# Masterbuilt warranty only 90 days???



## mummel (Apr 14, 2015)

Wow.  That's pretty bad.  Has it always been like this?  For other goods, I normally stay away from any manufacturers that dont offer at least a 1 year warranty (heck how often do you see anything less these days?).  Less than 1 year and it's my belief that manufacturers dont trust their own product.

Perhaps there is a valid explanation (these smokers are very popular so Im probably missing something)?  But to sell a bluetooth smart digital smoker for $400 and offer a 90 day warranty seems really sketchy.

https://www.masterbuilt.com/warranty


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## tropics (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel said:


> Wow.  That's pretty bad.  Has it always been like this?  For other goods, I normally stay away from any manufacturers that dont offer at least a 1 year warranty (heck how often do you see anything less these days?).  Less than 1 year and it's my belief that manufacturers dont trust their own product.
> 
> Perhaps there is a valid explanation (these smokers are very popular so Im probably missing something)?  But to sell a bluetooth smart digital smoker for $400 and offer a 90 day warranty seems really sketchy.
> 
> https://www.masterbuilt.com/warranty


But for 90 days they will send you the parts needed,for you to install whether you have any mechanical ability or not. I bought mine from Sams club and took the extended warranty so if I don't want to replace something Sams will make good.


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## mummel (Apr 14, 2015)

Yeah but it's 90 days....... Seriously.  Their warranty even specifically excludes rust???  By comparison, The WSM has a 10 year warranty on their metals. 

Agghh, this is really disappointing.  An American made $400 smoker should at least have a 2 year warranty, MINIMUM.


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## tropics (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel said:


> Yeah but it's 90 days....... Seriously.  Their warranty even specifically excludes rust???  By comparison, The WSM has a 10 year warranty on their metals.
> 
> Agghh, this is really disappointing.  An American made $400 smoker should at least have a 2 year warranty, MINIMUM.


Its Made In CHINA That is why it is cheap.


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## mummel (Apr 14, 2015)

Even the $80 Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker has a 1 year warranty......................


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## sb59 (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel said:


> Wow.  That's pretty bad.  Has it always been like this?  For other goods, I normally stay away from any manufacturers that dont offer at least a 1 year warranty (heck how often do you see anything less these days?).  Less than 1 year and it's my belief that manufacturers dont trust their own product.
> 
> Perhaps there is a valid explanation (these smokers are very popular so Im probably missing something)?  But to sell a bluetooth smart digital smoker for $400 and offer a 90 day warranty seems really sketchy.
> 
> https://www.masterbuilt.com/warranty


Probably 60 days more then you will need!


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## bmaddox (Apr 14, 2015)

@mummel  you are comparing apples to oranges. A WSM has no mechanical parts to fail and is made from a heavy gauge steel. A ECB has no relay or controls just a heating element that is always on. MES units have circuit boards, controls, relays, etc that are prone to damage from operator error. The odds are that those items will fail in the first few uses if they are defective. If they warranted the units for 2 years they would be replacing units that were left in the rain, snow, etc.

There are numerous posts on this site of people having great experiences with the Masterbuilt service department.

If you are that concerned about a warranty than buy an extended warranty when you buy the unit. I think it was $25 for the warranty when I bought my 30".


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## mummel (Apr 14, 2015)

bmaddox said:


> @mummel  you are comparing apples to oranges. A WSM has no mechanical parts to fail and is made from a heavy gauge steel. A ECB has no relay or controls just a heating element that is always on. MES units have circuit boards, controls, relays, etc that are prone to damage from operator error. The odds are that those items will fail in the first few uses if they are defective. If they warranted the units for 2 years they would be replacing units that were left in the rain, snow, etc.
> 
> There are numerous posts on this site of people having great experiences with the Masterbuilt service department.
> 
> If you are that concerned about a warranty than buy an extended warranty when you buy the unit. I think it was $25 for the warranty when I bought my 30".


Yeah I just spoke to Squaretrade.  Probably around 20% of the cost for a 3 year plan.  If you buy it through the retailer, then its about 10% of cost.  Great option IMO.  This gives me a lot of comfort.

