Subtotal Recall

A Tale of Three Things; Two that have Failed Me and One that I have failed:

#1

So remember two months ago when I bought those Chicco hanging seats (or, to be technical, Chicco Hippo Hook-on Chairs?) And everyone was happy because we could all eat at the table together and I could help Caroline and Edward feed themselves without contorting into unbearable positions and the space around our table became miraculously uncluttered?

[Exhibits A and B]

 

Yeah, well that lasted just over sixty days. On Monday Edward was sitting in his Chicco Hippo hanging seat and decided that he wanted something juuuuust out of his reach. So he leaned forward, hoiked up his knees and did a little bottom wiggle and... huzzah! He was on top of the dining room table.

[Exhibit C, a re-enactment. note: Edward is theoretically secured in this photo]

I was startled to turn around and see Edward acting as a centerpiece and I thought, yikes, we need to tighten that lap belt on him. So we did. This is when we discovered that it is designed such that there is actually no way to tighten the three-point harness so an active or even semi-active child cannot escape.  

Caroline watched him like a bright-eyed sparrow, looked at her own belt, and proceeded to shimmy out of it, sylph that she is.

So we had two children on the table.

Damn it. We just spent $100 on seats that were functional for a mere two months. I thought about it and concluded that a lap belt should offer more than a suggestion that the child should remain seated and I called the Babies R Us store from whence I bought them. My hope was that I could return them because they are dangerous and useless and then I could buy something else that is safe and useful.

The Babies R Us store person listened and then said they would be happy to accept the return provided that the seats were unused, repackaged in their original packaging material and accompanied by the original sales receipt. Oh, did I say they listened? Maybe not. She then told me that I can call the manufacturer and maybe they can help. Or if there is a formal recall, you know, when more children than just mine wiggle out and maybe fall and gash their heads and break their arms, THEN they will take them back.

Whatever.     

I called Chicco. I explained that I had used the seats for two months and that both of my nineteen month old twins had recently figured out how to escape the seats and that there was no way to secure the belt to prevent this.

She said...

[this is when I got annoyed and decided to write this post]

"The three point harness is only intended for use while the parent is in the room and within view of the child."

It was the WAY she said.

My response, like Milhouse the night watchman, "Of course I was watching. First he started to fall over; then he fell over."

What? They think I cannot run a meth lab and feed my kids breakfast at the same time? The nerve.

As I type this I realize that I am not quite enough in the right to justify a refund. As she said, the lap belt only works as well as it works. And despite the fact that it is advertised for use between the ages of 6 months and three years, the unwritten caveat is that these ages only apply to preternaturally still children. So Chicco told me to go fuck myself as did Babies R Us corporate who I called next (and who could have done something. I worked corporate retail. we were insanely powerful. even as a grocery buyer in Chicago I was permitted under federal law to have people killed, if I so chose - getting a shabby product returned would have been a mere bagatelle; something I would do as I flossed with the bones of my P&G rep) suggested ditto (provided I had my original packaging to do so.)

So I have ordered different hanging seats with a five-point harness from Amazon (will advise as to efficacy) and in the meantime I have to sit in between Caroline and Edward as they eat, shoving them back into their seats every five seconds with a firm, "No standing. On your bottom please."

I really resent this.

My online product review now goes something like: Chicco Hippo Hanging Chairs are great unless you do not want your baby to sustain a concussion.

If you were considering getting these seats I would strongly advise against it. Or any Chicco product for that matter. I mean, what if something goes wrong with it? I can personally attest to their unwillingness to provide recourse.

#2

In delightful contrast, let me tell you about Playskool Hasbro.

Caroline, as I mentioned, developed a passionate devotion to the Playskool Made for Me mp3 player. She carried it everywhere, listening to the music and dancing (or smirking, as illustrated here)

[Exhibit D]

     

A week ago the mp3 plug-in part stopped working. I think it has a short in it because sometimes it plays and sometimes it does not. When it does not there is much sorrow.

[Exhibit E]

I bought the thing in December for Edward's birthday present and, although it is not that old, I admit that it has been taking a daily beating from two toddlers. So I think it is reasonable that a wire might have loosened. In fact, I do not think the product was intended for use under eighteen months, although I might be making that up and I do not feel like looking right now. Anyway, my point is that I was disappointed that it was no longer functioning properly but I was willing to consider that the fault was ours.

