$2K, and problems from the get go

ToeJam

Well-known member
Messages
116
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
I'm hoping my experience isn't typical, but thought I'd share what I've dealt with thus far:

Ordered the RT-700, folding shelf, extra interior shelf, comp cart, and cover. Received it this past tuesday. Finally got everything together friday and the first problem was that there weren't any screws included to affix the the cover plate to the inspection window on the comp cart. No biggie, called and some are supposed to be on the way. Next... got ready to do the initial burn in and... BAM... circuit blew. Hmm.... looked everything over, didn't see anything wrong inside or out. Called again, rep was telling me things to help trouble shoot the issue, but no joy. Was finally able to diagnose it myself. The interior light wires were pinched somewhere between the pellet hopper and auger area causing a dead short. The reason I know this is because I had the light switch in the off position, was able to reset my circuit breaker and the unit came on. I then pushed the light switch and BAM.... there went the breaker. Called Recteq back, told them what I found and am supposed to be receiving a new light/harness. I've been reading as much as I can in the forums, and for the most part these smokers seem to be pretty good, but, had I known where they were made, I might have gone a different route as I do believe in "Made In America". For the $2K I've spent on the equipment I have, I'd have expected better quality control.
 
I went through the missing hardware, scratched smoke box, scratched comp cart and two bad smoke box temp gauges. I was also bummed to see it was not an American product. I will say that Tess (customer service) went out of her way to get everything right with my purchase. Other than a buggy app, the smoker has been solid. So for the most part, I am happy with the purchase. They (Recteq) do need to get a handle on there supplier/manufacturer regarding quality and I was less than happy with their shipping company (Estes Express).They were not helpful and rude for the most part. The driver was cool though.
 
I really hate you are having issues. I too wish they were made in the USA but not much is anymore unfortunately. One reason I bought is they are a Georgia Company and I live maybe 3 hours away.
I have had a couple of small problems, they have always helped me quickly. I called Friday about an issue with the notifications and the temperature log, the guy I was talking to told me he would have a tech guy call me, the tech guy called me while I was still on the phone with the customer service guy.
My issue was that while cooking a brisket my temp chart disappeared, no big deal at the point it did as I saw the stall, but it should not have vanished.
He told me to adjust the refresh rate in the temp chart, upper right for longer cooks to maybe 15 minute intervals rather than 5 second intervals, they had too many data points on long cooks causing issues .

I sincerly hope it gets working and you have some stress free cooking!
 
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I can't disagree with you on anything, but I do know they will make it right. Please post again when they do, so others know.
 
I had issues too. The auger wiring was never connected when it shipped on mine. Easy fix and customer service was on top of it. No complaints since then.
 
Can't for the life of me find any illustrations/instructions on how to disassemble the hopper/auger to replace the light and wire assembly that's supposed to be coming next week.
 
Maybe you can use the old wire to pull the new wire. Hopefully you won't have to remove the hopper assy.
 
That's part of the problem - the wire is pinched (causing the dead short) and can't see exactly where it is.
 
Just be careful...Yoder's are made by humans, too.

Sorry to the OP for the troubles. I'm confident you'll get past this and will enjoy the Bull.

My RT-700 has been flawless except for having to replace the main control board to upgrade to new firmware so that I could calibrate the two temp probes. This was back over three years ago where many were doing the same to get the new firmware.

I did drop my grates off the top rail of my deck which bent the corner of one grate when hitting the concrete slab below. RecTeq still sent a new set of grates to me at no charge...Amazing company!
 
I was just about ready to order a 700. Based on this info, I think I will reconsider a Yoder from my LOCAL dealer
Not a terrible idea based on how QC seems to have slipped over at Recteq as of late. They used to be THE crowd favorite for the value which is why I went with my RT-590 over other replacement options I was considering it. If I had that same decision to make today and $1k in my pocket I wouldn't choose a Rectec knowing what I know now. I get that things happen but it seems as though they're happening at a higher rate than previously which is a disturbing trend. At a minimum I'd sit on the sidelines for a few months to see if this upward trend in issues and lack of urgency to address them continues.
 
Problem with being made in USA is that no one wants to work anymore because they either get paid more not to or if they did make more the difference isn’t enough to work just to support those that aren’t. Products are being pushed out the door to meet the demand without the proper inspection because they don’t have the workforce.

The issue isn’t going to be solved by paying people more to work, it is to stop paying them not to work.
 
I went through the missing hardware, scratched smoke box, scratched comp cart and two bad smoke box temp gauges. I was also bummed to see it was not an American product. I will say that Tess (customer service) went out of her way to get everything right with my purchase. Other than a buggy app, the smoker has been solid. So for the most part, I am happy with the purchase. They (Recteq) do need to get a handle on there supplier/manufacturer regarding quality and I was less than happy with their shipping company (Estes Express).They were not helpful and rude for the most part. The driver was cool though.
Are you saying the RT-700 isn't USA made?
 
OK, so replacement parts arrived (I'd have thought they'd expedite them, but no - regular post) - Had to go into the smoke chamber, loosen the hopper bolts, take off the cover that protects the auger/fan, have my son help pry the hopper away from the smoke chamber where the wire was pinched/shorted, and had one b**ch of a time getting the new light assembly wires ran back down and into the area where the plugs are located underneath. It's done, but nowhere was there any printed info or video on how to accomplish this. Smoker is together and running now, but I think I should have been compensated for all the aggravation. 2 weeks since it arrived and just today was able to use it......
 

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