Not feeling the love...

DarrelH · July 2014

I'm a new Egg owner. Once we got the grill working, I really like it. However I'm trying to understand how typical my customer service experience was with what I can expect going forward.

My Egg was delivered early enough on a Saturday that I could could dinner on it once I had it assembled. However I ran into a significant snag trying to assemble the Egg and ended up suffering with take-out. It seemed as of the bands were too short to assemble the eggs. If I just had 1/2" to 1" more length it would have been done and done.

The instructions indicated assembling the bands before putting them on the Egg... I struggled with that. Nuts on their last thread, the bands would NOT go on the Egg. The stuts actually gouged the bottom half of the Egg.

The dealer said they always assemble the bands ON the Egg and never heard of anyone assembling the bands OFF the Egg despite the official instructions to the contrary. I tried their approach, but I lack the Herculean strength to pull the ends of the band past that 1/2" gap to get the threads started. I went to the corporate website and could not find any information on the problem I was having. The corporate site said to come here to this forum for access to all levels of experts and enthusiasts. Sounds good. Come here and can't post anything. Create an account and now I have to wait for approval.

Went to another forum, got almost instantly approved and posted my story. People were stumped. At this point I was getting infuriated and started making plans to return the Egg. I sent feedback via the corporate site later that night.

Next day I start packing things back up and I found a 2nd packet of hardware that had fallen out of one of the other smaller boxes and went behind a bench. Inside that packet was a note saying there was a manufacturing screw up and the Egg was packed with the wrong hardware. The new bolts were EXACTLY what I needed to fix the problem and I quickly assembled the Egg.

3 days later I get an email from corporate saying they had longer carriage bolts they could provide. I replied and explained what happened, and asked if they could send me some touch-up paint to touch up to address the gouges in the Egg. Got an email saying someone would respond within 48 hours.

1 week later (10 days after I built the egg) I got approved for access to this forum. I responded to the admin email and haven't heard back. That also reminded me to follow-up on the touchup paint with corporate, to which I received another email indicating someone would respond within 48 hours.

It's now been exactly 2 weeks since my last email and I still haven't heard anything.

So now I have to wonder... have I bought into something with a huge following but extremely poor customer service, or am just victim of the a series of unfortunate issues?

Thanks,

An EGGsasperated New Owner

RRP · July 2014

Welcome aboard in spite of your frustrations to date. Too late now, but most times the dealer is the contact point for these level of problems. After all the dealer's reputation and livelihood depends on custom satisfaction. While corporate support should be there it really is secondary and deals more with warranty issues and problems "bozo" dealers didn't handle properly.

Rusty Rooster · July 2014

First thing tomorrow morning (Sorry, they are likely gone today), call the mothership, 770-934-5300, ask for Bruce. I have never seen anyone say he did not find a quick solution.

DarrelH · July 2014

RRP said:

While corporate support should be there it really is secondary and deals more with warranty issues and problems "bozo" dealers didn't handle properly.

Dealer was a bozo and I already harassed them too. Gal on the phone talked to me like I was a dunce. Sorry, but aside from having rebuilt car engines, my real badge of prowess is that I've built Ikea furniture w/o instructions... I think I can handle an Egg WITH instructions

)

But to be fair, unless corporate sends notices of packaging failures like this, there is no way anyone could have known *I* wasn't the bozo.

Farbuck · July 2014

I got my Egg in January and they shipped the wrong sized carriage bolts. Way down in the bottom of the box was a second envelope and in that were the correct bolts. If you had the same situation, the bolts they sent you were about 1/2" short.

They absolutely should correct this; you paid a lot of money for your Egg and the least they can do is give you the right hardware

anzyegg · July 2014

I learned a long time ago, if at all possible get them to set it up. I think they should give you bolts for free and try to assist.

RRP · July 2014

anzyegg said:

I learned a long time ago, if at all possible get them to set it up. I think they should give you bolts for free and try to assist.

Set up and delivery is a $50 option around here.

Cookbook_Chip · July 2014

Sorry about the bad experience? Like @RRP‌ I spent a very worthwhile $50 for delivery and set up.

buzd504 · July 2014

I paid $125 and it was still well worth it.

badinfluence · July 2014

Free set up and delivery from my dealer if you live within 25 miles.

they regretted that when the xxl came it..lol

Fred19Flintstone · July 2014

DarrelH said:

RRP said:

While corporate support should be there it really is secondary and deals more with warranty issues and problems "bozo" dealers didn't handle properly.

