous service, support, quality of work, and very fair. I highly recommend.

Once again, Randy (Kidd Fireplace Service) has done a great job. I have used them/​him for several years now and have found them to be prompt, reliable and professional. I appreciate their knowledge and experience and willingness to answer my many questions about what is going on with my gas insert. Even though they did not install my insert, they were quite able work on it and solve the issues.
In these tough economic times, it is nice to find a person/​company worth the money that is charged. I will be calling you folks again!

Kidd installed our new fireplace. Everything seemed fine until towards the end. We were doing a remodel project which involved the fireplace area. So it’s not a straight forward installation. After the fireplace was put in, they had to wait until the contractor was done with some finish work surrounding the fireplace, before they could come back and finish the whole job.
We had paid the invoice amount minus the labor portion, which was to be paid upon completion of job. But before they came back to complete the job, the office already charged my credit card for the balance! In fact, I didn’t find out about it until a few days after they charged my credit card. When I complained and asked them to reverse the charge, they said by the time they were to reverse the charge, they would have come back to finish the job, and they would have to charge me by then anyway.
To me, that’s not the right way to do business. Job completion means job completion. If you charge customers before you’re supposed to, especially without their knowledge, that’s unethical practice.
If you choose to do business with these guys, make sure you watch carefully what they charge your account.

First rate service: showed up on time and did what was promised for exactly the price quoted. And even though he had the fireplace working to my satisfaction, Randy insisted on replacing the new flame regulator at no additional cost, which meant he had to order it, schedule another service call and install it. Amazing! Also, Dee is very friendly on the phone and even sends out emails reminders.

To quote an earlier review:
«The guy charges a very high hourly rate for unreliable work, and proceeds to rip you off on the parts. DO NOT WASTE YOUR VALUABLE TIME AND HARD EARNED MONEY»
This is sadly true. I am highly upset at this company. It seems that their business model is to come out for ½ hour and collect their $ 125 fee, for nothing!
I have a Heat and Glo fireplace, retails for about $ 2000. The blower stopped working because of the remote/​brain unit. They came out, said the brain was fried/​no power and that they didn’t have it on them. They said they would call and tell me how much on following Monday and then charge me another $ 95 an hour to install it. Would have been another $ 250 minimum.
They never called but in the meantime, another contractor (a handyman) takes a looks at it and fixes it! Now I’ve got the blower working and heating my house just fine.
If you’re wondering if you should spend your $ 125 and hope that’s all you’ll have to pay to have your fireplace back… you’ll end up spending more or it won’t get fixed at that price. Save your money.
Update 12÷31÷10: Responding to Kidd Fireplace’s comment, it seems like they’re saying «We are right, and the customer is wrong or foolish.» All I know is that my fireplace is working now, no thanks to Kidd. And it’s a lot safer now than before, with wires all over the place, and the fan not working. And there’s one thing I know for sure, Kidd Fireplace folks are liars, because they NEVER called. The reason I know this is because I didn’t get it fixed until weeks after they came. I’m busy and I forgot about it, until it got cold and then I remembered and got upset that they never followed up. If they would have called with an estimate for how much the new brain was, with ETA on when it they would come and install, with a new estimate and all, then I might have gone with them, if reasonably priced. BUT, they never called. And it wasn’t «Randy» who came out, because they guy who came out called «Randy» to see if he had the part.