Wow. I'm surprised because I've had excellent service from Bosch. It's why I'm using them again.

Can you double check with your installer that the whole oven is put in level?

The installer works for the appliance store, and they've verified that it isn't the installation. I'm glad you've had good service from them. I have heard similar stories to mine from others a lot during the past six months, but when I was researching prior to buying, feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I hope this isn't a new direction for Bosch. Given that in less than a year my fridge has had four service calls and my speed oven has had two--with the third one scheduled for tomorrow, I'm not feeling very confident about my purchase these days.

For anyone considering the Bosch Steam Oven, I can share some insight into how it actually works before you make a decision. Let me know if you're interested.

I am interested in your insight on the Bosch steam oven

The Bosch steam oven has a few oddities that I can't believe haven't been corrected. Specifically, the cleaning and descaling cycles need to be fixed. Though both issues are similar, I'll outline them separately because there are different steps in each.

Steam Clean-The cycle is two part, with a pause in between the two phases where the owner needs to do a certain list of actions before the second phase can be started. According to the owners manual, after the first phase the owner must refill the water tank, put it back, remove the rack rails on the sides of the oven and clean them, wipe residue from the inside of the oven, and empty the evaporator dish with a sponge. Unfortunately, you have 30 seconds to do all of this before it stops the cycle and tells you to restart it. I'm just not that fast!

Descaling-Like the Steam Clean cycle this is a two part cycle using a descaling powder in the water pitcher. After the first phase, the timer pauses and the owner has to do a list of things before starting the second phase. The steps listed in the owner manual are to remove the water tank, empty and wash it out thoroughly, fill it with fresh water, put it back, empty the evaporator dish with the sponge, wipe the oven and rinse out the sponge. Like the Steam Clean cycle, you have 30 seconds to complete this list before the cycle stops and must start over from the beginning. Besides being totally illogical to expect someone can finish this list in 30 seconds, it brings up another problem. Because the steps can't be done in the time allotted the cycle never completes and the descaling "counter" never resets; therefore, the descale message never disappears from the display. It shows up every few uses without ever giving me an actual and realistic time that the oven must be descaled. Another concern is that since it never can enter the rinse portion of the second phase the descaling chemical is not washed out of the oven's inner plumbing, meaning my next steam cooking cycle is steaming chemicals into my food.

I brought this up to Bosch customer service several times and received mixed information. Once I was told I needed another pitcher to put clean water in, then I could just switch them out quickly. Another time I was told the manual was wrong and I had to run both phases of the cycle back to back (that's not possible). Another time I was told I had to close the door before the 30 seconds passed so it would pause the 30 second countdown (such as...open door, remove pitcher, close door, rinse pitcher, open door, insert pitcher, close door, open door, wipe a little, close door, open door, wipe a little, close door, open door empty evaporator dish, close door, open door, finish wiping oven, close door, and restart cycle). Again, I'm not that fast and this activity is very cumbersome, not to mention illogical in design.

When a repairman came to look at another issue, we discussed these two cycles and how they don't work correctly. He phoned a tech at Bosch, and put him on speaker. The tech laughed at the issue and said it was crazy, acknowledged he'd seen complaints of it before, but he had no knowledge of any plans to rectify it. Every person I have spoken with about it says there should be a firmware update to fix it, but it's not being done. I don't know what the company plans to do about it, if anything, but I get the feeling it's not being addressed beyond telling owners they are "using it wrong" as I've been told. I recommend anyone considering this oven look closely and actually try out a Steam Clean and Descale cycle before deciding. And buy good running shoes to move really quickly!

We have already purchased this steam oven...it has been in the garage waiting for the contractor to install. Oh boy!

other than the ridiculous Steam cleaning/descaling issues you like it and how it Cooks? I decided on this one because I wanted the Bosch side swing benchmark oven. Glad I bought the 5 year warranty on both.

I do like the way it cooks. I don't like the problems it had after installation, the futility of the cleaning cycles, the concern about not knowing when I should descale it, and sadly the customer service of Bosch with regard to documenting/fixing these issues. Nearly every time I called to question the cleaning/descaling cycles I was told "this is the first time we've heard of this." Ahem, can you look at my previous call history please? Not to mention there's the insult of being told I don't know how to use the oven and someone needs to come "teach me." I've been using ovens and following owners' manuals for 40 years! Thankfully I bought the 5 year warranty too.

So if you had 2 pitchers would this work within there time frame or not really! Sounds like a royal pain in the ***

how often does this descale/steam clean need to be done? Also, by chance they do come out with a software update...how does a consumer get it?

