Fisher & Paykel Appliances review: defective stovetop and no way to get it repaired or replaced! 46

As you can see in my addition to this subject, I am in a very similar pickle to yours. The simmer burners stopped working properly more than a year ago, and now the stove top is completely rusted-out underneath because the burners aren't really sealed. The repair guys are aghast at the condition of this 3 year-old stove, and are having trouble fixing it at all.

I really wish we could get some attention in this matter, and get Fisher & Paykel to treat us properly. We spent a lot of money on these things, and it seems that they could not care less about us. Well, as long as we get the word out, maybe people will stop buying from them.

If anyone is thinking of buying as DCS, forget about it. Our oven and broiler are not working correctly and the repairman can not fix it. The parts DCS keeps sending do not fit and the last time the guy left he gave up. But when we came home, the house was full of gas. DCS seems not to care, if I could throw mine in the ocean I would too. It is a total piece of junk!

I have the same stove, and it goes through igniters like diapers. No fix in sight.

It's a shame, as it was a very expensive stove.

Don't buy DCS. Go for a brand name.

Allen

I also bought a DCS stove 3 years ago and we've had no problem with it at all until this month. Now when we try to light one burner the igniter on another burner keeps firing. fortunately we still have four good burners and a good oven. I can't seem to find a repair person at all that knows about the stove. When I called DCS I got a call center in New Zealand(Now I know why), and they gave me two references: one for a repair service 40 miles away that won't come this far, and another that says they don't repair DCS stoves. Maybe we should have bought the Wolf.

DON'T purchase a DCS RANGE ! When you spend 5k on a range you would think you are purchasing a spectacular product..think again. I have had continuous problems. They all started out with the self cleaning program. I tried to get a replacement in the first year, but that wasn't going to happen. There customer service/technical assistance people are horrible to deal with. I've written numerous letters in the past to corporate...never hear anything. When I continue to call with problems, they say to call one of their certified repair people. I have had 3 different repair centers do repairs and they are never sure what the problems are. The last repair was an oven heating element which worked when replaced, but now less than 1 year later it's not working. I have been told about design flaws and the repair people haven't told me this, but DCS technicians...ironically, they state that they have the best products, but they do not stand behind them -- or their mistakes. Today, I tried to run a self clean...it clicks on and off, the fan does not run...if it wasn't so heavy I'd throw it out the door. If you have 5k to throw up into the wind you can purchase one of their products, but in all honesty, I would purchase a $400.00 range -- it might not look stunning in your kitchen but it will probably be reliable and also be repairable. Good luck!

I feel all of your pain. All five igniters on my DCS stove fire continually when any one burner is turned on and do not stop until they all are turned off. The repairman came again yesterday and now I have a properly functioning left front and right rear burner only. The other two side burners fire the igniters continually and the center one is completely dead.
I'd be upset if I had paid one thousand dollars for a range six years ago that now does not work--but this thing cost four times that amount. The repairman seems frustrated--he says that all they can do is replace parts--if that doesn't address the problem they apparantly can't do much more. I guess that I will soon be shopping for a replacement.

I've had my DCS stove for exactly one and half years and I regret that I did not research this product more thoroughly. So far, Thanksgiving '07 and Christmas '08 were ruined because of two defective oven thermostats. Thank god I had a George Forman back up! Now, I have only one working stove top igniter that doesn't click, click, click, click until it drives you crazy. I've wasted hours with New Zealand tech support people who will not let me talk to the parts department about my problem. As a technical support person, I know more about this stove than they do at this point and all I can say is their products are over priced lemons. The repairmen that have come to my house agree with me and would not recommend these clunkers to anyone. To add insult to injury, the Fisher & Paykel help desk does not have my name in their database even though I've reported problems four separate times and order replacement parts three times!

