Buyer Beware - Ceramic Grillworks of Pittsburgh

@bweekes big mistake shipping with UPS, I would have insisted they ship by USPS when possible. Learned my lesson the hard way long time ago ;(
one of countless discussions in the interweb:
https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/50-UPS-Brokerage-fee/td-p/60899

the grate is only good for 500 degrees at grid level, thats like tires for a ferrari only good for 40mph i personally know toms adjustable rig and spider handles 1200 f degrees

Eggcelsior said:

That flippant email from him takes the cake.

This is like a really bad joke.

I agree. I almost ordered a swing rack but decided on the AR a few years back. After reading that email I am so glad I did. My favorite comment on the website "Ceramic Grill Works is widely regarded as the internets best shopping experience."  Being in the customer service industry myself, If you tout that on your site you better live up to it or threads like this get started. 

The email you copied and pasted is bothersome from a consumer standpoint. The fact that Franco says it's not designed for anything 700℉ or higher is humorous considering this is designed for an egg. What's the point of having it if you cut that versatility of cooking EVERYTHING on it. I've had my WOO in my MM and accidentally went nuclear and no problems. For the amount of $$$ for a two tier I would expect it to perform at any temp. This is a serious design flaw. I definitely won't be purchasing one now. I'll stick with Tom at CGS & quality I can trust. 

@johnkitchens  Fail! 

mountaindewbass said:

Eggcelsior said:

mountaindewbass said:

mayyyyybeee im just too New School..but if this was over a year ago and you haven't gotten your product fixed..either buy another one or figure out something new.  I've never had issues with them and you did get a product..your just not happy with it and how it performs.

mayyyybeee you didn't read the part where Franco said he would "make things right" and hasn't in 1 year. How, exactly, do you fix a situation about a product in which the manufacturer admitted the product was defective(he mentioned that his grid sagged over 400F and CGW admitted that there had been issues with some of their steel). You either ask for a replacement(he did) or request a refund(did this too!).

You stated that he should just be happy with the situation because he received a (defective)product? He should just eat the $150? Sure thing, moneybags. Would you be happy with a defective product?

I didn't realize a lack of reading comprehension was "New School".  It's not the OP's fault his product isn't fixed, but way to blame him.

Meh, its all water under the bridge. I would of just moved on...my time isn't worth worrying about getting $150 device settled over the course of a year. That's 0.41 cents per day of my time for a year..pass.

I suppose it's the principle, then.

Agree on the relevancy of "principle" here. As I said, at the end of the day, if the customer isn't happy, there should be attempts (within reason) to make them happy. My story has yet to be concluded - all depends on what happens with this $100 duties charge that's up in the air right now. Anxiously awaiting Franco's response.

UPDATE: Well it just keeps getting better. Finally got a hold of Franco re: the $97 duties and brokerage that were due on delivery (i.e., the same amount I already paid once upon receipt of the original and ultimately defective swing rack). He informed me that he would not cover the duties and brokerage, so I told him I'd simply refuse the package, which I did. Out of curiosity, I called UPS to ask if it's common practice for cross-border customers to pay duties twice on exchanged goods. Here's the kicker... they said if the shipper indicates that it's a "warranty replacement" on the commercial invoice, no duty is charged again (in this case ~ $60). The remaining brokerage/taxes of ~ $37 can also be reimbursed if you fill out a customs declaration card. So if this was done right, I'd be free and clear with no additional out of pocket costs. But after all of this nonsense, I'm glad to be done w/ the product. Franco has promised to refund me the full cost of the product, so the story continues. Man this was (or shall I say IS) painful. Still can't understand why Franco would refuse to pay the $97, and instead choose to refund me the total selling price of the product PLUS pay to have my refused product shipped back to him? Just bizarre.    

To each his own.  Yeah, there seems to be a few unhappy customers, but I bet there are a bunch more like myself that enjoy their Two Tier Swing Rack.  The happy customers are not motivated to voice their opinion unlike the small group of unhappy customers who delight in heaping all the sh!t they can upon Franco.  The "evidence" presented here is all anecdotal and unproven.  

I have met very few of you so I don't know the vast majority you from Adam.  My point is that unless you have first hand knowledge or the evidence is from a reliable source (not some faceless Internet voice), the "evidence" in which some of you are basing your opinion on could all be BS.  To characterize this thread as evidence of  "volumes of unhappy customers" is a huge exaggeration.

I'm just sayin.

That's a good point Fred.  Franco may well have thousands of happy customers.  I suppose I'm looking at Franco's products as an alternative to Tom's products.  

Any way you slice it, Franco has a fair number of disgruntled customers.  Tom however has nothing but rave reviews.  People just can't seem to say enough glowing words about Tom.

Admittedly, customer service is kind of a hot button for me; I hold myself and people I do business with to a fairly high standard.   I'm glad you like your swing rack.  It looks like a good product, and I'll buy one myself if I start hearing better reports.  

Seems to me the company should have just refunded the money from the get go, they could have avoided a 4 page thread.

smokeyj said:

I always had great encounters with Franco and stated early in the thread. As far customer service I have no complaints. Franco has went out if his for me on a bad temp controller.
I lost my house and everything New yrs eve and being one of his local customer I went to look for a new grill and and everything and he has given me a dozen rubs at least, he wouldn't take anything for them. He also wants to donate a new ceramic grill to me once I germt in my new house. 

This is a stupid question, but, did the bad temp controller burn your house down or is Franco really a nice guy?

Fred19Flintstone said:

To each his own.  Yeah, there seems to be a few unhappy customers, but I bet there are a bunch more like myself that enjoy their Two Tier Swing Rack.  The happy customers are not motivated to voice their opinion unlike the small group of unhappy customers who delight in heaping all the sh!t they can upon Franco.  The "evidence" presented here is all anecdotal and unproven.  

I have met very few of you so I don't know the vast majority you from Adam.  My point is that unless you have first hand knowledge or the evidence is from a reliable source (not some faceless Internet voice), the "evidence" in which some of you are basing your opinion on could all be BS.  To characterize this thread as evidence of  "volumes of unhappy customers" is a huge exaggeration.

I'm just sayin.

I didn't start this thread and I'm not trying to influence behaviours. I'm just an egghead sharing my relevant experience given the subject matter of the thread (just like I do on others). Also, if you go back, you'll see that I've said nothing but good things about the product itself. This thread has everything to do with the service levels, and I thought my service experience was relevant to voice here. I'm a contributor to this forum, not out to expose anyone.