Re: apples to oranges.  Forget about the components.  What about rust on base metals??????????  Naaaaa man, Masterbuilt needs to step up and back their own product.  I wont worry about it now because of the Squaretrade warranty, but still.  Not acceptable IMO.  Not in today's world.


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## rgautheir20420 (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel, not that I don't agree that Masterbuilt's warranty leaves something to be desired, but the manual specifically states not to expose the smoker to rain at anytime. If it's not getting wait, I see no reason why it would rust in a short period of time.


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## mummel (Apr 14, 2015)

An outdoor piece of equipment that cant get rain on it?  That's even worse.  It doesnt matter to me because of the Squaretrade warranty and clearly MES is the right choice for the majority of people around here.  I'm excited about getting mine.  But geeeez, I'm just saying.  It's been a very long time since I've seen a company get away with such a worthless warranty (in addition to excessive restrictions).  Companies that dont stand by their products normally get crushed by the competition.  I can only assume the smoker market is a small market giving Masterbuilt a lifeline.


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## tropics (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel said:


> An outdoor piece of equipment that cant get rain on it?  That's even worse.  It doesnt matter to me because of the Squaretrade warranty and clearly MES is the right choice for the majority of people around here.  I'm excited about getting mine.  But geeeez, I'm just saying.  It's been a very long time since I've seen a company get away with such a worthless warranty (in addition to excessive restrictions).  Companies that dont stand by their products normally get crushed by the competition.  I can only assume the smoker market is a small market giving Masterbuilt a lifeline.


An outdoor piece of equipment that cant get rain on it?

Would you leave or use any other electrical tool in the rain, Big Bug Zapper.


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## bmaddox (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel said:


> An outdoor piece of equipment that cant get rain on it?  That's even worse.


There is nothing weird about that. Do you leave your lawn mower out in the rain year round?


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## rgautheir20420 (Apr 14, 2015)

bmaddox said:


> There is nothing weird about that. Do you leave your lawn mower out in the rain year round?


Not all year round...but it's happened


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## timberjet (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel said:


> Yeah I just spoke to Squaretrade.  Probably around 20% of the cost for a 3 year plan.  If you buy it through the retailer, then its about 10% of cost.  Great option IMO.  This gives me a lot of comfort.
> 
> Re: apples to oranges.  Forget about the components.  What about rust on base metals??????????  Naaaaa man, Masterbuilt needs to step up and back their own product.  I wont worry about it now because of the Squaretrade warranty, but still.  Not acceptable IMO.  Not in today's world.


Said it before, I'll say it again. WSM. 10 year Warranty. Weber Kettle, 10 year Warranty. Doesn't really matter because they will most likely outlast most of us anyway. You want waterproof. Get an EZ up shelter or build something.


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## foamheart (Apr 14, 2015)

tropics said:


> But for 90 days they will send you the parts needed,for you to install whether you have any mechanical ability or not. I bought mine from Sams club and took the extended warranty so if I don't want to replace something Sams will make good.


 Actually, they sent me a completely new replacement smoker for my MES40 Gen1. I might be special though.... I always feel special.


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## foamheart (Apr 14, 2015)

You are comparing the least expensive electric smoker on the market, add technology equiped, made in China, you should feel good you even got 90 days. Seriously had this been made and backed in the US, it would cost 5 times as much and you'd complain it was priced out of the market.

Is it half full or half empty?


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## foamheart (Apr 14, 2015)

bmaddox said:


> There is nothing weird about that. Do you leave your lawn mower out in the rain year round?


LOL.... and a lawnmower isn't even electric.


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## timberjet (Apr 14, 2015)

tropics said:


> An outdoor piece of equipment that cant get rain on it?
> 
> Would you leave or use any other electrical tool in the rain, Big Bug Zapper.


I used to work construction in seattle. It's fun to use a skilsaw all day in the rain. Lol. It kind of ups your pain tolerance anyway.


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## daricksta (Apr 14, 2015)

Since I think that Masterbuilt makes the best entry level electric smokers I chose to buy one fully aware of their short warranty period. I can't afford the more expensive, better-made smokers with the longer warranties anyway. .

