GE range rant/self-cleaning warning

9 years ago

We purchased a new GE dual fuel slide in range (P2S920SEFSS) this March as part of our kitchen renovation. 3 weeks ago we decided to use the self-cleaning feature - but about an hour into the cycle we heard a loud cracking noise and saw that the tempered glass inside the oven door had completely shattered. We called GE the next day and they sent a service rep out that afternoon. He said he hadn't seen this problem before and that it was likely due to a manufacturing error, maybe the glass was installed unevenly and the heat caused it to shatter. So he ordered the replacement part, it arrived 2 days later - also completely shattered - thanks GE!

The tech came out to confirm the new part was broken and said the part was on backorder and it might be faster to just get a new range. So we spent 4 days going back and forth with GE about getting a new range - finally they said the best they could do is send us a check for the range because there were no authorized installers in our entire very large southern city! So we would have to handle the installation and they would not cover that cost - not to mention we had paid for an extended warranty on our specific range. We demanded more and had to wait over the long weekend to hear back from them, they called Monday to say they "found" the replacement part again. They shipped it to us, not broken - but we had a tech scheduled to come out today and he's sick! So now it will be 5 more days before the oven is fixed - so we will have been without an oven for a total of 22 DAYS! While I know this is a "first world problem" it is extremely frustrating to have a brand new appliance break so quickly and to have to wait so long for a supposedly reputable company to make it right.

And while some of the customer service phone reps have been helpful, many of them have gone out of their way to be unhelpful, telling me to get off the phone and not wait for supervisors because I was tying up the line, being generally rude, etc.

Hopefully Tuesday we will have a fully functioning appliance but we are not holding our breath...

Featured Answer

hvtech42

9 years ago

This is nothing unique and happens with all brands, both on ovens and glass radiant cooktops. You got particularly unlucky this time with 2 bad in a row. Many will never experience the issue at all. You can lessen the chances of ANY oven problems by not running self clean. Heating to almost 1000 degrees tends to stress components. Your customer service experience, while unfortunate, demonstrates what it's like to deal with big companies these days; there are some good customer support reps and some terrible ones. I think you made the right decision not taking the refund; most of the brands have complaints, both about the products and the customer service.

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Comments (6)

iain64
9 years ago
Makes you wonder what these companies are thinking. How do they train their customer service reps?
ci_lantro
9 years ago
...very large southern city...

Look at it this way: It's too darned hot to turn on the oven anyway.

Seriously, given that your glass broke and the replacement glass arrived broken, I'd not gamble on the replacement, replacement glass being any better quality. I'm pretty certain that I would have taken the refund check and tried to haggle out at least a partial refund on the extended warranty.
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mikelh44
Original Author
9 years ago
yeah, it really probably is too hot for the oven but we use it all the time. Before the kitchen remodel we had been using a toaster oven for over 6 months, so we've been enjoying the full size oven and NO toaster:).

and we will never use the self-cleaning feature again. I had no idea how frequently that causes problems until we googled after our experience. I don't think that should even be an option on ovens if it causes so many malfunctions!

And I almost wish we had taken the check, and bought a different brand but it does sound like they all have issues - and we do love the cooktop/griddle feature and the fact that it's dual fuel. I think we're mostly disappointed from the customer service standpoint - we have stayed home on 3 occasions for 4-hour windows and had terrible phone rep experience and still do not have a properly functioning appliance. It's a shame that companies don't seem to care/are too big to care these days.
dadoes
9 years ago
I have used self-clean on my GE Profile electric range several times over the past 9 years with no trouble occurring thus far.
User
9 years ago
You have a right to rant about poor service but don't let this make you feel bad about your purchase. GE Ranges are outstanding when comparing other ranges with similar features. Being an ex multiple-dwelling landlord and purchase only Kenmore Range, GE rules with no repairs within 5 years compare to Kenmore's when the oven ignition fails in that time frame.

The GE I put in my moms apartment went 12 years without an single fix, My black range that I left behind looked brand new after 8 years of trouble free use and the new range that is currently in my house only needed low burners adjustment that I've done myself which is close to 7 years old.