New stove, rusted, no after sales service

In April 2025 we purchased a stove from West Coast Fires — one of those models with an oven above the fireplace. A few weeks after installation, we decided to try a potjie in the oven section. Much to our dismay, when cleaning the next day we discovered the entire oven had rusted, including the so-called stainless steel oven thermometer insert.

We returned the thermometer and reported the issue, but after weeks of chasing West Coast Fires, we were told their supplier doesn’t cover rust. Their explanation was that water could have entered through poor installation, wet wood, etc. But honestly — what’s the point of an oven if you can’t introduce “wet” elements? What exactly are we meant to cook in it, bricks?

To their credit, they sent a team out to sand and repaint the oven door, but that fix only lasted through one more potjie before the rust returned. The bottom door has now also started rusting. Should we contact our wood supplier to ask for “extra dry wood” to avoid the oven rusting?

The after-sales service from West Coast Fires has been extremely poor. We’ve had to chase them constantly, only to get the bare minimum in response. We never even received a replacement thermometer. At this point we’ve given up.

I would not recommend buying from West Coast Fires, and I would strongly advise against purchasing a Hydrofire stove as the quality is shockingly bad.