Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  The company [Zojirushi America Corporation] is refusing to repair a product under warranty. Under Maryland State law, each merchant must abide by an automatic "implied warranty of merchantability." That unwritten protection guarantees that consumer products are free of substantial defects and will function properly for a reasonable period of time. Under a relatively short period of time, normal use, and regular maintenance, the product has begun to rust. Because the potable water dispenser is exposed to rust, the product is no longer safe to use; therefore, the product does not function properly. The company must repair/replace/refund the product because the rusting issue is a result of a manufacturing defect, rather than end user misuse.Furthermore, the store page contains very misleading language about the product materials. 'Stainless Steel' is used as a descriptor for internal components, but the interior liner of the boiler is not made of stainless steel. Consumers are misled when buying this product. Based on the product store page, consumers are led to believe that the interior of the boiler is also stainless steel.

  Business response

  06/24/2024

  We are sorry to hear you are experiencing issues with your water boiler.
  
  This water boiler liner is made of stainless steel with nonstick coating made of PTFE.
  
  The reddish staining is caused by the natural occurring iron mineral in water such as tap water.
  
  This is an example if iron and calcium accumulation on a water boiler and of the same water boiler after cleaning it as recommended. 
  
  We would recommend to first try cleaning the staining with a soft toothbrush and toothpaste. Scrub the staining gently and then perform a cleaning with citric acid cleaning, as the instruction manual suggest. This should reduce the possibility of reddish stain formation. The cleaning mode must be initiated by holding the REBOIL button for 3 seconds. This cleaning will last at least 1.5 hours.
   
  Your water being used in the water boiler may be high in mineral content. If water is left in the unit and not thoroughly dried, rust formation can also result. Rust formation is not a manufacturing defect. All information can be found in the instruction manual.
   
  Although this is not a hygienic problem, it is recommended to clean the inner container periodically every 1-3 months with citric acid.
   
  The descaling cleaners can be purchased online at: **********************************************************************************************;
  Please make sure to use Cleaning Cycle, which takes about approx. 1.5 hours Please see the instruction manual for the descaling mode.
  
  Please thoroughly watch the following video showing how to clean your water boiler: ****************************************************************
   
  If you dont clean the liner regularly (every 3 months or so), calcium may cause iron spots will eventually eat up the coating.
   
  If the previous citric acid cleanings have not helped, I would recommend trying the following:
   
  Using bottled lemon juice please use one cup of concentrate lemon juice and fill the pot with water up to the **** line. Press the REBOIL button to initiate the cleaning cycle which takes about approx. 1.5 hours. Once the cleaning mode is done press the REBOIL button and allow the unit to stay in keep warm overnight. Next day open lid allow the water to cool, then dispose from side. Fill the unit with just water / boil / when boil completes dispense about a liter through the spout. Unplug unit open lid allow the water to cool then dispose from side.
   
  After the cleaning cycles are completed, you are going to use water only and boil. You should be able to drink the water the third time and the liner will be free of the mineral scale.
  
  Hopefully this cleaning will help with your issue. If the following does not, the water boiler would need to be sent to a service center to be cleaned. Please contact the closest authorized service center to you for an estimate for the cleaning or replacement of the inner liner.
  
  ****************************************************
  
  ZOJIRUSHI AMERICA CORPORATION ('ZOJIRUSHI') warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original retail purchase from an authorized retailer with a copy of the purchase receipt.

