Sorry to hear you got a bad one. The good side of the story is they will replace it. Chicken is a good first choice since it can handle temp swings while you are learning about your smoker.Gotta send back my Maverick ET 732 as it is defective unfortunately. I know our thermometer on our Masterbuilt Pro Dual Fuel was off a bit too but we used the set nut on the back to adjust it and it's pretty close now.
Most things should be sent to the manufacturer as they are the one who owns the warranty not the seller. The seller didn't do anything wrong so I try not to make them pay. Glad you will get a replacement.Talked directly to the manufacturer and they said to send it back to them instead of Amazon and they will send us a new one. I think we will be doing both chicken and some ribs. Will have to see what type of wood to use for both poultry and pork and possibly for jerky also. Picking up everything tomorrow and smoking Friday morning.