Wilshire Fireplace

I give this place ZERO stars. We purchased our fireplace from Michael & Monica in January 2014 and went with their recommended contractor, Andreh, to do the installation. I won’t even get into how disorganized these guys are because I can expand on this review with plenty of nits, but the real problem is that the fireplace simply stopped lighting just before Thanksgiving, which is one of the only times you want to use a fireplace in LA! I called and emailed them to let them know that the fireplace stopped working and they basically told us to f_​_​_​off! They said that since we installed a child-​proof screen door on the unit, it voided the warranty and they refused to help us. Talk about crooks!
Long story short, I had to find an independent guy to come out to our house and diagnose the problem, which turned out to be a faulty ignition module on the unit itself — nothing involving the childproof door. When I called the manufacturer directly to tell them that Wilshire Fireplace would not honor the 4-​year warranty, they sent me a new module directly and confirmed that Wilshire Fireplace is definitely practicing shady business practices.
Luckily, I was just recently able to install the new module myself and now the unit is working again, NO THANKS TO WILSHIRE FIREPLACE! Do NOT buy your unit from Wilshire Fireplace because if anything goes wrong or you even admit to touching the unit, they will void your warranty and you’ll be stuck calling the manufacturer who will confirm you purchased from a crook. Thanks to Melissa at Fmi for helping us resolve our problem. Just in case there is any doubt, the verbatim email chain from me to Michael and his response telling me to kiss off is below:
From me to WP:
Hi Michael —
This fireplace was purchased from Wilshire Fireplace and installed in January 2014, partially by Wilshire Fireplace, and completed by Andreh (who Wilshire Fireplace recommended as a partner). The Fmi P325E (B) still has 3+ years left on the warranty. Although we had a door installed to childproof the fireplace, the fireplace unit worked fine until a few weeks ago and we have tried to start it at least 20 times this week. The door is aesthetic only and did not affect the integrity of the unit as we’ve tested it many times since the door was installed. Michael said that there is no cost for your technician to come out and look at the unit, but there would be a charge of $ 165 to install any replacement parts if needed. I spoke with the manufacturer today who confirmed that the warranty does, in fact, cover labor cost so there should be no charge to us directly for replacement of any faulty parts if the unit is still under warranty. The warranty covers the unit for 4 years after date of installation.
We look forward to seeing your technician on Saturday between 3−4pm.
Thank you,
Matt
Response from Wilshire Fireplace:
«Thank You very much for taking the time to put everything in writing. I have sent your picture along with the picture we took at the time of installation, to our MFG representative, and unfortunately your fireplace is NOT under warranty, due to the modification you made and the troubleshooting you took upon yourself. If you look at the owners-​manual it clearly states that any modifications to the unit, or any parts used that are not approved by the mfg, voids the warranty.
I understand you spoke to the mfg in effort to troubleshoot your fireplace, and they said your unit would still be under warranty. However, you admitted to me on the phone yesterday that you did not tell them you installed a third party door. It is possible the door you installed has caused this unit to fail over time. Air vents could be blocked, the firebox could be getting too hot, a wire could have been compromised, etc.
Given the facts listed above and the way you treated our company in the past (I.e. not paying for extra work done, making personal attacks on me, etc.) we respectfully decline your request for our company to service your fireplace, regardless if you pay us or not. Therefore, our company will not be coming to your house on Saturday between 3 – 4 pm.
Sincerely,
Michael
Wilshire/​Okells Fireplace Shops
15 335 Sunset Blvd.
Pacific Palisades Ca 90 272
310−454−4444p.
310−454−6056f

I’ve been using wilshire fireplace in the palisades for years and have always had great service. They serviced my bbq this summer right before a big party i had and i didn’t give them much notice. I was just in their store last week as i am looking to update my fireplace and they have so many great options. i am a designer (not interior, but i know good style) and the woman working there, Monica, spent a lot of time helping me view options and prices and was super knowledgeable. Michael helped with talking to me about how it would actually be installed. The store was busy, but they managed to walk me through all of my options. I don’t usually leave reviews on Unilocal,but was really impressed and am going back to place my order and am excited about having a new fireplace with a mantel for xmas! 5 stars from me!

I’ve worked with Wilshire Fireplace in the Palisades on several occasions and will continue to get logs and have them install for every fireplace we come across. Monica & Mike are delightful AND helpful. We needed product quickly and they pulled from their other locations to help us get everything installed before the client moved in! Very accommodating and pleasant. Thank you Monica as always!

A horrible customer service!!! I called asking if their workman will be coming to an appointment since he was over an hour late. I spoke with an unpleasant man who was giving me a story about the workman’s car issues he supposedly missed his first appointment of the day. So I replied as follows; aside the fact that the transportation issues are between the workman and the store, how come no one called to notify me?
This was a Saturday appointment .Then the man on the phone started getting defensive started flipping through pages to reschedule. Later he gets annoyed at my comment of booking and showing up to appointment is not a rocket science he tells me that he will not tolerate my put down he can’t be bothered with doing business with me and just hangs up. The store was going to charge me 500 $ for looking at 2 fireplaces and chimneys. After checking and calling around I learned that my highest estimate was 200 $ and each company was willing to come out the next business day. Each time I booked with Wilshire I had to wait for a week and this is high end, quality survive in a wealthy neighborhood. What a joke!!! These people have no concept what so ever of any customer service, their pricing is out to lunch and worst of all are quick to insult customers when their poor business skills are questioned. My prediction, this business won’t last. People in the village are wealthy but also demand respect when they are charged top $, everyone expect that at minimum. This store is obviously not what it use to be don’t fall into the trap of a good reputation created by previous owners.

So long story short I was leading a volunteer event with 500 volunteers which was also being catered by a local restaurant. At the time all the volunteers were ready to eat our grill would not light up due to a broken hose. After trying the local hardware stores and failing I decided to give Wilshire Fireplace a shot. Thank God I did! The gentlemen at the store quickly took the initiative and try to find a solution. We literally went to the back of the store to find a way to repair it due to the fact there was not a replacement available. After about 30 minutes he was able to fix the hose which allowed us to feed the 500 volunteers! A true life saver! Thank you so much!

These people are horrible. I asked them to recommend outdoor heaters to be mounted to my patio. They sent someone to my home to inspect the outdoor area and then made a recommendation. The heaters they sold me require 240v electrical but I have (and so does everyone else) 120v. When I called to tell them this, they told me that they are nonrefundable and nonexchangeable. So in other words, too bad lady, you’re stuck with our recommendation and oh, sorry they don’t work for you. I now have an electrician looking into this to see if he can rewire for 240v.
They truly don’t care about the customer and I’ve heard this from a ton of other people. DO NOT SHOP HERE. They are extremely rude to their customers. You’ll get screwed.

First off, Patrick and John no longer manage this place. I don’t know her name but a blond lady and her husband now manage it. We were in the process of modifying our existing fireplace and needed to purchase a new gas fireplace grate and logs.
The blond lady was not helpful and rude. We purchased else ware. Next, my wife visited the shop a couple of days ago looking for a new fireplace screen. They had the screen she liked but it was priced almost $ 200 more than other sellers and again the lady was rude. We live in the Palisades but would rather travel further away than
patronize people like this.

Great shop. This branch of Wilshire Fireplace is fully stocked with fireplace and bbq items. It is run by Patrick and John who know everything about fireplaces/​accessories etc and are creative and reasonably priced. I had the world’s ugliest fireplace and they had custom doors made which are beautiful. I can’t say enough good things about these guys and store.