  Customer response

  06/24/2024

   
  Complaint: 21780617
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  It is not scale or grime. I understand what rust looks like. The interior of the boiler has begun to rust because the liner is defective. I have cleaned the boiler on a regular basis with descaling products and the rust spots do not go away. This product is defective and is still under original warranty. The fact that the company is unwilling to be reasonable and accept that the product they have sent is defective says a great deal. There are numerous comments made on social media by people with the exact same issue. You cannot sell a defective product and then expect the consumer to pay for repairs. This is not right and is in violation of Maryland state law, as I described in the original complaint. The correct and moral way to fix this situation is with a replacement or a refund.
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  The order number is *****. I have not received all items in the order and contacted the vendor however I was told I have to first upload the image of the packaging box used for shipping and wait for their internal review. Received the call from the *** next day basically stating they would take additional 8 business days. I have contacted the vendor and they are adamant that all items were in the box when shipped thus I have to wait a very long time until *** comes with the resolution. I have stated that is not fair the customer but the vendor is refusing to provide any more assistance. I request refund for non-delivered items. Missing items are not my problems. That is between the vendor and the ***. Asking the customer to wait forever over a problem that is beyond what the customer could do is totally absurd.

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Purchased Zojirushi rice cooker NS-LGC05 1 year ago. The rice cooker stopped working after third day. Sent to the repair/warranty location and they required regular phone calls and resubmission of our shipping label and proof we sent it to the service station. I just want a rice cooker- they have mine and it it will soon be over a year.

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear Customer: 

  We are sorry that we just came across your complaint now. We understand you had submitted it some time ago, but we wanted to ask you to call our *************************** so they can assist you. Their number is ************. From the complaint, there are just too few details for us to determine what has happened. We appreciate you giving our *************************** an opportunity to resolve this issue. 

  Customer response

  06/22/2024

   
  Complaint: 20976102
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  It took more than one year to have my rice cooker repaired and it came back with a dent. They outsource service and have no customer intimacy. 
  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  11/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Coffee maker EC-ECJ120 does not brew and heating element is not on. Although, the red light turns on does not work at all. The warranty is deceiving with a one year parts agreement??? **************** was polite but did everything in it's power to blame me for the problem. Clearly skeptical practices.

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear Customer, 

  We are sorry for the delay in our response to your complaint as we must have missed the BBB notification email when it was first posted. Your coffee maker, like all of our electric products, has only a one year limited warranty, but we do have experienced customer service representatives and a team of technicians that *** be able to help you fix this issue. Many times it *** be a part that needs to be replaced or a simple adjustment to the product that might fix the issue. We also have service centers around the country that can diagnose the problem and determine what needs to be done. Our customer service office can be reached at ************. It is difficult to solve such an issue through a bulletin board of this kind so we do ask that you give our customer service team an opportunity to help you.  

• Initial Complaint

  01/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The paddles on my bread machine started to bubble so I contacted zojirushi in january 3rd. They told me that the paddles were out of stock until the end of the month. They told me they had a small batch coming in stock on january 11th. I placed an order. They did not ship for over 1 week. Now I've been trying to get the paddles out of the pan to change them out. I've only been able to one paddle out and I've been trying for 3 weeks now. It's very frustrating and they want $96 for another pan plus shipping. I haven't been able to use my bread machine in over 1 month. This is very frustrating.

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear Customer,

   

  We are sorry that we just came across your complaint now, but we would like to reach out to you to assure you that we would like to help. It is difficult to ascertain all the details of your issue and resolving it through a forum such as this, which is why we encourage you to call our *************************** so they can work with you in finding a solution. They can be reached at ***********. We appreciate your patience and your business. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Bought the Zojirushi bread machine *********** on September 2019, cost me around $180****. I use it less than once per month, in total should less than 30 times. The part of aluminum kneading blades (may weight several grams) crumbled and grated into fine aluminum powder, I only noticed when it broken due the grated part missing. So me and my family ate several grams of aluminum which is very dangerous and harmful to health. No matter if the product within or not in warranty, this should not happen. I contact them ask for report on if they did the tests on the machine and human ate that amount of aluminum is safe, they only replied and asked me to buy new blades. I want them recall their product, I want full refund. I want to know authority (***********************) aware their product flaws. ModelNumber = ******** SerialNumber = *******

