I think we caught Rick on a bad day. Possibly the least friendly or helpful salesperson I've ever encountered. We decided to try River City next and we're relieved to have a friendly and informative salesman. read more

I am writing this review to thank Custom Fireside for their great service and to additionally thank their technician Erin , that came to service our Fireplace He was on time courteous and had us back and warm in minutes, thanks to all at Custom Fireside W. Miinow read more

Our insert looks great, and Awny, the installer is super responsive and great to work with. He carved time into his busy schedule to get our gas logs installed in time for the holidays. Ask for Awny- you won't be sorry. read more

Love our three gas inserts (Fireplace Xtrordinaire) all purchased and installed via Custom Fireside...going on 10 years and all still working well! Only issue was with GreenSmart Fireplace Control remote that started going through batteries in year 6 (short-circuit?). Contacted Custom Fireside to assist in remote replacement...no problem read more

I called Custom Fireside to service my gas log set. Wasn't sure if it was the remote or something more serious. I wasn't able to get an appointment for a month...busy time of year. I scheduled anyway. On the day of my appointment, Awny, the service rep, called me to let me know he had cancellations and would be arriving earlier than the scheduled time. This service call was off to a good start! When he arrived, I explained the issue I was having and he set about troubleshooting the problem. He determined the module was faulty and replaced it. Cool! Awny is friendly, competent, and generally provided awesome customer service from start to finish. Thank you! read more

Although it took quite a while to get my new DVS Emberglo fireplace purchased and installed (like everything, it seems nowadays), I am very happy with its look and performance. After some initial problems with it staying lit, their repair person (Will) was able to immediately determine the vent had been improperly installed, corrected it, and got it working perfectly for me. Hes a real pro. And thanks to the service department for the quick response. read more

Custom firesides offered a fantastic level of swift service, options, and professional approach to fulfilling my search for a wood burning fireplace insert. After dealing with a competitor and being frustrated by delays, lack of response, and finally rather high priced quotes, I searched and found Custom Fireside in Sac. Mitch from the store showed me a number of options, discussed details and proper sizing, and gave me a quote right on the spot. He offered professional installation or the option for self-installation, and then came by the very next day to measure and confirm options for my home. Upon selecting a Lennox unit to install, Custom Fireside came by in less than a week to install the unit, doing a fantastic, fast, and professional job. In contrast, competitors I contacted took over a week to get me a quote, with an additional two weeks for delivery and installation. Given that it's winter and cold, these delays were just not acceptable. Mitch at Custom Fireside pulled through perfectly. Beyond the personal service for my installation, Custom Fireside'a storefront appears industrial and a little bland on the outside, but when you walk in the front door you are met with a fantastic array of stoves and inserts, arranged in a professional showroom, and staffed by a number of knowledgable and friendly folks. They let me just browse, and offered me well-needed insight to the perfect stove for my house. I am thoroughly happy and satisfied with this company. If I had a second fireplace I'd definitely go back to these folks. I highly recommend them to anyone, especially if you're in swift need of a unit to be installed. read more

I sent an email to ask about products and get more unfo since it isn't included on their site and they told me to come in to the showroom. Since we are on stay -at-home orders and I really don't want to be exposed to more germs during cold and flu season I was unimpressed at the lack of customer service this business is providing. I wanted to support a local business but im better off buying online where I can get exactly what I want while staying safe and healthy. read more

I know you're closed today for your 50 year anniversary celebration. I hope you're able to improve your service so you stick around for another 50 years. We bought a custom fireplace three years ago for an outdoor living area. It has worked intermittently and with great struggle. I called and left a detailed message two or three weeks ago and never received a return call. My husband and I have been trying to troubleshoot with periodic success but no consistency. I am hoping by leaving this one star review we will get their attention. We love our fireplace when it works and we have several events coming up soon in our backyard. Hope we can get it working. read more

