I just find it interesting, after being on this forum for several years, that we are suddenly seeing Bluestar offer good customer service. For YEARS I have been reading posts here about lax, rude, apathetic, non-responsive Bluestar customer service. Of course, now we have another open-burner range option in the Capital Culinarian. Is that what it took to get Bluestar to care for its customers?

Maybe. Competition is good. Companies that can adapt survive. Basic market principles.

Maybe a little of that, the end to the problems with the release of the V1 series and also the possibility that it just took this long before more than just a few very vocal folks with an issue and non-owners with an agenda started posting here after "actually buying a BlueStar" and taking the time to comment about their POSITIVE BlueStar experiences.

As a rule, the majority of owners of any product do not make it a point to advertise their satisfaction online. Those with a problem and who feel like they are not getting satisfaction seek out forums like this one like moths to a flame. This usually leaves the casual observer with the impression of a runaway epidemic of problems with a particular product. In reality, it just appears that way due to the lack of balance between the vocal minority and the silent and satisfied majority. ;o)

After all, there is nothing like actual hands on experience with a high end product to dispel rumors and half truths perpetrated by non-owners and those with no experience cooking on a restaurant caliber stove. Temp probe and water boil time tests are all well and good for the gear heads who often fail to put equal emphasis on their cooking skills, but I base my conclusions on my food. Does it taste like I just cooked it on restaurant gear? Was my recipe enhanced? Was I able to pull off this meal easier through the use of this stove/oven? In my case, the answer is a resounding YES. Thats all that matters to me, and at this point and I am pleased that I am no longer in the market for a stove, and don't expect I will ever have cause to part with my BlueStar.

It's good to hear reports of solid support and service from Bluestar. I just want to say that your good experiences do not negate the legitimate complaints of others posting here who have not been so lucky with Bluestar. In other words, your happy outcomes do not necessarily undo the catalog of problems Bluestar owners have amassed and documented here, nor render them "noise."

But it is a happy trend and good to see that BS seems to be a bit more proactive in their responses than they perhaps were in the past. Now, if they could only find an engineering team who, between the lot of them, could figure out how to make an oven door that NEVER seizes up.

Goldengoose - you have been on this forum for about a week. I have been a member of this forum for 7 years. Your posts in the short time you have been here have focused on bashing the Bluestar owners who have had problems. I find your posts so overly critical of the years of legitimate complaints, and so forceful about the perfection of your own range that I have to wonder if you are a shill. I have no way of knowing one way or the other, but since you consistently bash Bluestar owners who have been on this forum for years, and claim the perfection of your own range, it is a legitimate concern.

Statements like: "..before more than just a few very vocal folks with an issue and non-owners with an agenda started posting here." Very shill-like. It is been much more than "just a few", and rarely is it non-owners complaining. It is owners who have called Bluestar, sometimes for months, with no return calls, and no resolution. Only Trevor at Eurostoves was able to help them most of the time; I can't even count the number of times he jumped in to help Bluestar owners whom Bluestar CS was ignoring, and many of them were not even his customers. Why on earth do you say "just a few" when you have only been on this forum for a week?

"This usually leaves the casual observer with the impression of a runaway epidemic of problems with a particular product. In reality, it just appears that way due to the lack of balance between the vocal minority and the silent and satisfied majority." As I said, I am not a "casual observer", but an active member of this forum for 7 years. The threads I have read have been so numerous and continual over the years, that it certainly has been an epidemic, not only of Bluestar problems, but of Bluestar lack of response and lack of service. These ranges are very expensive yet I have read threads about flaws in the door (the most common and consistently reported), problems with the ignitors, problems with the grates, parts missing, sharp unfinished parts.

Goldengoose, do you work for Bluestar? Or are you a PR rep for them? I am glad that it seems that Bluestar has finally decided to attend to quality control at the factory, though we still read of ranges that arrive with some improper part or something missing or broken. It also seems that Bluestar has finally decided to be responsive to customers, coincident with the appearance in the market of the Capital Culinarian.

Nope. I don't work for BlueStar. I'm just a recent BlueStar buyer/owner who is tired of seeing 1-3 year old complaints about a product no longer in production being raised in contemporary discussions here.

I have been reading this forum on and off for about 2 years, but never had need to register or post until I purchased a new stove and wanted to post my impressions. Is the amount of time you have been a registered member of a backwater discussion forum supposed to make some kind of difference in your qualifications as a Chef or BlueStar expert?

My qualifications? I'm a retired professional chef that knows a thing or two about restaurant grade gear, having earned a living on some of the best for over 10 years. As such, I have been putting in my two cents about what I perceive is a lot of "noise" from non owners about QC issues with the BlueStar product that are no longer present in the current production version and therefore irrelevant to prospective buyers.

