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cep55

American Range - CAUTION

cep55
9 years ago

Hi, all -

As one of the first people on this forum to buy an American Range Performer, I've had a lot of inquiries and questions sent to me directly, and I've influenced several sales that I'm aware of. There's not much information out there on these ranges, so every bit available seems to have a lot of influence, and I've enjoyed being a part of that. But...

I've documented my more recent reliability problems with my range, which were frustrating and far beyond what's reasonable to expect from a high-end range used in a residential setting. The distributor then stepped in because he was SO confident that they could make this range work and make me happy, and paid for the substantial repairs (including replacing several key components) even though it was just out of warranty. That was encouraging and changed my opinion.

Trouble is, the problems weren't resolved. And now, the distributor's rep, even though we'd agreed the next step was to have a tech from American Range come to fix it once and for all, hasn't responded to me in the last few months. (I've sent several emails.) I tried to be patient and only email every month or two, because I know things move VERY slowly with American Range's corporate office.

Finally, I sent an email to the owner of the distributorship on October 26, saying that things were still not right, and that I'd really appreciate his help in getting an American Range technician out very soon, and still I've received no response.

I sent a follow-up yesterday, and I'm waiting and really hoping for a response.

I don't want to say anything more right now, but if things aren't resolved soon, I will have a lot to say, here and elsewhere on the web. I do love the construction, performance, oven dimensions, and commercial aesthetic of this range, WHEN it works. But unfortunately, a range you can't rely on to function when you need it is basically useless. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming, I need one I can rely on. I still hope it will be this one.

In the meantime, anyone who has questions about American or the problems I'm having, please feel free to contact me.

I'll have a lot more to say soon - whether it will be positive or negative remains to be seen...

Comments (7)

  • jeff8407
    9 years ago

    Sorry to hear about your problems. Hopefully you get your situation ironed out.

    I have had my 30" American Range since the fall of 2006 and it is still problem free. I just wish they had offered the "cooktop cover" when I bought mine. Scrubbing the stainless top with oven cleaner, Bar Keepers Friend, and and a blue Scotchbright has me wishing I'd bough a BLue Star with open burners every time I clean it however. (When I bought mine Blue Star was having massive ignitor problems.)

  • cep55
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, Jeff - I'm glad yours is still working well! It's a great range when it works correctly. But a lack of support is pretty unforgivable to me, so I'm really hoping the distributor, who talked such a good fight, will RESPOND to me and make good on his promise to get this resolved, and/or the next step, which is an American tech coming to fix it. (These are pretty simple machines, so I'm not sure why this is so difficult for the repair person who is "certified", according to American, to work on this.

  • strikeraj
    9 years ago

    @Cep55

    Hi
    Is there any new update on this issue?
    I am now researching a new range for my new house and I am really paranoid if the range does not work properly after spending a large amount of money

  • vic_k
    9 years ago

    Performer 36â (since Aug 2014)
    Summary: Love it

    Support Experience: Mixed. During the installation the instructions for the 4 inch back riser (optional but required for against the wall install) did not match the parts. I contacted American Range and was immediately able to reach a human and within a day received updated instructions and pictures. Second issue a couple of burners are not level (maybe 1/8 of an inch off) this does not influence performance. I contacted customer service and they contacted service but nothing happened. Now I didn't follow up because after no kitchen for 3 months we weren't in the mood to disrupt our life again for something that was/is insignificant.

    Cook Top: Overall A+. The simmer burner is by far the most used it can be lowered to simmer (slow brew a cup of tea well below boiling) or raised to bring a couple of cups of water to a quick boil. The medium burners hold a pretty good simmer and a fantastic high though 18K they have much better heat distribution compared to the equivalent sealed burners of the old range. Main burners commercial level of heat but at high need large pots and a big hood. Are the grates too high - works well so designed that way for a reason. Cleanup is very easy, simply remove the burner (lift off), lift the trays and wash them with dish soap and non-stick safe scouring pad. The burner heads must be place back with care, if not placed properly they will either not ignite or will have a small flame come out from under the burner.

    Oven: With the convection on the oven bakes evenly and in the right amount of time. Did a good job on cakes, pizza, reheating frozen goods and everything else, works more like a conventional oven with convention on. With the convection off the results are not good we never used the convection feature of our old oven we now always use it and are very happy with it. The broiler has not been used and we have yet to clean the oven.

    Why we chose this model: Wanted a Wolf range but wanted open burners more (Wolf no longer makes open burners). With Wolf out of the picture left 3 ranges in the running American, Capital and Blue Star, the shortlist was mine and I was inclined towards Capital self-cleaning model. First surprise local retailer carried all 3 Second surprise walk in all 3 models were lying side by side. Decision was made by DW really quick - loved the look of American Range the others were no longer in contention. Due to itâÂÂs lower price we were able to get the 36 instead of the 30 and it looks fantastic and love the additional burners and large oven (Active kitchen). It is a heavy unit with a flush back and the gas hook up needs to be very low or if possible in the cabinet on the right - give this some thought when planning its position. The unit is heavy and I used furniture pads on the feet to slide it in, not bigger than similar ranges 24â deep box - door and handles and range top do extend out but with proper...

  • Synergy451
    9 years ago

    As a rep that sells both american range and capital range they both have less then 2 percent failure rates in the field. Capital spares no expense in cost of material however American range has a smart design with the performer series. There innovection system differs from convection to distribute heat more evenly. CEP55 I wish you where my customer and I could facilitate the service work with your local distributor. If anyone has questions about purchasing contact me at the following link. I have video here to teach you what makes innovection different from capitals convection.

    Here is a link that might be useful: authorized american range dealer with video on american range

  • alexrander
    9 years ago

    I would not trust this dealer. Other range brands convection work similar to American's.

  • alexrander
    9 years ago

    I would not trust this dealer. Other range brands convection work similar to American's.