ComplaintsforSmithey Ironware Company

• Initial Complaint

  02/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a cast iron skillet from this business, order *******. The product had a defect and the seasoning pill off after first use (completely following the instructions from manual), hence I emailed the customer service and requested for a return or replacement. The customer service rejected my return or replacement request.

  Business response

  03/06/2024

  Hi Jin,

  Sorry to see that this complaint has been lodged and I want to assure you that our company and team stands behind the quality of our cookware.  Our customer service team offered you advice and the best path forward to address your concerns about seasoning loss on your first cook with your Smithey. As you see in our getting started guide (attached "getting started"), some seasoning coming off of your Smithey is normal and to be expected, and is actually a good thing as the relatively immature seasoning layer that we pre-season each Smithey with begins to mature and evolve. Additionally, our return policy clearly states that we can only accommodate returns or exchanges for new and unused cookware, and since your cookware was used we were unable to honor a return (return policy attached).  In our review of your case and evaluation of seasoning loss, there was no product defect or abnormal issue with your cookware which would have warranted a return or exchange., This was an anticipated loss of a small  amount of factory seasoning which is addressed proactively both in box collateral and via our website pre-purchase.  
  In addition to our team sending you seasoning resources and further explaining that some seasoning coming off of a new Smithey is to be expected, we offered to call you to discuss in more detail what you're experiencing (attached call offer)and more importantly how we can help.  This offer stands and we would be more than happy to continue to work with you to resolve any concerns that you may have. We will welcome the opportunity to contact you and assist how we're able to.  

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a polished cast iron pan from Smithey and began using it right away. Initially, the pan stuck and performed poorly compared to my existing stainless and cast iron pans. I researched the company website and found seasoning instructions which I followed exactly and the pan still stuck. A brief note about me: I cook regularly and often and enjoy cooking. I’m familiar with proper heating and seasoning techniques, which are really not that complicated. I frequently cook eggs in various formats in my stainless pans with zero issue. In any case, after reseasoning my Smithey pan twice it still had issues; cooking meat, veggies or eggs. To the point that I started not wanting to use it. This was disappointing as their adds make it sound like a product that will last a lifetime and they frequently advertise eggs being swirled around in the pan — those are the reasons I purchased it. After reasoning the pan it looked awful. The aesthetic looked like cooked grease, and the seasoning frequently chipped off exposing bare metal elements. Again, not demonstrative of their advertising nor comparable to other cooking surfaces. I reached out to customer service who told me I used too much oil when reseasoning, which, I hadn’t. I apply maybe a nickel to quarter size amount, spread it very thinly, and baked per the instructions. Next customer service said I could pay to ship the product to them and have it restored. At this point, I was tired of all the work and messing with the pan. It simply hadn’t lived up to their claims. When I asked to return the pan, they do have a strict no return policy. When I asked to escalate the issue, a guy named Trevor said he would call and never did. Several weeks later and after multiple email attempts to reach any one else, I gave up. This company does not stand behind their product. Companies that do, would take care of their customers. They do not. As-is the pan sits on my shelf and I plan to throw it out.

  Business response

  04/24/2023

  Hi Jeremy,

  Thanks for this context.  I've had a chance to review your case and our team's correspondence  with you.  First off, I agree that we could have done better job in communication with you to both help educate what went wrong with your skillet and to help you mitigate any issues like this in the future.  We have refunded your order in full because of this.  However, we would still like the opportunity to help educate you on what may have gone wrong with your skillet and help restore it for you so that you can enjoy your cooking experience.  We will be in touch to help with next steps.  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