- SueD

We have a three year old 48" 5 burner range with the dual ovens. The 13" oven went out about 3 months ago. We purchased the range from the Great Indoors in Houston. We were told that the unit could be serviced by Sears. This was important to us because this range was to be installed in a rural part of the Texas hill country. Sears sent 2 different service people out. The first said he wasn't qualified to work on the range but that the other firm was. When they came out, they admitted they were not able to fix it, but said the thermostat was out. After endless conversations with Sears, we finally found a supervisor who finally admitted they had sold something they could not service. Fisher Paykel directed us to a service group about 80 miles away. The service call alone would be $300. When we called The Great Indoors again, the F-P rep was there. He would not speak to me but gave the salesman the name of another firm that was franchised to work on DCS ranges. They were only 45 miles away and the service call $125. That company has been here twice. It wasn't the thermostat. It wasn't the ignitor. Now "we" think its a bimetallic unit that controls the ignitor and gas flow. That part is back ordered we found out. This repair, if it ever happens, will have cost $500-$600. This is a guess because we still haven't been told how much this 3rd replacement item is going to cost. I would never recommend this product to an enemy let alone a friend. F-P customer service people could care less about the customer and surely do not provide any service whatsoever.

I have a four burner with Grill DCS. I have the oven about 5 years and replaced the Brolier ignitor once already and I think I will be replacing again. When I put the oven on broil it just does not go on. I had a fisher Paykel Dual dish draw that had to be contantly repaired. After spending close to $1000.00 in repairs the next time it broke I decided to stop throwing good money after bad.Fisher Paykel customer service stinks! I try to speak to them about the multiple repairs. The service man even contacted them to tell them the item had to be defective. No Luck! I finally pulled it out and put it on the curb. I would NOT buy anything fisher paykel! I wish I would have went with the viking stove.

We have a 6 year old range with 4 burners and a center grill. Our burners went out after 2 years and they came out to replace the igniter on one burner and that solved the clicking problem. All the other problems i have had were by service technicians from my GE extended warranty. They came out to fix the broiler that went out. They proceeded to install the wrong part which exploded when i turned it on. They came out to fix it again after waiting a month for the new part. They installed it and the broiler works but my wife insists that it is not as hot as the original. Today i notice the convection fan is not spinning.
The tech comes out from GE. He breaks the door trying to remove the stove body from the cabinet. We know have to order new latches since he could not get the door back on. I had to constantly remind him not to scratch the stainless steel of the unit in his zeal to get the door back on. After opening the back of the unit we discover that the convection fan motor has lighting wires stuck in it so it cant spin. Seems the previous tech who fixed the broiler has sheared off the lighting wires and receptacle when he slid the back plate of the oven back on. This tech do not know how to open these ovens up. I had to show him what screws went back where. None of this has cost me any money since i have the extended warranty, but most of the latest repairs are caused by the techs.

I am actually shaking with rage after getting off of the phone with DCS/Fisher Paykel "customer service" again. We are being made to purchase an entire grating system for the top of our 5-burner PLUS shipping, because it is out of warranty. All we needed were 3 tiny rubber feet, because they kept popping off. It was annoying, but we would dutifully replace them with glue and a toothpick every few months. Well, they discontinued making the feet. So guess what? Because of their defective product, we now must purchase whole new metal cooktops. Customer service was a joke.

I have a 6 burner DCS range, purchased about 5 years ago. This is the second time I've had to replace the ignitor for the broiler. I have only used the burner less than 15 times in the life of the stove. Expensive repairs for a young, expensive range!

After lots of research, we purchased the newest model OR36LDBGX1 Gas Range from Fisher&Paykel from a locally well known appliance store on 12/29/07. It was such a NEW model, the range wouldn't be available for delivery for several weeks. We designed our remodelled kitchen around this as its showpiece! It was installed on 2-7-08 and had issues from that moment on. A distinct smell of gas (corrected), a "leg" that was broken (corrected), the ovens that took several tries to light & stay lit (left side corrected, right side still a problem), and the right oven convection fan failure (STILL A PROBLEM despite SEVERAL different repair attempts by "authorized" repairmen & most recently their "factory rep". Initially, the company agreed to extend the 2 year warranty to compensate for the extended time it took to get all the problems (found at the time of installation) repaired. They sent me a letter extending to 8/2010. I have been told COUNTLESS TIMES NOW to please WAIT A FEW MORE DAYS while they try to get 'ELBA' to respond to the problem of the lighting & convection fan. At least they say please...BUT STILL NO RESOLUTION. I only have 1/2 a range to work with but they have ALL MY MONEY that I paid for it! A litte frustrated - and hopefull that someone learns from my experiences.

