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jenwthrop

Lacanche kitchen nightmare

9 years ago

My kitchen saga has unfortunately taken a turn for the worse. After my husband and I started in on our light kitchen remodel things snowballed into a complete remodel which I had been patiently waiting to use and show off to our family this past holiday season. I can’t believe how quickly things went from bad to worse!


My oven was having issues leading up to Thanksgiving but I was assured it would be fixed. They sent out a service man and even though I expressed my concern that it was not fixed properly, I was told it was ok to use. That was obviously not the case seeing how thanksgiving day, my turkey was barely cooked after 4 hours. I wanted to cry having to finished our turkey on the bbq. After two more service men coming out telling me two different things, I didn't want to relive the same experience for christmas so we made some backup plans.


Fast forward to today and I have an expensive paperweight in my kitchen. Half of the burners don't work, and even when they did they burnt everything. The oven and the warmer never have matched what I set them to. I’m at the end of my rope. Needless to say we will be redoing counters and cabinets this spring making this purchase even more expensive then we originally planned.


I worried about picking the perfect stove for so long, going back and forth with our designer to make sure we got everything right in my dream kitchen. Agonizing over burner and trim options only to feel like I wasted so much time, and apparently a lot of money too. I have heard some people who love their Lacanche with only a few bad eggs that I figured were just being picky. Hence why I took the plunge in buying one. Everyone assured me how great it would be, or for me to give it time to get used to. I have never needed more then a few days to get used to an oven.


I don't like to have to threaten to air my dirty laundry to get a company to come through, but I gave them so many chances to make this right. I didn't rip apart my kitchen and put in the best of the best only to have to worry every time I go to cook.

Comments (18)

  • 9 years ago

    So sorry to hear this. Most folks love these things and the French barn folks are very accommodating with insights etc. Exert your will and ask that everything be fixed quickly and/or a quick tradeoff. If not full refund including all shipping plus something extra for your aggravation. Sounds like you got a lemon ... don't think the folks at lacanche ever want a single word uttered about their products and lemons in the same sentence ... irrespective of rather their is a 98 percent love factor or not. This caliber of product demands quick action/response/service ... reach out to the French barn folks for advise on quick remediation ... and ask them to skip the irrelevant part about never hearing this before. Good luck!

  • 9 years ago

    Yes, indeed, whether you're in Canada or the US (Art Culinaire), your distributor should be on this. Make noise--call them. Write to the president. The range should be well made and should be adjusted correctly, so there should be a technician who can fix it. If they determine it's really a lemon, it's on them to replace it.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Hello Jennifer,

    I am very sorry to hear about your troubles. Although I appreciate Mike mentioning us, there is unfortunately not much I can do from here since I believe you are in the USA. I will reach out to AC again for you.

    Patrick

  • 9 years ago

    While I appreciate the sympathy it doesn't change the fact that after a very long wait and putting up with what seemed like a never ending remodel, the part I was most looking forward to using is a disaster. My sister-in-law was the one who convinced me to get a Lacanche. I'm not sure I have ever heard of her having a problem with it. Then again I don't think she uses hers as much as she originally said. Luckily our contractor has been a joy to deal with and has given us some great ideas to address this and a few other issues. It would be nice if they were standard sizes so we didn't have to change cabinetry and countertops.

  • 9 years ago

    That's not a long remodel. Four years living in the house using alternative means of cooking: That's a long remodel.

    -- Crocodile Dundee's DIY Brother

    Yes, please rattle the cage of those with skin in the game, or make sure that they do have skin in the game. Potential litigation counts as skin. What does your warranty claim to cover? Unless sold "as-is," there are also requirements relating to suitability for sale that may apply.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Hi Jennifer,

    We are very sorry to hear of your range issues, we never want any range owner to have this experience with our product. Could you please contact us: 888.222.2930, support@frenchranges.com to discuss options to resolve the issues you are having?

    - Eric

  • 9 years ago

    Our designer is the one who purchased the stove on our behalf. She will be contacting you for what I expect to be a full refund.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jennifer, it is very upsetting to have a major issue in the kitchen. I know as I was in kitchen h*ll for 3 years with a defective oven that eventually was bought back.

    But, as appliance companies go, the folks who sell Lacanche here tend to be very responsive. I say this over more than a decade here and having several friends who own Lacanche ranges.

    "Standard" sizes in Europe are different than in the US. If you buy a French range, metric sizes are standard. There may be other European ranges you can buy that would not require changing cabinets and counters. La Cornue comes to mind but there are several others. They are expensive. As expensive as changing cabinets and counters? You need to investigate.

    If your designer bought the range for you, might I respectfully suggest that you find out if she got a percentage of the sale? It's likely she did. You should always buy appliances directly, yourself, and establish your warranty immediately.

