Why don't we just burn the Amish?

It's not like they're gonna call the cops.

@krom: My coffeemaker (currently a Senseo pod machine) uses 1200 watts, and operates for about 45-60 seconds to make a cup of coffee. The heater would be using those 1200 watts in continuous operation for hours at a time. So yeah, totally misleading ad.

Amish Fireplace Offer Leaves Family Cold
Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Thursday, Oct 16, 2008 @07:48pm EST

http://pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=50411

Read the entire article…but here’s a quote from the one left cold:

But Hank says he's not interested in tripling his power bills just to have a wooden mantle and fake fire. "Its a fraud. I don't want to see anyone be taken the way we were. We put our heart and trust into them and they failed us."

Don't even waste your money....I purchased one of these and was not satisfied. It says that it is free shipping but it is actually not free shipping. They guarantee you 100% of your money back. Well it cost me $76.00 to ship it back to them because they say that the shipping is actually not free. It is 49.99 and is hidden in the cost. So if you return it you actually lose money.

This ad came out today in the Wichita Eagle. I'm a blue collar worker, looking to save my hard earned money, but the Good Lord gave me some common sense. My wife gobbled it up but I went to their website and found a link on it leading among others, to "scams". I followed the link, need I say more, your reading my comment !!

Less on-topic, I always have a good laugh when people complain about the Amish making compromises. Unless you're using LESS technology than they are, isn't that a wee bit hypocritical?

@hn333: I wish. I think they're serious.

And there are many, many more. Time limits for ordering, different phone numbers based on climate zones. This is really fun stuff.

It's a 1500W electric heater with a 5119BTU output.

Now look at this (as an example):
[www.homedepot.com]

Same power drain, same heat output, 10% of price. Why? Simple.

1500W of electrical power at ~99.something% efficiency converts into 5119ish BTU. This will hold true for -any- electrical heater on the market, unless one is exceedingly crappily made. In fact, they're all so very standardized that lots of websites won't even list BTU outputs for heaters anymore - they'll just say "1500W heating power" and leave it at that.

So what is $500 for? 3 things:

1) Heating module Made in China. (At $250, it by itself is fairly ridiculously overpriced, especially for Chinese export.)

2) Real wood cabinet for the said module, allegeldy handmade by some Amish chap. Fair enough.

3) Cheap faux flame effect.

You don't even get the 'SUCKER' t-shirt with it. So sad, considering you paid 10 times the market average for 1500W heater.

I think this is a joke.

@zundian:" Let me get this straight, it's a giant hair dryer? in the shape of a fireplace?"

Yeah, just a glorified space heater. For what it's worth, it won't be any more efficient than any other electric resistance/forced air space heater. It just looks nicer.

But according to the ad, "The HEAT SURGE miracle heater is a work of engineering genius from the China coast, so advanced you simply plug it into any standard wall outlet." Wow, heat using electricity from a wall outlet! When did they start doing that?!? Sign me up!

@mercurypdx: "Saves money: uses less energy than a coffee maker, so leave it on day and night and never be cold again
My BS detector just went off
"
I agree with you. It uses 1500 watts of power (5118BTU/hr) which may be less than some coffee makers, so this is a factual statement. (A quick google search showed coffee makers in the 800-1500W range). However, the ad is misleading to those who aren't technically inclined because the heater will be on much longer than a coffee maker, so the energy usage will be higher. Definite BS....

And my coffee maker pulls a fair wattage, I'd not leave it on all day, that's for sure.

Oh, and yeah, to the point, the PS job in the photo is tacky as all hell.

And in addition to the dubious actual value of the two items, they are playing up the "free"ness of the heater and its "$249 value", while burying the deal's actual price in the middle of the ad within a photo caption by writing it out using words ("two hundred ninety-eight dollars"). This is the first time I've seen an ad hide its prices in this manner.

@mercurypdx: What an excellent idea. I can't even view on the terms and conditions or copyright policy without a claim code. It means they can know which ads are generating hits and which ones aren't. I can't quite make out the one in the scan, so I can't actually look at anything beyond that. Too bad for them if I wanted to buy something.

Even though the shipping is free, I'd be sorely disappointed if it didn't show up in the back of a buggy like the ad.

My BS detector just went off...

For example, some allow the use of off-grid electricity (such as from generators), communal telephones, automobiles for emergencies, etc.

And they're more than allowed to pay other people to use technology - which is most likely the case for the ad...

Sorry to kill the joke....

Photoshop is OK, but those using Paint Shop Pro will be "shunned".