Regardless, I emailed Hasbro and explained when we bought it and that a part was broken and asked if there was anything they could do. Within three days I received an email back. They apologized for the problem and said unfortunately they have discontinued this item (a real shame, I think, and I note that they are now selling for $40 online - you might want to consider it.) However, they said, they mailed an item of equal value to us and hoped that it would help ease our sense of loss. Or something like that. I have not gotten the package yet (I am very interested to see what we get) but WOW.

Chicco. Hasbro.
Hasbro. Chicco.

One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just isn't the same.

#3

I have no idea where I read that nonstick cookware is not intended for extended use but I did. Something about the nonstick part turning toxic or breaking down on something. I read this aloud to Steve (whatever it was) and we said, huh, we might need new pans since ours are at least ten years old and look like they were used during the Battle of Hastings to hit the Saxons.

Then Steve had some sort of psychic break on Monday. In the morning I reached for a pan that was sitting on the stove top and then recoiled like I had been burned. Because I had been burned. Because Steve had made himself some sort of fried egg and wild mushroom thing for breakfast and then returned the empty pan to a still lit burner where it sat smoldering away for at least an hour. Uh, DANGER.     

What the hell, Steve, I asked.

Oh, sorry! he said

Later that same day we were eating lunch and I said, "Do you smell something burning?"

Steve looked stricken and ran over to the stove where he had yet again left an empty pan over an open flame. Same pan. My ten inch nonstick saute pan is now deader than dead.

So two questions:

Do you have a good skillet recommendation? Something affordable, please, as we are in reduced circumstances this summer and I just had to buy two more freaking seats for the twinkles.

What's your worst customer service experience? I feel like continuing to burn with self-righteous indignation and my Chicco ire will only get me so far.

PS I will shortly be posting a caprese salad recipe over at Scrambled that I think is pretty good. With a twist! Get your tomatoes ready.

Comments

[Suzanne]

We have calphalon nonstick, macys has a deal right now where you can get a 10" and a 12" for $50 for the two of them. They are listed as omelette pans but would clearly be multi-use.

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=234053&CategoryID=37824

[JoAnn]

I am actually on the same skillet hunt but have found Consumersearch.com to be unbelievably helpful for lots of things - they combine reviews from consumer reports and product magazines and consumers and make zippy little charts and reports that are quick and easy to digest. And how come the twinkles don't use your dining room chairs to climb on your table? My 21 month old has been doing THAT for 6 months now and since he's our 3rd child we've given up and now just let him (only so many different places we could put the chairs out of his reach and too much of a pain for the rest of us)- he's only fallen once so far. Knock wood. Oy. Sounds like C and E may be looking to do that themselves...thanks for the mp3 player recc, I may go find my little guy one of those online somewhere...

[amy]

I'm not currently indignant, and my toddler-suppressed recall only goes so far.

I did want to share, however, that my sister has some kind of mystical customer service mojo where she can make the rep do whatever she wants. We call it her "you're the stupidest person I've ever met" voice. She does this fake nice (but extremely transparently fake) thing where she talks and talks and talks until they're mesmerized and giving her free stuff and ponies. The high point was right before her wedding where she talked the church secretary and the pastor into giving her half her fee for the church back because they weren't going to be able to let her in to decorate until a few hours later than they had originally told her. Reason? Unexpected funeral for beloved, long-time church member. And they were apologizing to *her* by the end of the conversation.

I would loan her out to make your Chicco people cry, but she's too busy returning my shoes and demeaning my dry cleaner.

[Erika]

Ooooh. Zany Brainy. I had ordered this fairly pricy Rokenbok set for Christmas. As Christmas closed in, I called to check the status. They replied that there had been a mistake, and it was sent to somewhere in New York (WTF? I live in Colorado. Not even close.) They said they would send it to me when the people who got it in New York returned it. Wha? I suggested they should send me a new one NOW. They said sure! They would just charge me for it, and then refund my credit card when the one from New York came back. I then explained to them the error of their ways. But seriously?

[andrea_jennine]

Someone gave us a set of pans from Target's Calphalon line (Kitchen Essentials). The have metal handles (so they can be used in the oven as well as on the stovetop) and a non-stick coating that doesn't break down (the same kind of coating that's on the expensive Calphalon pans). I've been using them for a couple of years now, and they're my favorite pans in the kitchen!

[Jen]

Oh dear. See, I'm the kind of consumer who reads of your trouble and thinks...there must be a belt/sash/harness of some sort in our house that could somehow be jiggered to work. Or crazy glue on the seat?

I hate buying new things to replace things that should still work.

[Brooke]

I was accused of stealing a pair of (unworn, unopened, expensive) pantyhose. I was trying to return it a few days outside of the 30 day window. With a receipt I might add. Why that lead to the conclusion that I stole them is beyond me. The crazy cashier was reluctant to let me leave with them (obviously, since they were stolen) but would not return or exchange them for me.

[Meri]

I have several Calphalon One Infused Anodized pans and love them - you can even use metal and scrubbies on them. I use this pan all the time: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&WRN=-683658519&SKU=13211094&RN=399&KSKU=105111

[Brooke]

Right! Forgot my original point, which is the Target brand Caphalon has not been good to us, but I've heard good things about All-Clad.

[Olivia]

Worst customer service experience is with AT&T. We nearly had service cut off due to non-payment. Except we were paying them, and AT&T was casing the checks, but not applying them to our acct. because the account # wasn't on the check. WTF, AT&T? It was many hours of phone calls before it was straightened out.

Amy, my husband has some magical customer service mojo, too. He has sucessfully gotten our tv bill reduced and even got a new HD reciever (value $200) for free from DirectTV.

[MamaBirdNYC]

I got a set of Ikea cookware- cheap, and really quite nice to use. I recommend those. And for what it's worth (probably a bit late, but oh well) we use a fisher-price seat that straps onto the chair with my daughter. When she pushes off the table, raising the possibility of tipping the chair, we give one warning, then we push her away from the table and put the tray on. Then she is out of harm's way. It's not a neat solution, but since I think you already own the boosters, it is a cheap one.

[Christiana]

I love my stainless steel pots/pans by Emeril. Wonderful and I don't have to worry about the whole nonstick thing. Seriously, these are great.

My worst customer service problems have all been fro Best Buy. First my mom's refridgerator (bought from one store, but shipped from the other and when it didn't work properly within 48 hours of delivery, neither store would take responsibility.

Then, when I bought my uncle a DVD player for Christmas a couple of years ago, he passed away a few days later. When I tried to return it (it was still in the box) they refused to take it back without a receipt since I had paid cash for it and it couldn't be traced back on my credit card. When I began to cry (having just lost my uncle, etc.) the lady told me "that isn't going to get you anywhere."

[Korinna]

We have had so many bad customer service experiences with Babies R' Us that they are now referred to as Satan R' U.

[beth]

I've also heard that old non-stick stuff is dangerous. The recommendation I got was to buy the el-cheapo stuff in non-stick, from your local grocery store or whatever. Then replace it if the non-stick stuff gets chipped or starts to flake. It's a lot easier to throw out a $10 pan that may be poisoning you all than to toss a $50 pan that is shedding strange bits of expensive matter.

[Aunt Becky]

I'd gotten a bouncy seat as a shower gift, and several months later, when we went to assemble it, it was noted that there was an entire piece missing.

It had been purchased from The Internet and sent happily to our house and when I pled my case, again to Babies R Us, they looked at me like I might possibly be the world's biggest ignorant slut. I didn't have the original receipt because I hadn't bought it personally and the shipping label wasn't good enough.

Only by stroke of being heavily pregnant and intolerant of stupidity, did I force them to exchange the seat for another.

I will not shop there for anything that I will ever need to return.

[Daisy]

So I love-love the All-Clad copper core pans. My wallet? Does not love them like I do. After much research my fiance and I bought the Kirkland (Costco brand) set of 10 (or so?) pots & pans, stainless steel with copper cores.

I love them.

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

I think the whole box was $250- and this was 3 frying pans, a large 4 quart skillet, a strainer & three "boiling" pots for pastas, soup and the like.

[Ally]

We buy cheap nonstick pans at Target and replace them when they start to stick.

[Jennifer]

I've found that Analon does a pretty good job of knocking off Calphalon, for a lot less. We love the wok and the frying pan, and the small 10" has been good too. Found them at Kohls and Herberger's, if you are willing to end up at Southtown.

Don't get me started on customer service. My husband has been in the hotel business for over 20 years-he tends to get it from BOTH sides.

[Kirsten]

I'm not sure if you're committed to nonstick, but I got rid of mine for the same reason a few months ago. I replaced them with a 12" Lodge cast iron skillet which was all of $20, I think. To clean it, I rub kosher salt and oil in it while still hot because Alton Brown told me to. It stays on the cooktop pretty much all the time and I love it, although getting used to cooking with it instead of nonstick took a little time.

And I'm with you on both the Chicco chair (no climbing here, but such a pain to clean around the arms) and the evilness of BRU.

[Ruth]

Dell. My worst customer service experience EVER was with Dell. Very long story short, I spent better than 20 hours on the phone with my "friends", trying to get them to honor my warranty (we had paid for extended coverage). No fewer than three of their so-called Customer Service Reps actually HUNG UP ON ME when it became clear that they could not solve my problem. This went on for day after day (killing several phone batteries), until finally I threatened to call the Attorneys General of Texas and Massachusetts if someone didn't solve my problem, and pronto. At that point I was bumped up to the US-based resolution center, who agreed that my computer was toast and sent me a new one. Which ran great for about a week and then died. So they sent us another bigger, faster, stronger computer, which is still working.

The end.

[Jana]

Why just this morning I had to not only suffer through a terrible phone menu system, but also speak to four (FOUR!) different people just to cancel our appointment with the Time Warner Cable technician. And the fourth put me on hold while he got permission from a fifth. Gah!

[Becky]

I second Suzanne's Calphalon 10 & 12 inch pan combo recommendation - totally worth $50. They sell them at the May stores (Macys, Hechts, Foleys etc).

[Lauren]

I can't even talk about bad customer service. Everyone above wins, emphatically! On the non-stick, though, I'd recommend going to your friendly local restaurant supply store (many are open to the public) or checking out acemart.com. Pans from, say, Lincolnware or Vollrath are made to stand up to the heavy-duty use of the restaurant kitchen and don't cost nearly what your average All Clad/Calphalon/etc. does. I am all for fancy cookware, and have a great deal of it that isn't non-stick, but when you know the non-stick is going to be dangerous in a few years time, why pay good money for it?

[Jen]

We have this Calphalon pan - it is not non-stick but it is awesome. :http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Commercial-Hard-Anodized-12-Inch-Everyday/dp/B00006FX83/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1249498832&sr=8-9

I will second the recommendation for the Costco pans. I have them as well and love them.

[Procrastamom]

Worst customer service: CHILDREN'S PLACE

I bought my then 8 year-old son some jeans from there and within 30 days the back pockets were falling off. When I returned them the saleslady told me that they "don't take back items due to normal wear and tear". So, I wondered aloud how a child (any child) could cause wear and tear on the TOP of the back pockets without constantly sliding around on his back (the tops of these pockets were on his lower back, not the bottom of his, well, bottom). She said it was not her problem to contend with and it took me shaming her in front of a whole line of people (who helped me with my argument) to even give me store credit...which needless to say, I didn't really feel like replacing those shoddy jeans with another of the same brand and style. But I did anyways and the pockets didn't fall off of those.

That experience left me really bitter towards a store that I once loved and found affordable for my kid's clothing. And I haven't shopped there since.

[sallyforth]

Sharper Image has the WORST customer service ever! I had ordered a warm mist humidifier for my father-in-law (who was very ill) and had it sent to the Seattle area (we live in CT). 1 month later for Christmas, I ordered a volkswagon punchbug IPOD player for my skiddle and a thing that will start your car without jumpers if your battery dies for my husband. Unfortunately those both got shipped to my mother in law's house in Seattle, who assumed they were gifts and gave the IPOD player (over $150!!) as a toy to my 3 year old nephew and the other thing to my husband's brother in law. Imagine the phone call telling your in-laws those aren't their presents can they please give them back. When I called Sharper Image, they agreed to send us another set to CT. They sent both items to Seattle and they charged us AGAIN. They also charged my MIL for shipping to return the first set. When the second set arrived, she was pretty miffed. So was I because it was the day before Christmas and my skid and hubby didn't get their gifts. So I called again and they sent another set - this time it made it to CT but they charged us for a total of THREE sets. Then, because my MIL was not going to play that, she had also sent (and paid for shipping) the second set to us in CT . So we returned it, Sharper Image charged us for shipping again and ended up still charging us for 3 sets of this stuff even though 2 of them were returned. They have never credited us for the other 2 sets (it's been 2 years) and the IPOD player never worked correctly so it sits collecting dust on the floor. I found the car starter the other day buried in the garage, never used even though my husband's car battery was dead and caused all kinds of uproar one morning about 2 months ago.

Sharper Image - bad customer service and products that suck!

[Jackie]

I live in Canada, and one of the big phone companies here is Telus.

When I moved provences, I wanted high speed. They told me that high speed internet wasn't coming to my area for another couple months. So in the mean time, you can use dial up, and we will put you on the waiting list for high speed. Then when the hs comes, they will cancel my dial up and I will start paying for hs.

Well... wasn't I surprised when my first phone bill came, and they had charged me for both the high speed AND dial up service. I called, explained the situation, and they told me "no problem, just don't pay the high speed protion of your bill and we will fix it on our end".

So that's what I did.

The next months bill came, AGAIN I was charged for BOTH high speed and dial up internet, PLUS I was charged a late fee for the high speed that I didn't pay from the months bill (you know, I didn't pay it, because I didn't recieve the service, and they told me NOT to pay it!).

Again, I called in, they said it was sorted, only pay X-dollars.

This went on for over 4 months, when finally, I got a notice in the mail saying, "You have late fees on your account, please pay them NOW or your service will be cut off and you will have to pay a $150 re-connection fee!

I called again, and explained, I never recieved high speed service, and every month when I called in, I was always told they would take that off my bill, and not to pay it, and every month I would get charged late fees on that portion of my bill.

You know what the ONLY solution was to avoid getting my service disconnect and charged extra??? Was to PAY THE LATE FEES, as well as the bill for high speed (which I STILL wasn't recieving) and then once my account was back to $0, they would credit me in the comming months for the amount I over paid....

....right...because after all this, I'm going to "trust" that you will credit me the amount I paid you for a service I didn't recieve, only so I can avoid getting my service cut off completely and pay a fine for a mistake YOU made!!

[Kate (Bee In The Bonnet)]

I got a Kitchen Aid brand nonstick skillet at Target for around $30. It was fine for a couple of years until the 20 year old who recently housesat for us got ahold of it.

My theory is to buy cheap nonstick cookware and throw it away when it starts to wear. The good stuff is going to break down as well (it may take a little tiny bit longer), so you can pay $50 to throw away a skillet in 3-5 years, or you can pay $20 to throw away a skillet in 3-5 years. I coughed up just a tiny bit more for the Kitchen Aid one because it was heavier and it had an oven safe handle.

That said, I think I will be checking out that Macy's deal for the Calphalon set.

And HEY CHICCO. If you happen to be listening, I can assure you that because of this review and your awful customer service, I won't be buying your products in the future. I know, I know. Empty threat coming from an infertile woman, but seriously. I may actually reproduce someday, and I am all about the customer service. If you staff your call center with sarcastic, unhelpful people (okay, sarcasm can be funny, but not when you're trying to be shitty about it...), then I really don't need your products. Period. A simple "I'm-so-sorry, we-messed-up" can go a long, long way.

And @Ruth-- I worked for Dell for several years (in finance and later in human resources), and as employees, the only machines we were given to use were ones that were "refurbished", and I can tell you that even with the generous discount Dell offers to it's employees, I would never, ever have bought one, ever in a million years. Their computers SUCK. They built their sales model on a customizable model, with excellent customer service to back it up, and have moved so drastically far from it that I wouldn't buy one of their products even if it was the very cheapest thing available. I wouldn't even take a free one, frankly. Their corporate policies are so very questionable (I worked in human resources and was privvy to some 100% illegal hiring practices shortly before I brought it to the attention of my VP after which, I was fired. So. You know. Maybe my opinion is a bit tainted by that, but still) with frequent layoffs to suit whatever corporate face they are trying to put on for stock holders. Just stay away from Dell in the future! Awful product, awful customer service, and AWFUL corporate practices!