But the skimpy warranty just goes to show that Masterbuilt is fully aware of all the problems that can arise with their smokers, they acknowledge that their some of their smokers are unreliable pieces of crap (mine is fine, though) so they've decided to keep their losses to a bare minimum. I'm sure they've got reports which show major problems will start to occur after 90 days either due to manufacturing defects or some of the yahoos who buy smokers and either never bother to learn what they're doing or start modifying the crap out of it. So, you're out of luck if you buy a Masterbuilt and because of various reasons in that first 90 days the farthest you get is taking it out of the box.

So, I malign Masterbuilt for having such low confidence in the quality of their smokers but I praise the company for marketing a very good and inexpensive entry level smoker, the MES 30 Gen 1.


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## mummel (Apr 14, 2015)

daRicksta said:


> Since I think that Masterbuilt makes the best entry level electric smokers I chose to buy one fully aware of their short warranty period. I can't afford the more expensive, better-made smokers with the longer warranties anyway. .
> 
> But the skimpy warranty just goes to show that Masterbuilt is fully aware of all the problems that can arise with their smokers, they acknowledge that their some of their smokers are unreliable pieces of crap (mine is fine, though) so they've decided to keep their losses to a bare minimum. I'm sure they've got reports which show major problems will start to occur after 90 days either due to manufacturing defects or some of the yahoos who buy smokers and either never bother to learn what they're doing or start modifying the crap out of it. So, you're out of luck if you buy a Masterbuilt and because of various reasons in that first 90 days the farthest you get is taking it out of the box.
> 
> So, I malign Masterbuilt for having such low confidence in the quality of their smokers but I praise the company for marketing a very good and inexpensive entry level smoker, the MES 30 Gen 1.


I was right about the electric smoker market being small.  I looked up Masterbuilt.  They are doing ~$80 million in revenue with only ~$3 million in net profit.  This revenue is across the entire company (which includes their other product lines like grills etc).  They are a small company with ~60-70 employees. 

The bottom line is that they need to adjust their pricing in accordance with what they are offering.  I think everyone agrees that $430 for a smoker with a 90 warranty is way too much.  This does not compute in my mind.  However, with such slim profit margins, they cant.  They are boxed in. 

So they are damn lucky there is enough niche demand to support current pricing levels, and that the market is small enough to not attract competitors.  Otherwise I believe they would get smoked (excuse the pun).


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## daricksta (Apr 14, 2015)

mummel said:


> I was right about the electric smoker market being small.  I looked up Masterbuilt.  They are doing ~$80 million in revenue with only ~$3 million in net profit.  This revenue is across the entire company (which includes their other product lines like grills etc).  They are a small company with ~60-70 employees.
> 
> The bottom line is that they need to adjust their pricing in accordance with what they are offering.  I think everyone agrees that $430 for a smoker with a 90 warranty is way too much.  This does not compute in my mind.  However, with such slim profit margins, they cant.  They are boxed in.
> 
> So they are damn lucky there is enough niche demand to support current pricing levels, and that the market is small enough to not attract competitors.  Otherwise I believe they would get smoked (excuse the pun).


Great bit of research, Mummel. I had no idea what their market share was and what their profit was. I agree that they have no business selling $300-$450 smokers with just a 90 day warranty. I get a 1 year warranty with an electric deep fryer. I get a 1 year warranty with a stainless steel cookware set!

If and when I decide to move up in the home smoker world, my electric smoker of choice will not be MES unless they increase their warranty periods to a minimum of one year. If I have the money I'm buying a Made in USA smoker anyway.


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## bmaddox (Apr 15, 2015)

The idea that $450 for an electric smoker is expensive and you should be getting more for your money seems off to me when looking at the market. Try and buy something from Smokin-It for that much and you will get a smaller unit with analog controls. The same goes for Cook Shack and Bradley.

Masterbuilt smokers are what they are which is an entry level smoker that gives you a lot of features for a small investment. If you want an all stainless unit with a large capacity that will last for 10-20 years then you need to up your budget to $1000 or more.

