Time for an update on my New Year’s Resolutions to Save Money By Contacting Companies When Things Break. Every time something I own breaks or malfunctions, I’ll contact the company and ask for a replacement.
So far, I’ve interacted with two companies. Here’s how it went down.
Taylor Digital Cooking Thermometer
I wasn’t surprised when my digital thermometer broke. I’ve had to buy several digital thermometers over the years; they don’t last that long. So when my Taylor Digital Cooking Thermometer broke, my impulse was to throw it out and buy a new one. I actually went so far as to put it in the garbage can before I remembered my New Year’s Resolution.
Then I pulled the thermometer out of the trash and looked at it.
As you can see in this picture, the wires pulled out of the probe. The rest of the thermometer still worked. So I contacted Taylor and asked them to send me a new probe.
They wrote back and said I could buy a new probe if I wanted.
I wrote them again and said, would they send me one for free? The thermometer was less than a year old.
They wrote back and asked if I had sent in the warranty.
I wrote them and said, no I hadn’t. Still, would they please send me a free probe?
They agreed, but I had to jump through all these hoops that included telling them where and when I bought thermometer, taking pictures of it, sizing and editing the photos so they could see them, and writing down many many serial numbers. It felt like Taylor was trying to discourage me so they wouldn’t have to send me the probe. However, I did all they asked.
They wrote again and said that the probe was back ordered until April. Well! Okay then. This was in February, as I’ve been waiting patiently ever since for my probe. I do miss having a digital thermometer.
From this experience, I got the feeling that Taylor thermometers break a lot and this is how the company deals with complaints. I also learned next time to send in the stupid warranty card.
Michaels Frame
On the other hand, I was super impressed with Michaels. As I wrote in this post, a poster frame I purchased from there exploded all over my bathroom.
In November, I went to Michaels and bought a frame for a poster. Last month, my son knocked the poster over. It flopped slowly over in a way that might have cracked the glass of a normal frame, but that’s not what happened. Instead, the glass shattered. It was like Hollywood breakaway glass. It flew all over the bathroom, into the kitty litter, behind the toilet. It was a mess, and worse–it was dangerous. The glass was brittle, thin, and sharp. Thank God my son didn’t get cut.
Here’s a picture of the glass after I cleaned it up:
I told Michaels about this situation, and they went way beyond my expectations. Not only did they send me a $25 gift card, they went to the trouble of sending a new frame to my house. Here it is:
