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Baptized in Smoke
05-07-2014, 12:16 AM
I know there are a number of people here that have purchased smokers from Kevin @ Abe's Smokers. I would like to hear everyone's experience. I'll start with my personal experience.

Ordered a 60" smoker directly from Kevin on Feb. 3, 2014. Ordered the 60" model with many extras ( guru port, all terrain tires, stainless water pan, wood rack). When the smoker arrived, the bbq guru port had not been drilled and installed, all terrain tires missing, wood rack missing, BBQ guru adapter missing.

The day after receiving, i found out the stainless water pan had a major water leak. Contacted Kevin about the missing parts and the leak, Kevin suggested i go buy jb weld to fix the leak and he would ship the missing items. Finally convinced him to repair it properly by having it welded. This took 3 weeks to get done.

It has been 6 weeks since i received my smoker, and I still haven't seen the missing parts. I have talked to Kevin a couple of times but always get the same response... Ill send them out tomorrow.

Last Monday i received a message from Kevin asking if I was having any problems with the smoker. I explained to him a few issues, can't close intakes completely, cook chamber not drawing smoke, smoke coming out intake ports, using too much charcoal. Kevin mentioned others were having the same issue. He was working modifications to close off the intakes, and charcoal snakes to increase cook time. Was told, he would be shipping them out the next day. Its been 10 days and still haven't seen the missing items or modifications promised, and now, I cant get in touch with Kevin.

Wondering if I made a $2800 mistake now... Anyone else have issues like these? Have you been able to get them resolved? Did you get everything first time out, no problems... Let us know that too. I think people need to understand what kind of support and experience they can expect when dealing with this company.

Don't add extra commentary, just your experience... Thanks

Qbert60
05-07-2014, 10:44 AM
Here's my experience. I want to preface by saying, I did not buy a smoker from him. I was there when he was getting the prototypes built. I did, however, have him do some welding work on my offset trailer.

The good - I had him create an insulated firebox similar to a Jambo. He used really top quality insulation. Everything measured correctly. Even had it painted. My offset now works just like a Jambo and I am happy with the functionality.

The bad - The work looked UGLY. He had to cut the other firebox off. Plugged the hole with a little sheet metal but never made sure it was sealed well. Instead of making 3 sides to a box and welding on the bottom, as I"ve seen many people do. He welded all for sides. DIdn't grind the welds down to make a nice seam. THe new door doesn't latch any more. I had to cut off and replace the exhaust, not totally his fault, but they looked horrible.

I didn't pay anywhere close to the price you did, but I think its another case of getting to big, too fast. He's a good kid, but I think he bit off more than he can chew at the moment.

Indybbq
05-07-2014, 12:47 PM
I have a 48' smoker from Abe's that I received a few weeks ago. I believe Kevin has gotten more orders than he initially could handle with the timeline he had given out. I've talked to him a lot about this and setting the right level of expectation so there's not constant disappointment.

The smoker I received however does work great. Kevin (in my opinion) does a good job building the product and it appears the welding is quality work.

As far as getting everything that was ordered...yes there's plenty of work that can be done in this area (I'm still waiting on one piece). He's working on getting his inventory built up so in the future there isn't this long delay. Kevin began building the smokers full-time late last year, so to some degree we must cut him some slack as he gets the kinks worked out.

All in all, I think he builds a good product. I used mine for the first time at a comp this past weekend and ended up with a 2nd place brisket and 10th overall. The smoker holds heat well and I didn't notice a large swing in temps. I still have some learning to do as I get use to the smoker but overall, I've been pleased with the smoker and once Kevin gets the inventory problem worked out I think he'll be doing much much better.

pjtexas1
05-07-2014, 01:19 PM
I have been the biggest supporter of Kevin since talking to him several times in January of this year. He was the only insulated cabinet builder willing to negotiate on anything. I posted my review when I received my smoker. Great smoker. The only issue I have had with the smoker is that I am trying to make it work without water. That is not Kevin's fault. It was designed to be a water smoker. I have it completely figured out but I had to fabricate some simple intake covers and a maze. I actually enjoy tinkering with my smokers. For others this may be a big pain in the back side. Mine works better than I expected.

