Le Creuset Warranty: All It's Cracked Up To Be?

[Smithy]

After reading all the Le Creuset threads and listening all too intently to Fifi (et alia) about the wonders of this stuff, I bid on and won a large oval LC gratin on EBay. It was described as having minor nicks and chips in the enamel, something I could certainly live with. It arrived last night, and actually has a hairline crack running from the rim down toward the base, right through the cast iron. It's possible the seller didn't look carefully enough at this "nicks", but there's no doubt in my mind that this is a metal fracture.

It seems as though LC fans on this forum have touted the LC lifetime warranty as even covering abuse. Of course I can't know how or when this crack was formed, but my question is: can I contact LC and invoke the warranty, or should I just send it back to the auctioner? A little nicking I didn't mind, especially for the price I paid, but this fracture looks like it compromises the dish.

Advice, anyone? The sooner I get sound advice the better, since I'll have to act quickly on this one way or the other.

[Richard Kilgore]

Shoot them an email and ask: cservice@lecreuset.com

Edited to say that you can read the warranty information on their website. It indictates that your gratin would not be covered because you are not the original owner and the damage likely not due to a material or workmanship defect. But it never hurts to ask. Some manufacturers and retailers are in practice more generous than their written warranty.

[fifi]

Yep. Cast iron is fairly brittle so what you are describing is likely a crack in the metal. This makes it unuseable. I would send it back to the auctioner as the most expedient solution. They shouldn't have sold it in that condition in the first place.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'm with Fifi on this one. Why spend your time dicking with LC when you have an eBay seller who is not up to snuff?

[melkor]

If you have a Le Creuset outlet near you, give them a call - they are likely to just let you come in and swap the piece for one that isn't cracked.

[Smithy]

No LC outlet nearby, more's the pity. I've written LC - thanks for the info, and it never hurts to ask. I'll probably have to send this back to the seller. It's a shame, though; if the piece were usable, this would have been a great price.

[fiftydollars]

I bought the LC 7qt dutch oven after following one too many LC threads. Anyway, the enamel on mine has a stain of some sort following some osso buco. The area is off-color and dull. I tried scrubbing out the area with the LC cleaner, but it didn’t work. Then I took it back to Williams Sonoma and they told me it was a stain, to keep scrubbing, and try barkeeper’s friend on it. I tried it, but it didn’t work, which is a new one for me. I’ve never had a stain Barkeeper’s friend couldn’t handle.

Is this really a stain, then? It looks like an area that might have been damaged by the acidity and heat I used in making the osso buco. I used Mario Batali’s recipe, which calls for tomato sauce and wine and braising at 375 for two hours. It was delicious. I’ve made the recipe before, but the way it turned out on the LC is the best. Unfortunately, one of the shanks left its mark on the cooking surface and it hasn’t budged.

From what I understand LC will show some discoloration from use, but how about wear on the finish? Does losing the shine count as discoloration?

[Richard Kilgore]

Could be high heat damage or a manufacturing flaw. I suggest taking it back to W-S and telling them about your additional attempts to get it clean. They are great as far as taking care of thei customers goes.

There is usually a thin film on the white enamel interior after washing with soap and water. It will usually come off with a good scrubbing with soap and baking soda. Not as quickly as with Bar Keeper's Friend, but even more gently.

[fiftydollars]

Thanks , Richard! You responded to a similar gripe I voiced about the same thing on another thread. I guess it's really bothering me right now... Since I've never before used Le Creuset, I don't know what to expect. Your experience in this area is invaluable.

I was very nervous about using the Barkeeper's Friend on the LC... but from what I can see, aside from not actually removing the alleged stain, it didn't scratch or damage the surrounding areas whatsoever. So I guess it is safe to use Barkeeper's on LC enamel.

