Chip came off my less than 2 year old OTG

[Johnpv]

So right now I go home at lunch every day to walk our puppy, let her go to the bathroom and give her lunch.  I come home and walk by my 2013 Blue OTG and notice a chip of blue sitting on the floor next to it, and I think weird.  Then I look at the bowl and see where it came from.

Here are the pictures I took







So I give Weber a call, and I didn't quite receive the customer service that I would normally expect from them.   I explain my situation that I came home and found the chip and immediately I get "So you hit it with something?" to which I state no I found it this way and I don't think anything could have hit it, to me it looks like burn through. I get a "hmmmmmm.......we had to replace a bowl of your other grill hmmmmm........" with a very accusatory tone.  2 years ago I bought a Jumbo Joe that when I opened up the box the bowl was completely warped, and target wouldn't do an exchange, Weber replaced it for me.  I explain this to her.  She explains I'll have to email photos and I say no problem and that I've already taken them.  I then get a hmmm well I'll have to look at them and decide...." again all accusatory in her tone. 

I send the photos now I'm just waiting to hear, but I really, REALLY did not like the tone I got.  I shouldn't call customer service and get the attitude of guilty until proven innocent.

[MacEggs]

I can't tell for certain, but is there a tiny hole in the bowl, now?  Hope everything works out for you.

[landgraftj]

Too many folks took advantage of Weber's great customer service over the years with bogus claims. That's probably why they assumed that tone with you. Too bad to see the chip. Wonder what hit it while you were gone? Almost looks like a BB gun chipped it off.

[addicted-to-smoke]

I was going to guess errant BB gun shot, too. I'd be wondering about the neighbors. Good luck with customer service, but that doesn't look like any sort of burn through to me.

[Jeff]

Is that chip by chance right nearby to where the grate straps in the bowl are welded in?  Those are typically weak points for the porcelain coating especially if you bank coals up right against your bowl.  I personally never bank coals against the bowl for that reason.  I see too many grills with a chipped finish in that exact area.  I use baskets if need be. 
Good luck with CS.  They are typically very good.

[Johnpv]

Thanks guys, thankfully she got back to me and said she would be shipping out a replacement bowl.  Though the follow up shipping email said they were shipping a "Bowl, 22.5" Original Kettle Premium".  Are they still making that same blue? 

There's not actually a hole in the kettle, the porcelain in the center stayed on while everything else around it fell off.  Its really weird.

It is a shame that so many people have abused their great customer service.  I just wish I wasn't treated like one of the ones who had. 

Jeff not sure if its near the grate straps, I'm back at work and can't check it.  I never even looked in the grill when I noticed it so I'm just not sure.

I'll be pissed as hell if one of my neighbors shot it with a BB.  I don't think any of the ones close to us would have.  I'd have thought you'd see more splintering in the porcelain with any kind of impact no?  This really is a pretty solid intact chip. 

[MINIgrillin]

Wow! That's a significant chip. My heart goes out to you bro. I would Crap if I saw that also. Hope CS does you right

Lol. U were updating when I posted. Glad it worked out

[dwnthehatch]

It looks like it right on the spot weld for the grate strap.

[Troy]

it does look like a typical grate strap weld chip.
My blue performer did that and even had a donut shape (although not nearly as significant as yours, mine was more like two kidneys smooshed together).

Did you happen to get the Weber customer service girls name? I think its pretty shitty of her to take the accusational tone with you, that's NOT good customer service.

[Johnpv]

Thanks guys!  It was a big WTF!!!!! moment, specially since I'm REALLY anal about my Kettle.  She gets her exterior cleaned like once a month and the interior cleaned out at the start and end of each season. 

It seems I need to rethink my snake method for smoking meats : ( 

I do have her name because she emailed me, and I've thought about contacting Weber about it.  I mean like landgraftj talked about I get why it happened, but it was pretty shitty.   

[ramsfan]

I usually get excellent customer service from Weber about 98% of the time. Every so often, I'll get that same accusatory tone like you did "...hmmm? Oh really?" Every time, it's always the same woman. I believe her name is Jane or Jan? She works in the daytime, never in the evening.

The last time I got that treatment (about 2 years ago), I really blasted her over the phone. I told her that I have about $6k worth of Weber product sitting in my garage right now so she'd better get the chap stick out and start impressing the hell out of me in a hurry. She checked her computer and saw the lengthy list of all my previous Weber purchases and product registrations. She changed her tone in a hurry.

Since you said you called in the middle of the day on your lunch hour, I'll bet you were dealing with this same particular CSR? Best thing to do is to always call in the evening. They have a different call center handling the calls in the evening. I believe it is located in Wisconsin? I have always had excellent service with the evening CSRs.

[TexasOnion]

I wonder if that was a missed weld where it just caught the bowl and then they hit it again to get the grate strap  ////

[SixZeroFour]

There is one particular lady at Weber CS who is just a nightmare to deal with - based on how you describe her tone this HAS to be the same person. I've received the exact same treatment a few times now...  I seem to get her 3 out of 10 times I call which is a royal PITA. I usually just make up a reason why I need to call back and hope for a new rep.

[jcnaz]

Typical BB injury looks more like this:

[addicted-to-smoke]

Okay, so how does a factory weld on the inside turn into a paint chip on the outside, 2 years later? Help a brother understand. Flexing at the grate strap, somehow?