Laurence F

Weber Gas BBQ

I owned a Weber Q300 gas grill from 2006 to 2022. I performed faultlessly and probably only once had its burners replaced. In late 2018 I decided to replace it with a Q3200. Bad decision. It was used for part of 2019 and then stored until September 2022 in proper household goods storage. So effectively it has been used for less than 2 years. In that time. The burners have rusted through. The enamel is coming off the grid which is now rusting. The inside of the lid is showing signs of rust. The thermometer is wildly out and the position markings have worn off the control knobs. The lid on the Q300 was a quality alloy casting but the lid on the 3200 is a cheap pressing and this is the clue. Despite being a US brand, they have seemingly started having parts made in China with the corresponding drop in quality. This is not a high tech product with anything unique. So, they have built a brand by supplying a decent quality product over time. No longer. I took up the matter with the SA office and the attitude was. "Tough, it is out of warranty and we have no spare parts so cannot help." So, I took my complaint to their head office in the US. I told them I was getting nowhere with their SA office and the response was that some minimum wage person, who can barely write English, replies thanking you "for reaching out" and "wishing you a nice day" and referring you back to the SA office. It is near impossible to find or buy spare parts for these units. I have managed to find a pirate burner which is proper stainless and much better than the original. So now we have R 16'000 worth of junk and a lousy attitude. No, "sorry to hear about your issues and whilst the product is out of warranty, we will help you get the replacement parts at cost" or some such gesture. If they are happy to ********** their overpriced brand like that, I certainly would not be buying their shares nor any of their products again. If you want a decent unit, find a local metal fabricator who does such work and get it made from good quality materials so it lasts.