Great products, gorgeous showroom and impeccable service. Almost a dozen years ago I purchased a Lopi "Answer" fireplace insert from Custom Fireside. It was a great deal and the installers did a terrific job, the insert has heated our home ever since. After all these years the gasket that seals the door finally wore out. I called Custom Fireside to ask about a replacement and received great phone service and information - The clerk recommended I bring my old gasket with me for sizing...Heck, I brought the whole door. :-) The salesman not only found the right part but took the time to explain to me *exactly* how to prep the door and install the gasket - TOP NOTCH SERVICE! In just a few hours I had a nice fire heating my home, thanks Custom Fireside! read more

Went to Custom Fireside to check out fireplace inserts. Great Decision - they spent 2 hours with us helping us select the right model and pointing out all the features. We had it installed yesterday - by TS Construction (subcontractor to Custom Fireside). It's great - excellent service, product selection and installation. We are very satisfied customers. Thanks Custom Fireside. read more

Shout out to my technician "Awny" for his great service and for getting my old gas insert up and running. He lit the pilot (magic, truly), serviced the unit, and cleaned it up nicely. He made sure not to leave until after the unit got to full temperature and the blower came on. I highly recommend Custom Fireside and really appreciated the excellent customer service I received from Awny. Great guy, great personality, great explanations, and overall fabulous service. read more

I recently had ceramic logs installed in my fireplace which already had a gas line. The appointment started out rough, as I learned from the installer, Fabio, that they would need to have a plumber come out to install a new pipe since the original gas line was too old and the connector could not be removed. This was something that no one at Custom Fireside told me when I bought and paid for the set, and it was not on Fabio's work order that this would be needed. Custom Fireside's staff never even mentioned that this or the extra cost could be a possibility when I showed them the photographs I had taken of the fireplace. Luckily, Fabio was great and made a quick run to pick up the piece he would need from another installer. He really went above and beyond in my opinion, all on a late Friday evening. All was done in less than an hour and he made sure I had a perfect understanding of how to work the fireplace set. If it hadn't been for Fabio's quick thinking, and his willingness to find the part needed, and stay to finish the work, this would have been quite a different review. Fabio represents Custom Fireside very well with his work ethic and courteous demeanor. I am a satisfied customer! read more

Bad customer service, ordered glass screen for fireplace, installers have canceled appointment twice, was told they would call me back, and did not receive a call back. I would not recommend this service read more

Unless you are replacing an existing gas fireplace with a new gas fireplace, this review probably won't help you. But if you're replacing a fireplace, getting multiple bids is worth the effort..In the greater Sacramento area rhere are companies smaller than Custom Fireside, and we found the smaller companies more responsive. In one case, the company offered a product identical to what Custom Fireside offerd. You should also know that any contractor r won't include the finish work, typically the tile surround. You'll have to find your own contractor to finish the job. On the plus side for Custom Fireside, they responded immediately to our initial inquiry. They came out within a couple of days to measure for an estimate, and they sent the estimate the following day. But when we asked for further information about the extra work needed, they didn't bother responding. Also, their bid was high compared to others and it had some highly questionable and costly items. Poor service and iffy costs are red flags, so we went with another contractor. We suspect Custom Fireside is used to working with contractors and that our job was too small for them. read more

I purchased a Lopi gas stove from Custom Fireside. After checking prices at dealers throughout the Bay Area and Sacramento, they had the lowest price, so I phoned them and ordered it. They were professional, knowledgable, and easy to deal with. "Coach," the sales guy I dealt with, was very helpful. He gave me a date when the stove would arrive, a few months out, and it actually beat his estimate by a week. Picking it up couldn't have been easier. After I got the stove home, I had several questions about installation, and needed some parts to complete the installation. Again Coach helped me out, did research about the correct parts, and even sent me part numbers so I could source them locally if possible. He sent me an installation manual (why didn't the manufacturer include this?) and answered several phone calls with my questions. I couldn't be happier with the result and highly recommend these folks to anyone needing their products and services. read more

