Immersion Blenders, Part 2
I am more than a little bummed.
See, CSN Stores offered me a gift certificate (and then to do a giveaway for another gift certificate next month) and I am not one to turn down free things for me AND for you. You may thank me later.
And after approximately a million of you were all “just buy an immersion blender” last week, I decided to listen to the Internet and use my gift certificate to get one.
And it arrived in the mail just a few days later and I nearly wept with joy when I pulled it out of the packaging and laid it carefully in my kitchen drawer and dreamed about how I was going to use it to make some divine chicken enchilada soup (I made it last year and we loved it, and that was when I had to do the annoying thing where you pour it into your actual blender and there is splattering and mess and what have you and also, after Rhiannon’s comment, I’m totally paranoid about CRACKING my glass blender when I do this).
So, anyway, I was excited, is what I’m getting at. I’d ordered the Kalorik Sunny Morning Hand Blender because it was the one that America’s Test Kitchen ranked as the #1 and apparently Cook’s Illustrated also had many good things to say about it. I chopped up my vegetables and let them cook for a while and waited anxiously for them to be soft so I could use my new! life-changing! appliance.
Right, you know where this is going. Pull out your Kleenex for the sob fest that is about to commence.
People, it was such a disappointment. It immediately splashed hot soup on my arm. Strike 1. Then, unlike the lovely one I’d borrowed from Bart’s cousins, I couldn’t just leave it in the soup and move it around while it was submerged. I had to keep lifting it out of the pot and putting it down again in a new spot. This did not thrill me. Strike 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6. And then the motor started smelling like it was burning out. I mean, really, I was blending for less than a minute (also, the borrowed one did a pot with FAR more vegetables in it in about 30 seconds and I should have done LESS because it turned out so ridiculously smooth and I like it a little chunky).
And now I’m left here to ponder whether or not to return it. But, see, if I return it, I have to pay to ship it back. And also they’ll deduct the cost of shipping and handling from my refund, even though I got free shipping. And, suddenly I’m paying money out of pocket for something that was supposed to be free. Is it worse to just pay the $12-15 it would be to get a new one that was better (of course, now I’m mega paranoid that whichever I would choose would ALSO be junk-y) which is more than HALF the cost of the stupid thing in the first place or do I just deal with the fact that I now have an immersion blender but it’s not a very good one at all? Or do I just sit here and feel peeved? (And think about how ordering things online stresses me out because of all the SHIPPING!)
Yes, I know. I’m complaining about free stuff. But, really, is it so much to ask that my free stuff work?
And, of course, it’s not CSN’s fault that this product they happen to stock appears to be a piece of junk and that I happened to be foolish enough to choose THAT particular product of the gazillion things they sell, and I know that shipping is not free and. . . and. . .I’m just totally bummed about the whole thing. That’s all. (Kalorik, on the other hand? This IS their fault).
Also, I’m saying that if, when I do the giveaway next month, you happen to win? Do not order Kalorik’s immersion blender. Unless you happen to like the salty taste of tears in your soup.
You crack me up. I'm sorry your blender was lame.
I did purchase a huge cat tree from them. My cats love it. Perhaps that's the thing: you need to purchase items for an easy-to-please crowd. Preferably one without the ability to use language.
"Salty taste of tears" has got to be one of the best phrases ever.
When I was picturing a 'immersion blender' I pictured a hand-held blender looking like one of the kind they use to blend milkshakes. However, when I pictured a 'hand blender' – I picture a miny mixer where you have the two different beatters, and you have to pick the right spot to put them in or they don't fit. (is this visual working). so I was imagining you trying to make your soup with a mixer… vs blender. and it was pretty comical!
I'm sorry it was not amazing! maybe it takes practice? you never know. I stink at using the hand blenders, it always gets everywhere
That is so sad 🙁 I have been thinking about you and your blender all week. In fact just tonight I wished I had one as I made Panera's broccoli soup and did about five transfers to my blender. If it were me, I'd probably avoid paying shipping and sell it on craigslist as "only used once!" and buy the nice kitchen aid one that we KNOW does an amazing job.
I would be bummed, too! 🙁 On principle alone, I probably wouldn't send it back because I'd hate to have to pay for the shipping!
Return it. You might regret paying the xtra money to ship it back but it wont be anything next to hating your immersion blender everytime you use it and wishing you and a nicer one that you loved. Trust me. do it.
Have a funeral and bury it. Then leave an extra honest but maybe slightly nasty review about how bad this blender is. Then call the company and complain as well. Okay, maybe you should wait to bury it because you never know what will come from honest complaining. Then go get something extra yummy and fattening and eat it. Yep, I think that should do it. 🙂
I would write a very nicely worded and polite letter/email to CSN telling them about the problems with the thing (especially the burning motor.) Make sure to mention your (WIDELY READ) blog, and request a return shipping label. It can't hurt to ask, right?! I never pay to ship stuff back that I hate without trying to get them to pay the shipping first.
Boooooo! What brand was the one you borrowed? I think you should get yourself a new one.
If a product is defective, you should NOT be charged shipping and handling to return it. Write to CSN and ask them. Splashing you plus the motor smelling funny one minute in is certainly sufficient grounds for calling it defective.