Dealer was a bozo and I already harassed them too. Gal on the phone talked to me like I was a dunce. Sorry, but aside from having rebuilt car engines, my real badge of prowess is that I've built Ikea furniture w/o instructions... I think I can handle an Egg WITH instructions )

But to be fair, unless corporate sends notices of packaging failures like this, there is no way anyone could have known *I* wasn't the bozo.

Identity theft! Plain & simple. Everyone knows I'm Bozo!

NPHuskerFL · July 2014

badinfluence said:
Free set up and delivery from my dealer if you live within 25 miles.

they regretted that when the xxl came it..lol

I believe my dealer has free setup and delivery within 50 mi but, to be fair this area is pretty spread out.

NPHuskerFL · July 2014

@DarrelH‌ Welcome aboard. Now that bump in the road is over. I hope you enjoy your eggsperiences on your BGE. There is nothing perfect with anything but, I would be just as frustrated if not worse and would likely let em have it with both barrels. Again now you are here I hope you can enjoy your BGE . FWIW it took my wife about 14 business days to get "forum" status approval :-). And fortunately my dealer is top notch and the one and only warranty issue I have had was handle swiftly. They had the parts on hand. If they had not been on location I would've had to be a bit patient and wait 2-6 weeks but, normally they are able to handle claims quickly. Again a lot is dependant upon your dealer.

bbqjk · July 2014

I think you are both a victim of a company growing too fast and too big to care like they should and a dealer who cares little about offering customer service. Just an order taker it appears. The dealer should have leaped through their butt to resolve the problem and they should replace your damaged ceramic. Any respectable dealer would, I think.

I have purchased two eggs and both came with free assembly and free delivery and setup. As far as I'm concerned, anything short of that makes the BGE and the dealer not worth the price. Apparently, I'm blessed with a good or exceptional dealer. I have called the company several times lately to inquire about the new MiniMax and all I ever get is voice mail and no return call. It makes one wonder if anyone really works there. Even the operator selection goes to voice mail. Kind of sad for a "big time" company. Just my opinion.

I wish the best for you in resolving the issues.

Jeremiah · July 2014

Welcome. Haven't had any experiences yet with bge but this furom is outstanding. You'll be glad you joined.

RRP · July 2014

bbqjk said:

I think you are both a victim of a company growing too fast and too big to care like they should and a dealer who cares little about offering customer service.

Me thinks a little clarification is in order. Ed Fisher began selling Kamados he imported from Japan many years ago. Then in 1974 he began having the BGE as we know it today manufactured at a highly regarded ceramic plant in Mexico. So from that standpoint this company is over 40 years old, so I don't buy that it is a victim of growing too fast. What has been the change however was when Ed turned over his baby to Arnie I think his name is with the marketing background and he, Arnie cleaned house letting a number of personnel go from the heir apparent on down a couple levels. Yes BGE has changed and comparing certain business practices now to those practiced when Ed Fisher was in control are two different eras.

badinfluence · July 2014

I am sorry about what your dealer is doing. There are some really good dealers out there. Heck i have my dealers cell phone number.

Zmokin · July 2014

Sorry to hear of your rough start. Hopefully, now that you got the forum thing working, you are starting to feel some of the love. Now, cook something good, take pictures and post them, and then you will really feel the love.

minniemoh · July 2014

@badinfluence - with all the eggs you have purchased, your BGE dealer should be delivering meat to you every Friday at no charge!

@DarrelH - sorry to hear about your issues from the beginning. I'm sure you'll get it worked out in the end. Don't give up on the egg. You'll miss out on some good eats.

Gogogordy · July 2014

Zmokin said:

Sorry to hear of your rough start. Hopefully, now that you got the forum thing working, you are starting to feel some of the love. Now, cook something good, take pictures and post them, and then you will really feel the love.

The forum thing is great, but its just a club. The real support, and love should come from the business transacters....the buyer and seller. Old school. At least for me (Im in sales) I treat my customers, as I like to be treated. While fellowship (or misery loves company) is a great by-product, supprt and customer service is not the responsibility of other owners of the products I sell.

gamason · July 2014

I hate to point out the obvious here, but the only issue I seee is the OP didnt check for ALL componets before he started assembly. He stated when he went to repack he found the proper hardware and all went together as intended. Sorry for your frustations, but at least its up and going and you learned a valuable lesson to boot. Happy Egging!