[Chris]

No cookware input for a myriad of reasons.

Worst customer service experience ever: 2 weeks ago a cashier at Wal Mart verbally abused me over my canvas bags. First she rolled her eyes and huffed at me upon seeing them. Then she threw my groceries into them. I was helping and trying to set a good example by not placing my eggs on bottom and throwing bottles of Coke on top. The lady behind me had 2 canvas bags. Upon seeing this, the cashier (in a raised voice) says, "What is it with you all and all these bags." I responded that we were trying to do something nice for our environment. At the point she let me know it wastes their time and holds things up. I told her I felt that was just too bad. I waited 24 hours to call the store manager. Had I done anything a moment sooner I would have insisted on her being immediately fired for 1) Being an idiot, 2) Hating the Earth, and 3) Embarrasing me and the lady behind me in front of other customers and cashiers. The store manager assured me it is not Wal Mart policy to discourage the use of the bags (I guess not since they sell the damn things and 2 of mine were their brand). She assured me they gets lots of positive feedback on this cashier, but that she'd "have a talk" with her.

[Tracy]

Back in the day when I was single and childless I had lots of expendable income and spent quite a lot of it on clothes at a local department store. I spent so much money that they gave me a special gold credit card. Said gold card entitled me to several perks, including free gift wrapping on items over $20. One day, I bought 2 items, priced $15 each that I wanted gift wrapped in ONE box as a baby gift. I also bought, for myself, a $25 item that did not need to be wrapped.

When I presented the two $15 items to the wrapper, she declined, stating the policy. I politely pointed out that I had actually spent $55 that day and only wanted one box wrapped (relatively small, mind you, I mean, it obviously wasn't a washer and dryer for god sake). Anyway, I had to go argue with customer service and threaten to cut up my precious gold card if they didn't give me the freaking gift wrap. The CS lady begrudgingly allowed me to have the items gift wrapped, but pointedly told me that it was a SPECIAL ONE TIME service.

And then when I went back down to gift wrapping, the wrapper made it a point to show me a printed copy of the policy -- as if I was retarded.

Subsequent letters to management on the issue only resulted in yet additional explanations of the policy. I finally wrote back and said, "I understand the policy, but ... the policy is stupid."

They eventually went out of business. Imagine that.

[Pam L]

I finally had to realize that no non-stick pan will last forever, and after having to replace them almost annually, no matter what exorbitant price I paid if I want it to be, you know, actually not-sticky, I have started buying mine at Ross. The one I have currently is a "Cookworks" and is very heavy duty, large, deep and has the extended comfort grip handle. It is very sturdily made with three strong rivets attaching the pan to the handle and I paid under $20 for it at Ross.

[NGS]

We put a Anolon Advanced 10" Non-stick Frypan on our registry when we got married just over a year ago (it was listed as $49.95, but I see it is currently on sale at Crate and Barrel for $26.95 - go buy! now!) and it has changed my life. Seriously. I had no idea how much more pleasurable life would be without crap sticking to my skillet every damn time I cooked. Seriously. Awesome skillet. And it's held up to once, twice, sometimes thrice daily usage for a year and looks good as new. I imagine years of pleasure from said cookware. (I have no fear of death by cookware, but I have no small children.)

I don't have any horror stories that come to mind about customer service, but I do have some stories about GOOD service. Because of the wedding, we received many gifts in the form of packages delivered to our front door from Crate and Barrel. One shipment contained an entire place setting of dishes entirely smashed and when I called C&B, they just sent me new ones. No proof of smashing required. No hoops. Just a phone call. I was pleased.

Then, the dishes we registered for stained. A lot. Within the first week of usage, half our bowls and many of plates were stained. The stains would not come out in the dishwasher. We packed up all our place settings, stained or no, took them to C&B, and they took them all back, gave us store credit, and let us pick out new dishes (which was a pain because we had agreed on the first set after much pain and deliberation and that pain and deliberation was made hundredfold the second time around, but that was not the fault of C&B).

So! Go Crate and Barrel!!