Although the product has been upgraded and the previous issues have been addressed, the bashers continue to bring up these points to prospective buyers when they post about considering buying a BlueStar NOW. New buyers will be getting a V1, NOT the models responsible for the issues you are referring to, so the problems that others have encountered in the past, or with slow factory customer service response times that both I and other recent purchasers have not experienced are irrelevant NOW. I am not diminishing their claims as illegitimate, only suggesting that they are no longer relevant, since the models they own are no longer in production.

Why do NON owners continue to raise these issues as if they are still a factor? Is it out of Ignorance? Hidden Agendas? I don't know, but it is a disservice to prospective buyers who deserve the current facts about the product. Since you mentioned the term "shill", I would suggest to you that I would be far more suspicious of posts from people continuing to raise these issues than I would from those who are simply reporting on their experience USING a recently manufactured BlueStar V1. ;o)

Recent reports on the quality, performance and overall finish of V1 ranges are what people should be focusing on, and the actual HANDS ON reviews from people that actually OWN the current production versions. I would hope that prospective buyers put more stock in our opinions of the product that from the armchair quarterback types who seem to think their opinion as an outside observer counts more than those of actual owners who are (heaven forbid) actually cooking food on the thing, instead of covering it with temp probes!

I reviewed this forum when I was in the market for a range, and quickly identified the majority of the BlueStar bashing as nothing more than that. I discounted the comments as insignificant, and the majority of user complaints as isolated and largely pilot error related and went ahead with my purchase. I based my decision on my previous experience with Garland equipment and the striking similarity of the BlueStar to that brand. I am still not sure if there is an actual connection between the two, but having used Garland for most of my career, I felt comfortable buying a product so similar in design and performance for my home kitchen.

I am VERY glad that I did, since the range is fantastic and I would buy one again in a heartbeat if the need ever arose to do so.

As for the Culinarian... Its arrival must have had an impact on BlueStar's attitude and customer service because my personal experience with the company has been 180 degrees opposed to what I have seen posted here from other "owners" in years past.

I'll throw my positive experience in the ring. I called Mandy today to get help with changing out my grill ignitor. She was very responsive and helped me every step of the way. I was having trouble with undoing the electrical connections and wasn't sure how they came apart. She emailed me photos of how the connections come apart and walked me through installing the new ignitor. My BS is about 2 years old and it's unfortunate that my grill doesn't work, which is a separate issue, but the customer service today at BlueStar was excellent.

Goldengoose7, well said! I concur 100% and I have no stake in the game. I'm just a serious cook who needs a serious machine. No it's not my day job, but I take it to a level that few people do.

This is exactly why I have been posting and why I DO call it "noise." Playing old tapes does NOT count, especially when it's about obsolete models. Heaven forbid a company learn from its mistakes or improve its product. That's not the American way, or anything, is it?

There's SO much bullcrap out there and the #1 source is resellers. #2 is internet commandos. I had so many salespeople in high end appliance stores try to talk me out of a Bluestar (obviously they didn't sell them) because it would be too much heat, I would burn everything. "Take this nice Wolf with its sealed 16K BTU burners, that's more than anyone will ever need." Right... That's funny, I haven't burned a darn thing.

-Stooxie

I think the Culinarian came at the perfect moment for me to order a Blue Star.

I think the Culinarian came at the perfect moment for me to order a Blue Star.

My BS detector doesn't want to reset for some reason.

LOL! Thanks Stooxie! You too!!

High heat cooking is an art that most home cooks fail to ever master, so in a way, salespeople are probably basing their comments on their experience with this fact.

As far as this forum goes, and all the flame wars etc... In my personal experience, the gear heads are generally the least capable cooks because they put far too much emphasis on things that don't matter, and very often fail to identify the features of a professional range that matter the most and make the biggest difference in the results. The biggest variable of all is the skill of the person using it! ;o)

You find this in pretty much any hobby. The ones with the skill do their research pick their tools and get busy. The ones who lack the skill are often the ones you see languishing in discussion forums unable to move beyond the minutia of the hardware.

Now that I have received my BlueStar and posted my impressions along with a few opinions, I am feeling like it is time for me to get back to the kitchen and leave the range wars to the gear heads. ;o)

Cheers.

We have been reading all the Bluestar posts for the past several weeks and decided to buy a 30" Bluestar range. When our range arrived we noticed 3 of the 4 grates and the center filler pieces had flaws in the porcelain coating. I called Bluestar on Monday and a box arrived in front of my house on Wed with 3 new grates and 2 new center pieces! I live in Toronto - that is the fastest customer service I have ever had from any manufacturer! In addition, when setting up the range I had a question on the broiler, I called in and spoke to Chris - a really nice guy - he answered all my questions and got me going in no time. I have had nothing but spectacular Customer Service from Bluestar!

