Bradley grills, kind not given

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made Jan 23, 2013 · , sent to the company Feb 12, 2013 · , published by CPSC Feb 27, 2013

   The product, in the report: Bradley BTIS1 Original Fully Automatic 4-Rack Outdoor Food Smoker (black)

   I purchased a Bradley BTIS1 Smoker as a gift in November 2011. We used the smoker twice last summer. The second time we used it, it went up in flames. We cleaned it thoroughly after our first use and monitored it while it was in use. We didn’t try using it again until this past Christmas and needless to say, it didn’t work. I emailed the company but haven’t gotten a response. Our one year warranty has expired so I’m not expecting a replacement. In doing some online research, I have found that several other people have had a similar experience and for safety reasons, I feel this product should be recalled. Had we not been outside when our smoker caught on fire, we could’ve lost more than just the smoker.

   Model

   BTIS1

   Serial number

   1108009110010228

   Bought from

   Amazon.com

   Bought

   Nov 28, 2011

   Where

   Unspecified: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Unspecified

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Unspecified

   As this report names them

   Brand Bradley, made or sold by BRADLEY TECHNOLOGIES CANADA INC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

2. No one hurt

   Made Dec 30, 2011 · , sent to the company Jan 9, 2012 · , published by CPSC Jan 24, 2012

   The product, in the report: 4-rack fully automatic food smoker with 2,288-cubic-inch interior 500-watt cooking element; 125-watt smoking element; heats up to 280 degrees F Unique smoke without fire system features wood-flavored bisquettes that burn for 20 minutes each Runs for up to 8 hours without refueling; tray and drip bowl included; briquettes sold separately Measures 14-1/2 inches by 17 inches by 31 inches; 42 pounds; 1-year warranty

   This is in regard to a Bradley BTIS1 Original Fully Automatic 4-Rack Outdoor Food Smoker

   Nearly caught my house on fire with this product, and please do note I am not alone, especially lately - check out the customer photos, reviews and their dates on the Amazon.com website: http://www.amazon.com/Bradley-BTIS1-Original-Automatic-Smoker/dp/B000FK2DNM/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

   Either this product is too difficult to use safely for most consumers, or I had a defective unit. I really believe it was the latter, but if it’s the former, you’re going to have a hard time keeping this product clean enough to be safe.

   I bought this smoker in July (five months ago) and used the product according to directions. On the fifth use, it inexplicably overheated, melting the door seal. There was no fire that time. I contacted Bradley. Bradley sent out a replacement door seal, saying that the only way this can happen is if you improperly keep the vent closed, but they’d help me this time. I hadn’t kept the vent closed, and said I was concerned it was a defective unit and a fire hazard. They continued to assert it must have been a closed vent. I crossed my fingers I had just not noticed my error.

   It took me nearly 2 hours to replace the door seal, a dirty job that made me swear to myself I’d maintain the smoker perfectly so there would be no potential of user error going forward. Every single time I removed every single removable part and steel wool clean it. I wiped down the sides each time, and removed any obvious grease.

   On about the fifth use after replacement of the door seal, my wife looked out the window just in time - the whole thing was ON FIRE. I unplugged it, doused the fire with water, and finished the turkey breast (not a greasy pork roast mind you, a turkey breast) in the oven.

   I called up Bradley immediately, assuming the fire was proof I had a defective unit that would be quickly replaced. I figure, hey, they had a record of the first incident, so it shouldn’t be much of a fuss. Ahem - no. It would have to be reviewed. I was asked to send in photos of the charred remains of the smoker.

   After a week of chasing, I finally got to talk to [REDACTED], who is in charge of “fire incidents.” I explained the situation, the previous problem, my exact experience and use of it, and he somehow determined, based only on AFTER photos of the charred remains of the unit that had been doused with water, that it was because of user error - that I hadn’t cleaned the smoker thoroughly enough, and too much grease is why it caught fire. Then he offered me a “deep discount” that he didn’t actually reveal.

   I tried to engage him in simple logic. If you’re saying this unit, that has caught fire, is NOT DEFECTIVE, and I’m saying that I’ve used this as responsibly as possible, what you are saying is either A) I am lying to you about how I maintained the product or B) that this product carries a very reasonable risk of a fire starting through normal customer use.

   [REDACTED] didn’t really want to say “A” but he essentially did when he refused to acknowledge the possibility of a defective unit. He said the chances of a defect were “slim to zero,” explaining to me about how the components are each inspected before assembly. When I raised the possibility that it had been improperly assembled or perhaps my unit was otherwise defective, and offered to provide the unit to him somehow, he said there was no reason to do so. When I noted that I noticed others on Amazon were also having this issue, he literally laughed and said every product on Amazon has negative reviews from a few people.

   This was pretty insulting given the time that I had invested in contacting the company to avoid a repeat of the overheating incident, and my earnest belief that I had used this product right and it was a defective unit. But at that point I realized that any company that would rather call a customer a liar than acknowledge the possibility that it could make a manufacturing error, was not worth a minute more of my time - other than helping assure other people aren’t in my exact situation.

   I wish I had taken others’ warnings seriously on the Amazon website and not written them off as being posted by careless people who didn’t bother taking care of the unit properly.

   Consumers need to know that this product has the potential to catch fire, even if used very responsibly - and even if you are as careful as I was. I’m not some random Internet troll or someone in desperate need of a refund - I’m a regular suburban father who wouldn’t bother submitting this if it were merely a product that stopped working. This is about starting fires.

   Model

   Bradley BTIS1 Original Fully Automatic 4-Rack Outdoor Food S

   Serial number

   1103008580010026

   Bought from

   Amazon.com

   Where

   Alexandria, Virginia: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 36, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Bradley, made or sold by BRADLEY TECHNOLOGIES CANADA INC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources