# I can never recommend someone purchase the PitmasterIQ blower devices to anyone.



## elohel (Sep 26, 2016)

I purchased a pitmasterIQ 110 unit a bit back due to a recommendation from a friend. Now that I'm seeing all of these reviews about how terrible their customer service, along with my own experience, I regret buying it.

When I first got it <2 months ago, the temperature that the pitmasterIQ reported was within about 5 degrees agreement with my ThermoWorks thermometer. Over the course of the two months I have found it getting further off, to a point yesterday where it was saying the temperature was correct (set to 225), yet my ThermoWorks was saying it was 175 and my weber smoker temp gauge (not super accurate, but usually within 10-20 degrees of my thermoworks) was saying it was 190ish. I put a second thermometer in there and it was telling me the temp was 173. So, both of my nicer, digital thermometers agreed it was about 175, yet the blower said it was 225.

I emailed pitmasterIQ about it and asked if I could calibrate it, or why it would lose its calibration like this in <2 months. The probe is clean, hasn't been subjected to temps over ~275, and has never gotten wet. There's no reason for it to already be broken.

Their CS department wrote back and merely said "you can't trust other thermometers, we have already tested them and found that to be true". Sure, let's ignore for a second that PitmasterIQ's own website has multiple videos of them using some cheapo Maverick thermometer to validate the claims of their own product, but my $140 ThermoWorks unit can't be trusted. Yeah, right, okay.

After going back and forth, their CS lady (Barb) said the best they could do it have me send in the unit and have them test it. It's a friggin $10 probe.. I'll just buy another damn one rather than mail them this crap and wait for their test assessment to ultimately conclude I'm wrong.

Eh, maybe I'm needy, but in this day and age I'm used to customer service that actually wants to help answer your questions, resolve your problems, etc. Telling me that their unit is right and my stuff is wrong is just such a terrible approach. Furthermore, no assistance in whether or not it can be calibrated, why it maybe lost its calibration, or anything of that sort was offered. Merely a "ship it back to us, on your dime, so we can test it." blowoff. I asked her multiple questions and every response was a one sentence reply stating either that their product was right or that I could ship it back to them with a note. These guys sincerely do not give two shits about whoever buys their products, that much appears evident.


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## SmokinAl (Sep 27, 2016)

Sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience.

I've had my BBQ Guru DigiQ-DX2 for about 7 years & haven't had to replace a probe wire yet!

Al


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## elohel (Oct 6, 2016)

Yeah, it's a disappointing experience. Standing behind your product means everything to me, and if you're unwilling to even entertain the idea that your product might be wrong, it's probably a company I don't want to deal with in the future.


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## tropics (Oct 6, 2016)

elohel said:


> Yeah, it's a disappointing experience. Standing behind your product means everything to me, and if you're unwilling to even entertain the idea that your product might be wrong, it's probably a company I don't want to deal with in the future.


I had a problem with theirs as soon as I started using it,sent it back still cost me for the probe.I bought a BBQ GURU and it is the best

Richie


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## lemans (Oct 6, 2016)

You must have a "bum" unit.  My IQ120 is 3 yrs old
And is within 7 -10 degrees of my maverick.. 
But... when it dies I will buy a DigiQ!!!


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## seenred (Oct 6, 2016)

Sorry to hear about your bad experience elohel...I've absolutely no knowledge of PitmasterIQ products, but I'll second what's already been said about BBQ Guru!  I own a DigiQ DX2, and it's a great product!

Red


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## john i que (Oct 13, 2016)

John with pitmasterIQ here.  Sorry to hear of your trouble.  Our probes are RTDs, the most accurate in industry.  We check them with an $1000 NST Certified Omega Dry Well Calibrator, not a Maverick.  Sometimes thermometer to thermometer comparisons are very difficult to do.  Thermodynamics is very tricky.  Just one example: if your IQ probe housing has blackend from smoke, and your reference thermometer housing is shiny, the blacker one will absorb more radiated energy than the shiner one.  My favorite example, as it took me a bit to figure it out: I strapped my IQ probes to my 3 Gateway Drum Smoker's built in thermometer. In all 3 cases, the IQ read 25 too high.  Upon analysis, the IQ's probe is sensitive only at the tip, while the GDS thermo averages from the cooker's wall to 2" in.  Further instrumentation revealed the IQ was reading properly, AND the GDS was also reading properly because the temperature 1" from the wall was actually 25 deg lower than 2" in.  I just compensate by setting my IQs 25 higher to match where I want to be on the GDS thermo.

And, the bad customer service stuff you read is history - look at the time stamps on the posts.  Nothing goes away on the Internet - it sucks (although way back then, we probably did have bad customer service and I apologize for that).  We now have excellent customer service and receive much praise for it.  What did you expect Barb to do?  You claimed there was a problem; all she can offer is for you return it to be checked in our $1000 calibrator.  Trust me, we have plenty of customers that don't get thermodynamics and send their unit in to be checked out.  Mostly, we find their unit to be working perfectly.  Do your comparison in boiling water or your kitchen oven.  You'll convince yourself.

We don't have in-field calibration as every probe we ship reads within 0.2% of every other probe we ship.  That's what RTDs get you.  Our competitors use thermocouples, which vary much more probe to probe.  That is why they support in-field calibration.  HOWEVER, I have considered adding a parameter (IQ120 and IQ130 only) to add a display reading offset.  I would like any feedback on this.


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## daveomak (Oct 13, 2016)

Well John.....   I see you're not much help either...  One more IQ representative telling elohel she has no idea what she's doing...   BRAVO...  pitmaster IQ has some real swell representatives.....  pat yourself on the back for a job well done and satisfying one more customer...

Next time, read your post from a customer's perspective....  It comes across bad.....


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## john i que (Oct 13, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> Well John.....   I see you're not much help either...  One more IQ representative telling elohel she has no idea what she's doing...   BRAVO...  pitmaster IQ has some real swell representatives.....  pat yourself on the back for a job well done and satisfying one more customer...
> 
> Next time, read your post from a customer's perspective....  It comes across bad.....


Ouch.  I'm the owner and inventor of the IQ.  Spent years developing it.  I just tried to be helpful and present the facts.  No intent to insult.  I apologize and will stand down from this thread.


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## wild west (Oct 13, 2016)

I think a test compairison in boiling water is a good idea...could solve the issue..but that could have been suggested by the cs department before suggesting to send the unit in for them to test.


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## daveomak (Oct 13, 2016)

John I Que said:


> DaveOmak said:
> 
> 
> > Well John.....   I see you're not much help either...  One more IQ representative telling elohel she has no idea what she's doing...   BRAVO...  pitmaster IQ has some real swell representatives.....  pat yourself on the back for a job well done and satisfying one more customer...
> ...


I was thinking if you offered to send her an RTD, for free, to test her pitmaster IQ, that would be real customer support....   I'm not sure what an RTD would cost you, maybe $1 or so and 50 cents for postage....    That would help her solve her problem and get you a ton or seven of bragging rights.... 

Dave....


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