The Brinkmann Corporation Taylor Wolfe, Customer Service Rep. Brinkmann Corp. Grill caught on fir. VERY DANGERIOUS. Company won't honor warrenty Dallas, Texas

Called customer service on March 11, 2011 and talked to a rep by the name of Taylor Wolfe. He told me to email a summary and photos. Here is a copy of that email
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serial #  TBC-3810S-024119-0909N
Purchased approx. 9 months ago at the Home Depo, Sun City Center, Fl.
Lit a natural lump charcoal fire; came back to put on food and found that
the paint on the back and side of the grill had started on fire with
large flames. Put out fire with garden hose, terrible smell, temp gauge
only read 500 degrees. I did follow instructions on seasoning the grill
when I first got it by rubbing it down with vegetable oil and lighting a
hot fire. Have been using the grill on a regular basis without problem
up to now.
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2nd email that same day
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Here are the NEW pictures per your request. Please note my cell number below
so if you call on Monday and I am not at my home PLEASE call my cell
phone.

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email of March 14, 2011

I was under the impression I would be getting a call or email today about the grill?????
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March 15,2011 response

Hi Jon,   I apologize I didn't respond to you yesterday, but we were much busier than expected.    Due to the parts that have been damaged by the fire on your grill, the best way to go about this would be to reimburse you for the cost of the
grill.  To do so I have a few questions that we have to ask about the grill and some of them may not pertain to your grill exactly.  Just do your best to answer the questions.   Please describe how the fire started in detail:   Where did the fire originate?   Were you next to the grill when the fire started?   What foods were being cooked at the time of the fire?   Approximately how many times have you used the grill?   Did you notice any unusual sounds or smells after starting your grill?   Can you also email a copy of your receipt with the answers to these questions?   Thank you for your patience.   Taylor Wolfe Brinkmann Corp. Malibu Lighting Corp. 1-800-527-0717

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My response on March 15, 2011


Paint on the grill right side and back started on fire. Flames were very high
and I had to use a garden hose to put them out. There was a terrible  chemical smell.
I had started a fire using natural charcoal and after 20 minutes when the coals had ashed over I
closed the cover. I had not put my food on the grill yet. I went inside my home for about 10 minutes to bring out the steaks I wanted to grill.
When I came out I saw the high flames on the outside of the grill. The temp gauge read at 500 degrees.
It interesting that I built the fire on the left side of the grill with no coals on the right side and the right side without the coals is the side that started on fire.

I no longer have the receipt but I have my bookkeeper searching for the credit card charge on
my statements. The charge will show the exact amount I paid and the date. I expect that she will have it for me soon and I will forward it.

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additional email from me same day

Forgot to answer that I used the grill about once every 10 days since I got it.

I
found the charge for $228.14 on August 23, 2010. I can scan and email
my credit card statement. This is all I have. Please let me know if it
will be enough.

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3/23/11 from Brinkmann rep

Hi Jon,   I apologize for the lack of response on my part.  I was out of the office
most of last week, and it's starting to hit the busy season here.  The way we generally handle damage to the grill like you have experienced is with a full refund.  It takes a couple of weeks for us to process this request because we have to send it to a couple of different departments.   I apologize for the delay.   Taylor Wolfe Brinkmann Corp. Malibu Lighting Corp. 1-800-527-0717

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my email of 3/31/11


Tomorrow will be three weeks since I contacted your company regarding the warranty issue. This is not a complex matter and I do not understand why you would jeopardize your companies reputation with such bad customer service. Even if you are not going to honor your warranty could I at least get the courtesy of a response.

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response from Brinkmann 4/1/11

Hi Jon,   I apologize for the delay with this matter.  When it comes to issues like the grill catching fire, we take it quite seriously.  I have not forgotten about this matter and I have already forwarded all of your information to my supervisor.  As I said in one of my previous emails, we're going to be sending you a full refund of the grill once this gets
processed.   I apologize for the delay, but we are working to get this situation resolved.   Taylor Wolfe Brinkmann Corp. Malibu Lighting Corp. 1-800-527-0717

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Sent emails asking for status on 4/7/11 and  4/14/11

No response from Brinkmann to these emails.

This was not a big ticket item and it makes no sense to me that it should take this long for an answer.