The Masterbuilt bashing that goes on around here at times equates to buying a Suzuki and being pissed off that it doesn't have the same features as a BMW. You get what you pay for.


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## daricksta (Apr 15, 2015)

bmaddox said:


> The idea that $450 for an electric smoker is expensive and you should be getting more for your money seems off to me when looking at the market. Try and buy something from Smokin-It for that much and you will get a smaller unit with analog controls. The same goes for Cook Shack and Bradley.
> 
> Masterbuilt smokers are what they are which is an entry level smoker that gives you a lot of features for a small investment. If you want an all stainless unit with a large capacity that will last for 10-20 years then you need to up your budget to $1000 or more.
> 
> The Masterbuilt bashing that goes on around here at times equates to buying a Suzuki and being pissed off that it doesn't have the same features as a BMW. You get what you pay for.


You missed the point. In this thread, as I perceive it, the Masterbuilt bashing is over the inadequate warranty. The MES is what it is but I won't pay over $200 for anything that only comes with a 90-day warranty. There's absolutely no reason--other than cost avoidance--why MB can't warranty its smokers for a full 12 month period.

And keep in mind that I really like my MES 30 Gen 1.


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## bmaddox (Apr 15, 2015)

mummel said:


> I was right about the electric smoker market being small.  I looked up Masterbuilt.  They are doing ~$80 million in revenue with only ~$3 million in net profit.  This revenue is across the entire company (which includes their other product lines like grills etc).  They are a small company with ~60-70 employees.


@mummel  where did this information come from? Masterbuilt is a privately owned company so I wouldn't think that their net profit is public knowledge.


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## mummel (Apr 15, 2015)

bmaddox said:


> @mummel  where did this information come from? Masterbuilt is a privately owned company so I wouldn't think that their net profit is public knowledge.


Dun & Bradstreet.  Their databases arent always accurate but are normally in the ballpark.


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## bmaddox (Apr 15, 2015)

mummel said:


> Dun & Bradstreet.  Their databases arent always accurate but are normally in the ballpark.


I can tell you from experience that their information can be very inaccurate. If the actual company is not on top of their D&B report then it can get way out of whack.


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## daricksta (Apr 15, 2015)

Well, Mummel did say their reports are in the ballpark, Bmaddox. Perhaps his knowledge is as good as yours. I have no reason to doubt either one of you.


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## jted (Apr 16, 2015)

As a Master Built owner I must say that the way they administer there warranty is Odd. They regularly replace parts or whole units after the warranty has expired. They try to satisfy most customer problems. 90 days is a short period of time. But there are those who let a piece of electrical equipment sit outside uncovered in the rain and snow. Just how long should it be? Look at it from there point of view.  Jted


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## daricksta (Apr 16, 2015)

jted said:


> As a Master Built owner I must say that the way they administer there warranty is Odd. They regularly replace parts or whole units after the warranty has expired. They try to satisfy most customer problems. 90 days is a short period of time. But there are those who let a piece of electrical equipment sit outside uncovered in the rain and snow. Just how long should it be? Look at it from there point of view.  Jted


Great comment, Jted.


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## ak1 (Apr 16, 2015)

Look at it from their point of view. If something is inherently wrong with the unit, or the parts, the failure will typically occur within the first three months.


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## mummel (Apr 16, 2015)

AK1 said:


> Look at it from their point of view. If something is inherently wrong with the unit, or the parts, the failure will typically occur within the first three months.


http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/185975/found-out-the-problem-with-my-mes-40


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## brianlamb41 (Apr 19, 2015)

Some people just shouldn't own an electric smoker.


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## ak1 (Apr 20, 2015)

mummel said:


> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/185975/found-out-the-problem-with-my-mes-40


Note that in my post that you replied to , I said "typically".


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## jted (Apr 20, 2015)

I don't know how long Mike has had his MES 40 but I would think it is several years old. This type of malfunction does not occur quickly even with out good connectors. Just my opinion. Jted


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## sssmoking (Nov 28, 2016)

I don't know how mb compares to smokehollow in terms of performance (newbie here) but smokehollow offers a 1 year warranty..


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