[ladyyoung98]

im pretty familair with ebay and have purchased many things off there with no problems...hope u had nto left any feedback on them as of yet...however another thing u can do is to contact the seller to resolve this problem...depending upn the seller in question...some will refund your money...however..ive also seen pple who have complained abotu a seller in their feedback only to have the seller lay blame eslewhere.....over time i have learned that if i want to bid on an item and ive not had any prior dealings with the seller...i read the feedback first to see what is said about the seller and how the seller may handle problems...granted there isnt a whoel lot of room to leave much info as u only get to use somthieng liek 80 charachters in the feed back so u have to use it for all its worth...but by all means contact the seller first...if u get no satisfaction u can always go for mediation..it is available on ebay it does cost but can be well worth it

[fifi]

I got some staining from paprika chicken in my little snow white pot. Soaking in a chlorine bleach solution for about 15 minutes took care of it. I have done wine/tomato braises before and done the same thing. If that doesn't work, Richard may be correct that there may be something wrong with it. My oldest pot is about 12 years old, I think, used and stained often, and looks like the day I got it.

[marie-louise]

... Is this really a stain, then? It looks like an area that might have been damaged by the acidity and heat I used in making the osso buco. ...From what I understand LC will show some discoloration from use, but how about wear on the finish? Does losing the shine count as discoloration?

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These things are bullet-proof. You couldn't damage one that easily. I'll have to look at a new one for comparison the next time I'm in a store. I wouldn't describe mine as shiny, but then they are all 5-10 years old.

I think they do say to use no higher than medium heat on them, but I crank my 15,000 BTU Wolf burners up to high under these pans on a regular basis, and I've never had a mark I can't get out. You may indeed have purchased a rare defective one.

[takomabaker]

After reading all the Le Creuset threads and listening all too intently to Fifi (et alia) about the wonders of this stuff, I bid on and won a large oval LC gratin on EBay.  It was described as having minor nicks and chips in the enamel, something I could certainly live with.  It arrived last night, and actually has a hairline crack running from the rim down toward the base, right through the cast iron.  It's possible the seller didn't look carefully enough at this "nicks", but there's no doubt in my mind that this is a metal fracture.

It seems as though LC fans on this forum have touted the LC lifetime warranty as even covering abuse.  Of course I can't know how or when this crack was formed, but my question is: can I contact LC and invoke the warranty, or should I just send it back to the auctioner?  A little nicking I didn't mind, especially for the price I paid, but this fracture looks like it compromises the dish.

Advice, anyone?  The sooner I get sound advice the better, since I'll have to act quickly on this one way or the other.

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I contacted LC when the enamel coating came off the bottom of my dutch oven. Frankly, I inherited my LC pieces from my mother, and I think some of them are about as old as I am. Their customer service department told me to ship them the damaged piece and they would determine whether the problem was misuse or a manufacturer's defect. I did so, and they sent me a letter stating that they did not feel that the enamel coating peeling up was a manufacturing defect, but they would send me a new "second" dutch oven for about $50 plus shipping (I don't remember the exact amount but it was somewhere between $50 and $80 with the shipping). It seemed like a pretty good deal, considering that the dutch oven costs over $200. I guess it depends how much you paid on Ebay.

And just more LC praising: I had a crowd over on Friday night and had to sear a mess of steaks quickly. I pulled out my All Clad 14" and my LC uncoated 14" and heated them up on two burners. The All Clad didn't even come CLOSE to the good sear I got on the LC.

Edited December 6, 2004 by takomabaker (log)

[DCMark]

I am the only one that thinks this is not right? The peice should be backed up first by the seller. They misrepresented the item. Lets say the item was dropped and broke through no fault of LC. If you are able to somehow return it to LC, this simply adds to their operating which are then passed on to the rest of us.

If you have a Le Creuset outlet near you, give them a call - they are likely to just let you come in and swap the piece for one that isn't cracked.

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[Smithy]

I am the only one that thinks this is not right?  The peice should be backed up first by the seller.  They misrepresented the item.  Lets say the item was dropped and broke through no fault of LC.  If you are able to somehow return it to LC, this simply adds to their operating which are then passed on to the rest of us.

If you have a Le Creuset outlet near you, give them a call - they are likely to just let you come in and swap the piece for one that isn't cracked.

