Dear ABC News Fixer: Trouble With the Gelato Maker
Dear Rebecca: You never dreamed this would be so difficult...
April 30, 2013 — -- Dear ABC News Fixer: Last December, I bought a gelato maker on sale from BestBuy.com. It was a gift for my 17-year-old cousin, who loves to learn new cooking skills.
Several weeks later, it arrived. We opened the box and discovered the "function control" was missing. That's the knob to turn it on and off. After multiple calls to the manufacturer, I still have this $275 door stop.
All we want is a knob to be able to turn it on. I even spoke to a supervisor, but was told they have to wait for some to be made.
There's not one single knob somewhere that could be sent to me?
Initially, I was told one would be sent. I kept waiting.
This shouldn't be rocket science. Please help make an exceptional, hard-working teenager happy.
- Rebecca Bennett, Forney, Texas
Dear Rebecca: The crummy part of this is you could have just taken it back to the retailer, but as you optimistically waited for that missing knob, the time period for returns lapsed. You never dreamed this would be so difficult.
We took your problem to the PR folks at DeLonghi America, the local arm of the Italian appliance manufacturer. They sounded horrified and jumped on this right away. They called you to apologize, and less than a week later, a brand-new gelato maker arrived at your home. And yes, this one has an on/off knob.
DeLonghi also provided you with pre-paid postage to mail back the broken unit. Ciao!
- The ABC News Fixer
Got a consumer problem? The ABC News Fixer may be able to help. Click here to submit your problem online. Letters are edited for length and clarity.
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