Thats cute

wthr_dude · August 12, 2011, 03:00:29 PM

I guess now I cant let people know on here that my smoker is broke and I have had problems with customer service. They just deleted my post so I will probably not be on here much more. Might be time for a call to the BBB

SamuelG · August 12, 2011, 05:53:43 PM

Although this is probably none of my business...

Yes my Bradley has broken down! Two elements and a faceplate... But the service I received was superb! Brian and Nate solved my problem no questions asked. What a great company!

IMHO.

SamuelG

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quarlow · August 12, 2011, 06:38:27 PM

I hate to see anyones smoker break down. And I don't think it is fair to have a post deleted. But Devo I mildly resent you saying that us who refer folks to customer service as "MODS" are some kind of company sucks.
It just happens that we have seen the good service given time and again and where Bradley has gone full out to satisfy their customers.
When I got my smoker and opened the box and started to unpack it it became apparent something was not right. The racks were so tight that I could barely pull them out and they were not going back in. I called Bradley right away and as I live 10 Min's from them, they told me to come over so they could look at it. They took one look and replaced it with a whole new one plus they told me to keep the other SG. Since then I have had no further problems other than a sticky puck slider which was a simple fix by a little cleaning.
Yes others have not been so lucky but for you to suggest that we are lackeys to the company is pretty rude.
You have been here for sometime now and we all get along well, plus we have a lot of fun here with the Xmas gift exchange and the ICB's not to mention how much trading and gifting goes on. This is a great forum that has very little attitude and I hate to see it go the way of many other awful forums, but when you throw accusations around like yours then you open the door for that crap to seep in.
I have said it before and I will say it again, I have bought many products that turned out to be junk and when you try to get any help from their customer service all you get is the runaround till you just give up and chuck the thing.
I don't know what was said that got deleted but you might expect that if you come here to slam a company that really trys hard to make you satisfied then one could expect to get deleted. We all get along very well and I hope this doesn't create a rift in the fabric but if that's where it go's so be it. I have been here for 2 yrs and I am not going anywhere. I also hope no one else does. This is just my 2 cents take it how ever you wish, but don't call me a company Patsy.

Quarlow · August 12, 2011, 07:17:04 PM

I am not trying to trash you, but I am very vocal about Bradleys customer service. I for one have never seen a company stand up for their product the way they do. That is where my passion comes from. I know nothing of these "MODS" you speak of cause a man has a right to speak his mind. But they also should be fair when when they are getting service. If you called them up and they told you to get stuffed then I could see it. But I am pretty sure Bradley would not do such a thing. I know you have had trouble and I was one who tried to calm you down so things would work out and hopefully you would be satisfied. You are still here and still have your smoker so they must have done something right. I think I may have PM'd you then but I know damn well I never told you or anyone to keep a lid on it. If that is all it took to loose this forum then it would be doomed anyway. I can't see this forum being taken away. It does more good for Bradley than one could imagine and they know it. When you get this many people who use your product with as much passion as we do then you can only gain from it. I have never been one to stifle opinion but fairness does come into play also.

KyNola · August 12, 2011, 07:18:54 PM

Quote from: wthr_dude on August 12, 2011, 03:00:29 PM
I guess now I cant let people know on here that my smoker is broke and I have had problems with customer service. They just deleted my post so I will probably not be on here much more. Might be time for a call to the BBB

What is wrong with your smoker? We may be able to help you. I'm guessing it wasn't your complaint that got your post deleted. I have had a BDS for 4 years and it has performed without fail so I may be qualified along with a lot of guys on here to help you.

ffrcoupe · August 13, 2011, 02:38:01 AM

I'll add my

It is Bradley's forum so I would expect *some* censorship. If this was a private forum then no, deleting the post would be "wrong".

iRobot used to have a users forum on their servers but they shut it down when people were slamming their products.

It's their forum so it's their choice.