  Business response

  10/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/06) */ We are sorry to hear that one of our customers has had to deal with a worn-down kneading paddles on his Zojirushi********* bread maker after 3 years of usage, but this is a part of the breadmaker that needs to be replaced periodically. Our 1 year manufacturer's limited warranty excludes replacement parts such as the kneading blade******************************************************************** and the customer was informed of this. He was also provided information we hoped would ease his concerns about the normal wear and tear of the replacement parts, such as the kneading blade. Due to the fact that kneading paddles will eventually wear down through use, we have always offered our customers the opportunity to purchase replacement paddles through our Customer Service department or through our authorized service center in ******************* customers :********************************************* But let's address the main concern and perhaps bring some peace of mind to this customer or to anyone else who might be concerned after seeing one of their kneading paddles worn down and in need of being replaced. First, we would like to reassure this valued customer of ours that our kneading paddles are safe and will not pose any health hazards for him or his family. We realize there is a growing awareness and concern over the use of chemicals in our foods and cookware. We share the same concerns and would never offer a product that might endanger any of our customers. Safety is our number one priority and we would never compromise on our commitment to the health and well-being of anyone who places their faith in our products. Our entire reputation as a company rests on this one promise. We would also like to reassure this customer by sharing a bit of information on aluminum, which, we hope, might alleviate some of his fears. Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals on the planet. It's found just about anywhere in the environment. You will find it in water, food, and even common cold and stomach medicines, like aspirin and antacids. Anyone who is not fasting or abstaining from drinking water will ingest minute amounts of aluminum daily, over the course of their entire life. Even if someone is using an aluminum pot to cook highly acidic foods, such as tomatoes or sauerkraut, there will be corrosion to the surface of the pan. This will allow a minute amount of aluminum to be released into the food that they will eventually eat, but this amount would be less than even an aspirin may contain. The truth is, aluminum toxicity requires ingesting a large amount, far above the kinds of trace levels we are discussing in this case. We would like to refer Mr. **** to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he can find more detailed information on aluminum and the high levels of exposure necessary to be harmful. We hope this information provides some relief and peace of mind, not only to this particular customer, but to all of our other customers who have experienced the same need of replacing their bread maker's kneading paddles over time. ***************************************************************************************************************************** Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/06) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Other aluminum products safe doesn't make your bread machine safe. I suspect your aluminum blades crumbled several grams into breads I ate within last few uses. Prove I am wrong with real experiments and real data from well known food safety lab. If you never did that test, *** should help me report this to authorities. In the meantime you should recall your products and refund me in full.

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We trusted this company to provide the best rice cookers on the market, and we were happy with a previous rice cooker of theirs, ********, until the inner pot's coating wore off. We purchased their newest model,*********, on March 6th for a total of $164.08 USD. My understanding is that we received a faulty rice cooker, as the inner lid does not seal properly when cooking, causing rice and red beans to bubble up and spill over into the heating plate on the bottom. We were told the unit was not faulty and that is was the fault of user error, despite the fact we've been very careful with this unit - making sure the inner pot was completely dry before inserting it and rinsing the inner lid thoroughly before each use so that there are no grains or debris trapped or hidden inside the lid's seal. When we contacted them about the issue, we received this correspondence from one of their customer service representatives: ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** She then told us to call their number and speak to someone else if we had any further inquiries. We were told to use sandpaper (scratching and damaging the unit further?) to sand off the burned areas. Despite doing so, new burned grains would appear every few times we used the cooker, causing a foul odor and more damage to the heating plate. We wish to return this unit, get a refund, and seek out a different working rice cooker to replace it.

  Business response

  05/12/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/22) */ Dear **. *****, Thank you for contacting ********* *******. We are sorry to hear you are experiencing issues with your rice cooker. As you mentioned in your message, the inner cooking pan may have had some food debris on the bottom of the pan before it was inserted into the rice cooker. This debris may have cooked while it was attached to the heating element. The pictures you sent us of your rice cooker reinforces our view that this was the cause of your issue. However, there is an easy fix for this. If the heating plate on your rice cooker has staining and burnt bits, we would recommend spraying a cleaning solution like 409 or a mild oven cleaner onto a well wrung cloth and then wiping the heating plate. Please do not spray directly on to the heating element. You can also try using a very fine grit sandpaper to clean the burnt spots. Wiping the bottom of the inner cooking pan before placing in to the rice cooker should help prevent the debris from falling on to the heating element. The issue seen in the pictures would not be considered a manufacturing defect. It is clearly a maintenance issue. As a special courtesy to you, we would like to extend your product warranty by 3 months, extending it from 12 months to 15 months. So, if you can provide us a proof of purchase of less than 15 months ago, we will provide you a prepaid shipping label so you can send your rice cooker to us for inspection. In the meantime, we have attached the cleaning and maintenance instructions for your rice cooker. Please get in touch with us at your earliest convenience so we can help you. Thank you again for bringing this matter to our attention. ********* ******* Corporation

• Initial Complaint

  02/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hi BBB I would like for y'all to help me get my money back for the same reason that I have been having with Zojirushi American Corp products. They made me pay again for their defected product. After you get finish cooking on it and you wipe /wash it out it's turn white on the inside of the electric skillet. I don't think we should have pay twice for the same probem that we keep on having this company is selling bad items to customes especially since my mother have a medical problem because she has have so many surgery where now she has to be very careful what she eat and how she cook her on. Now she can't used this product due to the defected product. Please help me get all of my money back. Please

  Business response

  04/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/03/17) */ Thank you for contacting Zojirushi America. We are sorry to hear you are experiencing an issue with the replacement part you have purchased. The issue you are experiencing may occur from calcium or salt left on the cooking plate. Heating up water with some lemon juice on the cooking plate should resolve the issue you are experiencing. Please try that and you should be fine. If that doesn't work for you, please contact our Customer Service Department for further assistance. ********************* Monday-Friday 8:00AM-5:00PM PST Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/03/24) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) That method does not work. I want a resolution to this. My refund. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/03/31) */ Thank you *********** for sharing your experience with us. As a courtesy to you, we reduced the cost of the flat plate part from $51.55 to $37.10. We outsourced shipping to a 3rd party. We wanted to keep your cost as low as possible. The shipping and processing fees were $38.18. I also want to point out that we acquire the parts for resale only so we can provide them to our customers. The only reason we carry parts in our inventory is simply to ensure that our customers have access to spare parts when they need them. We make no profit on parts other than the goodwill we receive from our customers who appreciate us making these parts available to them when the need arises. As for your particular case, there is useful information in your product's user's manual about the conditions that can cause damage to the plate, as well as instructions on how to properly clean it. Please refer to and follow those instructions to ensure that your plate is properly cleaned. In response to your request that you have posted here, we, unfortunately, cannot accommodate this request for a return and refund on the used product or part. Reselling used products to our customers would not be appreciated by them, as they would be expecting brand new merchandise right out of the box. We sell only new products, not used ones. I realize that you would have preferred that Zojirushi America make an exception in your case, but to do so would not only break our return policy and initiate an impractical policy of refunding purchase prices for used merchandise, but it would also be unfair to all our other customers who honored and abided by the purchase agreement. Accommodating some customers with special requests and while not offering it to others is inherently unfair and is a practice we have not, and will not, engage in. We hope you can understand why we are committed to treating all our customers fairly. However, even though we are unable to accommodate your request this time, we are eager to hear from you so we can help you find another solution. We are sure we can find a way to help you resume use of your Zojirushi product. We appreciate your faith and loyalty in our products and your willingness to reach out to us to help you resolve this issue. Please call us when you get the chance. Our telephone number is below. Sincerely, Zojirushi America Customer Service Mon-Fri 8:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

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