Zmokin · July 2014

Gogogordy said:

Zmokin said:

Sorry to hear of your rough start. Hopefully, now that you got the forum thing working, you are starting to feel some of the love. Now, cook something good, take pictures and post them, and then you will really feel the love.

The forum thing is great, but its just a club. The real support, and love should come from the business transacters....the buyer and seller. Old school. At least for me (Im in sales) I treat my customers, as I like to be treated. While fellowship (or misery loves company) is a great by-product, supprt and customer service is not the responsibility of other owners of the products I sell.

No doubt, the assembly issues and warranty support should come from the factory and the dealer.
But not the day to day cooking. I would be pissed if I was an Egg dealer that got calls and emails asking how long to cook a Brisket, which charcoal is the best, what to do when your pork shoulder hits the stall, what are you drinking right now, my dog died, check out this rib cook I did for dinner, etc ad nauseum. That "Love", my dear friend, is what this forum is all about. BTW, I spent the last 10 years working in Sales & Marketing, customer support, etc at a small business, and all I ever got was compliments from our customers (strictly B2B type industry), so I know what good customer service is all about.

DarrelH · July 2014

bbqjk said:

The dealer should have leaped through their butt to resolve the problem and they should replace your damaged ceramic. Any respectable dealer would, I think.

You know, that's kinda my feeling too. But I do have to give the dealer credit. The delivery company thoroughly screwed up. I bought the EGG within the deadline for a Saturday delivery, and when they called to schedule the delivery they said they would call me back... but then never did.

I called the dealer Saturday morning and reminded them they told me Saturday delivery. The manager refunded the delivery fee, grabbed my salesperson, and loaded up another BGE in a personal pickup and delivered it to me; including getting it upstairs. He told me the delivery company would have left it downstairs.

But I got an email from Bruce at the mothership yesterday and some touch-up paint should be on it's way soon. The main damage is under the bands and I'm thinking the chips are small enough to not be a risk to structural integrity...so I'm going for an "out of sight, out of mind" on it once I can touch up the little bits that do still show.

It may have been a rough start, but the BGE is already in use. Broke it in with some porterhouse steaks, did some burgers, and last week we did a "fancy" pizza with portobello, prosciutto, artichoke, and pesto.

I see a good future with my BGE, the only difficulty has been deciding what to cook next...

DarrelH · July 2014

DarrelH · July 2014

gamason said:

I hate to point out the obvious here, but the only issue I seee is the OP didnt check for ALL componets before he started assembly. He stated when he went to repack he found the proper hardware and all went together as intended. Sorry for your frustations, but at least its up and going and you learned a valuable lesson to boot. Happy Egging!

If there was unfortunate that the replacement hardware pack fell behind the bench... especially since I DID do a components check and had everything the instructions said I should and the paper indicating there was a component mixup was inside the baggie of replacement hardware.

My only thoughts from a customer service perspective is that BGE should have communicated to it's personnel of the packaging error so that when people called its dealers or sent email to corporate they could respond intelligently when someone says it seems like the carriage bolts are too short. Maybe even an alert or snippet on the FAQ would have saved a LOT of time and frustration.

Like a couple other posts here, I'm a stickler for good customer service. I always provide my best to my customers, especially when they are paying me 4 digits left of the decimal.

But as you said, that's in the past now. BGE is sending a little touch-up paint so I can hide the damage from my OCD, and the food cooked with the BGE has been quite tasty.

badinfluence · July 2014

I have my dealer on speed dial....he don't seem to mind though

NPHuskerFL · July 2014

badinfluence said:
I have my dealer on speed dial....he don't seem to mind though

Your picture of a Benjamin is the avatar on his phone.

OmahaOne · July 2014

badinfluence said:

I have my dealer on speed dial....he don't seem to mind though

I guess not with all the business you've given him. I'll be you're even on his Christmas list.

badinfluence · July 2014

He is getting me the 10 foot inflatable Mr egghead. Yeah i know another waste of money but gonna look cool Iin the backyard

THEBuckeye · July 2014

I had my dealer build it no charge while I shopped for the virgin cook.

DarrelH · September 2014

Rusty Rooster said:

First thing tomorrow morning (Sorry, they are likely gone today), call the mothership, 770-934-5300, ask for Bruce. I have never seen anyone say he did not find a quick solution.

Rusty,

Either at your beckon, or sheer coincidence, Bruce reached out to me a couple days later and did me a solid to make up for the headaches I experienced getting out of the chute. Amongst a couple goodies was the paint to touch up the spots that got scraped while fighting with the too-small carriage bolts.

Not feeling the love...

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