Cobb Cookers Backup

Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 17:17
ThreadID: 25324 Views:16122 Replies:13 FollowUps:8
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Or lack thereof,

I bought a Cobb Cooker at the Sydney 4x4 Show to take away to Innamincka.

The date was 24th June, I gave it a run at home before we left just to see how it worked. Result was a beautiful Lamb roast dinner, very happy so far.

First time i used it on the road was camping at Wanaaring, did some snags on the pan attachment, again great appliance.

When I pulled it out to use at Innamincka, i found that the base had broken away from 2 of its mounts. The mounts had not only snapped but they had pulled the outside plastic thru, leaving two holes where they were attached.

I was a little upset about this but i had to cook so i propped it up and it performed as expected.

I didn't use it again till i got home, and i sent an email to the info email address at Cobb on the 11th July, still haven't heard from them. Today I found and read the booklet that comes with it I notice there is a couple of notations in there about having to " treat the base as if it were glass"....and ...."because the base can break if it is dropped it cannot be warranted"......

Well i have not mistreated the cooker and it was never dropped!!

I believe the damage was caused due to corrugations on the roads to Innamincka and the Cobb was sitting in the campertrailer.
I always packed it up with the bubble wrap plastic and the cardboard protector for the lid and put it in its case.

If the salesman had bothered to tell me to treat the base gently, i would have taken that onboard and found a better place for it to travel in.
What were they thinking anyway telling us that it is great for camping when it is so fragile? Obviously not suited to camping in the wild, great for that 2wd caravan-pulling grandad that uses caravan parks exclusively.....

Anyway after talking to another member who has had no feedback from Cobb either re his problem, I thought i would have a whinge and provide a warning to future would-be buyers.....

If you want a great cooker, get one but beware of the flimsy construction of the base because they don't seem to cover it with warranty and they also don't respond to emails to their contact address.

I am a member of many forums involving camping activities so if you are also a member of some of these too i'll apologise now because you will see this post a few times....
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Reply By: KiwiAngler - Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 17:29

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 17:29
I have nothing but positive cooments to give both the Cobb cooker and their back up service. I have had a cooker for about 3 years now and had great service including free grommets which I managed to break.
AnswerID: 123616

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:17

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:17
yeh i know the story kiwi,
i have nothing but praise for my Cooper S/T's too but others have had problems with them.

I am relating my experience with this particular cooker, maybe i got a lemon or maybe you were lucky. Their backup service i can't complain about because there hasn't BEEN any.... :(
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FollowupID: 378730

Reply By: Diamond (Vic) - Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 18:22

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 18:22
.thats it stick it right up them.
AnswerID: 123638

Reply By: steve21 - Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 19:19

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 19:19
why waste your money, have a look at the cookers in Bunnings, they are great and fraction price.
steve
AnswerID: 123656

Reply By: Member - Andrew (Bris) - Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 20:05

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 20:05
When I had a problem with broken parts on the Cobb I got no response to my email, but when I called into the retailer where I bought the cooker, They couldn't do enough to make sure I left the store happy.
AnswerID: 123665

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 20:34

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 20:34
Near as I can tell Andrew they have a store in South Africa, America, Melbourne and Brisbane, unfortunately I am in Sydney.

I agree that the direct approach is usually the best
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FollowupID: 378670

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:19

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:19
If a company provides an email address they should check it once in a while dontcha think.

Even if they are away at shows there is usually access to the internet somewhere in town.....

NOT good enough!!
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FollowupID: 378731

Reply By: rob&kev&roo - Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 21:36

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 21:36
we were thinking about getting one but won't now thanks for the info, i'll stick with my hillbilly. thanks again
AnswerID: 123683

Reply By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 22:56

Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005 at 22:56
We've had ours for a couple of years now. It suffered the same problem with the 3 little "feet" breaking off, including the plastic around the mounting spot. We still use it; did a lamb roast in it yesterday and my wife noticed that the outer casing now has a full length crack right down one side!
It's still working and we'll keep it, but I too am disappointed in the quality of the plastic outer shell. With the range of high impact plastics available these days, I'm surprised they can't do it a bit better.
I have never contacted Cobb about this matter, but have a kind to do so.
Roachie
AnswerID: 123710

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:12

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:12
Do it Roachie
I don't want to be a lone voice in the wilderness. If we all just adapt, modify and bypass the problem, then they don't have to bother do they.

