Weber Summit Kamado S6 inbound! – questions

[GoDuke]

I only had a few minutes earlier, but wanted to respond quickly to your post. I’ve got a little more time now, so wanted to apologize more. You are right to be frustrated and have every right to vent here. People shouldn’t have this much frustration when buying grills that cost his much. Don’t let my comments at all let you think everyone here (myself included) doesn’t want to hear how things unfold and if your problems get resolved or not. I just get frustrated when the "I’m done with X" or "I’ll never consider Y now" comments from others show up as it doesn’t help the OPs at all when you are already frustrated and the issue is pretty new and hasn’t had enough time to be fully resolved. However, everyone has the right to feel how they feel and share their opinion too. If I looked through all my old posts I’ve probably done the same at times too. So my apologies for poorly trying to share my experiences and opinions in response to that and likely frustrated you even further.

Since it sounds like you’ve talked to Weber a few times maybe, hopefully all the right pieces are on the way to get you squared away and you can get past being angry every time you use the grill shortly after that. Even if they are in transit it sounds like those conversations haven’t been pleasant?

Weber does have some QC problems right now as well as QA problems too vetting new designs and changes. It’s very apparent with posts like this, the rollout of the E6 on the wobbly cart, the SmokeFire launch fiasco, etc. They are also still adapting from a brick and mortar model and have a long way to go yet on packaging for direct to consumer shipping. Stuff doesn’t need to show up damaged as frequently as theirs does. I think they know it and are working on it, but from experience still have a lot of work to do. Continued poor customer service is getting hard to excuse them on though.

Hey glitchy, I really appreciate your posts, but also didn't mean to suggest you needed to apologize or that you offended me. It's a good reminder that none of this stuff really matters in the grand scheme of things and that we should all give each other (including companies) grace during these challenging times. My experience with Weber this week was also just compounded with a crummy week at work, so things like this just frayed my already frayed attitude.

I also realize that the chronicling of negative experiences can wear on everybody, me included. So it's probably good to just give them some grace, work the process and report back when that's done rather than the blow-by-blow. I just needed a place to vent.

re: the "I'm done with X", type posts, I have to admit, based on where I am with Weber now, I can't say that I'd swear them off completely, but this will definitely give me pause in the future when deciding whether and how to buy a weber product. Based on my relatively limited experience, I think Weber has the capabilities and infrastructure to play in the <$1,000 range. If this thing had cost $800, I'd be bummed but not quite as frustrated overall. I can't believe you had to truck back your smoke fire at your own expense! IMO, in those cases, somebody (Weber as the ultimate responsibility) should take care of that for you. I guess I should have researched that a bit more and read your posts.

Weber customer service reps at least have had a good attitude about it and haven't argued with me, which I'm guessing I could get with some other companies. Unfortunately, their solutions just seem to be - let's throw a bunch of parts at it. I guess that's better than having to convince a company to take the expense of shipping out parts. When all is said and done, I'll probably send Weber CS a succinct note on how they could improve. One suggestion will be to assign a CS Supervisor to anybody that has more than a couple trouble tickets. That's probably better for the customer (frustrated) and the company (to make sure the customer isn't trying to build a second grill one piece at a time :P).

Really though, thanks for your post and engagement

[glitchy]

I only had a few minutes earlier, but wanted to respond quickly to your post. I’ve got a little more time now, so wanted to apologize more. You are right to be frustrated and have every right to vent here. People shouldn’t have this much frustration when buying grills that cost his much. Don’t let my comments at all let you think everyone here (myself included) doesn’t want to hear how things unfold and if your problems get resolved or not. I just get frustrated when the "I’m done with X" or "I’ll never consider Y now" comments from others show up as it doesn’t help the OPs at all when you are already frustrated and the issue is pretty new and hasn’t had enough time to be fully resolved. However, everyone has the right to feel how they feel and share their opinion too. If I looked through all my old posts I’ve probably done the same at times too. So my apologies for poorly trying to share my experiences and opinions in response to that and likely frustrated you even further.

Since it sounds like you’ve talked to Weber a few times maybe, hopefully all the right pieces are on the way to get you squared away and you can get past being angry every time you use the grill shortly after that. Even if they are in transit it sounds like those conversations haven’t been pleasant?

Weber does have some QC problems right now as well as QA problems too vetting new designs and changes. It’s very apparent with posts like this, the rollout of the E6 on the wobbly cart, the SmokeFire launch fiasco, etc. They are also still adapting from a brick and mortar model and have a long way to go yet on packaging for direct to consumer shipping. Stuff doesn’t need to show up damaged as frequently as theirs does. I think they know it and are working on it, but from experience still have a lot of work to do. Continued poor customer service is getting hard to excuse them on though.