I've tried to make it work with the two pitchers. The water I have to clean out of the bottom is very hot (it was boiling in order to steam the oven) and is hard to empty it that fast without burning my fingers. If I could leave the door open while I clean out the pitcher, then there is time for it to cool enough to handle. But I can't...

Steam cleaning is done as needed. I mostly do it after I cook something that may drip or spatter. Otherwise I wipe it after I use it and it stays clean. Descaling depends on the quality of water you use, I guess. I honestly have no idea how often because I can't get a complete descale cycle. As for the update, my sales rep said they don't "push" anything to the customers or even let her know about updates. We have to call and ask, but I have doubts that I'd even get the correct story! I wish I could help you more.

As a side note, I'm trying to make dinner for my family tonight and my large Bosch Benchmark convection oven will not work. The control panel is stuck on the clock and no cooking mode will turn on. This panel was replaced last week!! So instead of cooking in the oven I get to stand outdoors in the lightning and rain while I grill my dinner instead. Ugh.

Just think I have a perfectly great ge profile oven... Only 5 years old. I am only replacing it because I wanted these benchmark side swing oven and the steam oven. They have been in the garage too long to return. I may install the profile the induction cooktop just because now I am nervous about the Bosch units. I was going to get the Bosch flex induction cooktop but think I am going to get the GE. Cafe 36" induction instead.

I sincerely hope your Bosch ovens work well for you, many people do like theirs. Please keep me posted on how they work. As for the induction cooktop, I really, really, really like my GE Cafe 36". It's probably my favorite thing about my remodel!

Do you have a pic of the cafe induction installed that you can post? I haven't seen the cafe anyplace yet!

I do. I'll try to post it now. The backsplash is reflecting on the surface, it isn't scratched in a diamond pattern!

It looks great. I had my heart set on the Bosch with the 2 flex burners...but now I am reluctant. I like the price better on the cafe and you can probably get a good sale around Labor Day!

I hope this isn't a new direction for Bosch. Given that in less than a year my fridge has had four service calls and my speed oven has had two--with the third one scheduled for tomorrow, I'm not feeling very confident about my purchase these days.

Hope not too since I'm still sold on Bosch after having Bosch for the past 6 years.

What is the problem with your fridge and is it also a Bosch?

Yes, the fridge is a Bosch. I had to have the switch that turns on the light in the freezer replaced within a few weeks of taking delivery. Then the gasket on one of the doors completely split in half. We had it replaced. An ongoing problem that still isn't fixed is the motor or whatever it's called inside the back of the fridge keeps icing up and when it does so it gets loud. Finally, and perhaps related to the previous issue, is that my refrigerated food keeps freezing. I just want to cry!

I wonder if, when they replaced the oven, they sent a refurbished unit that had been dropped or not stored correctly, thus putting it out of square?

The two ovens (steam and convection) are separate ovens and joined together with a bracket and shared power supply during installation. I've wondered if the convection oven was dropped during shipment, and my husband thinks it highly possible the replacement was a refurb or used unit. The pans that go in the steam oven arrived with rust on them, so who knows what they saw previously. I haven't asked about that before now because I've trusted that Bosch and the appliance store wanted the best for me, a customer who purchased a house full of appliances during my remodel. I will bring it up if I don't get any resolution soon, but I have serious doubt I will get a straight and honest answer. I'll continue to tweet and post my displeasure to update and inform others.

An update to my situation...the Bosch rep emailed me on Monday morning that she would be talking with the head of customer service shortly to discuss my situation. I have yet to hear back from anyone at BSH. The appliance store confirmed the replacement oven was new in the box. I'm beside myself with frustration and don't know what to do next to get appliances that work as designed. I've invested so much time and energy into getting the appliances fixed and working right, and there seems to be no end in sight.

A week past my update, nothing has changed. I've not heard anything from BSH, my Bosch rep, or my appliance dealer. No one is returning messages or emails. My convection oven is completely dead, my refrigerator is icy, and my microwave isn't usable as a microwave due to the sparking/arcing. I am supposed to be hearing back from someone at Bosch "shortly" (whatever that means) but after nearly two weeks of ignoring me I'm doubting that will happen.

I've been nice and respectful to everyone I've talked to, and I've done everything asked of me over the last year to get the appliances working properly. Nothing is changing and I've lost hope that it will. I don't know what step to take next. Any advice from forum members is appreciated.

Please be aware that if you purchase a Bosch or BSH branded appliance you may be in for a fight if you have trouble with them.

seb225,

This sounds so frustrating. How did you pay for these items? If you paid by Credit card, I would reach out to the credit card company and dispute the charges. I guess it is time to research all new appliances if you can get your money back on these. I remember your threads earlier on when investigating these purchases.

Good luck!

I can very much identify with your problems. :-(( I think I had 5 different ovens in my oven slot and many visits fromthe repair company but have had issues with all appliances.