They acknowledge there is a problem with the base in their booklet so why don't they solve it?
No its cheaper and less bother to put a few words in the booklet so they can say "we told you about it, so we aren't responsible" that is just craaap.

I forwarded the original post to them so they know i am not going to lay down on this...i have had enough of companies who don't live up to their hype.
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FollowupID: 378729

Reply By: DB - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 01:10

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 01:10
guess i can scratch the cobb cooker off my list of things to get...thanks 4 the info waynepd
AnswerID: 123731

Reply By: Member - MrBitchi (QLD) - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 08:20

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 08:20
Same thing happened to mine. 3 dobs of silastic later, problem solvered.... ;-)

Have since taken it on a couple of long trips, all sorts of roads, carrying it in the camper trailer, no problems.
AnswerID: 123743

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:02

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:02
Hi MrBitchi,
My thinking is that if this message gets back to them they may change their method of manufacture to a a more resilient mounting system for their bases.

If we all just fix the problem ourselves then they are not aware of the problem are they. If it was a $20 item i wouldn't bother but i have spent 10 times that much and expect quality.

I still maintain it is a great product as far as its function is concerned, its the execution that is bad and the lack of aftersales customer service...
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FollowupID: 378727

Reply By: Member - Wim (Qld) - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:32

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:32
Waynepd.

Add me to the list. Fixed it myself, thought that was easier.
Maybe that was a mistake.

Regards

Wim
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AnswerID: 123760

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:44

Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 at 09:44
We do what we think is appropriate at the time WIM
If I had the gear with me i may have done the same, but by the time i got home and had enough time to become annoyed about it i decided that they should remedy the problem not me
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FollowupID: 378736

Reply By: Peter JS - Saturday, Aug 06, 2005 at 17:17

Saturday, Aug 06, 2005 at 17:17
Firstly I’ll declare my hand, I represent Cobb Australia.

Fortunately we have thousands upon thousands of happy customers in Australia so it didn't take long for a couple of them to tell us what Waynepd was saying about our product.

Wayne, as I assume he is called mentioned a few things in his post that are true, and also a few that aren't.

True, the Cobb does cook exceptionally well. Yes the base is a breakable part, we're not hiding that fact, it's clearly written in our instruction book. Serious, the base is made from plastic because it acts as an insulator, it's light weight so it's going to be prone to breakages if not handled appropriately. We make absolutely no secret of the fact. As Wayne pointed out, he only read the instructions after using the product. Not wise.

I have checked our email since reading this post and we never received an email from Wayne, never. Emails in our business are checked and replied to frequently. Wayne, if you read this I’d appreciate it if you make certain that an email has been sent prior to bad-mouthing our business.

Wayne did not buy this product broken. A base will only break if something causes it to do so, such as dropping it. We have sold thousands of Cobbs in Australia over the last 3 years and we know that the vast majority of our customers are very happy with their purchase. The rate at which we have supplied new bases as a result of breakages is less than 0.05% of total purchases. Meaning that every time we order 1000 Cobbs we order 5 bases, we can prove that and would be happy to do so.

How can we possibly be expected to replace a base at our expense every time somebody breaks one as a result of poor handling? I think it's very unfair of Wayne to not take responsibility for the fact that he broke his base. If he'd called us he would have been told that replacement bases are available for $29.00. We sell these at cost price, we're not interested in profiteering from broken parts.

Many people world wide swear by the Cobb. It was voted Outdoor Cooker Of The Year in the US. Was a finalist in Time magazines top worldwide inventions 2001. These sort of accolades are never appointed to a products that aren't worthy. Cobb is worthy, that's why it's a global success.

I hope nobody takes Wayne’s comments too seriously. Sometimes people simply will not acknowledge when they are at fault.

Peter Sinclair

AnswerID: 124094

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Sunday, Aug 07, 2005 at 01:36

Sunday, Aug 07, 2005 at 01:36
Thank you for your professionally written response Peter,

Please pardon my not-so-polished response

I'm glad someone around here knew how to flush you out. God knows I tried.

