Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We bought our first copy of this unit in 2016, so we've had more experience with it than the average reviewer. This model is one of a set of Aroma rice cookers that vary in color. We bought one on the recommendation of America's Test Kitchen when our long-lived little bargain-brand rice cooker finally bit the dust after more than ten years of use. When our first Aroma unit arrived, we were generally pleased with its appearance though the nonstick insert pot seemed very thin and cheap. It should have been the first thing tipping us off. Our first batch of rice came out okay though unremarkable. The problem is that after a couple months of use the unit suddenly failed one day. As others have reported, the unit declared it had cooked the rice but when we opened it we found our uncooked rice in a pool of lukewarm water. I consulted the manual and was dismayed that this crappy company declared that they would not service or exchange units! They knew their product would fail quickly. I tried looking up the company on-line and found they have an 800 number, so I thought "what the heck." The person answering was cordial and offered a replacement. Joy! The new unit arrived in a couple weeks. It managed to last a few months before giving up its ghost. So I called again, got a replacement for the replacement, and began using that one. It failed after a few weeks. So I called again and received a fourth copy that also failed after a few months. Each failure occurred in exactly the same manner, with the unit failing to cook but declaring that it was done. All four were treated gently according to manufacturer's instructions and still look brand new. At no point did the company have me send a failed unit back which tells me they probably know exactly what is wrong, they could fix it if they wanted, and they just don't care since they have my money and know I will eventually give up (though I don't think they expected me to come back as many times as I did). Typical company run by someone with no morals--but at least the frustrated employees I talked to on the 800 line were nice about it. Now I have four failed rice cookers sitting around the house. My advice is to not buy anything from Aroma Housewares. I just ordered a Zojirushi.