I feel your pain. For the frugal, this is the very definition of heartache. My sister, also thrifty to the max, says that when these things happen to her, she assuages her agony by labeling the misfortune a "learning experience" and accepting that every once in a while even the most economical among us is going to have a snafu here and there. (I have tried this technique and can vouch for its moderate effectiveness.)
As for immersion blenders, I know, as you now do, the vast range of quality available. We got a piece of hooj one for our wedding, which compared to my mom's is so inferior it can barely be called the same type of appliance. So my moral there is: get rid of it. Otherwise it will sit in the back of some cabinet collecting dust (as mine does) and/or you will recall this devastating experience and seethe every time you attempt to use it. Whether you return it or sell it on ebay or give it away free on craigslist, I don't know, but get rid of it so you can justify getting another one. And, you might consider contacting whoever you borrowed the original one from to find out what kind they have, to guarantee your satisfaction.
Complain, tell them it doesn't work and is completely disappointing. See what they'll do (like pay free shipping to get you a better one).
xox
yeah, get a good one you've tried and know works. Bummer about the deducting money to send it back. Lame.
Send it back. We have a Cuisinart (the CSB-77 Smart Stick Hand Blender with Whisk and Chopper Attachments to be specific) and we love, love, love it. Just so you know. It has never sprayed me and I just leave it in the soup and move it around. We haven't used the chopper a ton, but the hand blender is amazing!
It took me a whole year to get over my Super Lame Immersion Blender Experience. I was really quite devastated (different blender, same issues.) Then the other day I went out and bought the SECOND cheapest blender at Target (my original blender was the FIRST cheapest) and lo, it is fantabulous. The Waring Pro something or other. Thirty bucks. Love at first blend.
So sorry you are disappointed.
If the motor is smelling hot, then it is defective. Not your problem. It is the manufacturer's problem. Complain big time.
Oh, dear, that is NOT how the immersion blender experience should be. I vote sending it back, but after calling to complain and getting some sort of shipping voucher. If nothing else, CNS should replace the one they sent you, and maybe this is one fluke specimen of what is a good product. I mean, ATK said it was good! If they are not right, then my world view is seriously harmed.
I agree with the other suggestions to call the company and see if you can get a shipping label. If not, try to sell it on Craig's list and then buy the same brand that you've already used and know you like.
My blender just came apart . . .right before soup season! I wish there were more small repair shops, but with our "buy it and throw it away" culture, those seem to have gone the way of the world. I hate to have to buy a new blender when the one I have just needs a small fix.
How disappointing!! I have no idea what I'd do about it… Can you write to Kalorik and see if they'll do anything about it? (I have so much faith in America's Test Kitchen that I'm SHOCKED it didn't work!)
And then I recommend going out and buying the Cuisinart stainless steel hand blender. My husband spent literally MONTHS researching which one to buy, and we have used it dozens of times for lots of veggie-heavy soups. It is AWESOME.
I would let them know for sure! Maybe it was just a faulty blender, and the rest are not like that? They should send you a replacement that works properly, and also, you shouldn't have to pay to return this one!
They offered me the same thing and I ordered a waffle maker…
Yeah…that is disappointing! I have no advice but I do have empathy as I have done the same thing. Not with an immersion blender but with hiking boots.
The shipping thing stinks!
I think it IS their fault. The blender is poor quality, and they should accept responsibility and offer free shipping to return it.
One reason I almost never order anything aside from books and movies online (without being able to see it first) is I don't know if it's going to really work for me. Sure, they accept returns, but in almost all cases I have to pay the return shipping. I have always thought this was BAD business practice. If the dress doesn't fit or the blender is a dud, they should pay to have it returned. Maybe they only do that once per transaction, but it should be done.
Whew. Rant over.
Hey, that's a good idea Noelle had. You might not make back what it's worth, but you should be able to get something for it on Craigslist and then you can avoid dealing with shipping.
I think you should get a better blender. The Janssen's Allowance account is too much higher than her husband's account. And then you should do like people said and buy us some donuts and more Halloween candy, 'cause we're running out.
Haha, I agree with Bart.
I am also so bummed about stuff like this! I actually just returned some bottles of paint, one of which I bought for 50% off. The cashier took 50% off BOTH bottles so she refunded me less than I paid for them (so I essentially paid to return them). I didn't notice because they were on a receipt with other items. It seems like these little incidents have been occurring a lot lately and they really add up! P.S. Our circle of friends never seems to stop overlapping! I just noticed that you're friends with Lisa Christensen, and I know you're friends with Bethany Jackman, too. It's a small BYU world.
I feel partially responsible for this fiasco. I am very, very sorry. If you lived nearby, I'd lend you my immersion blender.
I would absolutely be as bummed as you–you are definitely right to complain!
Let us know what you choose to do–I would personally pay to ship it back because then you at least wouldn't have to wonder if it was just a bad one…
After all of your talk about immersion blenders, I decided that my daughter might like to have one. This one by Cuisinart looks good to me. Any thoughts?
Cuisinart CSB-77 Smart Stick Hand Blender with Whisk and Chopper Attachments
by Cuisinart $42.25 with free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006G3JRO/ref=pe_88360_17658460_pe_vfe_t4