ComplaintsforOnward Manufacturing Company Limited

• Initial Complaint

  19/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a ***** **** ***** ****** *** grill and had some issues with the pellets moving right from the start. I was able to identify that the motor had quit working, no longer driving the auger. I phoned customer support for warranty assistance and was told that no warranty was available because I had purchased the grill at the end of the season on sale, rendering the grill void of warranty. I accepted this and requested a quote for the new parts. I gave them my credit card information and was told the new parts would ship within a couple weeks. A couple weeks ended up being over a year due to their parts being made in China and Covid causing delays, and when I went to replace the parts I discovered that on account of the motor dying, the pellets that were in the auger tube had hardened to the point of being completely solid. The grill is completely unsalvageable after only 6 uses.

  Business response

  26/05/2023

  Hello,
  
  Upon reviewing this customer's internal file an email was sent to him by one of our customer service representatives that provided clear guidance on how to store the pellets once the unit was not in use. I have included a copy of the email below.
  
  “Thanks for your email. You should only be using our *** pellets. After a cook the pellets should be removed and put in an airtight container. I would clean out the auger to remove all the pellets from your pellet grill.”
  

  Customer was also using none ***** **** pellets which makes it harder for us to guarantee the optimal performance of the unit.
  

  Note that a 30% discount was also offered to customer for the inconvenience of the part being on backorder.
  

  We are more than willing to work with this customer to repair his unit within our warranty policy.

  Customer response

  26/05/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  The agent made the assumption that the pellets were not their brand, and that they were not stored properly.  The issue with the grill was a defect with the plate that holds the motor in place.  It bent and drove the motor into another piece of the grill, causing the motor to become non-functional.  This issue was not caused by misuse, it was caused by a malfunctioning motor and a flimsy mounting place.  The subsequent issues with the pellets is related to the fact that the motor quit working with pellets in the auger shaft, those pellets became one solid mass and the grill is completely unusable.  Making assumptions about what caused the issue does not make it a fact.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******

  Business response

  31/05/2023

  Hello, 

  Clear instructions were emailed to this customer to advised the that all the pellets should be removed from the unit when not in use. 

  "I discovered that on account of the motor dying, the pellets that were in the auger tube had hardened to the point of being completely solid." 

  As he stated above there were pellets left in the auger tube which harden due to moisture and expansion. We can offer the required parts under warranty to get the unit back up and running..

  Customer response

  31/05/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The grill is in the landfill, the year that it took to get the replacement parts that you made me pay out of pocket for allowed the pellets in the auger to harden to the point that they were petrified in the tube.  Your lack of service and absolutely unreasonable lead times for replacement parts caused the issue.  Your response is unacceptable, your own staff told me outright that your grill was rushed to market with known issues.

   

  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******

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