Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Having read the reviews, I was prepared for this to be a little flimsy. I knew the pans would be thin - too thin to use in the oven. I knew the lids would be delicate plastic and that the tray-holder would be flexible and sharp (yet I still cut myself). I even expected the warming tray base might not sit flat, but mine did. For the price & the functionality, this was fine with me, and I was pleased with it when it arrived. It looked nice and was stable enough. It's made for home use, not restaurants. I plugged it in to test before unpacking everything, and it warmed up great. I notice some reviewers of warming trays are upset about smoking & burnt electronic smell when 1st turned on, but I also read in one of the manuals during my research that this is common briefly when 1st turned on, as a coating on the electronics burns off. This unit didn't smoke or smell, though. I cleaned everything as per the instructions and then set it aside for a couple of days until my party when I used just the warming tray base. I placed mini quiches on it to keep warm, and it worked really well. It barely got dirty. That night I cleaned it again as per instructions - soapy sponge, then wet sponge to remove the soap, then dry. I put it away, and when I pulled it out a week later it had surface rust spots. They're evenly distributed across the whole top surface where the food goes, not in a pattern from the food. I'm guessing the towel I used to dry it left some moisture that I didn't notice. I tried rubbing them off with a dry cloth. I tried with a damp cloth. Nothing worked. I uploaded a picture. This product is supposed to be stainless steel, but if it gets rust spots from a minor amount of moisture left on it, then it's very low quality or there was a manufacturing issue. I emailed the manufacturer twice (the second time with a photo), but they haven't replied. Amazon customer service helped me, though, even though I no longer have the box. A+ to Amazon & F for the manufacturer. I'm really disappointed about this because otherwise I really liked it. Again, not a high-quality durable product, but attractive and functional if it's not going to get hard use. It was perfect for my needs. But with the rust spots I can't place food on it again, and I wouldn't want the rusty surface to show. If you want to be able to place food directly on the warming tray, as I did (as the instructions indicate and the product images show), then don't get this unit. It may be a good (if less functional) choice if you don't need to place food directly on the warming tray. In that case, don't even clean the warming tray - maybe a light wipe down & carefully dry it thoroughly. I didn't use the pans, but they seemed to like they'd be stable enough. But be really careful when cleaning. I noticed that the stainless is incredibly easy to scratch, even with a soft sponge or cloth. (Again, cheap) I'll be shopping for a new one. UPDATE: A manufacturer rep got back to me and said that their warranty doesn't cover cosmetic issues like this. I'd say it's not simply a cosmetic issue when a food surface rusts. I told her I'd find one from a manufacturer whose "stainless" doesn't rust.