I hope that I don't have any problems when I buy my BDS but I also hope that if I do have problems that I will get the user support from Bradley that has been described here. :)

wthr_dude · August 13, 2011, 09:06:15 AM

For the people who didnt see the original post that got deleted, I in no way "bashed" customer service as the private E-mail i got said I did. I simply stated the fact that they really screwed up on an issue with me. The other times i have used them they have been helpfull. That being said there is a major problem when for some reason there is a very obvious problem with both the heater elements and door assemblys yet it appears to me as if there is nothing being done to fix the problem, instead they just keep replacing the same defective pieces over and over again. I spent a lot of money on this product and yes they have fixed it every time but that is beside the point, they need to fix the problem with thier products. And I am really worried about what is going to happen in a couple months when I am no longer under warranty.

I'm sure this will be considered "bashing and badmouthing" the product and get deleted again but its nothing but the truth.

beefmann · August 13, 2011, 11:49:59 AM

Quote from: wthr_dude on August 13, 2011, 09:06:15 AM
For the people who didnt see the original post that got deleted, I in no way "bashed" customer service as the private E-mail i got said I did. I simply stated the fact that they really screwed up on an issue with me. The other times i have used them they have been helpfull. That being said there is a major problem when for some reason there is a very obvious problem with both the heater elements and door assemblys yet it appears to me as if there is nothing being done to fix the problem, instead they just keep replacing the same defective pieces over and over again. I spent a lot of money on this product and yes they have fixed it every time but that is beside the point, they need to fix the problem with thier products. And I am really worried about what is going to happen in a couple months when I am no longer under warranty.

I'm sure this will be considered "bashing and badmouthing" the product and get deleted again but its nothing but the truth.

I know there has been issues with Heating elements, Doors and heater slider housing lately, while that is a valid concern for every one from customers and Bradley alike, wthr dude, I agree with you That Bradley should have better Quality Control on Issues with the heaters and doors, as long as they replace them under warranty there should not be an issue. If you have had a rash of bad elements one solution would be to talk to bryan at Bradley and explain your situation and ask for an extended warranty on the elements and other issues you have had. They may agree to a limited extended Warranty. However i can not speak for bradley or claim that they will extend the warranty just something you can ask

KyNola · August 13, 2011, 01:11:31 PM

Quote from: wthr_dude on August 13, 2011, 09:06:15 AM
For the people who didnt see the original post that got deleted, I in no way "bashed" customer service as the private E-mail i got said I did. I'm sure this will be considered "bashing and badmouthing" the product and get deleted again but its nothing but the truth.

As I said earlier, I'm pretty sure your post was not the reason it got deleted but that's a whole other story. If you have spent some time on this forum you should know that Bradley freely and openly admitted they got a bad batch of heating elements and without fail replaced every one of them that went bad. They have since gotten a new supplier of heating elements. As for what happened to your door, I can't say but I can offer you a possible solution to it. Underneath the front edge of your Bradley, place "something" that will raise the front feet an 1/8-1/4 inch off the surface. It will help to take the pressure off the front edge of the tower.

I'm willing to bet that this latest post of your's won't get deleted nor will you receive a nasty email from someone. If either of the two things happen please send me a PM and tell me and we will get to the bottom of this whole thing.

Wildcat · August 14, 2011, 05:34:35 AM

Let's be fair here. Bradley probably is trying to fix all of their problems. Sometimes it takes awhile. It is my understanding that most, if not all of the smoker is built eslewhere. If that is the case, it could take a long time to work out their issues through their contracts with others. Also, there are some things that may require higher quality materials to improve which could drive up costs that Bradley may feel is not cost effective. In the meantime it seems like Bradley is doing all they can to maintain happy customers. I do not know your situation sir, but if you approach Bradley in a calm and reasonable manner, I am confident that they will bend over backwards to assist you.