    The idea that you, yourself, are not calling Art Culinaire is a very bad idea. I urge you to make the effort yourself so that you can clearly explain what's going on and learn from them directly.

    Sounds like all you know is what the designer is telling you. Also, it's not clear who attempted to do the repairs and whether what happened after that was properly communicated.

    One reason to come to this site is to get new information. It may be hard to hear what I'm saying but this is not something that should be delegated. Yes, it is her responsibility if she bought the range. But it's your range and you own the problem. She doesn't.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    I agree with everything rococogurl suggested to you. I've dealt with Art Culinary on several occasions including the repair of three burners. I have always been completely satisfied with every employees, and efficiency and the outcome. I also would suggest you contact them directly.

  • 9 years ago

    These situations are always tough to read without getting the feeling there's a lot more to it. I'd hope there is a lot more information and I'm very surprised that the manufacturer's rep wasn't brought in earlier by the install/repair company. I can tell her frustrations are very real but not at all clear whether the range is a lemon or the installers/repairmen are lemons (possibly all are lemons).

  • 9 years ago

    I am already in love, but trying to read everything I can about Lacanche experiences in the US before purchasing a Cluny. This is not making me happy. Jennifer, Hope you will continue to fill us in about how this issue is resolved. Thanks from Vero Beach, Florida.

  • 9 years ago

    I sure hope we get an update here. The post above appears to suggest that the company wants to make it right. I also agree that you should never allow someone else to fight your battles. The impact to the kitchen designer is negligible and if the manufacturer has questions, she won't be answering them adequately. Nor can she accurately express how much frustration. She's a go between that will temper and water down the free exchange of information.

    I hope you are on your way to getting the range you love!

  • 9 years ago

    Jennifer W.

    Well, How did you make out? Did the company make good, is your problems solved, were they helpful and successful in taking care of everything? Am I the only one that likes a happy ending and thinks companies that step up to the plate should be recognized for doing the right thing? Everyone complains when things go wrong but when things are fixed.. what your too busy cooking. Jennifer....Whats up?

    Inga

  • 9 years ago

    I am also looking at Lacanche ranges and would love to know the outcome of this! Thanks,

    kristi

  • 9 years ago

    I can't say what happened with the OP's range but I can share my own experience with the LaCanche Volnay. We had it installed in 2010 (sadly just before they added the autoshut off to the burners). The oven was way off and the burners couldn't get anywhere near a simmer. I called the service tech Art Culinaire had listed on their website for our area and was scheduled within a week. I can't remember if he replaced the thermostat or simply re-calibrated it, but the temperature problem was fixed. He also took the knobs off the burners and adjusted them. I still couldn't get as low a simmer as I liked so I turned the simmer burner down even lower. It worked great but would occasionally blow out and not reignite!!!! So, I turned it up a tad and now use a flame tamer for things like tomato sauce.

    I can't imagine why Jennifer W wasn't able to get her range fixed since they are pretty uncomplicated machines. We really love the look and function of our range and would highly recommend it to someone not looking for the bells and whistles of modern technology. If I could do it over, I'd probably get the Cluny though, since we never use the warming oven.


  • PRO
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bonjour cheri127 ifoco and Kristi Woodcock ! So wonderful to hear from you all. We would also have loved to hear from Jennifer, but unfortunately are still awaiting word as well. Our commitment to our owners is paramount, but we do need a little investigative help when feedback such as this is presented on a social media platform. We are always so honored to be considered for the heart of one's home, and truly hate to hear that an owner is so regretful in their purchase.

    It is to note that all Lacanche Ranges purchased through Art Culinaire come with three year warrantee on parts, labor and service, and parts are housed in our National Headquarters in Washington, so availability should never be an issue. We now systematically pass all Ranges through one of our Warehouse facilities upon arrival to the US, to test and calibrate, prior to arriving at your home. The Ranges are analog, and are fairly simple to repair.

    While the Cluny is one of my personal favorites cheri127 , I would urge you to re-think your Warming Oven as not just a place to warm plates when entertaining, but more as a true 'low temperature oven' that can also function similar to that of a 'crockpot' or slow cooker. We find so many owners love to use the warming cupboards to proof yeast, dehydrate vegetables, or slow cook a brisket for several hours at time. Starting grains on the cooktop, for example, can finish beautifully in the Warming Cupboard. Just a petit thought :)

    As always, feel free to reach out to us at frenchranges.com, or say bonjour at Blair@frenchranges.com. I'm more than happy to help in any way I can.

    Merci, mes amis !!

    Blair

    Art Culinaire | Lacanche US

  • 9 years ago

    Thanks for the tip, Blair. :)