Info on Rock's Bar-B-Que??


 
B

Bill Sutton

TVWBB Member
Does anyone have any information as to the operational status of Rock's Bar-B-Que? Six weeks ago I mailed 4 Stoker probes to them for repair/ calibration and haven’t heard a peep from them since. I’ve sent multiple Emails and left telephone messages requesting status but no response.

In spite of what I’ve read of other people’s customer service experiences, I always found it to be great; I’ve messaged and talked with John over there several times in the past couple of years and never had an issue making contact. I know he was sick a couple of months back - I do hope everything is OK.

Bill
 
John is ok now,he has posted recently on the Ca.BBQ association board.I (as well as hundereads of others)have had the same issues with Rocks/John.John won't EVER answer e-mails,so don't even bother (he actually told me this last year)and he rarely will answer his phone.I found that usually you have to leave 25-35 phone messages until he realizes that you are not going away,then he may actually call you back.I still have not recived parts for my Stoker from a year ago,I finally just gave up.My advice ,or just .02 cents on Stoker and John,go a different direction and get a DigiQII and never have problems again,at least not with their customer service.Stoker may be a good unit,but with poor (actaully almost none) customer service it will never be more than a, poor quality unit that has many glitches, problems, and NO customer service type of unit.Not worth the headaches to me,at least not at competitions.
 
I spoke with John yesterday. They are in operation but you have to actually speak with him. Email and voice mails just don't seem to get through.

I ordered two new meat probes a on Sept 6th or so (using his internet store.) After a couple of weeks, the debit card hadn't been charged so I called and he told me that he was having a problem obtaining the metal tubes they build them out of. He said they'd ship them that week, but again, they didn't come for a week or so.

I called him back yesterday and he said he thought they were shipped and he told me if they weren't shipped for whatever reason, he'd ship before the end of the day and that I should receive it before the end of the week. Last night I got an email from Rock's saying it was shipped. I'll let you know when they arrive.

My advice is to call and actually speak with him. If the answering machine picks up, hang up and try again. I try to call in his early morning (9am Pacific time). Don't even waste time with email. I don't like this but us Stoker owners have our hands tied so I just try to be nice to him. He has been through a lot and I don't think he expected the Stoker business to be so good!

Tom
 
Hi Tom,

Thanks for the feedback; I’m glad to hear that he’s OK. I do like the Stoker product and like I said, I’ve never has customer service issues before now; I’ll try being more persistent with the phone calls.

Thanks,
Bill
 
Originally posted by T Hoffman:
Stoker may be a good unit,but with poor (actaully almost none) customer service it will never be more than a, poor quality unit that has many glitches, problems, and NO customer service type of unit.Not worth the headaches to me,at least not at competitions.
Click to expand...

I agree with this for the most part but I do like the ability to control the unit from my computer. My Stoker has worked well for me but I don't do comps. If I did, there is no way I would want to waste my time setting up the computer, bridge, Stoker, etc. I would definitely go with the BBQGuru. As a hobby, the Stoker is just fine with me.

Tom
 
Originally posted by Tom Burrus:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by T Hoffman:
Stoker may be a good unit,but with poor (actaully almost none) customer service it will never be more than a, poor quality unit that has many glitches, problems, and NO customer service type of unit.Not worth the headaches to me,at least not at competitions.
Click to expand...

I agree with this for the most part but I do like the ability to control the unit from my computer. My Stoker has worked well for me but I don't do comps. If I did, there is no way I would want to waste my time setting up the computer, bridge, Stoker, etc. I would definitely go with the BBQGuru. As a hobby, the Stoker is just fine with me.

Tom </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I love having my Stoker at comps. I just connect it to a wireless router and connect with my laptop in my travel trailer at night -- so if I wake up, I can easily see what the temps are doing without having to go outside.
 
Cool! Glad to hear it works for you at comps... Good point about being able to monitor it from the camper though. As I said, I don't do comps and it may be my lack of experience or confidence but I think I would want to keep it simple so I can focus on the food instead of the technology... that said, I never have had a problem with the technology. I love my Stoker esp with StokerLog!
 
I use a stoker at comps to control 3 WSM. I run extension cords from the cookers and keep the stoker unit in the tent with me while I sleep. I can just wake up and shine a quick flashlight on it, or just sleep knowing I set all of the alarms.
 
Update – I was finally able to get a hold of John today and, as usual he was very pleasant and helpful. He apologized for both the delay and for not getting back with me and is going to replace my probes with new ones free of charge; you can’t ask for more than that.

All-in-all I still think that the Stoker is a good product and, while clearly a bit slow to respond, John is easy to work with and helpful. I think I will keep my Stoker.

Bill
 
When I deal with Rock's I think of it like dealing with a specialty store, you may wait longer to receive it and may not have a bank of customer support people sitting around waiting for your call, but once you receive your product you're generally more than satisfied.

Here's a good example; I ordered adapters from both Rock's and Guru on the same day last week. Selected the same shipping option and placed orders within minutes of each other (although Guru is three hours a head of us here on the west coast); I received the part from Guru on Saturday, I'm still waiting on my part from Rock's (it's now Thursday evening). Keep in mind, Rock's is 162 miles from my house, and if I had to guess Guru is around 1,800 miles away. Go figure . . .
 
I don't use any of these types of products (yet), but this thread has be already biased toward Guru. When you pay good dollars for something, a portion of that money is going toward support and cust. service. It you can't get those, you are in a way getting ripped off and I don't like getting ripped off.

Thanks for the low down on Stoker's support and cust service.

Todd
 
Rock's customer service is not all that bad, imo. I just saw a separate posting from Steve Sullivan who had a blower melt due to his installing it upside down and John replaced it no charge. I have never had a problem with Rocks.

Hardly anyone posts when things go well with a supplier... but when things don't go as expected, folks post like mad. It is just human nature.

Rock's service is fine as long as you talk with John. Don't email. Don't leave voice mails. Follow-up with him on the phone if things don't go as expected. He will make it right. I would much rather deal with Rock's than most large corporations who have seemingly unlimited voice mail options and no one who can help me. (The telephone company, the cable company, the IRS, any Bank, software suppliers, etc...)

Both devices (Stoker and Guru) keep cooker temps stable but the features of the Stoker and the price make it a screaming buy for me. I no longer use a remote thermometer and I sleep well during overnight cooks knowing the cooker and food temps are well-controlled and being captured in StokerLog. No more stumbling out during the night to check the lid temp because the Maverick lost its connection (which happened way too often.) Stoker vs Guru... it is a personal choice thing.
 
I've never had a problem with John. I ordered a 10 CFM fan from him a few weeks ago and received it in around a week and a half. He even threw in a street elbow free of charge so his adapter would match up to my custom smoker. I've called him a few times in the past 3 weeks and he has always answered the phone and my questions promptly and satisfactorily. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another Stoker and after using mine for the last year and a half I would feel lost if I weren't able to use Amir's great interface.

Last nights cook...


IMG_7386.JPG


IMG_7388.JPG


jerky.jpg
 
Joe,

Jerky looks good, but it seems you have a bunch of extra room in that smoker...

Maybe your a vegetarian...
icon_biggrin.gif
 
a month or so ago i ordered my stoker from Rock's. Talked to them on the phone on a Friday and got my stuff monday....called with a couple questions and they picked up the phone and were very helpful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top