traeger fails.

[susieqz]

i'm not reviewing a specific model. i'm reviewing the company.

i'm sure some people have better experiences with them than i did, but this is what happened to me.

i got their junior model the last week of june. it stopped working after 2 hours. the control box n the screw thing stopped working.

i called them asking for a replacement. they said i had to fix it myself, with tools i didn't have n  skills i didn't have. i tried anyway,

 they wouldn't send a new box. then i got angry. i told visa to stop payment.

i emailed them to tell them they wouldn't get paid n to come get the damn thing.

well, then they decided to send a new part.

i don't think i should have to threaten to get what i pay for. the law is on my side. any product sold must be workable, period. they know this but tried to screw me to save money.

this was enow to show these people are crooks but there's more. the new box they sent was missing the wire that runs from the control to the thermometer. i had to use parts from 2 units to get 1 working unit.

so, trager fails on both quality control n customer service. i asked nothing i wasn't entitled to by law.

there's still more. traeger says using any pellets than theirs voids the warranty.  all pellets work the same, so this is stupid. a marketing ploy. i would have used their pellets tho. the price is ok. but, i've bot cheaper pellets n more expensive pellets. all give me more smoke taste than traeger.

right now the smoker is working n gives good results as long as i don't use traeger pellets, but i bet it dies before i get my money's worth.

 

[welshrarebit]

This is why I chose a WSM over a traeger! I know my weber will work perfectly for the next thirty years... I hope I'm still around then! ;)

 

[nedtorious]

Wow, I'm sorry about the problems you are having these problems, but I must say I'm on my 2nd Traeger , and I've never had any problems other than replacing the hot rods. The problem you are describing should definitely be covered by warranty!  I keep hearing these stories of bad customer service from Traeger, hopefully they will get this turned around soon! I completely agree with you on Traeger pellets, there are much better brands out there. Good Luck

 

[susieqz]

ned, i'm glad you have no trouble with these people. i wonder if you got yours when they were still made here?

please tell me how long yours lasted before you needed a replacement.  i'll have to save up.  .this thing cost over $400 n i can't

afford this kind of money often.

 

[nedtorious]

Susie both Traegers that I have owned were made overseas, I believe. It was years before I had to replace any parts. $400 for a piece of equipment that doesn't work as advertised is ridiculous. If I were you I would be very upset as well.  If I might offer a suggestion, I would look locally and see if there is a hardware store that sales traegers, maybe they would be of more help to you. From what I've heard traeger customer service simply isn't what it use to be unfortunately.

 

[susieqz]

thanks, ned.  i wish you could  be more exact about the number of years tho.

i'm looking at other brands. most are too big for me n most run $600-$800.

i love the pellet thing too much to switch. i smoke every week because it's so easy.

using charcoal is a big hassle.

 

[timberjet]

Susieqz I beg to differ on charcoal being a hassle. Light it and forget it if you have a well designed smoker. You still have to clean a pellet grill out just like a pellet stove right? Or it will fail right? I have several friends with that junior model and this has been an issue with all of them. Most recently one of my buddies got the company to send him the whole unit to replace. Come to find out it was one small part that had failed. Bad business if you ask me.

 

[susieqz]

timber, what charcoal smoker is light n forget?

if i could do that, i'd get one.

i had a $30 kmart thing i used once, then tossed.

i had to add charcoal n chips every two seconds for hours on end.

 

[geerock]

Traeger hasn't been made in the US since 2007 or early 2008.  There are all kinds of pellet grills out there now that beat the hell out of Traeger.  Lowes carries the Chargriller pellet smoker at a great price and its bigger thatn your little Tex.  Now I happen to own a Traeger so I'm not knocking them, but mine is USA made and all I have had to do to mine is change out couple hot rods and just this past spring I had to change out to a new controller.  But if their customer service is that bad and their quality is questionable I'd send that sucker back NOW.  If this is the treatment you get now, imagine how they are going to be after you've owned it for a while and need some help.  Dispute the charge, and tell Traeger to come and get the unit, and buy some quality and service.  GMG, MAK, Yoder, and RecTec all bear looking into.  Theres a reason why Traeger has lost so much market share in the last few years.

 

[timberjet]

 
timber, what charcoal smoker is light n forget?

if i could do that, i'd get one.

i had a $30 kmart thing i used once, then tossed.

i had to add charcoal n chips every two seconds for hours on end.

