Reduce char griller grand champ rating

[TheWizardKnows]

I purchased one of the grand champs mostly do to the rating given from the website and so far regretting the purchase.

Quality control:

1. out of the box there was rust on some of the parts.
2. There was visible scratches on many parts.
3. The main cook chamber door did not sit flush. It was flush on one side but not the other.

Char- Griller Customer service:

• The. Instructions say to contact them first and to call. When you call it sends you to the website to use the chat function. There is no chat function on the website. You have to fill out a form and wait for them to respond over email. Once they respond there is no instructions on how to keep communication going.
• Something that should have taken 15 min took days of communication over email
• The service ignored many of the complaints but said they would ship me a new lid.
• Taking weeks and they said it still has not shipped.

I have a lump of metal sitting in my yard that I dont want to waste time on because I don't think it would work well with the gap...

Can we say that with such glaring issues and the risk of getting a dud we can still give this thing a platinum rating?

[BBQPhil]

THat's pretty awful treatment. Now all of us here know what they think of their customers. WIll never consider their products.

[Johnny Booth]

Max Good Hi Max, thought you might want to see this.

[lostclusters]

I bought a Grand Champion a year or so ago. I love it. It is after all a COS (cheap offset smoker). I would say king of cos. A little rust and a few scratches would not bother me as this will occur during normal use. However mine did not come with any cosmetic defects. I am not sure by what you mean by the cook chamber not sitting flush. I did have to adjust the lid/door a bit, and I added a gasket and latch. It is tight and holds temperature well.

As far as cosmetic defects go on your unit you should be able to exchange it for a different one. I bought mine at Home Depot. They have a good return policy.

As far as functionality goes, with the 5 inch exaust it's draw is excellent. My only complaint is the the firebox could be a bit bigger.

[Alan Brice]

Wow! I am extremely happy with the fit and finish on my Grand Champ! I sprayed it down with a can of avocado oil, then touched up any thin areas with a paint brush. The little grease bucket caught the excess and I was able to use the paintbrush to put extra coats on and in the firebox. I understand coating the metal is going to be an ongoing issue. That goes with anything you want to keep nice.
Mine came in a wood and cardboard crate and with the help of a wheel barrow and a two wheeler I was able to transport everything to the back patio then assemble it. Sorry you have had a bad experience. It took several months to get here but I never had to deal with the Mfg, only the peeps overseeing my delivery in coordination with AmazingRibs. They kept me informed and even offered another choice if I wanted something quicker. I honestly could not be happier. Thanks AR!

[bmillin]

Could these issues be more to do with the retailer? Sounds like bad shipping/storage. Why did you not return it?

[TheWizardKnows]

The direction told me not to return it and to contact them first. They offered a solution and have not followed through. My local home Depot does not have these in stock and I would prob just get a refund or wait many more weeks to get a new one then more hours reassembling. It is also very heavy and transporting it is not the easiest now that it is put together. And and and. Might contact home Depot and see what they say.

[Johnny Booth]

To be fair, my 1st COS (cheap offset smoker) was not sealed. It was not a Chargrill, there was no customer service. The firebox leaked, couldn’t hold temps. The cook chamber door leaked like a sieve. This COS cost me over $800, 10 years ago. I fixed it and used it for many years.

My next purchase 2 years ago, was a real offset stick burner. It runs perfectly with no leaks and extremely high quality, it will last multiple lifetimes; but it cost $5000+.

The smoker may present some challenges, but for under $1k, you can still have a lot of fun.

[Max Good]

We are concerned about this situation and have removed Grand Champ from our Pitmaster Club Great Giveaways Prize List. The positive comments above show why we rated this model highly. But it's been out of stock for a long time and the company has been unresponsive to our calls and emails. More to come.

[TheWizardKnows]

I know, I was hoping to be one of the people to be able to give a positive comment. It seems like the variance in quality is a bit high. I am still holding out that it will work out after spending so much time on getting a resolution

[Bkhuna]

I won't mention any names, but it sounds like you bought a M@$terbu!lt.

[Max Good]

Char-Griller and Masterbuilt are now both owned by the same company, Middleby.

[Huskee]

Masterbuilt may not be a cooker you'll pass down to your kids, but their prices reflect that, and they make some fantastic stuff for those price points!

[Johnny Booth]

+1 - I started on a COS and modded the heck out of it. It was a hobby that kept me occupied for years. I had a lot of fun, and when it was time, I upgraded to my ‘keeper’.

[Max Good]

At this time we're only downgrading Champ to Gold with the following disclaimer.

https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/smokers/char-griller-grand-champ-offset/

"March 7, 2024. We originally awarded this smoker our top Platinum Medal for offering relatively high quality and performance for a modest price. Not cheap as the lightweight COS tin can offset smokers we advise against buying, but nowhere near the price of competition grade, quarter-inch steel offsets, Champ is, or maybe was, a viable entry level stick burner. Sadly, something is changing at Char-Griller. Champ has been out of stock for a long time, and our contacts stopped responding to calls and emails. Customer complaints about defective products and poor to non-existent customer service are mounting. So we’re downgrading our rating. If Char-Griller can get back on course and Champ becomes readily available again, we will restore its Platinum status."

Please continue to share your Champ & Char-Griller experience here. We're hopeful Char-Griller will give us reason to restore their Platinum Medal and not continue to drop down in the opposite direction.

[realdocBBQ]

Good job with updating and a fair response. Love the AR gang!

[TheWizardKnows]

Great! That is very reasonable.

[STEbbq]

Max Good anything comparable to the Champ in the Char Griller line up?

[Steve R.]

I hear there is one called Runner Up that's not quite as good. 😛