For those of you that have a good dealer.......

EGGjlmh

You are very fortunate.  I own three eggs.  I bought each egg from a different dealer.  Every time i buy a new egg a few months later they stop carrying eggs.  A couple years ago a firebox cracked on the L.  I got blown off buy a new dealer that didn't want to mess with it.  A couple weeks ago my platesetter on my MM cracked and its still under warranty.  I went to the local ACE and bought $80 worth of stuff and then asked if they would please process my claims.  The guy told me that you have to go through BGE corporate for warranty.  I told them i was pretty sure that wasn't correct.  He went and asked his boss and the boss even said that no dealers do warranty work.  Luckily emailing BGE worked and i have the replacements coming.  I hate having to go through corporate because i shouldn't have to but good to know that they will stand behind their products.  

Seriously, you guys that have dealers that take care of you are very fortunate...Rant over

TN_Egger

I'm with you - I got the run-around from my local dealer.  Bruce (The Man) had a new firebox on the way to me a day after talking to him.  

But the big question is...will the BGE Warranty go the way of LL Bean and and REI?

XC242

The dealer I bought my egg from got out of it. Our hardware store became a dealer but the guy doesn’t seem to understand the warranty part of it very well. I had to explain to him fire rings have a lifetime warranty. Waited a long time to get the replacement and now he’s gonna make me turn in the old one. 

RRP

My dealer has always been good. You walk in with a problem and walk out with the solution. One time they showed me why by taking me back to see their inventory of parts.

HoustonEgger

Since a few of my egg dealers have closed and we've moved away, I've found the best way for any warranty claim is to contact Bruce 1st - get his approval and get him to recommend a dealer to contact in your area. Never had any issues this way. 

Woodchunk

We have a great dealer who has been selling bge for many years. When I bought mine they said if you have a problem just take a pic of it and send it to us. 

lousubcap

No different than any dealer operation.  The key is the effort the dealers put into the product-aka how much does the line contribute to their bottom-line.  For all the passion and appreciation for BGE expressed here, at the end of the day those with true skin in the game will most likely "follow the money."  There are several exceptions and those that are passionate about the product and line and "Q" in general are top shelf vendors-think @pgprescott and @stlcharcoal to name a few.  I'm sure there are many others and your personal experiences will bear that out.
BTW- my dealer in L'ville (Brownsboro Hardware and Paint) is right there at the top of their game.  FWIW-

stlcharcoal

I process BGE warranty claims all the time......doesn't matter where somebody bought it and it only takes about 2 minutes to fill out the form.  Then the next time I order something, it's automatically included.  Doesn't cost me a dime, and the customer is happy.  Why fight it?

Hoosier_Smoker

Count me as one of the lucky ones.  I recently reported the under bite issue and a cracked CI grate to my dealer.  They came out and installed the new style bands and replaced the grate within a week.

gonepostal

I bought my Large in Montgomery, AL. My first warranty claim is a completely cracked and separated fire box. Had to email pics to Dallas, TX. Was approved the next day. That was Feb 9th. Still waiting...

alaskanassasin

Hoosier_Smoker said:

Count me as one of the lucky ones.  I recently reported the under bite issue and a cracked CI grate to my dealer.  They came out and installed the new style bands and replaced the grate within a week.

Ok that is impressive 

EGGjlmh

stlcharcoal said:

I process BGE warranty claims all the time......doesn't matter where somebody bought it and it only takes about 2 minutes to fill out the form.  Then the next time I order something, it's automatically included.  Doesn't cost me a dime, and the customer is happy.  Why fight it?

Whether you realize it or not just by doing this you WILL have more sales.  This is actually the 2nd time this has happened to me.  And now this is the 3rd dealer that I refuse to give another dime to.  It is common sense (at least to me) that if they will not help me I will gladly spend my money elsewhere

Photo Egg

You should NEVER feel bad about contacting BGE corporate. It's their fault for letting dealers sell BGE who refuse to offer warranty service.
It's easier and more profitable for them just to oil the occasional, persistent customer directly, than loose money by enforcing rules down the line to dealer level.
Bottom line, it makes you, the buyer, work harder to get repair service.
Luckily, I have a great dealer and distributor in my area and BGE corporate has always helped as well.

stlcharcoal

EGGjlmh said:

stlcharcoal said:

I process BGE warranty claims all the time......doesn't matter where somebody bought it and it only takes about 2 minutes to fill out the form.  Then the next time I order something, it's automatically included.  Doesn't cost me a dime, and the customer is happy.  Why fight it?

