Consumer Disputes

Please note that WETT does not certify appliances or installations, we certify people. This is a common misconception. During the course of work, an inspector or installer will issue paperwork indicating that an installation is code compliant. An installation is either compliant with the relevant building and installation codes or it is not. If not, the inspector, installer or sweep will identify why.

From time to time, disagreements can originate from multiple scenarios such as inconsistency in inspection reports to faulty installations to disagreements over installation and building codes. This does not necessarily mean than someone was a fault. In this case, obtaining a second opinion is recommended.

In all situations, first try talking to the person who performed the work to see if a suitable resolution can be found. If the two of you can’t agree, you have several options:

• Contact the retailer from where the appliance was purchased and review the situation with them to see if a resolution can be found. If the issue is a technical disagreement, you can contact the manufacturer for further information about your specific appliance. If the issue is a difference of opinion regarding an inspection report, you can seek a second opinion from another WETT-certified professional in your area.

• If you have not found a suitable resolution, you can contact us at manager@wettinc.ca.

To submit a complaint, full documentation is required. This includes:

• Details of the complaint

• Key dates

• Contact information for all parties

• Actions taken/not taken

• Documentation in PDF format (reports, inspection reports, correspondence)

• Photos of the installation (where applicable, include photos with measurements clearly identified)

• If you have contracted a second opinion from which your dispute has been based on, you are required to provide the third-party name, contact information and any documentation that they have provided you.

Submissions that do not include these details will not be accepted. Complaints must be submitted electronically via the WETT Inc. website. Our review will be solely based on the documentation received. It is assumed that any documents not submitted by the complainant have been deemed by the complainant as being irrelevant to this complaint.

Please note that complaint information will be shared internally (office staff, Technical Consultant, committee members and/or board members of WETT) for review purposes. Complaint information will also be shared with the member who is the subject of the complaint. Information will be managed in accordance with our privacy policy. If you are submitting a complaint on behalf of someone else and the complaint includes personal information, please include in your submission authorization from that person to share his or her personal information.

Please note that the association can only investigate and discipline its own members. WETT cannot resolve billing issues and similar disputes regarding service fees. WETT does investigate situations of faulty installations, poor workmanship and other concerns relating to quality of work performed.

The installation and maintenance of wood-burning appliances is not regulated in Canada. Consequently, we cannot offer assurances that your specific issue will be rectified. What we can do, in cases of negligence, is prevent this from happening in the future by having the member retrained or, in cases of gross negligence, by withdrawing a member’s certification.

The complaints process is largely internal and follows a prescribed process.

• The first step is for WETT to qualify the complaint. The Executive Director and Technical Consultant will review the submission for qualification. This may involve contacting you to discuss the complaint.

• The complaint package will be reviewed by our Ethics committee and then sent to the member for their review and response. Our review will be solely based on the documentation received. It is assumed that any documents not submitted by the complainant have been deemed by the complainant as being irrelevant to this complaint.

The WETT member in question will also be contacted and, if deemed appropriate, we can recommend that she or he rectify the situation. However, keep in mind that we cannot force members to do this. If they fail to do so, the organization will take this into account when determining the necessary disciplinary action.

Given the varied nature of complaint situations, we do not publish time frames for responses to complaints. We will, however, acknowledge your complaint and keep you informed of the progress and outcomes of the complaint investigation.

We appreciate and empathize that a complaint, regardless of its nature, is stressful and we offer assurance that all complaints will be acknowledged and dealt with professionally. Through professional training and public education, our primary mandate is to promote the safe and effective use of wood-burning systems in Canada.

Submissions may contain personal information, including names and contact information. Your complaint will be shared internally with our committees, Board and contracted personnel and managed in accordance with our privacy policy.

Note: If you provide information with this form that contains personal information about someone else, you must either redact the personal information or provide his or her written authorization to use his or her personal information.