[Leslie in Toronto]

Oh! I got a non-stick from Cuisinart (totally affordable) that is not Teflon. It is some new "green" non-stick product, and I love this pan in a way that I may never again love a man. Which is strange and pathetic, but at least I eat well :)

[erin]

I read an article in Mother Jones a couple (two?) years ago that has stuck with me in a totally unironic sort of way. It talked about how most everyone now has Teflon in their bodies because of the rise of nonstick pans. Awesome, right?

I've got the Target Calaphalon (did I spell that right? It stumps me every time) pans and I like them. The article said to immediately discard any nonstick pans where the nonstick coating had scratches... apparently that is Bad, capital B. As long as the nonstick coating is intact, it should be ok.

Honestly, stainless steel is what I would buy if I were about to buy new pans. In fact, now that I've reminded myself of this horrible knowledge I had locked in my brain, I sort of want to see what Ikea's got like one of the commenters mentioned above.

[Shannon]

Worst customer service experience: The OB/Gyn practice that I'd chosen for the birth of my first child --specifically for the great reputation of their midwives-- informed me by form letter at the beginning of my third trimester that the midwives would still be doing prenatal appointments, but would no longer be allowed to attend births. ?!@!? When we asked to speak to the practice manager at our next appointment, to politely register our disappointment and to let her know we'd be seeking a new practice, the woman was incredibly rude and condescending. And when I looked over my file while bringing it to the new practice, I saw that there was a note from that day about how *I* was "extremely angry". Ugh. (Fortunately, our new practice was SO awesome, it made up for the last minute switch).

[Toni]

I'll second the person who said they loved their Emeril stainless steel stuff. I read (years ago) about how all that stuff on the non-stick pans just outgases and causes yucky things (cancer? weight gain? not sure - but it was BAD). SO I went stainless. And never had a problem with them.

[erin]

Oh! And as for worst customer service -- Chrysler, all the way.

When my car was only a year old the inside of the wheels started to corrode. The dealership said "this isn't under warranty". Chrysler said, "let me transfer you to Person A," who said, "let me transfer you to Person B", who said "let me transger you to Person C". Eventually I asked someone at the shop to scrape the corrosion off and let me know if the wheel was structurally unsound.

Last fall I had my Jeep at the dealership for a new battery and new brakes. I asked if they could check my heating/cooling system because the car had been eating through coolant at a fast clip for six months. They said ok. Then called back and said "we couldn't find the problem, sorry. Just keep refilling the coolant." When I picked the Jeep up, I noticed that they did not note my coolant complaint in the paperwork, but because it was after 5:00, there was no one there to rectify it. Two months later and the situation deteriorated to an odd smell coming out of the vents every time I drove. I was breathing coolant from the leak that had corroded my heater core. Oh and surprise, my Jeep was one month out of warranty and with no documentation, I had no recourse with the dealership or Chrysler.

It was $2000 to replace the heater core, plus they had to remove my entire dashboard to do it.

Hate Chrysler. HAAAAAAAAAAAAATE.

[Queenie]

That is fantastic of Hasbro. . .and stupid of Chicco.

I don't do nonstick, because the fact that the stuff breaks down grosses me out, health risks aside. I just have regular (but very nice, heavy-bottomed) skillets, and I don't seem to have any trouble. If you must go nonstick, head to TJMaxx. My husband HAD to have an omelet pan, and it was like $8. It's held up fine. They also have quite nice pots and pans like Caphalon at super cheap prices.

[Cheryl]

CAST IRON!

Cheap. Effective. Indestructible. Need I say more? Okay, so they can be a little fussy in the care and cleaning dept, but once they are part of your routine you will love them and never look back.

[Beth]

I used to love All Clad until I received a free Cuisinart saucepan as part of an Amazon promotion. The Cuisinart pans are just as good as all Clad and WAY cheaper.

[cee]

we got a set of amazing copper-bottom pots and pans from costco for about $300.

[Julie]

I've got nothing of note, but was so excited to order my first Christmas present (the mp3 player). Thank you!

I use Calphalon and love it!

[Heather P.]

Yes, dear go with Lodge cast iron.
They have developed a new process in which they now come to you pre-seasoned. You can use them in the oven, stove-top or even camp-fire.
And they will last FOREVER-when you are dead and gone, Caroline, Edward, and Patrick's kids will be fighting over who get them.