Like you I will start with some positives then point out some negatives...

Correct: Basic Physics, I understand the reason for the plastic base on these cookers but as someone pointed out in one reply, there are better impact-resistant materials available. I would pay the extra for it.

Correct: I admit to not reading the full instructions before using the cooker unfortunately time was a factor here and i never dreamed that a product touted as a camping tool would be so flimsy. Stupid of me.

Now some negatives
Incorrectly you have stated that you haven't received any emails, ever when in fact I have sent 2 emails on 11/7 and 4/8 to info@cobbaustralia.com.au, which i got from the Cobb site. As a matter of fact, I sent another mail to cobbaust@bigpond.com.au on the morning of Saturday 7/8 that's the morning before your response. Maybe talk to your IT department and see why there are several email addressing possibilities, it is confusing to us on the outside.

If you wish to give me another real "working" email address i will gladly forward them on to you. Not there is any point now because i merely forwarded this post and link so you could respond in the second mail. The first mail outlined the problem I was hoping you could solve with me.

Peter, the only way I know if an email address is not working is if i get a non-deliverable message back from your mail server, which i did not, so my assumption was that i was being ignored....again talk to the IT mob.

Peter, at no stage have i bad-mouthed your product as a cooker, it cooks well and very efficiently. It is simply that as a camping cooker in this country it is too flimsy. As I stated in my original post, i have never dropped or mistreated the Cobb in any way shape or form. I was still using the plastic bubble wrap and the cardboard circle and the bag to protect it when stored. The only form of rough treatment i can imagine it receiving is from riding in the campertrailer over some very rough terrain in the South Australian outback. It would have only been supporting its own weight and all the while encased in its bag.

Your parting shot at me is perhaps the most telling in your reply. It is the sign of a Smug company that really doesn't care what people think of it because, Hey you are the only ones agressively marketing this type of product and you have the market share, so who are we going to go to if not to you. Well Peter, you may find you have just done more damage to your product in that one sentence than I did with my honest report of a real problem.

That's fine I will do what many others here have already done with your product, repair and modify it myself and try to get some value out of what will probably be my one and only ever purchase of one of your products.

Yes Peter I am not the only one who has had a problem with the base, I had just decided that 2 weeks of ownership for more than $200 is not good enough and sought some assistance, others have repaired theirs so you don't really get accurate feedback about your problem product.

Thanks again for responding and best wishes.
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FollowupID: 379089

Reply By: Waynepd (NSW) - Monday, Aug 08, 2005 at 13:51

Monday, Aug 08, 2005 at 13:51
Things have gone quiet on the Cobb Front so i thought i would take a look at the facts gleaned from this thread.

1 There were 10 respondents to the thread excluding the Cobb representative Mr Sinclair.
2 Of the 10 respondents, 6 definitely own a Cobb Cooker
3 Of the 6 Cobb Owners, 2 were happy with Cobb's service.
4 The 2 happy ones used Cobb parts with no drama
5 3 persons opted for self-repair
6 1 (me) is still deciding which way to go
7 Of the 6 Cobb Cookers none escaped damage of some description 3 were base breakages of some sort
AnswerID: 124275

Follow Up By: Waynepd (NSW) - Monday, Aug 08, 2005 at 23:48

Monday, Aug 08, 2005 at 23:48
Sorry to harp on about this, that was meant to be my last posting on the topic but i hit the send button accidentally.

Take 2??.
As I was saying before I hit the send button by accident, There were 10 Respondents to my post re my Cobb problem if you don't count the reply from Peter Sinclair.
Of those 10 I have concluded that:
1. 6 actually owned a Cobb Cooker
2. 2 have been turned off them
3. 1 offered encouragement to "Stick it up them" :)
4. 1 mentioned an alternative cooker from Bunning's.

Of the 6 Cookers that were owned by respondents, it seems that:
1. All 6 have suffered some damage.
2. At least 3 had suffered base damage
3. 3 were repaired/modified by the user
4. 2 were repaired using Cobb parts and respondents are happy with Cobb's service
5. 1 (That'd be me) is still trying to locate a place to get the required parts in Sydney if one exists. Cobb isn't much help in the communication department they seem to have trouble keeping track of their emails.
Or
Perhaps that's why the man has gone quiet; has he finally found my 3, as yet unanswered, emails.