I would go back to your retailer and enlist his help in getting a "buy back" on all defective appliances. Maybe he will let you return them to him. He was the one who took your money and knows who to talk to and they will communicate with him. He has responsibility in this and has much more leverage than you do. This was how I got rid of the first mess of appliances I had.

Most credit cards have a window of time that you can dispute your charges but you might look into that but it may have passed.

If worse comes to worse, you could say to them, the dealer. that you are going to consult an attorney and then follow through. I had an issue that a business refused to deal with and hired an attorney just to write a letter to the effect that he was representing me. Boom! They dealt with it.

Are you still in warranty? The company that bought my appliances back told me with quite a bit of snark that I was lucky to be under a year in this claim or this check would be prorated by quite a bit. I never had working appliances and with them dragging their feet and not answering my emails.

I am so sorry to hear of all the trouble you are having. The process of researching and investing in new appliances is very time consuming, frightening, and expensive. Whatever brand you choose in the end, you are taking a leap of faith. To have chosen Bosch, a brand that I would assume would be better built and better serviced than others, then to have these problems, as if you bought them from the side of the road must be a horrible feeling. I know we all look forward to a newly outfitted kitchen and the decisions are major. To have your dream turn into a nightmare is wrong. I think continuing to work with the place where you purchased them is your best bet as they seem to be on your side. I second the recommendation to threaten and follow through with legal recourse. It is amazing how a company can blow you off until a lawyer steps in. Then suddenly they want to make you happy. Good luck. Keep us posted.

I had the very similar issues to @seb225.

The service tech made multiple visits and ended up replacing pretty much every electronic component in the oven. After being unable to fix it, and at least 15 phone calls on my part, Bosch finally authorized a replacement oven. When the new oven arrived, the model number had a either a /1 or /2 at the end, indicating an update from the original. After using it for a while, it was time to descale the appliance again. Running the cycle, Bosch had actually changed how it worked (removing one step, IIRC), but the end result was the same, and the oven never properly finished it's descaling cycle.

On both the original and replacement, this manifested itself with a strange behavior. When you were using the oven in any of the steam modes, and you opened and closed the oven door, the display would return to the clock, as if it were off. The reality was that the oven was still running, but there was no indication on the display. The only way to fix this would be to go to the breaker panel, turn the oven off and then back on, and it would work fine (while still prompting you to descale it), until you ran the next clean or descale cycle, when the behavior would reappear. After a couple of months of this, and the oven believing that it had not been descaled, it entered a steam lock-out mode, which disabled all steam modes (including clean and descale) until you descaled the oven, rendering it pretty useless.

After a few more tech visits and multiple phone calls, Bosch authorized a refund, I replaced both Bosch ovens with the Wolf E series convection and convection steam ovens, and couldn't be happier. One nice bonus is that the Bosch had to be descaled after every ~4-6 hours or so of use, and the Wolf is ~36-42 hours of use.

Nick was your bosch steam oven & oven the unit that is sold together and only required 1 electrical hookup or were yours units that you purchased separately?

They were bought together as a single SKU and wired as a single unit/single hookup.

I am super nervous. I have the steam oven and the side swing oven in the garage waiting to be installed still. Mine are 2 seperate items and require 2 electrical hookups. Both of you have the steam oven that came with the oven...how ever I am not very optimistic about the steam oven and the descale issue!

Sorry for not updating sooner. We are victims of the flooding in Louisiana recently and lost everything, including my remodeled kitchen. Bosch did pick up the ovens, but still hasn't reimbursed me for them. It's frustrating because with no flood insurance, I need that money!

Rikerk, the steam oven you have is the same model as the one in the combo unit. The model numbers are the same, but the combo sits in a frame with a convection oven. I hope you are fortunate to not have the problems others have!

Nick, I couldn't believe the problems I had were isolated and Bosch had never heard of them before. I'm glad you posted to validate my skepticism. Thank you for sharing.

Seb so sorry to hear about your unfortunate circumstances with the flood but I so glad you and your family are safe.

I figured the steam oven would be the same model and eventually have the same issues....but I need to try to be optimistic. I spent a lot of money between the steam oven and the convection oven and I was so excited to have these. Now I wish I just saved my money and kept the perfectly working oven that we currently have. I was going to donate the existing oven...but maybe I should box it up and put it to the basement just in case. How does Bosch release a product that doesn't descale and locks up the unit. It seems like should have gone through extensive testing before release.

I truly hope you you and your family are able to rebuild...it truly stinks about insurance. Seems like we pay through the nose nut it never pays out! Best of luck!

Hi Seb I just wondered how you were making out after the flood and your rebuild