I don't believe anyone is getting all their accessories at the time the smoker is delivered. Not good! My smoker took 8 weeks from order to delivery. He did call me to give me the option to wait for the accessories to be ready and then ship everything together or ship the smoker itself. I chose to have the smoker now and the accessories later. He did at least send me the regular casters so I could move it around. He also sent me a couple of extra grates for my delay. I don't have my accessories and it has been nearly a month since I received my smoker. But I told Kevin to put everyone else's stuff before mine so I am not expecting them anytime soon. I guess I feel bad for the kid and the issues with too many orders, new vendors, creating new products and not having enough staff to handle everything. Not trying to say that this is ok because it is NOT OK to treat customers this way.

I think you are in a bad spot but I don't think you made a $2800 mistake. I hope Kevin makes it right sooner than later. I wish I was closer to you so maybe we could figure out why your smoker is not drafting properly ( I love to troubleshoot problems). It sounds like something is blocking your exhaust. Can you shine a light down the stack and see if anything is in there? The exhaust is big enough for something to fall/crawl in there. PM me if want to discuss anything.

Sounds like Indybbq and I have had the same conversations with Kevin. He did say that he is in the wrong for telling people dates and not being able to hit the promised dates.

I apologize for the commentary but I always talk too much.:doh:

Pappy Q
05-07-2014, 05:54 PM
I was considering one of these but can't tolerate bad service and broken promises regardless of the product.

Flobee1kenobi
05-07-2014, 08:30 PM
When the smoker is complete and sealed, its top of the line. it just takes some effort on the part of the owner, to make it that way unfortunately. With these smokers, being airtight is a must, and the rectangle design of the intakes, that would never happen unless you block them off completely and use ball valves. On the plus side, I love the water tray with the ball valve at the back. Makes things so easy to clean up and hit the road at the end of a cook. I made my own wire racks(weber style but square) and just tonight I made a charcoal maze for it. I think this smoker is just now starting to come together and firing on all cylinders, several weeks after delivery. I guess I look at it this way, when a racing team gets a new race car, it doesn't get pole position right off the trailer. The team tweaks, modifies, and re-engineers the car to milk every last drop of performance out of it.
All in all, I think it does a great job, after my tweaks, but there are a few things that need to change. #1 and top of the list is delivering on his promises. If he fails to do that, the business is kaput, because there is no confidence from the customer. And we customers all talk to each other!
#2 is the intakes. use ball valves from this day forward. They are not expensive, don't have to be fabricated and seal like a mother! Digiq sells ball valve adapters. I will post again after my first comp on the 17th and let everyone know how it handled the pressure of competition.

Baptized in Smoke
05-18-2014, 11:24 AM
Update on my experience... I have had two more conversations with Kevin where he said he would ship the missing items and provide tracking numbers and didn't. I'm done dealing with Kevin, apparently he cannot be trusted to do what he says he will. I will be filing a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General's office tomorrow morning.

pjtexas1
05-18-2014, 11:56 AM
It's sad that it had to come to this. You might be doing him a favor. He needs to learn that his word has to be kept. I doubt any more brethren will be buying smokers from Kevin.

Dex
05-18-2014, 06:32 PM
No smoker should ever leave without it being 100% complete and ran through some sort of QC check.

I would try to sell and get at least some of your money back. Go buy a Humphrey's, I just ordered my 3rd and 4th smoker from them.

pjtexas1
05-18-2014, 10:04 PM
Is your smoker at least usable? In your original post you mentioned an issue with heat/smoke not drafting properly. Check with your bank or PayPal. You have at least 90 days or 6 months to send the payment back. with PayPal you have a case with the seller not delivering the product as promised or described. You are well within your legal rights to do this. That should get his attention! I love my smoker but it works properly. It sounds like your does not and his refusal to respond is inexcusable.

Baptized in Smoke
05-28-2014, 10:12 PM
Well... I talked to Kevin on May 19th before filing a complaint. He assured me he wanted to make everything right. He was going to ship everything out etc.... Guess what? Yeah... Still haven't seen it and can't get in touch with him. Well... That's my experience... I'll do what I can to make the smoker work for me. I personally, wouldn't recommend anyone purchase a smoker from Kevin or trust anything he tells you.

