People love coffee and spend a lot of dough on it. If you have a Keurig single cup coffee maker, then you are familiar with the coffee pods. There is every flavor imaginable and many companies, like Dunkin Doughnuts, have their branded coffee in pods now. So 2 issues we'll talk about, the pods, then the maker itself.
PODS:
The pods are anywhere from $7.99 to $15.99 per box. Typically 18 pods per box is usual. They are not all created equally. If you get pods that leech grounds into the coffee or produce a less than average size cup, call the manufacturer. Green Mountain, for instance, will send you a replacement box if you call with an issue. You will need to give them some info on where you bought it, but they will take care of you.
KEURIG:
Have you seen the "descale" message pop up on your brewer? If so then you know that something is wrong. Typically it means there is build up in the lines that needs to be cleaned out. Usually caused by hard water or minerals clogging up the works. This can be done with vinegar and a toothpick and works well in most cases.
Procedure:
1. Simply run a full resevoir of vinegar through, followed by a couple of just water.
2. Then open the pod holder and with a toothpick, gently place it inside the hollow of the
puncture needle and swish it around to get any grounds or build up out.
3. Now run a few cycles of water until no debris is in the cup.
If descale returns or if you notice the maker is "short cupping" then you will need to call Keurig. They will troubleshoot the issue and replace the unit if it is in warranty. But what if it is past the 1 year mark? Well if you got it at Bed Bath and Beyond, return it to them. Tell them it is short cupping and Keurig support was unable to resolve the issue. I have been contacted by several people and verified this with a local store. No receipt needed, just bring in the old unit and they will swap for the same model. Thats a $149.99 savings! You might want to call before hand and just make sure they have some in stock and are ok with doing that. As with any return policy, the rules that are bent or broken depend on your approach and the person behind the counter.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Calphalon non-stick Lifetime Warranty
If you have any Calphalon non-stick cookware that is beginning to flake off, scratch or otherwise deteriorate, it will be covered under their lifetime warranty. Here is how it works:
1. Clean your pan, skillet or pot to the best of your ability. If it appears damaged because of abuse, then they may not honor it.
2. Write a letter. Include your name, address and a brief description of the problem. Usually, saying something like "We have had this pan for awhile and it is beginning to lose the non-stick coating. We take great care of it making sure we never use metal objects or any harsh abraisives..." you get the idea. Sign it with a big thank you! This info is on the warranty form, but I like to include it for the tech who opens the box. You never know haw that can affect the decisions a person makes :-)
3. Check out the Calphalon warranty section of their site HERE. Fill out the warranty authorization and you will get the addrss to ship to.
4. Pack it in a box and send it to calphalon, you may want to add a tracking number or delivery confirmation.
This process will take 2 weeks or so, be patient. They should, barring any issues like abuse, replace it with a similar new model usually including the lid. So if you have a pan that cost $79.99 or more to replace, $15 of shipping plus a couple week wait equals almost $65.00 in savings! I had 2 pans, each about 5 years old that had deteriorated. Calphalon replaced them both. $30 spent in shipping for $165 of new pans.
1. Clean your pan, skillet or pot to the best of your ability. If it appears damaged because of abuse, then they may not honor it.
2. Write a letter. Include your name, address and a brief description of the problem. Usually, saying something like "We have had this pan for awhile and it is beginning to lose the non-stick coating. We take great care of it making sure we never use metal objects or any harsh abraisives..." you get the idea. Sign it with a big thank you! This info is on the warranty form, but I like to include it for the tech who opens the box. You never know haw that can affect the decisions a person makes :-)
3. Check out the Calphalon warranty section of their site HERE. Fill out the warranty authorization and you will get the addrss to ship to.
4. Pack it in a box and send it to calphalon, you may want to add a tracking number or delivery confirmation.
This process will take 2 weeks or so, be patient. They should, barring any issues like abuse, replace it with a similar new model usually including the lid. So if you have a pan that cost $79.99 or more to replace, $15 of shipping plus a couple week wait equals almost $65.00 in savings! I had 2 pans, each about 5 years old that had deteriorated. Calphalon replaced them both. $30 spent in shipping for $165 of new pans.
How to get Best Buy to waive it's laptop optimization charge
I was asked a few months ago about the "Optimization" charge Best Buy adds to it's laptops, but didn't look into it until a couple of weeks ago when I purchased an advertised laptop. I should have seen it coming. There wasn't a single laptop that didn't have something "extra" done to it. The charges ranged from $39.99 to $99.99. I have heard the price can go as high as $219.99 for some PC's and Macs. The Consumerist has a great article where secret shoppers are used to investigate the mysteries of the Pre-Optimization. The first salesperson did not mention the optimization at all. I saw the sticker on the box and figured "Well if he doesn't bring it up, he may waive it." WRONG, he rang it up at the ad price plus the $69.99 this particular model had tagged on it. I asked him why it was more and he said "Because it's optimized". I told him I didn't want an optimized one. He said it would be a mistake to buy one without it because there would be problems and that I would "have trouble" doing all the things they did. I then informed him I have been in IT for over 20 years and built more pc's from scratch than they had in stock. So I asked for a manager. The Manager asked what he could help with and I simply said "I want to buy this laptop, but do not need a pre-optimized one - said simply, pleasantly like it wasn't an issue. He looked to see if there were any non optimized ones and then came back and said they didn't have any. I said "yes, I know, but this is the one I want, so can you call another store that has a non optimized one I can go buy". With this he took me to the checkout, waived the fee and I went on my way. I know for some it is not that easy. So here are a few suggestions:
1. Call first and talk to an employee or manager that can verify they have non optimized ones. If they don't, ask for a manager and say you want to buy today to see if he'll offer it.
2. Ask for them to contact another store. They want the sale, not sending customers to another store, because that means next time you'll go to the other store.
3. At checkout ask them to waive the fee and pretend it is no big deal for them to waive it. Be nice of course, the answer is always no until you ask. If they say no, simply ask who you can speak to to get that waived.
You might not be 100% successful, sometimes they will agree to reduce the fee 50% or so. Remember getting angry will usually not help the situation. More flys with honey. Remember attitude is contagious, so if you have a good positive one, the experience will be that much better.
REMEMBER - Best Buy's return policy is only 14 days on PC's, so don't buy it before that big trip. Really test it out in the first few days and document any issues. Do not be afraid to return it. I used to be shy about some of those things and needlessly spent more $$. Now I can say I have saved thousands of dollars by effectively utilizing return and exchange policies to MY benefit as well as warranties. Please comment or ask any questions, hopefully I can get all my archived Q&A's onto this new site.
1. Call first and talk to an employee or manager that can verify they have non optimized ones. If they don't, ask for a manager and say you want to buy today to see if he'll offer it.
2. Ask for them to contact another store. They want the sale, not sending customers to another store, because that means next time you'll go to the other store.
3. At checkout ask them to waive the fee and pretend it is no big deal for them to waive it. Be nice of course, the answer is always no until you ask. If they say no, simply ask who you can speak to to get that waived.
You might not be 100% successful, sometimes they will agree to reduce the fee 50% or so. Remember getting angry will usually not help the situation. More flys with honey. Remember attitude is contagious, so if you have a good positive one, the experience will be that much better.
REMEMBER - Best Buy's return policy is only 14 days on PC's, so don't buy it before that big trip. Really test it out in the first few days and document any issues. Do not be afraid to return it. I used to be shy about some of those things and needlessly spent more $$. Now I can say I have saved thousands of dollars by effectively utilizing return and exchange policies to MY benefit as well as warranties. Please comment or ask any questions, hopefully I can get all my archived Q&A's onto this new site.
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