Leviathan
Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match.
This is my first post here, and I'm sorry if it's not the right place for this, but I want to know what experienced BBQ guys think of all this:
I finally bought a shiny new pellet grill to get my start into BBQing. I ordered Grilla Grills Silverbac pellet grill late on Sunday 5/6/18. It was shipped and to be delivered on 5/16/18. On 5/15/18 they announced the new upgraded model Silverbac. The new model is in the warehouse ready to ship at the time of the announcement. Which means I helped clear out old stock so they can start selling the new unit. They never announced a new model was on the way. I talked Mark Graham the sales and engineering Manager, the guy in all their videos. He stated he knew this would make some people mad, and offered no compromise or remedy for someone like me who was receiving an old model after the new model was released. He further stated if I refuse shipment Grilla Grills will charge me $300 for shipping and a 10% restocking fee, and told me to buy a grill from another company. So today when the truck arrived I felt strong-armed to receive the package or be subject to pay $400 fee for nothing. One thing he did state was there would be an upgrade package for the old unit, but could not tell me how much it would cost, and it would not include all the new features. He also stated the upgrades are mostly cosmetic and not really needed, which seems strange when they post several videos touting the new features.
For me it's not all about the features, but the way the company has treated me. They knew for a customer like me, I would be upset taking shipment on an old model when the new model was available, and choose to do nothing about it. Most companies announce ahead of time their new products, like Rec Tec did, to avoid this very problem. And for someone like me, who had not even received the unit yet, most companies would offer a reasonable refund to get the new unit. They offered me nothing, and told me if I dont like it take a $400 hit and find another company.
So what do you guys think? Did Grilla Grills take advantage of customers like me, and accept a small group of angry customers to help their bottom line? Or... Should I get over it and accept it as business as usual and start smoking?
I finally bought a shiny new pellet grill to get my start into BBQing. I ordered Grilla Grills Silverbac pellet grill late on Sunday 5/6/18. It was shipped and to be delivered on 5/16/18. On 5/15/18 they announced the new upgraded model Silverbac. The new model is in the warehouse ready to ship at the time of the announcement. Which means I helped clear out old stock so they can start selling the new unit. They never announced a new model was on the way. I talked Mark Graham the sales and engineering Manager, the guy in all their videos. He stated he knew this would make some people mad, and offered no compromise or remedy for someone like me who was receiving an old model after the new model was released. He further stated if I refuse shipment Grilla Grills will charge me $300 for shipping and a 10% restocking fee, and told me to buy a grill from another company. So today when the truck arrived I felt strong-armed to receive the package or be subject to pay $400 fee for nothing. One thing he did state was there would be an upgrade package for the old unit, but could not tell me how much it would cost, and it would not include all the new features. He also stated the upgrades are mostly cosmetic and not really needed, which seems strange when they post several videos touting the new features.
For me it's not all about the features, but the way the company has treated me. They knew for a customer like me, I would be upset taking shipment on an old model when the new model was available, and choose to do nothing about it. Most companies announce ahead of time their new products, like Rec Tec did, to avoid this very problem. And for someone like me, who had not even received the unit yet, most companies would offer a reasonable refund to get the new unit. They offered me nothing, and told me if I dont like it take a $400 hit and find another company.
So what do you guys think? Did Grilla Grills take advantage of customers like me, and accept a small group of angry customers to help their bottom line? Or... Should I get over it and accept it as business as usual and start smoking?