viper125 · August 14, 2011, 11:44:30 AM

I don't want to complain and never have had problems yet. I also believe customer service is good. How can I think different when I see so many say so. I don't know if the Mods are company affiliated or care. This is a Bradley Private Board. They make the rules and I would assume bad press isn't a good thing. I have wondered though why things haven't really changed on a product that sells so well and every one loves. But I was well aware of their problems when I ordered. I was impressed with the mods people come up with to repair or improve the Bradley. But as your aware some people don't have the needed ability to do them. I mean come on the broken plastic piece can be fixed moving the legs position. They know it and seems like a easy fix. The door hinge is mounted to plastic instead of metal duh! I understand the elements was bad luck with a big batch of bad ones and no fault of their own. But it does seem that they should upgrade these little changes or incorporate bigger elements and fans in newer models. And like I said I read a long time and was very aware of these things ahead of time. But can't help thinking that us being willing to do their work for them with the mods instead of putting a little pressure to modify might be why they don't. Now this is just my opinion for what its worth and i'll keep mine going also. Take it for that and only that. LOL

Quarlow · August 14, 2011, 01:31:22 PM

Seems to me that alot of gripes come from folks who, if they had never come to this forum and got a smoker that had no problems, would have just used it happily forever. This smoker as it comes in the box does exactly what it was intended for and quite well. I agree with the fact that the feet and slider control panel cracking is a design flaw which should be changed. But I also have had no cracks or had to replace the feet on mine and it goes in and out of the house every time I use it.
There is one solution to the whole problem, I know of a smoker that works flawlessly without fail every time it is used. It will never break down and it is zero maintenance. They are very low tech so anyone can use them with no trouble. Heck my mother even has one. They go by the name of "Little Chief". Lets see you put 30 lbs of salmon in that or do a 13 lb pork butt on a long low and slow overnight smoke.
My brother has a 6 rack digital for almost as long as I have had mine. It sits on a table out the back all year round. No mods, no changes just uses it every weekend and often through the week. He's not interested in the forum (his loss) or adding to the smoker. Just uses it as it came from the factory, couldn't be happier.
Yes I hate to see guys have a bad experience which could taint their view of the smokers. I had a perfectly good "ugly plywood smoker" with an old hotplate in it. I used it once or twice a year to smoke salmon and that was it. Man is the Bradley ever easy to use. Hey Rick, do you still have that "ugly drum smoker" for sale? That won't break down.

mybad · August 14, 2011, 04:41:40 PM

I still don't see why "people" get so miffed when someone complains.....and then the pile on effect. If someone looked into a product before purchasing it, they would most likely know of any inherent problems. Most reasonably they would call customer service, if a problem occurred, and find out for themselves how good, or bad the companies service is.

It's in plenty of threads here. I have had mine [smoker] for a few years, not one issue, but issues do come up, nothing to take personal IMO

Dean405 · August 16, 2011, 05:28:32 AM

I have been somewhat vocal about the product quality issues and I know that you should not go into another man's house and start trashing him, but my frustration has been high. I have actually tempered what I really wanted to say because I knew I was in another man's house (his forum). I will admit that, for the most part, the customer service has been quite reasonable, but I am not sure the quality issues with the product I bought have been remedied. I still expect to have heating element failures and hinge failures. I hope I am wrong, but I don't think I am. If I could back up six weeks or so I would have made a different decision, but I now feel I am stuck.

To Bradley: Thanks for the repair parts. I hope you will have a liberal extension of warranty for these parts that we all know are failure prone while you work on a permanent remedy. I personally think you need to extend the warranty to at least three years on these failure prone items. A heating element and a hinge should have no problems lasting three years.

Tenpoint5 · August 16, 2011, 07:58:50 AM

Yes it does say moderator over there on the left under my name. NO I am not affiliated with Bradley Smokers in any way shape or form. I am just a regular everyday end user of a product. With that said I will give my 2 cents. The heating element thing has been taken care of with a new supplier. As for the feet and the hinges. I look at it like this. Could they reinforce them and make them stronger? Yes. Would all of the design work, testing, new mold costs, extra materials required drive up the overall price of the unit? More than Likely. So then we have a product that is now priced out of competition in the market place and may be priced out of reach for the average consumer. From a business aspect there is hundreds of these units sold every week as is. They replace any broken parts. They even supply you a place to come vent your complaints. So if we let our temper flair and and make posts that may be derogatory towards the company or worse towards individuals. I would expect them to be removed.

Thats cute

beefmann