Whether you realize it or not just by doing this you WILL have more sales.  This is actually the 2nd time this has happened to me.  And now this is the 3rd dealer that I refuse to give another dime to.  It is common sense (at least to me) that if they will not help me I will gladly spend my money elsewhere

If we do, cool; of not, no biggie.  BGE's are a fraction of 1% of our business.  We mainly sell those to restaurants/caterers, comp teams, and charities.  We don't have a sign, and are dead last on BGE's dealer finder if you search our zip code.  Like I said, it's hardly any work and not a dime out of a dealer's pocket so why not?  BGE expects you to do this, which I'm cool with.  The assembly/delivery/training always eats a ton of uncompensated time for dealers though......I totally understand the extra fee for doing that, or expecting MSRP if that's included for "free".   

surveyor

My dealer retired. Talked to Bruce, what a wonderful service professional, also talked to Mr. Davis of big green egg when Bruce was on vacation, same wonderful service. What a great company. Had another issue and went to a new dealer in my area, did not matter that I did not purchase egg from them, they handled everything in a top notch professional manner. I have had nothing but great service from the mothership and any local dealer. I have three eggs and the oldest is over 20 years old. I still have the old welded rings and hinges and no problems with them. So happy with service and all of my eggs. 

Gulfcoastguy

My local dealer is Blossmon Gas if that tells you anything. The Eggs are in a corner of a back room. One medium is assembled and on display next to the shiny gas grills in the main room. How they are still listed as a silver dealer, I don’t know?

abpgwolf

I am one of the lucky ones. Lancaster Barbecue Supply here in Lancaster, PA is wonderful. I've had very few issues, but they always take care of me. They are on the way to Lancaster County's best butcher, Appel Valley.

bluebird66

I have a great dealer, she also is an egghead. She takes great care of me so I spend my money in her store for anything Egg related.

CarolinaCrazy

I have had good luck w/ replacements. My original dealer closed, but another store here in the area process some replacement parts for me no questions asked....

That said, the new fire ring i got cracked after about only about 4 cooks , so I'll be going back....that's the third fire ring in 4 years.  is that right?

Sea2Ski

After hearing some stories, I feel lucky with where I got my large. After 6 years of no issues, I saw a crack in my base on a weekend clean out.  I called the dealer Monday morning. He told me he would order me a new one that day but I needed to send a picture of the crack to get the replacement. I emailed the picture Tuesday morning. Thursday about noon I got the call it was in.  I picked up the replacement Thursday night. They even loaded it In the car for me.

ChrisSonn23

We process a lot of warranty claims. Very simple. Customer send pics, we fill out form and send pic, done. We even to offer to come out and fix the replaced parts. Going out tomorrow to fix a XL Dome warranty. Blows my mind why dealers fight the warranty process. Happy customer = referrals = more business for you

Dave in Florida

@WassisMeats in Central Florida are awesome.  For those who have not visited in a while, including me, they have expanded.  What use to be a crowded shop is now an open, easy to move around, awesome laid out incredible shop now.  Plus their BGE customer service can't be beat. If you get a chance stop by the new and improved shop.

BBQBuddy

Dave in Florida said:

@WassisMeats in Central Florida are awesome.  For those who have not visited in a while, including me, they have expanded.  What use to be a crowded shop is now an open, easy to move around, awesome laid out incredible shop now.  Plus their BGE customer service can't be beat. If you get a chance stop by the new and improved shop.

And they run a great Eggfest!!  It's coming up in April in Vero Beach this year.

Smolder

Fortunate one here, also. Patio, Pool & Fireside in Topeka, Ks. Been dealing with them for more than 25 yrs. Any issues (albeit they have been few and far between) are resolved immediately. Jeff is the man.

evie1370

We have always had great luck with our dealer, Wardway Fuels. We even buy our lump there, one time while purchasing accessories they threw in a big sample pack of Dizzy Pig Rubs. They also host the Porkopolis Eggfest in July.

Why did we choose them? A recommendation from a good friend and loyal customer. So yes, good customer service breeds referrals=more business.