Limit the commitments you make and honor the ones you do make. I'd like to give a shout out to Aaron who took the time to do the research on a part for my Majestic Fireplace that is no longer available. Even though we struck out Aaron was able to help me with a creative work around. Wonderful customer service! read more

PLEASE DO NOT GO HERE!!! I've been on Yelp for years and I had to write this one review. They took months to finish my very expensive fireplace. Then when it did not work the next season I called for service with no reply for a week. Called again and left another mesage and said I would be in personally to talk to them if no one called back. After they finally set an appointment a week later and I sat home and waited and no one came. After I finally got someone on the phone days later they said "We called to say we would not be coming". LIE! So I finally got someone to come out another week later and they said a part was broken that they should fix and would call for an update in a day or two. A week later no call. I called again for the umpteenth time with no call back. Yes service will never answer their phone. So if you want poor installation and no service go here. The company that redid my house and that recommended them knows my displeasure. I will have to drive out there to confront them. Great Christmas with no fireplace which your own repair person said was your problem! Thanks! read more

I bought a fireplace insert from Custom Fireside and had it installed before Thanksgiving 2012. It lasted a month before it had major problems. While the unit manufacturer is obviously partly to blame, the installation and service were also well below my expectations. Lately they've been trying to rectify the problems which is why I give them two stars and not one. The guys who initially installed it clearly hadn't done it before and were asking each other questions during the process. Not surprisingly they managed to scratch the back porcelain which had to be refitted. The fire stopped working after about a week. It took about 10 days before anyone could come and take a look at it. Really? A brand new insert stops working and you can't take a look at it within a couple of days? After an initial repair, the fire worked for another week and then died again. After another visit they decided there were major faults and replaced the whole unit. It worked well for about a month and then stopped working again. I've been told there are manufacturer faults. I think I've taken about 5 days off work just having to deal with this process and my fire still isn't working. read more

Update: Repair guy showed up today, nice guy, took care of the problem quickly and properly. In hindsight I feel most of the troubles I ran into with this gas insert was due to the installers, not Skip or the company per se. Still, Custom Fireside is the company that is in control of the installers. These installers represent their company. They need to make sure they have quality installers doing their work and their price quotes need to be clear. Not mentioning in a quote that you need to pay $800 for a gas line install separate from their work was frustrating. I have waited nearly 3 weeks to write this review because I was hoping they would eventually come through. We dealt with Skip on an initial visit to the showroom and immediately liked him. He had a clear, no-nonsense sales pitch or a unit that was simple, did not try and upsell us and seemed to really know the ins and outs of everything. We felt comfortable with his knowledge and experience so agreed to buy one right there. It took a few phone calls but finally got the person to come out, estimate the job and get a bid. We were initially quoted $2980 for an install of a Kozy Heat insert which sounded expensive but not unreasonable. Then, right before the install we were informed that this bid did not include getting the gas line run to the fireplace. This seemed odd to me since an estimator came to my house to estimate the *installation*. Why was this not figured into the cost? Oh well, another $800 for a plumber (who did a great job) to come to the house to run a gas line which delayed the install a few days. At this point I was a little unhappy about the money but as long as the job was done right the first time I was okay with it. The day for installation came and no one showed up at the scheduled time so I called them and evidently they had to have a different installer come do the job due to schedule problems. They did show up about an hour later, seemed nice but rushed through the job with a sense of urgency that concerned me. It was not unfounded concern as they stated the estimator did not know what was actually needed and after they accidentally drilled a hole through the wall in the adjoining room they decided to install a whole new way. In the end it was done and in and seemed to work and they left and I figured I could repair the damage myself. Later that night the unit started rattling.... I opened up the bottom and determined it was wiring caught in the fan (which could have shorted out or caused a fire) and I fixed it. I called Skip about the damage to the house and he offered to send someone out to fix it but I offered to do it myself as it was not that big a deal. I thought we were done at this point... Then, 2 days later the whole unit started rattling so bad we did not want to run it. I tried to call them, got messages and different folks and everyone agreed to get it fixed. No one called back. I finally had to partially pull the unit out myself to see what was wrong, diagnosed the problem and called them back. Today I again spoke with Skip and he states he will have the service department "get right on it". At this point though, nearly $4000 later I have a gas insert that does heat the house, but rattles so loud we don't like running it. Two holes in my house. Lots of time on the phone and overall very low confidence in this company to do what I had expected initially. Do the job right - the first time. I will update this if the repair goes any better. Reading reviews below it seems real hit or miss, and the misses look like they could be dangerous! read more

