With the continued and growing industry discussions of the pros and cons of HVAC equipment available online and through retail sales, Navien reported it has taken a strong position in support of wholesale-distribution only to professionals and against consumer-purchased equipment.

“Navien is committed to preserving the authenticity and integrity of the trade by ensuring all Navien products are available only to and installed only by professionals, ensuring better-served installations and, thus, satisfied consumers,” Vice President of Sales and Marketing Eric Moffroid said. “Sales of Navien products over the Internet do not afford the authenticity and protection Navien expects. Navien has issued and will continue to issue stop notices to violating vendors and e-commerce channels and is prepared to pursue its remedies at law.“

Consumer purchases of Navien products through e-commerce channels will not be entitled to the benefit of technical support services or the warranties associated with purchasing Navien products through authorized channels, the manufacturer stated. A consumer warning to this effect is prominently placed on Navien’s website at us.navien.com. Additionally, Navien has taken the unique step of placing a consumer-warning label on every carton indicating that Navien’s warranty is void if purchased from the Internet.