SmittyJonz
05-28-2014, 10:31 PM
Sounds like this Abe's Smokers Guy oughta lay off the pipe a little ......

titan7
05-28-2014, 10:51 PM
This thread and others cost him my business. Too bad it looks like a nice pit.

SmittyJonz
05-28-2014, 10:54 PM
This thread and others cost him my business. Too bad it looks like a nice pit.

Humphreys. :heh:

pjtexas1
05-28-2014, 10:58 PM
This thread and others cost him my business. Too bad it looks like a nice pit.

I'm sure you are not the only one.

VIKINGBBQ
05-28-2014, 10:58 PM
I am in a situation as you Baptized in Smoke. Except my smoker did not ship. I have started a claims process. I sent you a PM as I would like someone to attest to their business practice if Paypal enquires during the investigation. I feel bad, but I'm not about to be had!

VIKINGBBQ
05-28-2014, 11:02 PM
It's unfortunate but this is my first experience ordering a pit that cost me more than 125$ when I ordered from Kevin at Abe's and I feel like I've been left standing with the bucket. I'm very disappointed.

pjtexas1
05-28-2014, 11:09 PM
It's unfortunate but this is my first experience ordering a pit that cost me more than 125$ when I ordered from Kevin at Abe's and I feel like I've been left standing with the bucket. I'm very disappointed.

Do what you feel is necessary. I hope you get a satisfactory result. How long have you been waiting? Mine took 8 weeks.

VIKINGBBQ
05-28-2014, 11:34 PM
I have waited five weeks, but I told him I needed it by a certain time up front. I was told three times now that it will ship to no avail. I developed a knack for reading people dealing with Afghans, and I have a real bad sense about this whole situation. I've opted to just recoup my money while I can. I have nothing personal against Kevin, I'm sure he's just trying to make ends meet like we all are, but I will not be taken advantage of. Thanks for all the help brethren! I guess it will be another cheap Lowe's special for now!

Pappy Q
05-29-2014, 04:30 AM
I have waited five weeks, but I told him I needed it by a certain time up front. I was told three times now that it will ship to no avail. I developed a knack for reading people dealing with Afghans, and I have a real bad sense about this whole situation. I've opted to just recoup my money while I can. I have nothing personal against Kevin, I'm sure he's just trying to make ends meet like we all are, but I will not be taken advantage of. Thanks for all the help brethren! I guess it will be another cheap Lowe's special for now!

There are plenty of other reputable options available so don't give up on what you want.

MarleyMan
05-29-2014, 11:51 AM
It is truly sad that he has done this to so many people yet STILL is taking orders and not delivering on his promises. I am pretty sure he reads these forums (he has spammed on here under different monikers). Yet still has the cajones to take people's $$$ instead of stepping back to take care of existing customers, regroup and make things right before taking on new business.

The smokers are decent, some tweaks and refinement he could have a nice product. But shafting customers and posts such as this one are going to ruin him...........sooner rather than later .

pjtexas1
05-29-2014, 12:42 PM
It is truly sad that he has done this to so many people yet STILL is taking orders and not delivering on his promises. I am pretty sure he reads these forums (he has spammed on here under different monikers). Yet still has the cajones to take people's $$$ instead of stepping back to take care of existing customers, regroup and make things right before taking on new business.

The smokers are decent, some tweaks and refinement he could have a nice product. But shafting customers and posts such as this one are going to ruin him...........sooner rather than later .
The only way Abe's is going to learn is for someone to return/dispute payment for not holding up the seller's end of the deal. A couple of those and then having to pay return shipping to get them back will go a long way to teaching him that doing the right thing is not only right but more cost effective. I have one of these smokers and it works great but this crap has to stop.

Baptized in Smoke
06-01-2014, 02:39 PM
Hey little piece of good news... I got one piece that Kevin owed me. Got the GURU adapter, in the mail saturday. :-o

pjtexas1
06-01-2014, 03:35 PM
I guess that's better than never...