Now the best part - the range - it is simply a joy to cook with!

Steve

Playing old tapes does NOT count, especially when it's about obsolete models. Heaven forbid a company learn from its mistakes or improve its product. That's not the American way, or anything, is it?

Track record makes no difference to you? Think of a car make that you think sucks based on years of anecodotal evidence and perhaps even your own. Now say they come out with a new model and two or three people rave about how well their problems were handled, would you reverse your opinion on a dime?

Let's face it, people have always gotten excited when BS got a new CSR. Pete, Kim (?), Matt, now Mandy? Good luck Mandy, but your predecesors were all great until they sucked and left.

Like I said in another thread yesterday, great that they're turning things around. I hope it continues, and I want to believe it will. But a couple people coming here telling their stories about how well their PROBLEMS on the new V1 were resolved doesn't negate years of history. To me that would seem a little fickle.

I also find it weird that people are posting how thrilled they are that their brand new Bluestar's problems were corrected quickly. A brand new range, in the price point of the Bluestars, should not have a casting defect in the burner, flaws in the porcelain coating on 3 out of 4 (!) grates, and flaws in the coating of the center peices. A good manufacturer has quality control and inspection of their products both on the assembly line, and before it goes out the door. These flaws are obvious, and should have been spotted before the range was packed up and shipped. It makes you wonder what hidden things were missed if these obvious mistakes were allowed.

Also I do not understand why people are proud of how quickly Bluestar fixed these errors - if I had shelled out that much for a range, and the range arrived with these problems, I'd feel embarrassed to admit it. There still appears no one with a command or understanding of quality control at the point of manufacture at Bluestar.

Another happy camper here.

I've had nothing but prompt and courteous interactions with Blue Star customer service.

I was certainly concerned about their reputation before I purchased but after I saw one of these babies in person, I wasn't drawn to anything else, including the Culinarian. I'm sure the Culinarian is one heck of a machine but I simply love the straight forward, honest look of my Blue Star. Turns out it also performs awesomely.

I had the issue with the grates chipping. When I called Blue Star they told me they had had a bad batch. They promptly sent me out a new set.

I've called them maybe half a dozen times with various questions. They have usually called me back the same day.

My White Glove service person was a dream. He was thorough, took the time to explain how to change the igniters if I should need to do that, and even gave me advice about my other appliances. He pointed out a small problem with one of the burners that I didn't even notice, came back another day with the part and fixed it.

I have no regrets whatsoever about my purchase.

Here is a link that might be useful: chicken wings browning evenly on my Blue Star

Alwaysfixin, I work for a high tech vendor, with customers buying multi-million dollar orders on a regular basis. We ship $10 Billion of the stuff every year. You think it's all 100% perfect coming out of the factory? For a variety of reasons it's not necessarily valid to think that everything is going to 100% just because you paid a lot for it. It's complicated and you can't just dismiss it all with a one-liner.

Conversely, it's a trade-off. When I buy Honda there is very little that ever needs to be fixed. When I buy a BMW there is almost always something that needs to be fixed in the first few months. But they fix it, no questions asked, and I have my BMW. If that's not your bag you stick to Honda.

A smart customer understands that there are some things that NEED to be right and somethings that the vendor needs to GET right.

-Stooxie

alwaysfixin - Unfortunately our V1 came with grates from that bad batch. The porcelain had tiny chips on the corners. Why do you feel it embarrassing to make light of this issue and the prompt response from the manufacturer? Obviously I was not impressed when I saw this, however the manufacturer took care of instantly - no questions asked - the kind of service you would expect from a manufacturer producing products at that price point.

As you may know or not know, many parts\processes are outsourced from various vendors, no one manufacture produces anything 100% in-house anymore.

Please re-read the title of this thread - we are commenting on our Bluestar Customer Service.... :)

My experience in the past with BlueStar service has been positive. I've had three problems, pinched wiring, sticking door, and rusting grate. The wiring was repaired by the "white glove" service. The door and grate were replaced. So far, so good.

The door was replaced with one described as having some design changes. Now it's sticking, despite regular maintenance. I'd have to say that dismissing the door problem as a thing of the past is a bit premature.

edlg, when did you purchase your range? Is it the current RNB v1 model?

See my post under Bluestar door trouble. There are old doors, old doors with more ventilation, old doors with new hinges and ventilation- called a Retro-door (this is the new replacement), and new doors that look like the old doors but don't fit the old ranges, because the hinges are spaced wider-. Confusing, but it makes sense.

Bluestar went and designed a new door with new hinges and wider spacing, then designed another new door also with different hinges to solve the old door replacement problem.

The latest "retro-door" is available only in 30" doors at this moment, a year or so ago, they were sending out the old style of door with more ventilation, but now the 'retro' door has a new hinge.