Weber Smokey Mountain. Team that up with A Weber one touch gold kettle grill and you have everything you could ever want. I smoke on my kettle more than any other smoker I have for daily meals. For big stuff or lots of stuff the smokey mountain is king. Works perfectly right out of the box. The best customer service in the industry and 10 years of warranty. Plus you can still buy parts for almost every grill they ever made. I have a 30 year old Weber Genesis that works like the day dad bought it. I also built myself a UDS that will smoke at 225 degrees for 15 or more hours without ever opening the lid. The WSM will do that too.http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=WSM

 

[welshrarebit]

timber, what charcoal smoker is light n forget?
if i could do that, i'd get one.
i had a $30 kmart thing i used once, then tossed.

i had to add charcoal n chips every two seconds for hours on end.

The last time I fired up my WSM I was smoking a turkey at 280 degrees. Well my wife gave me a list of stuff she wanted me to do. So, I'm running around town for two hours and I get home worried about not being there for a couple of hours and I check the temp and its humming along at 279 degrees!!!

 

[timberjet]

You can't beat the flavor that comes from a real wood experience. Pellets just don't cut it for me. Now there are smoke generating devices you can put in there to get real smoked food but they do take up space. I don't know the square inches of food space on that grill but I would bet you could get the same or more from the smallest WSM they have.

 

[susieqz]

thank you gee. especially for the names of better  pellet smokers. too late for me to send it back. that all happened in july n i released the visa funds after they sent  a new control  box.

i wish i found this site back then.

they never sent the postage to  return the old unit, so i have it n hope to use parts from one to keep the other going. i still don't believe they expected me to sand down the screw thing to make a new unit work. i expect no help in the future. i'll learn to be a mechanic.

timber, i'll look into weber.  i had no idea that there was a charcoal smoker that would hold 225 for 15 hours with one loading. i smoke everything at 225.

 

[susieqz]

i'm not denying real wood is better. i've had wood smoked food with no pellets or charcoal involved, just wood.

nothing is better, if you have a big brick smoker..

 

[bear55]

I own a Rec Tec and I am 100% happy with the unit and the service.  What company gives you a 24 hour service number?  Well Rec Tec does, you can reach out and talk to a company person anytime of the day or night.   I lost my heat rod and was able to complete my cook and would have never knew that unless they answered their phone on Sunday.  Replacing the heat rod was a piece of cake and it cost me nothing.  My friend has the same Traeger you have and he is not satisfied either.   

 

[timberjet]

Oh yes. You could make yourself A UDS or a mini too with your newfound mechanicing skills. haha.... My friend had the same experience. they don't want the old parts back on his either I guess. He still has the whole mechanism. I have heard good things about those rec tech units and the smoke daddy ones too. Anyway good luck and happy smoking.

 

[susieqz]

bear, you are the forth person who mentioned a heat rod failing.

can someone please tell me what it is? where it is? what does it look like?

if this is the main failure point in pellet grills i need to know.

 

[susieqz]

hey, timber. that smoke daddy thingie looks cool. iwonder if i could hook it up to this traeger n cold smoke. i'd love to try cold smoking for days at a time.

 

[geerock]

The hot rod is a unit that is in the pellet pot in the center bottom of your cooking chamber. As the auger (you call it the screw thing) pushes pellets into the pot the hot rod heats up to get the pellets going. Because of the intense heat of the pellet pot hot rods will fail.... on all pellet cookers.
As for additional smoke, I use an AMAZN tube smoker to get additional smoke flavor and to cold smoke. Works great. But a brother of mine uses a Smoke Daddy to add extra smoke to his pellet muncher. The nice thing is both of them use pellets to produce smoke. With the AMAZN you just light it and place it inside on a rack. With a Smoke Daddy smoke generator you just need to drill one hole in your traeger to hook it up. I like the AMAZN as its cheaper, easier to use on other grills and smokers, and smokes for a lot longer.

 

[susieqz]

thanks, gee. so the rod is under the fire pot. so, when it fails i'll have to pay  money to traeger to get a new  one. i hate that.

i'll do it tho, to keep the machine running. i was hoping it was in the control box, cause i got the old one for spares.

i need to keep this running as long as i can. those nicer ones are pricey.

one thing about evil traeger. they forced me to learn to disassemble the box so now i can probably do the work.