Large BGE at Sam's Club

nolaegghead

There's a reason why they are always on the verge of suing Sam's and Costco, at least in rhetoric. Those specific companies don't meet the business model of selling the whole full service package and thus don't have "authorized seller" status. They can refuse honoring the warranty and risk damage to the brand or look the other way.  Based on my observations, I have the feeling the brand to the corporation is more important than not honoring their product and the fallout to reputation.  People don't understand the grey market.  I wouldn't be surprised if the serial numbers weren't tracked enough to be "blacklisted", and if legitimately bought eggs (by a authorized dealer) are eventually sold to another seller...how would they track that?  You could put any authorized seller down on the on-line warranty form (in your area) and if it wasn't registered before, it probably doesn't get flagged, or as people say, when contacting the local dealer, they just want to see it or the picture and make sure it isn't abuse and you're the registered original owner (if they're really paying attention), or they won't honor it.  If there's a batch where they weren't paid for, (stolen or fronted without payment) and they knew the serial numbers, they would definitely stop honoring the warranty if they knew that.   That said, I would think that you could get service, and keep in mind there are consumer warranty laws that vary by state that give the consumer an advantage, and the very threat of invoking these consumer laws would cause capitulation.  We just don't want to go there.

HofstraJet

FWIW, on the topic of BGE preferring smaller local dealers, I am looking for my first egg and have been to most of the Gold authorized dealers around me. Many of them have been Pinch-a-Penny pool supply stores. They have one large egg in a table sitting in a corner with some bags of lump. The people running the shop know nothing about the product and they sell at full retail. Any questions, they look it up on the BGE website. Same for the big box patio furniture store listed as a Gold dealer. I also found an RV dealer selling eggs in the parts department. Again - the parts manager knew very little and just gave me a blank stare when I asked questions.  Also full list. None of these stores had a selection of accessories on hand either.

The place I intend to purchase from is a small, independent shop with two locations specializing in pools, grills and backyard merchandise. The owner and the staff are very knowledgeable, they have a full assortment of eggs on display and in stock (including an XXL - holy cow), and a wall full of accessories. And they offer nice packages and discounts for purchasing. That is what I expect from a Gold dealer.

BGE needs to take a closer look at who they certify as Gold.

These resellers are supposed to be "value-added resellers." Most that I visited add zero value and provide the same service I would expect at Sam's.

bi11fish

Take a look at Sams   website                              http://www.samsclub.com/sams/med-green-egg/prod14020825.ip?navAction=

stlcharcoal

All the gold status means is that they bought the big package from the distributorship at some point.  They are supposed to maintain that displaying to keep their gold status, otherwise they don't get the top listing on the website.  The distributors rep are supposed to keep an eye on this, but with a BGE dealer on every corner, they probably can't hit them all that much.