[glitchy]

GoDuke I didn’t mean to imply that you’re silly for not returning and agree some of the issues don’t seem to be shipping. I don’t know how things are packed on that grill. I just saw the paint damage on the lid and thought it looked like shipping as well as the frame issue you described. You would definitely know better if it was shipping or damaged at the factory. I also totally sympathize with what you’re saying about the disassembly and repackaging. I had my WSCG 75% assembled when Weber told me to return it to Amazon. I was grumbling a lot disassembling it and packing it back up. I don’t have a pickup either and had to rent Lowe’s truck on my own dime to return my SmokeFire to them.

You’re 100% right that premium priced products (especially ones with these margins) should arrive in excellent condition. However, that doesn’t seem to be the world we live in right now is all I’m trying to say, things aren’t what they should be. Ask for a supervisor when you call, that will usually get them riled up…if you haven’t already.

[GoDuke]

One thing I’ve learned to do a little better the last 18 months is to have more patience. Our 4-5 week furniture order took 3 months and a couple pieces had a little damage that we are still waiting for replacements on. The furniture was ordered the first couple days in July. We bought a new range that the entire control panel was crooked on and had to get it replaced. Looked like someone stacked them in the warehouse smashing down one side. Weber like everyone else has supply shortages and also likely staff shortages. If you stay calmly persistent, I’m sure you’ll get it all straightened out in the end. The turnover where I work has been astonishing, which leaves a lot of people that don’t know yet what they’re doing doing it. The company isn’t likely to fail, but there’s going to be some setbacks and hiccups because of it. I know friends and neighbors reprioritizing their lives from what they’ve learned, some striving to change to a single income family…that’s not totally directed directly at you GoDuke as we’ve had many of these threads and comments in them from others in regards to being done with the companies because of others reporting initial issues. This world situation isn’t over. Grill’s aren’t obsolete in a year, so you should get lots of years of use out of it if they can get it fixed up.

As far as the igniter is concerned in the manual, it’s hard to say for sure, but it looks like they are running over the top for the hose versus around. I’ve tried to find other pictures, but haven’t had much luck. For your lid, is it gouged through the liner or deep enough to fail over time? If not, it’s going to be covered in carbon in no time, so I wouldn’t worry about it, If it is, make them send yet another.

This was also ordered from Home Depot, right? Myself, seeing that much damage and the extra labor that was going to be required by myself to fix, I would have returned it to Home Depot and found an ACE or other local seller that delivers from their store (and likely assembled). If you’re not saving money to offset potential hassles, it’s better to have a local dealer who’s reputation could be on the line selling you premium products when it is an option. Weber cannot control Home Depot and whomever transported the grill and their handling of the product. I’m personally not going to absorb the loss of third parties’ carelessness nor am I going to bash the manufacturer if I don’t feel it’s undoubtedly their fault.

All good and fair points indeed. unfortunately in my case there was no real way to identify all of the issues in a way that could have repacked it and returned it to Home Depot - for starters, I don't have a pickup - I don't see how this would have been returnable without one. Second, some of these faults couldn't have been determined until well into assembly. Third, I don't see how many of these issues were caused by shipping. Certainly not the hose or burner tube being too short, nor the wheels not fitting in the caster assembly. Also hard to see how the specific area of the lid dome would have been damaged in shipping but the rest of it, including all of the packaging around it would have been intact.

I agree, owners shouldn't have to accept the cost (time and aggravation in this case) of fixing third party carelessness. But I honestly don't know that ordering it from Weber would have been any better, other than this particular lemon wouldn't have been in their stock. I also don't think they should absorb the cost of manufacturer's sloppy QC.

At the end of the day, it's certainly not the end of the world. Life will go on, nobody's hurt, etc. But back to my earlier post - when you're charging a premium price, you should deliver premium quality and experience. Neither of which is the case in my situation.

Anyway, I'll spare you all the rest of the conclusion (or lack thereof) with Weber. Happy Grilling!

[Bbqmikeg]

Anybody got an aspirin?

[Bbqmikeg]

"There goes my hero…" George Stephen wouldn’t let that happen. Plow through the mistakes and you’ll forget about them after a few cooks. It really is the best design of all Weber’s kettles. Now you have an extra lid to make some Frankenstein 22 grill with!

[glitchy]

I’ve gotten a few warranty parts from Weber without ever receiving confirmations. Seems like I’ve gotten a notice when it finally ships, but not even 100% sure on that, it might have just been my FedEx notifications whenever they catch anything hitting my addy.

[glitchy]

One thing I’ve learned to do a little better the last 18 months is to have more patience. Our 4-5 week furniture order took 3 months and a couple pieces had a little damage that we are still waiting for replacements on. The furniture was ordered the first couple days in July. We bought a new range that the entire control panel was crooked on and had to get it replaced. Looked like someone stacked them in the warehouse smashing down one side. Weber like everyone else has supply shortages and also likely staff shortages. If you stay calmly persistent, I’m sure you’ll get it all straightened out in the end. The turnover where I work has been astonishing, which leaves a lot of people that don’t know yet what they’re doing doing it. The company isn’t likely to fail, but there’s going to be some setbacks and hiccups because of it. I know friends and neighbors reprioritizing their lives from what they’ve learned, some striving to change to a single income family…that’s not totally directed directly at you GoDuke as we’ve had many of these threads and comments in them from others in regards to being done with the companies because of others reporting initial issues. This world situation isn’t over. Grill’s aren’t obsolete in a year, so you should get lots of years of use out of it if they can get it fixed up.

