Just a word of caution to anyone considering the purchase of any Jenn Air appliance, specifically with regard to the warranty.

Here is the link to my post and numerous responses in the Kitchen and Bath forum -

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0312210218977.html

Please read that post for many more details and associated photos.

As an intro - I bought a brand new Jenn Air slide-in electric range from an authorized Jenn Air dealer ($1,999.99). The range was delivered on February 15th 2013. I don't do a ton of cooking so I hadn't used this range all that much (the oven twice and the cooktop itself twice).

So the evening of February 25th I was making pasta and sauce using two of the surface elements. As I was heating the sauce and boiling the water, suddenly a bright flash appeared under the cooktop - similar to that which would be created by an electric arc. A few seconds later, a number of similar flashes appeared under the cooktop and the range went dark.

Since it was later in the evening, I wasn't able to contact the dealer until the next day - Tuesday. I called and told them what had happened and they asked me if I wanted to speak with the service department. I told them no, I wanted to speak with the salesman and I didn't want the unit "repaired" I wanted it replaced. The woman I spoke with was nice enough, but she said they would not be able to replace this unit - it would have to be serviced.

The salesman was not available so I left a voice mail message and sent him an e-mail.

In the meantime, I called Jenn Air Customer Care1-800-JENN-AIR (536-6247) and spoke with a representative. I told her what had happened and she said that Jenn Air would not replace the unit, but would have the dealer send someone out to examine the range and identify a repair option.

I told the Jenn Air rep I didn't want the unit, which had been in my house a total of 9 days when it went dead repaired I wanted it replaced. I spent two grand on this thing and I shouldn't have to be stuck with a "repaired" new Jenn Air product. The rep told me that was Jenn Air's policy.

Later Tuesday, the dealer called and arranged for a serviceman to come out to examine the range. He came yesterday (March 1st). I explained what had happened and he examined the unit. I told him I wanted a NEW range to replace this defective unit and he agreed that if it were him, he would have the exact same position. However, he said that the dealer really had no say in how the problem was resolved and that Jenn Air policy was to only "REPAIR" defective units.

The range now has to have a new user interface, control board, cooktop and electrical harness replaced as there was in fact electrical arcing under the ceran surface. In the meantime, I'm without a range and have no idea when the situation is going to be resolved.

I've already contacted my bank to dispute the two thousand dollar charge and they agreed that I should not have to be stuck with a "refurbished" NEW range because that's exactly what it is. No one in their right mind would pay $1,999.00 for a "refurbished" Jenn Air range. I would have been better off buying this range on eBay!

So a word of caution to anyone considering the purchase of any Jenn Air appliance - DON'T!

If anything major goes wrong with your NEW Jenn Air product you're going to be stuck with a "refurbished" unit.

In my original e-mail to the salesman, I noted that with any electrical component there is the potential for problems that aren't the dealer's fault and I understand that.

However, I also believe any dealer should stand behind their product.

I had always considered Jenn Air to be a higher quality manufacturer and therefore one that would stand behind their products. However, since Jenn Air was purchased by Whirlpool Corporation, I'm sure customer service is less important to them than the bottom line.

My point in making this post was simply to let people know that you can't always rely on a company's perceived quality/reputation - today that is the least of their concerns.

Jenn Air finally "fixed" my range, but substituted a "cheaper" cooktop that didn't have the Hot Surface indicators the original one I bought had.

I even called another local Jenn Air dealer I had talked to back when I first started going through this BS. I asked him if he had heard anything about Jenn Air discontinuing the Hot Surface warning lights and he said no (he looked up information available to him) and also said the indicators were a great feature and he couldn't understand WHY Jenn Air would eliminate them. I also said that this was a great safety feature, particularly if you had kids.

So, please consider whether or not you REALLY want a Jenn Air/Whirlpool product. As others have stated, the store where you buy can make a huge difference. Standard TV & Appliance only has a seven day return policy. However, the second dealer I spoke with said that "technically, Jenn Air will not replace a bad unit, no matter how old it is or isn't, only repair it". He said his store had replaced a bad appliance for one of their customers as a means of satisfying the customer, and the store was going to battle Jenn Air/Whirlpool in order to get the bad unit replaced with a new one, rather than forcing their customer to try to do it.