Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It has often occurred to me that these reviews should have two ratings … one for the thing you purchased, and another for what you went through to actually get it. So, I am going to talk about both, but the “star” rating is for the oven, definitely not for the experience of getting them … and yes, I did say “them.” Let’s dispense with the oven portion first. It rocks. My wife, an unenthusiastic cook at best, has literally used the second oven (hang in there; that explanation is coming) every day since we set it up. It really is and does what it says in the ads. It’s remarkably flexible, fast, easy to clean and generally a pleasure to use. We are still in that experimental stage, but most things we have tossed in (many, if not most, hard from a deep freeze), have turned out great … and have motivated my wife to start exploring the wide, wide world of herbs and spices … from rib rubs, to Mexican barbacoa spice on chicken. How long will this little wonder it last? Who knows, but with the shatter resistant hood, we are hoping a while … and besides we have a backup (as I said, explanation coming). One piece of advice, make absolutely sure you are getting the top model (economize here at your own risk), with the shatter resistant hood (a constant complaint on earlier models), the stainless steel extender ring, and two racks. There are a surprising number of models on the Amazon site, and one has to wonder how many of them are just older versions, so you have to be very careful to actually get what you really want. As to the many “accessories” and package deals, you are on your own there. Although the machine is not really large, between the two racks and bottom surface (and the extender ring) it is startling just how much food you can cram in the little wonder, and how it manages to substantially handle a lot of different things simultaneously. The new version allows for precise temperature setting (rather than just giving you a range to pick from), which is very nice. In our house when in use it sits on a counter (the bottom doesn’t get hot, and really although there are warnings, the sides and top unit don’t seem to get hot enough to injure, although your mileage may vary). When done, basically rinse it out (sometimes you have to scrub the racks a bit, but that is to be expected), dry it off, fit it back together again so it collapses vertically, and there you go. You can use the dishwasher if you wish, and sometimes we do, but mostly it is just faster to slosh it out in the sink (making certain, of course, not to get the top heating unit exposed to water). After a few weeks, it’s hard to imagine being without it. Do make sure you get one with the amber colored, shatter resistant dome. I cannot over emphasize this. Now we move to part two; actually getting the oven. We are Prime Members, most specifically because of the two-day shipping and Amazon’s “no hassle” return policy. While I am certain many of you already know this, this benefit is extending to fewer and fewer products as Amazon are using more and more third-party suppliers. So, our first oven was not what we ordered, and after 20+ emails about returns (the seller’s stated policy that if the unit had been used or was not perfectly repacked and sent back on your dollar, there might be a 50% re-stocking fee or refusal to take it back). Since the Amazon customer service call centers are now virtually all somewhere in the Indian sub-continent, and very unwilling to get involved between their sellers and their customers, they were ponderously unhelpful. The supplier finally agreed to accept a return (on our dime, of course), even though the oven had been used. When we computed time, aggravation and shipping charges, we decided it just wasn’t worth it, so I went back on Amazon and found what I thought was the final solution, the right machine, labeled with the magic words (supplied by and shipped by Amazon), and in two days we got the RIGHT oven, for a dollar more than we paid for the wrong one; so, now we have a back-up oven (the wrong one), or if needed, double capacity. I thought the moral of the story was, look for those magic words (supplied by and shipped by Amazon), or proceed at your own peril. Oh nay, not so. We recently made another purchase, which the order sheet said was supplied by Amazon one day (the day we placed our order), and then another vendor the VERY NEXT day. This vendor was much more customer service oriented and explained this little “bait and switch” is what Amazon is doing now, so your expensive Prime membership better have more utility than in ordering stuff, because those halcyon days appear to be a thing of the past. We have been very good customers of Amazon, and have two Prime memberships. The first thing we are doing is dropping one of them … and if it continue to appear that Amazon is no more than a clearing house for third party sellers, we will adjust our buying habits accordingly. I am sure Amazon will have some slick explanation for all this, if they even deign to comment (After all, what are the troubles of a single customer to this corporate oligarchy?) but the world of on-line retail abounds with slick explanations, sans substance. We genuinely thought Amazon was trying to establish a clearly different customer model and we were genuinely naive. Mea culpa. So here is the bottom line … oven, five stars … Amazon, no stars and a strong caution that what used to be true of them, no longer is. Caveat Emptor, or in other words, watch your butt, because you will not be able to trust what you see. At a minimum, if they do identify the seller, do some critical research work before you lay your money down, because once you order, Amazon will do NOTHING to help you with any issues you may have. Amazon, shame on you!