As far as the igniter is concerned in the manual, it’s hard to say for sure, but it looks like they are running over the top for the hose versus around. I’ve tried to find other pictures, but haven’t had much luck. For your lid, is it gouged through the liner or deep enough to fail over time? If not, it’s going to be covered in carbon in no time, so I wouldn’t worry about it, If it is, make them send yet another.

This was also ordered from Home Depot, right? Myself, seeing that much damage and the extra labor that was going to be required by myself to fix, I would have returned it to Home Depot and found an ACE or other local seller that delivers from their store (and likely assembled). If you’re not saving money to offset potential hassles, it’s better to have a local dealer who’s reputation could be on the line selling you premium products when it is an option. Weber cannot control Home Depot and whomever transported the grill and their handling of the product. I’m personally not going to absorb the loss of third parties’ carelessness nor am I going to bash the manufacturer if I don’t feel it’s undoubtedly their fault.

[Jfrosty27]

Oh geez. This is unreal. No new Weber gear for me!

[GoDuke]

That really stinks. I’ve never had a Weber shipped to me without damage, but never had any damage on one bought in store. So, they still have some things to figure out for packaging for shipping. My first WSCG was so bad, they wouldn’t fix it, but made me return it to seller.

Anyway, stay after them and they will likely take care of you. The starter changes seem really odd. Did they say they changed it, or did they just forget to drill a hole? Your handle should not have to be off center. That’s just messed up.

hard to say what actually happened with the starter. The first rep said "oh yeah, we changed that" the second rep said "why is it like THAT, I think the hose should go behind the heat shield". But this ain't right, that's for sure!

[GoDuke]

The hits just keep on coming! Got cut off last night with the weber rep who promised me he would finishing processing the replacement when I had to go. Never got any confirmations.

Spoke to a nice rep today who basically just threw parts at the problem. I appreciate that's all he can do - order parts and have them shipped.

So we work through all of that. I notice tonight that my parts shipped - looked at the email and they sent them to the wrong address. I haven't lived at that address in 5 years and it's not the address on my online profile. It's the gang who can't shoot straight!

[GoDuke]

I just about lost it with Weber last night. Come home to big box that obviously contains the new lid. Great, let's open that sucker up!

Come to find out that Weber sent me JUST the lid, with none of the components installed, along with instructions on how to to remove the parts from the old lid and put them on the new lid. Now, I had a crappy day at work, so I probably wasn't in the best mood to begin with, but you gotta be kidding me Weber. You ship me something defective, and in addition to replacing the busted part, you think I should have to assemble the replacement before it goes on? It doesn't come from the factory that way! Why should I have to assemble it!?

The customer service rep told me "sorry, that's the way those parts are shipped" Seriously!?

To top it off, the inside of the dome has a small gouge (maybe about 1" long) in the aluminum interior. Not sure it's worth having them ship another one or if I'm just being picky, but this whole thing has me in a bad temper and not really willing to cut weber much slack at this point

[glitchy]

That really stinks. I’ve never had a Weber shipped to me without damage, but never had any damage on one bought in store. So, they still have some things to figure out for packaging for shipping. My first WSCG was so bad, they wouldn’t fix it, but made me return it to seller.

Anyway, stay after them and they will likely take care of you. The starter changes seem really odd. Did they say they changed it, or did they just forget to drill a hole? Your handle should not have to be off center. That’s just messed up.

[RAGBBQ]

I would try calling first. Seems like a bit of pressure over the phone may work better than an e-mail. If that does not work, you could always ask for the e-mail address of the President of Weber to explain your complaints. I tried that once on something else I own, and suddenly the person I was talking to was able to help me!

I don’t remember the title of the thread on this site, but when this grill originally came out several months ago, there were so many complaints, Weber had local dealers pick up the grill and give the customer a brand new one, fully assembled.

Check out the Backyard SmokeMaster BBQ You Tube channel for some videos he did on the issues with this grill, along with the solutions. He is also a member of the Amazing Ribs Pitmaster Club.

[GoDuke]

Man, I got a real peach of a unit. Found out yesterday when I installed a 14oz propane cylinder (the longer, skinnier kind), that the manifold it screws into is off angle and prevents the door from closing all the way because the bottom hits the door frame and prevents the magnets from latching. Also, the lid damper is leaking condensation gunk down the front of the dome.

Again, functionally not the end of the world, but definitely a bit janky.

I will probably just write up an email to weber customer service to chronicle the issues and see what they do. Is there somebody at weber you all suggest sending it to?