This shop is the most comprehensive shop in Sacramento. And they really are the most helpful. The selection and service was paramount. I don't know of a shop that has more options and products. Hey, they have been around for 30 years, gotta be doing something write. The best part is very helpful, non-pressure sales people, with posted prices, and many options. Let me give you an example. They were the ONLY shop who recommended an external (outside the fireplace on the wall) shut off key. The best advice, and they guys were great about it. You should carefully read the "low star" reviews. Understand how the writers are either likely from a competitor, or just didn't get the full picture that putting in a fireplace is significant. I had the fireplace put in, and couldn't be happier. Each and every call was greeted quickly and professionally, and the final inspection was just wonderful. I strongly recommend this shop and it's people. Marcus did a Fantastic job. Thanks again read more

One star and only because I couldn't choose anything less. The good ol' boy at the front counter was talking to another good ol' boy and his wife when I walked in. He didn't even acknowledge my presence. No, "someone will be with you in a minute" or anything. After at least 10 minutes and other people lining up behind me, a salesperson from the back, who was helping a couple, happened to come to the counter and at least acknowledged everyone's presence...then another guy arrived with sandwiches and saw the back up and just started helping someone not even in line. I was ticked as I was just there to exchange the leftover crappy pellets they sold me last year that plugged up my pellet stove. I pitched a fit and they directed me out of the store to the back to exchange the crappy pellets. I was ready to just empty an open 40 lb bag of pellets in their showroom...which is so out of character for me. I probably wouldn't have done it, but I thought about it! Ps My husband had called the repair guy earlier and he had poor customer service skills as well! read more

The staff here at Custom Fireside in Sacramento is very knowledgable and friendly! My wife and I were doing a remodel and stumbled upon them by accident and we are glad we did. They conduct their business the way a small business should by providing the right knowledge and price-point and actually listening to what the customers needs are without trying to up-sell or talk down on a competitors model. Mitch was very helpful when it came to initial setup help and adjustments. I will be returning here when we start our outdoor fire-pit project in the spring. I would highly recommend you shop here for all your fireplace and fire-pit needs. read more

Installing a gas insert was the best home improvement we've made by a long shot. However since they are expensive, the service and customer support we've received from Custom Fireside over the last seven years has made the investment very worthwhile. Recently, as the warranty ended, a serious defect was discovered requiring Custom Fireside to work with the manufacturer to provide us with a new upgraded unit at virtually no cost. The associates we worked with (Mike, Marcus and Aaron) provided an exceptional level of service during the diagnosis, scheduling and installation. read more

I just had a door installed on my fireplace. Stu did an excellent job. I would definitely recommend custom fireside if you're looking to upgrade your fireplace. read more

Hands down best fireplace guys in the business. On time, came in removed our old wood burner got a gas insert that just sets the mood. Right in time for the holidays. Thanks Custom Fireside. I never write reviews but these guys earned it. Oh yeah and they were less than the 3 other places we researched. read more

I had a Cozy Heat gas insert installed into my fireplace during Christmas week. Custom Fireside provided great customer service to help get the insert permitted by the City. They worked me into their busy schedules twice to get the permit approved and reassemble the insert. Great job, Mitch and staff. I love my gas insert! read more