Now I realise that this is a ridiculously small sample to gauge the quality of the Cobb Cooker, but it makes one wonder how many of the "Thousands upon thousands" (His words) of Cobbs sold in Australia are still out there in working order.
Using this small sample, it would seem that 100% of Cobbs have failed at some stage in their first few weeks to their first few years of service; I doubt this is true but it's funny how you can use stats to prop up any argument.

Take the stats, for instance, proffered by Peter of the many awards granted to the Cobb in the US and wherever else they won.
How were they tested?
What criteria and how thorough were the tests?
Were the tests relevant to the cookers' intended use? I.e. camping
Was there an award for the prettiest dome lid?
It surely wasn't a winner in the Robustness section..was it?

It reminds me of when the BMW X5 won Overlander's 4 Wheel Drive of the Year some years back, in fact right before I cancelled my subscription for that very reason. It is undoubtedly a better engineered vehicle but it was not tested and proven in the same manner as the Landcruiser and Patrol because it wasn't designed for the same conditions as they were. Well my friends then it doesn't qualify as an equal 4WD then does it?

In the same way, the Cobb might cook better and more efficiently and be better engineered than a cast iron camp oven, but at least I can drive on our outback roads and still have the cast iron pot to cook in at the end of the day. The Cobb is not equal to the task of being a robust tool for our conditions.

One other issue raised by Peter was the issue of claiming warranty for the broken base. At no time did I say I wanted to claim warranty. Does he see us all as deceptive, thieving people who want to take advantage of his magnanimous company?
No,in my initial unanswered email I merely asked if it was covered and how do I progress from this point onwards to effect repairs in any case. I am forced to wonder how the topic of warranty arose if he hadn't received my initial email.
Co-incidence? Maybe so.

Finally to those who reported this post to Peter, thank you for your help in bringing this to his attention. I was getting a little frustrated with the lack of response from Cobb. This whole thing has started with poor communication and has gone from there to unwarranted character assassination. In my second unread email, I had already sent the link for this post to Cobb and invited them to comment either on the forum or to me personally.

Now we will wait and see if Peter can admit he was at fault in claiming I had sent no emails to Cobb, but if he can't then I wouldn't, in future, take anything he or anyone else from Cobb says too seriously would you?
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FollowupID: 379297

Reply By: Peter JS - Tuesday, Aug 09, 2005 at 11:23

Tuesday, Aug 09, 2005 at 11:23
Dear Wayne & all those listening to this debate,

I posted my response of Saturday afternoon and since that point I have been at a Trade Show, this is the first time I've sat at my desk for a few days.

Wayne you will here more from us this week but our correspondence will be direct.

For the record of all those reading what Wayne has written the reason why we never received the emails is because the email address that is printed on the NEW instruction book is not the same as the email address that we've used for the last 3 years. We have changed web hosts and in doing so created a new email address which doesn't seem to be working. If anybody out there has experienced similar problems I apologise. If you have any problems with your Cobb Cooker and you would like to contact us you can email cobbaust@bigpond.net.au.

Wayne, we'll be in touch.

Sincerely,
Peter Sinclair
AnswerID: 124418

Reply By: travelboy - Wednesday, Aug 10, 2005 at 10:50

Wednesday, Aug 10, 2005 at 10:50
learnt a long time ago that things you need to store in cotton wool don't survive very well on the outback roads. gas lights, plastic crockery & the like do not do well. that's not to say you can just throw anything in anywhere.

i know wood can be a problem when traveling & in nps. we do have to look at some form of alternative fuel for cooking. there are good sized gas rings for the camp oven. you just need an old tin bucket over it to get the top hot. check the country markets for a suitable bucket.

a camp oven can be used with heatbeads too. half dozen or so on the bottom & the same on the top. if you have an old steel bucket you can cut it down to the height of the camp oven to help retain the heat & shield from the wind. most of us travel people have a camp oven.
AnswerID: 124578

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