[liz]

Ugh, my worst was when I arranged for the transportation of a car from Alaska to Ft. Lauderdale as part of a company move. I paid an "all-inclusive" price, but then the car mysteriously disappeared for awhile and they contacted the owner, telling him he needed to pay an additional $1,000 to release his car. The way this all unfolded was through a series of confusing and nonsensical phone calls where the car was in Tacoma, no it was en route, no it would be delivered the next day, etc etc, until they told us the car had been at the lot for a week awaiting pick up and had incurred fees ($1,000) that we needed to pay (in cash) to get the car. I was irate and thought the car shipper should pay the fee since apparently the car had arrived and no one at the company had bothered to tell us. I tried to tell all this to the "customer service" rep who kept saying things like, "Uh huh, sure. The car was in Tacoma? That doesn't make sense. This sure is a fishy story," in a super condescending voice, like I was trying to scam THEM. I don't think I've ever been so angry--at them and at me for not doing a thorough Google search of the company before using them. Long story short: never ever use National Auto Transport.

[Brenna]

Might I suggest cast iron? Once cast-iron is seasoned, it's nearly or as non-stick as a Non-Stick pan, but without the questionable coating. With the added bonuses of extra iron in your diet, being able to use them in the oven as well as on the stove, and they last forever.

Lodge Logic makes great ones that are pre-seasoned! And made in the USA! And very reasonably priced! And...okay, I'm done. But check it:

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-4-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUA/ref=pd_sim_k_5

[Mimi]

I've had All-Clad (the best), Cuisinart, Caphalon, and Circulon pans. I really like the non-stick properties of the Circulon, and they are priced right. Food just releases. (It has these little ridges on the bottom so maybe food doesn't get as good a grip???) Handles are very comfortable too!

Re: Chicco - The old adage is that one unsatisfied customer tells 10 people. With the internet, there's no limit how many people will hear about an incident of bad customer service! What are they thinking?

[Haitian American Family of Three]

Ohhhhh. I am one of those people who have good mojo because I REFUSE TO TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. You need to write the company a strongly worded letter with the words, I am VERY DISAPPOINTED, and BLOGGER and LAWSUIT
ok, maybe not the last one-or maybe just the idea of it being a dangerous product for children!!! You have every right to get a refund for both chairs and if you need my help email me I am ready to fight the good fight for you!!! My sisters, friends, parents have all had me go to bat for them-and we've always prevailed, wait, expect for the budget car experience-they won that, even thought they were wrong, wrong, wrong (charged us 300-more then quoted) but they have a team of lawyers and PR people. Anyway, call/write again and speak to the BOSS. Cheers!!!

[Woody's Girl]

We got rid of all our old pots and pans (some were non-stick, some were a very nice but ancient set from my g'ma), and invested in Townecraft. Complete overhaul of our cookware put us back by about $4K, but we'll never ever have to buy pots/pans/bakeware for the rest of our lives (hopefully!).

Individual pieces aren't cheap either, but when we learned about the health hazards of all other kinds of cookware (other than glass... but I don't care for those, actually, since I've had a couple that broke), we felt compelled to buy them. They are surgical grade stainless steel, some with liquid core (the electric pans - which are totally immersible!), so they should last a lifetime.

As for customer service, aieee... where should I begin? One that stands out in my mind was a Dodge dealership that refused to even SHOW me any of their trucks! When I pointed out one in which I was interested (at least, from afar), he was dismissive, saying "Oh, no... you wouldn't want that. It costs over $30K." EXCUSE ME?! Did we discuss my financial ability to purchase a vehicle?! No. WHY, then, was he making assumptions about my buying power?

So I went across town and promptly purchased a VERY EXPENSIVE Ford truck. :D

[Emmie (Better Make It A Double)]

We had that problem with our Graco clip-on seats, and just got each boy's seat a nylong belt that we clipped in the back instead of at the waist. Seriously, why don't they all clip in the back instead of right where they can mess with them? Anyway, the fix cost about 6-8 bucks at the hardware store.

[Linda]

I fourth the suggestion of cast iron. They heat evenly and last forever. I have some that my grandmother used while my Mom was growing up.