We've had nothing but a positive experience with Custom Fireside. We bought a gas insert approximately eight years ago; it heats most of the downstairs of our home efficiently (and it is very aesthetically pleasing too!). They did the initial install and have provided all necessary service that, to-date, has been routine maintenance only. Last night we lost power to the majority of our downstairs. Assuming it was due to the fireplace (it was on and made a a few funny noises prior to the breaker blowing and refusing to reset even after replacement), I called Custom Fireside for help. They had serviced the unit in November and I was concerned that something had broken in the mean time. A service technician called me back promptly and gather detailed information regarding our loss of power and apologized that they were scheduling service calls two weeks out. He said he would try to get us moved up in the queue but couldn't guarantee an earlier time frame; he'd talk to his Manager. Not only did the Service Manager, Aaron, call me back quickly, he went the extra mile and came to our home (which is not close to their store) within 90 minutes of our conversation. After he determined that our Fireplace was not the cause of the power outage, he helped me test each outlet and ultimately discovered a faulty GFI outlet in our backyard. All while making trips to our breaker box in the pouring rain. Aaron went above and beyond! I would certainly recommend Custom Fireside for your fireplace/insert needs; sales and service! read more

Well after my reviews I rec'd a phone call from Mike who set up a install for Dec. 28. The owner called also and I told him that I was disappointed due his company's lack of communication and not being able to meet the Christmas deadline. He got back to me and had found a log set, and gave us a discount for our trouble and had them installed Dec. 22. So I am happy with the install and glad that experience is over. read more

Steve did a great job on a service call.Very polite and diligent.explained clearly. Cleaned everything up. Professional job

Steven was prompt and cordial. He provided excellent service involving an annual service on my gas fire unit. He was friendly, efficient in his duties, and provided on going education as to using this stove. Great job! read more

Overall, my experience at Custom Fireside has been warm/cold/cold. Our sales experience was mixed.The showroom is very nice. The salesmen who showed us the products were helpful and seemed knowledgable. The product line was less expensive than the other place in town, and we are very happy with our gas insert. We made a down payment to secure a sale price. When we went to pay in full and schedule an installation date, the guy ringing up our sale reviewed the sales receipt and said it had been done all wrong. That some of the parts that were ordered were wrong. He rewrote the estimate and of course it was more money. Then we had to wait for the new parts to come in. When the installation company showed up, the contractor was in a nasty mood. He was rude and surly to both myself and another contractor who was there at the time. There was a problem with the installation; they had set up the unit for propane, instead of natural gas. We had to insist that Custom Fireside send a different company out to fix it. They sent a very nice employee from the store. He had to order another part. Can;t remember, but I think he had to come back twice. After he was done, there was another issue. I could see that he had failed to reattach a ground wire. I just did it, an easy fix. Love the fireplace. However, this year, we have a problem with the fan. I tried the troubleshooting on the manufacturer's website. Problem not resolved. Its a little irritating that when you call the store for tech help, you have to leave a message on voicemail and wait for them to call you back. If you talk to sales, they will transfer you to the voicemail. Last time we had to call again the next day because they didn't call us back. I called today and we'll see what happens. The unit, I give 4 stars--it would be 5 if it fired up this year without any issues. The store, I give 2 stars--the original order was wrong and the rewritten order cost more and delayed the installation. The company they hired for the install was terrible. The service guy from the store was really nice, but he didn't complete the job correctly. The reason I'm not giving one star is that everyone at the company has been really nice. I might buy from them again, but I would proceed cautiously, and make sure I paid careful attention. read more

I just had a gas insert installed in my fireplace. I am very happy with the whole process of selecting the insert in the store to installation today. Everyone was knowledgeable, helpful, and honest. (The installation was less work than expected, so the balance I owed was $150 less!) When it is time to choose a mantle, I will definitely stop in at Custom Fireside. read more

Called the business and my call wasn't answered so I left a message. Got a call 3 days later and they left a message. I returned the call during normal business hours and left another message. Then I called again, phone just rang and rang. Never got a call back. read more

