Weber questionable customer service


 
Last week, they sent me a plastic handle and a lid handle kit, complete with heat shield/deflector.

I sent them another email stating it was the metal handle on the base kettle that was defective.

Today, I received this.

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evidently, they took the Covid19 dilemma much more seriously than I imagined.
 
I’ve been gathering parts for cobble together a second 18.5 WSM. I decided to put the smoker together yesterday. The last step was the heat shield. That’s when I realized the legs were for the older WSM and didn’t have the tabs for the heat shield.
I was on hold for 30 minutes and the Weber representative was able to locate the correct parts and sent an Order Confirmation immediately. I was pleased with the customer service.
 
Tried calling again just now. Automated message: "All of our agents are busy supporting other customers. Please reach out to us through customer support on our website and we'll get back to you as soon as possible." Then they hung up. :unsure:

What they are trying to tell you, is that everyone else is more important than you. That's why they are busy helping them and not you.
 
Need some parts. Thought I'd try the email route on June 7. Got a quick auto-reply on June 8. Crickets ever since. Before COVID, I found that email was a good way to communicate w customer service vs phone hold. Not anymore I guess.

Hi

Your request has been received and is being reviewed by our team.

As we continue to monitor information around Covid-19, our highest priority remains supporting our consumers and communities. We have made alterations to our work arrangements to be able to offer our continued support. Because of these changes, you may experience longer than normal hold or response times. We appreciate your patience and are dedicated to helping you as quickly as possible.
 
I never did get a reply to any of my email inquiries. But my burners did eventually arrive.
 
Time to share my recent experience. As I posted here, I needed a new coalgrate for the vintage 26" Bar-B-Q-Kettle so on July 19 I contacted Weber as well as Mark Baron of Killa Grilla. This past Monday - that's August 17, 29 days since my inquiry - I received this from Weber:

Thank you for contacting Weber.

We apologize for the delay as we are experiencing higher volumes of questions from our grilling community as many are enjoying more at-home dining during Covid-19.

As per our record, we have One-Touch Kettle 18.5" Blk Grill and Smokey Joe Platinum Grill.

To check information for vintage 26, we need to register the grill

Please provide us with the following details

Serial Number on the grill
Click here to find out how to locate the serial number on your grill.
Date of the grill's purchase
Shipping Address
Phone Number
Where Purchased

Or,

When convenient please click [here] (https://help.weber.com/register/) to register your grill for warranty.

Or,

Use Weber Part finder

https://www.weber.com/US/en/customer-support/weber-29344.html

Please let me know if you have any more questions and thank you for being part of the Weber family!


Seriously? It took you darn near a MONTH to send me some boilerplate and you're going to use the COVID crutch to explain the delay? You want me to register an undated, unserialized grill that could be 40 or maybe even more years old? And don't send me to the part finder - I contacted you because it didn't have what I was looking for in the first place!

If I'd done this before Weber was sold I would've either found the grate online or received a personal, specific reply that might've read something like this:

"Hi Brad, glad to hear you're keeping one of the old-timers in service! I had to do a little research because your grill was discontinued many years ago, and unfortunately we no longer carry the grate you need. I'm sorry I don't have better news for you, but perhaps you can find a grate from one of the aftermarket vendors or even have a new one fabricated. Good luck!"

Mark Baron got back to me the day after my email and I had the new grate within about a week or so. *That* is how *good* customer service works!
 
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