So my impression is there are 3 hinges, new, old, and 'retro' that are new but fit the older ranges.

I hope I have this right...

alexr: This is information I think we have all been waiting for. Now, do I take it that you are saying the new doors only fit the V1 ranges? I have the older range, purchased late 2009. I take it that I basically have an old door (albeit the one with more ventilation). Although I will say at one point over a year ago I was told by Eric (no longer there I gather) that my hinges were corrected versions. I am not sure I believe that though, as it sounds as though the new hinge is a recent apparition.

Do you know if Bluestar is sending out the new/retro doors prophylactically or only at the point there is an actual problem? Also, what if you have a painted range? Do you have to get a new skin also or will the old colored skin fit the replacement door? These are all questions I would like to get answered.

Many thanks for any information you can provide.

Tina

Tina, my understanding is that they are not just sending out replacement doors without having some contact with a customer. I would suggest you call them if you are having a problem with your door.

The newest V-1 doors do not fit my range, but they do have a new "retro-door" with some hinge change, and that it was not available 9 months ago. Now it is (or has been for some time) available in 30" but I don't know about wait times or color, I assume you'll have to contact them and explain your situation and where you bought it etc.

9 months ago, they would have sent me another door, but it would have been basically what I had but with better ventilation/insulation for the hinges. I said I would wait for better hinges. (I have a small 24" range). And somewhere in this period the shipping department sent me a new 24" V-1 door- they of course had me on a waiting list for that size. As I said -it does not fit.

I have not seen the newest retro-door-it obviously has to fit the old receiver slots in the older ovens.

I've read that some folks here with the new V-1 are wondering if their oven has the new hinges. All I can say is if they look at the service video that Bluestar has online, it shows how to remove an oven door. That is the old hinge in that video. I could show pictures of both, but I'm not tech savvy .

I also went by an Appliance store today and all the floor models, including the RCS version had the V-1 new hinges.

alexr - Many thanks for all your information. Maybe someone will eventually post pics of the old vs the new hinge so that we can all assess which hinge we have. From what you are saying you can clearly see the difference. Meanwhile I think I will give Mandy at BS a call to see what she says as she has always been very helpful. I certainly would like to get on the list for a fix should I ever have the problem. Thanks again for your help.

alexr - thanks for the video info, though I had to google it, I could not find a link from their website - did I miss something? I just watched it and it would appear I have hinges just like those in the video, ie the old ones, despite having the door with the extra ventilation. I have emailed Mandy at Bluestar to see what they advise at this point.

buffalotina: If you could please keep us posted with any info that you can get from Mandy. Although I have not had the sticking door issue yet(range bought in early 2008), I (and I assume many other on this forum) would like to stay on top of the door issue just in case we do need to service it at some point.

All: I have some excellent news via Mandy at Bluestar. My range is still in warranty but she confirmed that they indeed have new hinges and they are going to send me a new door with the new hinges for my older pre-V1 range. Yeah! Apparently it has to be the complete door, including the painted skin. I am hoping indeed that the new paint job will match the old but presumably RAL is so precise that should not be an issue. I have no further information regarding the hinge spacing or the new door vs the retrofit door.

I consider this FLAWLESS customer service. Indeed since I have been dealing with Mandy it has been a night and day experience over the prior "service". She has been nothing but responsive and helpful. I have received the exploding broiler fix, an oven thermostat calibration, along with new and improved center grates. All of these items have corrected the problems I had with this stove. No problems with my ignitors BTW, have had the stove 2 years now. Although I do not have the hinge issue now I am very grateful to get the updated door so that I may avoid any future issues on that front.

I will say that prior to Mandy I do strongly believe that the majority of my poor customer service issues with Bluestar were related to one particular employee. That was not actually Matt Schute who was I believe the service manager at the time and who I believe was trying to do a stellar job. Whatever the situation, I am now a Bluestar happy camper who is also happily cooking.

Buffalotina: That is absolutely fantastic news!! Maybe I should contact them for a new door too, just in case. I am so happy to hear that BS finally seems to be doing a fantastic job in customer service. To tell you the truth, I think it is Capital that gave them the needed kick in the pants. The only thing I wish BS would do now is occasionally pop onto this forum and address people just like I have seen Capital, Sears service, and Electrolux do.

Is there a direct number or an extension that Mandy can be reached?

mandy lopez 800 449 8691 2122
mlopez@bluestarcooking.com

I am just as thrilled as Tina! If you have a question or concern call her and then please tell us what you learned and what the outcome was.

Blue Star has been perfect to me. Can't imagine a better experience. Mandy is just super.

It is nice to hear that Mandy is doing such a super job, I hope BS realizes her value and pays her well.

I honestly do not think I have heard of a customer service complaint since she has been in her current position.