Sunday, March 30, 2008

Le Creuset (of America)

Satisfaction: Guaranteed! Lifetime Warranty!
Do you see that written and smirk? Think to your self, yeah RIGHT! Do you keep your receipt, just in case?

Well, my precious blue dutch oven, bought about 30 years ago and used, at least once a week, started to get chips in the bottom of the pan. I thought, lifetime warranty, well, I'll give it a try. In October, while still living in France, I wanted to buy my bearded baby his
first Le Creuset pot. I love going up to the (real) factory store, and my time in France was running out.

I threw my dutch oven in the trunk, thinking that they might be able to do a repair, or....better yet, exchange for a sparkling new one. The lady in the store told me that I should not use the pan anymore, the raw cast iron would leach out into our foods. And, she informed me, no, they don't honor the lifetime warranty if I bought my pot in the USA. So, I bought a new one. The Caribbean Blue took my eye, and I bought my son a blue one.

I decided to pack up my chipped pan in our move and bring her back to America to see if Le Creuset of America would honor the warranty. The lady on the phone told me that I needed a number to include on the packing. I sent it UPS.....didn't cost much, I included a letter and I certainly didn't have the receipt from 30 years ago. No big deal! They determine if the problem was theirs or if I caused the problem. If I caused the problem, I would be offered a discount on another pot, if I wanted. Well......time would tell what they thought!

Well, look what came in the mail. A GORGEOUS brand new dutch oven. Not only is the pan worth it's weight (yep, they are heavy) in enameled gold! The company stands up for the product!

Now, I'm not 'dissing' the French Factory Store, they are very helpful and informative. They try to have the pot in the color you are looking for if you call in advance......the prices are well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive north of Paris! I'm just happy that at the end of the day, satisfaction guarantee, and Lifetime Warranty do mean, just that. Now I can have two dutch ovens bubbling away on my hob!

5 comments:

Barbara said...

Well done Le Creuset.

meathenge said...

You go !!! That's great news, yeah!

Does this mean I should get rid of my 3 cast iron ovens? And my dozen cast iron fry pans?

My enamel coated ovens are Danish, don't make them anymore. Descoware, I think?

Cheers,
Biggles

Anonymous said...

Excellent news on le creuset usa! I do love my oval casserole which is just right to cradle a whole chicken- it's the old "flame" color- which I quite like. It's just the color of marigolds, and so cheery.
I do think the French le creuset lady was misinformed on the topic of plain cast iron frying pans- or we habitual cornbread eaters would be goners by now!

Chez Megane said...

Very nice! The blue also caught my eye =) I bought mine while in France and paying the heavy baggage fee on the flight home was worth every penny to keep this baby with me - ha.

T Wupdi said...

Wow. America Le Creuset rocks.

In Canada, Le Creuset didn't want to replace a stoneware dish that cracked in the oven. After getting the Ontario Better Business Bureau on Le Creuset, they agreed to replace the product BUT after 6 months still no replacement or explanation.

Blue Creuset Disk Explodes and Creuset Canada won't honor warranty