I am extremely disappointed with the customer service I received. I have been making phone calls and sending emails to Custom Fireside for the past three weeks looking for a gas fireplace part and received absolutely no contact back. When I called today to speak to a manager, there was absolutely no remorse for their lack of customer service. I was even informed that the manager had "taken my phone number down incorrectly" so he was unable to call me back after we spoke last week. The real kicker is I waited 3 weeks without receiving assistance to find out that my part is no longer available. Thanks for making me wait on that answer! read more

To say I have had a horrible pool building experience would be an understatement. Our builders last bit of junk was the way he left my firepit (see top picture). In an effort to re-do the mess, I stopped into this lovely store and the gentlemen were kinds to spend time with me brainstorming options. Instead of a 24" ring and concrete base gravel in a 65" wide firepit, they sent me home with a 48" H flame and glass rocks. A trip to Home Depot for lava rock and I was complete! (See bottom picture). Pictures don't do this firepit justice! Thanks again!!! read more

I really wish that I could give Custom Fireside a five star review, but I have to be honest. Two stars is probably even a generous allowance. The reason they even got two stars is because Mitch, the owner is nice and seems to work to try to resolve issues. Additionally, their sales rep in the store is friendly and helpful, and my fireplace came quickly. The issue comes with their installation crew. James, the lead installer, is extremely rude and lies to his own boss about what happens at job sites. He could care less about the customer's property (he dropped a drill from the top of a ladder onto our laminate floor right in front of me with no apology). He also did not thoroughly read the installation instructions for the fireplace we had installed, which caused it to be placed too close to the wall so that it had to be moved during the second day of installation. This would not have been a problem for us, since we caught the mistake in time and everyone makes mistakes. The problem was the horrible attitude James had about the whole thing. James also instructed his co-installer to start up our new fireplace the same day they finished the installation, despite Mitch having told us that they would come back after our final city inspection on our gas line to do that. James was in a bad mood and did not want to come back to our house. His co-installer even questioned him about starting it up, and James said he wanted to just finish it up. They did not tell me what they were doing before turning our new fireplace on. There was a lot of clicking and the sound of air being let out of a tire, but no fire. I asked if that was a bad sign, to which they said they were not sure. I then realized what they were doing and reminded them that the gas line had not been hooked up to the meter yet, since we had not had our inspection. They knew that, because the plumber had been working along side them the entire morning, and had only left a couple of hours before. They just shrugged, said "oh", and said they would come back to finish installation at a later date. The problem was, they did not tell me what they had done, which was depressurize the gas line by letting the air out that was required for our inspection the next day. Thankfully, when I told my husband what they had done, he realized the problem so that we could call our plumber back to re-pressurize the gas line before we would have failed our inspection due to Custom Fireside's mistake and neglect to inform us of their error. James was also really rude to our very nice plumber. So unprofessional! When our plumber informed Mitch at Custom Fireside what his crew had done, the Custom Fireside manager called me with a load of excuses, but never an apology. Very disappointing! On top of all that, the framing that James made to complete our framing kit ended up being narrower than the framing kit. Our dry waller had to try to hide the variance. We paid way too much for these kinds of problems. read more

We are very pleased with the service we received this morning from Fabio Hernandez. He was very thorough in giving us information to help us recognize problems that could arise in the future so we would know when to call for service before it becomes a even bigger problem. It was very helpful and appreciated!! We bought our fireplace 5 years ago and have always received excellent service. read more

I bought a fireplace insert and got great service and financing. Sales staff were very helpful. The installers were very professional and on time. It works great, looks beautiful and best of all it heats my family room. Very happy with this company. read more

We went to Custom Fireside due to their large selection of gas log fireplaces and weren't disappointed. Plus their experienced staff helped us select the fireplace to meet both our needs and budget. Then we placed an order and installation date which was not only met but we received a courteous call the day prior to installation as well as one from the installer the day of installation. The team installed the fireplace in a very short time in a professional way taking into account keeping everything clean and neat.After installation they spend as much time as we needed to fully understand the full operation of the gas fireplace insert. They are the very best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more