Ortal USA

Stay away from this company! Their after sale customer service is terrible. We had a brand new unit installed in our new home by their East Coast Dealer, and the entire process was a nightmare. The dealer gave our builder conflicting information which made it necessary to reframe the chimney/fireplace area twice. The dealer often failed to show up when scheduled, and sometimes when he did, it was with a totally new, inexperienced staff. And when it was time to fire up the unit, the dealer seemed very hesitant about how to place the logs and assorted media materials. After two seasons, we've had to remove the glass and clean up all the soot four times, which is not an easy task. We contacted Ortal four months ago asking them to recommend a different dealer and spoke with Wendy in customer service four times. She always seemed surprised that we never heard back from anyone. We've since discovered that the dealer no longer includes Ortal on its website as part of their product lineup. I finally spoke with Bob Croft, the Ortal Sales Manager in CA. He asked that I send him pictures of the unit, and that he would get back to me. After repeated follow-up texts and phone messages to Croft over a two month period, he has never responded. Croft is a poor representative of this company. Luckily we found a local, independent gas appliance company who checked, cleaned and reinstalled the logs and media. The unit now works fine, but I would never recommend Ortal because of their poor customer service.

We have an Ortal fireplace in our new construction that is installed in our bedroom. We cannot use it since it makes tons of noise throughout the night hours after it's been turned off. It wakes us up throughout the night with a loud pop/thud every now and then. We have even heard this noise at 6 or 7am the next morning, a whole 8 hours after it was turned off. We do not use this and have only heard these sound when we've been asked to test that the noise is still occurring. Yes, every time! Currently we are sitting with a $16k piece of junk we don't use and an unfinished wall (other suppliers are holding on to our mantel and stone wondering when they can come install) as we try to determine on our own the next steps. Both the installer, Capo Fireside, and Ortal claim the noises are "normal" and that it's been installed correctly. We have a Town & Country fireplace and we do not have these issues with that unit. We love that fireplace. Very disappointed with the Ortal, the follow through and now being forced to go legal unfortunately, as no one will solve the issue or replace it.

For your sake, stay far away from this unethical vendor and their defective fireplaces. They installed a fireplace that was dead upon arrival, and now want me to pay for service calls and parts.

Our Ortal fireplace stopped working after 6 weeks of occasional use. We live in California, we don't need it often. I contacted the dealer and was told that service is 5 weeks out. I contacted Ortal as the fireplace was brand new and they basically told me I was out of luck, and had to wait the 5 weeks for an appointment. They said they have no control over their dealers and that I was lucky, sometimes the wait is 7-9 weeks. For an high end product, I just expected better customer and a better product.

October 2019 ... updating this review. I was fortunate to meet an Ortal rep in another city, who inspected my unit and contacted Ortal on by behalf. It took 5 years to find someone who knew the unit should not be full of rust, but thanks to this rep making several phone calls to the company, Ortal agreed they needed to stand behind the product. Ortal paid the service call for the rep to re-paint the entire firebox, as well as install reflective glass in the interior at Ortal's expense. The unit looks new again, and I am no longer embarrassed to have visitors see the fireplace. ••••••••••••••••• The Ortal 150 RS was spec'd by our architectural designer for a large scale residential remodel (January 2013). Impressed by the beauty and clean lines of the Ortal ... we purchased the unit ... and our fireplace company worked hand-in-hand with Ortal representatives on the install specifications. The unit was installed in January, but the remodel wasn't complete until April. Each time we used the fireplace (Spring 2013) we had a lot of condensation on the glass. Our local dealer told us some condensation was normal, and once the glass warms up it should dissipate. We continued to use the unit a month or so longer ... but instead of moisture dissipating ... the firebox began to show spots of rust. By the first actual heating season (December 2013) ... we had rusted areas all through the firebox. Our dealer contacted Ortal for remedies. The first representative (in the service department) told them "rusting can occur because it is metal". They were then put in touch with a regional manager who visited our home (January 2014) to see the rust in person. He said he would get in touch with his supervisor, but his suggestion was to try another restrictor size (which we did), and that we could try repainting the inside of this 1-YEAR OLD UNIT. I spent the better part of Spring 2014 writing emails and forwarding photographs to my local dealer, who was in contact with Ortal. In (May 2014) Ortal paid my local dealer to repaint the unit (which was a complete mess in our all white room). In (July 2014) we received a letter from the Ortal Direct of Marketing. He apologized for the rusting, followed by ... "but rusting is a problem that could affect any metal surface, and our units are no exception." He did reiterate they wanted me to be a satisfied customer, and ... "It's also important to know that rusting issues do NOT infringe or negatively impact the warranty on Ortal units. They will be covered, and you will be protected if anything should prove to be faulty." By the beginning of the next heating season (Fall 2014) the condensation remained, and the rust began again, right over the new black paint. We had no further follow-up by Ortal, nor did they contact or local dealer. The firebox rusted more during the (Winter of 2014) and by Spring 2015 ... we realized our only option for cosmetic resolution was probably painting the firebox annually. Not a mess we were willing to endure, so here we sit with a 5 year old $10,000 fireplace completely full of rust. It's embarrassing when visitors come to our home, they compliment us on how lovely the room looks. Once they see the fireplace, I have to apologize, and explain how unfortunate it is that we paid so much money for something that has rusted to this degree. We don't know how long the unit will last, or when the rust will win out ... but we certainly do not feel Ortal stood behind their product, or their 10 year warranty.

I have been contacted by Wendy Dixon a few times in response to my inquiry online. She has provided me with prompt and detailed response as well as follow up. We have already purchase one ortal fireplace and in process of choosing a second one. Wendy's friendly personality is definitely a big plus! Haleh Anvaripour

Fire place is very good but be careful about unreasonable service cost by local vendor I have used my Ortal fireplace for two winter . And only during cold days. I noticed a shift in the front glass from right to left yesterday. I called my vendor in Campbell ( Bay Area) to come and center the glass. They are asking for an unreasonable amount of $500 for a few minutes visit and adjustment. This is 10% of the cost of unit. Why are you charging so high? what is your labor cost for 30 minutes work? Can I call an independent service person?

I had the most informative talk with Ms. Dixon about the various ortal fireplaces. She answered all of my questions as well as provided me with details of all the fireplaces I was interested in. I am a return customer and love the product, the look of it in my home, and the service provided by Cozy Outdoor Escape. I would recommend the ortal fireplace for its elegant as well as it performance.

Ortal offers high quality, state-of-the-art contemporary fireplaces that homeowners, architects and designers alike are looking for. The clean, sleek design along with their cool wall technology makes their brand a winner all around. It's a beautiful addition to our showroom located in The Voorhees Design Center and would compliment anyone's home!

I am a contractor who installed the Ortal clear 170 in my home. The reason why I went with Ortal rather than another company was because of the quality they offer. This solid steel structure, along with the sleek modern look is what really pulled me in. This fireplace has now been in my home for two years, and I have nothing bad to say. This unit comes with a small remote that can turn on this fireplace with a touch of a button. The amount of heat this unit let's off let's allows me to keep my boiler very low in the colder months.

Ortal did few projects for my Company, the jobs were handled in the most professional way. Ortal met my customer's needs, and I was complemented for referring Ortal. Mimi Arbib Arbib Construction Inc.

As one of our vendors, and as one of their dealers, they are fantastic to work with and never disappoint with the quality of product.