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I'm none too sure I could do this in good conscience, either. The latest: seller is saying it must have been shipping damage and is supposed to be starting an insurance claim. (The box was damaged, so maybe she's right, although I have some doubts.) LC Customer Service says that since I'm not the original owner they won't replace the piece for free, but they'll give me 75% off the SRP for a new piece. I'm waiting to hear what that would come out to. Not by any means as little as I spent on the piece on EBay, but still could be a good deal.

[takomabaker]

I got some staining from paprika chicken in my little snow white pot. Soaking in a chlorine bleach solution for about 15 minutes took care of it. I have done wine/tomato braises before and done the same thing. If that doesn't work, Richard may be correct that there may be something wrong with it. My oldest pot is about 12 years old, I think, used and stained often, and looks like the day I got it.

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I thought that the reason I may have lost the enamel coating on the bottom of my dutch oven (see my other post above) is because I used to soak it in a bleach and water solution to remove stains. But if you have been doing it for 12 years then perhaps it was another reason. I have decided that I will just live with stains on my new dutch oven. It's a pot, after all. The most I use is Bon Ami.

[fifi]

I thought that the reason I may have lost the enamel coating on the bottom of my dutch oven (see my other post above) is because I used to soak it in a bleach and water solution to remove stains. But if you have been doing it for 12 years then perhaps it was another reason. I have decided that I will just live with stains on my new dutch oven. It's a pot, after all. The most I use is Bon Ami.

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Long soaking in any high pH solution can attack ceramics like the enamel. If you add any heat to that you can get into trouble with etching. I would suggest that you splash some bleach, about a quarter cup or so, in a cold pot, then add cold tap water up to the level you need to treat the stain. The stain is normally gone in 15 minutes or so and then I rinse it. I have been doing this for years.

[sabg]

my big le crueset pot got knocked over and BROKE...right to the core...looks like someone took a saw to it...its in one piece but sad looking and unusable...i am sick about it...took me year to shell out for it, i couldn't imagine a pot being worth that much but it is worth every penny...will they just give a new one???

[mikeycook]

Did you happen to buy it at Williams-Sonoma by any chance? They will take anything back. I had the lid of my large Le Creuset split and they took back the whole thing without question. Haven't tried Le Creuset directly.

[Smithy]

The pot shouldn't break if you drop it. I agree with the above suggestion - try the vendor first - but if that doesn't work for some reason then contact Le Creuset directly. They're very good with the warranty, from what I've seen.

[Anna N]

The pot shouldn't break if you drop it.  I agree with the above suggestion - try the vendor first - but if that doesn't work for some reason then contact Le Creuset directly.  They're very good with the warranty, from what I've seen.

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I'm curious - why shouldn't it break? Under that pretty enamel, it's cast iron which I understood to be very brittle. Did I get this all wrong?

[annecros]

The pot shouldn't break if you drop it.  I agree with the above suggestion - try the vendor first - but if that doesn't work for some reason then contact Le Creuset directly.  They're very good with the warranty, from what I've seen.

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I'm curious - why shouldn't it break? Under that pretty enamel, it's cast iron which I understood to be very brittle. Did I get this all wrong?

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I would expect the floor to break before the pot, with my experience with LC, both in my mother's home and mine.

[Berlinsbreads]

I'm a HUGE fan of Le Creuset and own a lot of their pieces. After use, they seem to lose the "shininess" to them and they will also discolor. I can get most of the discoloration off if I use the Le Creuset's cleaner but the shininess and same surface image does not come back to its original luster. I don't worry about it. I rarely use that cleaner on it----I just love the way they work in my kitchen and tuck it in the cupboard!

However, my oldest piece (a 6-qt Dutch Oven) has some "crazing" on the bottom (crazing is when porcelain has little surface cracks all over---sometimes they do this on purpose on pottery for visual effect). Has anyone else had this happen? I don't know if it's a bad thing or not? This thread has gotten me to wondering if I should contact Le Creuset about it...