DCS by Fisher&Paykel forced me to buy a $32.50 stainless steel part when a simple piece of blue plastic the size of a fingernail broke. The piece of plastic can easily be replaced on its own but DCS by Fisher&Paykel pretended to me that you can only replace the little plastic piece by replacing the whole stainless steel disc (the round disc that shows "simmer" - "low" - "high") on which the on-off knob sits. This is an outright lie. Over a short period of time, the little plastic piece easily cracks and breaks off after routine cleaning of the stove top. I have talked to everyone including the general manager of the so-called "Customer Care" department (Terry Bushie of DCS in the Huntington Beach, CA office) who promised me she would get a response to my concern (of having to spend  $150 for several little plastic pieces) but neither she nor anyone else called me back or even emailed me. That was three months ago. It is common thievery to make a customer pay $32.50 for a little piece of plastic that snaps right into the stainless steel ring. There is absolutely no reason to purchase another stainless steel ring - but DCS by Fisher&Paykel made me do so. And Ms. Bushie, who defended the undemonstrated integrity of her company by threatening to hang up on me, has been complicit in their dishonesty. $32.50 for a little piece of plastic the size of a fingernail. Disgraceful people working for a dishonest company.

As a technican I do work on these, but I would recommend buying US products only please. www.Appliancerepairofamerica.com

I have the same exact problem as the original post...
Center burner stopped igniting properly several months after purchase... no good reason for defect that I can see?

Other burners have moments where they don't work perfectly but eventually come around but the center burner is oos for over 2 years.

I have a 2006 DCS RGS-364GDSS: Gas range with 4 burners and center griddle: I have the same problem with igniters on the burners firing continuously when one of the other burners is being ignited...or they fire/click, but no flame. Also, the broiler just fried itself and after being replaced, doesn't work at all. Repairman also reommended replacing the thermostat/broiler knob apparatus. Still no broiler. The oven has always worked fine. The griddle works, but sometimes it's igniter fires when you turn on a burner.

It's like this piece of crap has a mind of it's own. I can't believe I spent so much money on this heap of trash. Yes, I would be in favor of a class action lawsuit.

AMM

My DCS 36" cooktop was installed back in 2003. Over the years, I saw all the problems mentioned here: plastic feet dropped off grates, center burner not lit at all or lit with constant clicking, knob ring mark wiped off after cleanning, burners not lit due to moisture after cleaning, etc.. Several months ago, all the igniters began to quit working sometimes (I mean no clicking sounds and fire at all when turning on the knob). I was directed to this webpage when searching for solutions to fix the igniters. It seems that DCS really produced lemons. I don't know whether I should try their customer service or replace the whole cooktop with another brand.

I have a 2007 dcs 4 burner with center grill. the two burners on the left side will light, but the ignited continues to fire. Cleaned burners with tool to clean torch tip, switched burners-same thing. customer service no help

We have a DCS 36" range, purchased in 2002. We have had nothing but service problems since new. The stove top ignitors have been replaced three or fours times; the stove top itself completely warped and had to be replaced; now the oven thermostat is not working properly. This is all on a $4K range less than 10 years old. Wish we had purchased a Wolf then because we refuse to throw any more $$$ into servicing this beast and now will purchase a Wolf and throw this thing out.

I agree. DCS stoves are junk. My cooktop is also warped, broiler gas valve was already replaced, burner ignitors won't click and when they do, 3 other burners keep clicking. Total piece of ### for $4000. Buy a Wolf, Viking or GE.

I purchased a DCS 5 burner SC305. The left burner started clicking, as well as the center burner. I ordered a replacement re-igniter to try and fix the clicking sound on the 2 burners. Spent 2.5 hours replacing the part and the new part is worse than the old one. Now 3 of the burners won't stop clicking. I called the company and spoke to someone and they brushed me off and said they would tell the technical department and they would call me back. After reading other posts and consumer complaints, I realize I am in the same boat. This is an expensive product and I have seen less expensive appliances outlast this lemon.

We had the same problem with a burner that would ignite incessantly and a boil over on the stove. My fix was to remove the top cover, clean and expose a hole in the middle surrounded by a brass nut. Clean the venturi ( small hole that emit gas to main burner). Remove the brass nut and you will see a second hole with a venturi to control the simmer. This is where my problem was located. I used a wooden shish ka bob skewer to clean the food debris and blew the hole clean with a can of compressed air. The compressed air used to clean a computer keyboard. Reassemble and it works without the incessant click. If you are incline to remove the ignitor, use care as it is 2 inches long and wired. One must pull straight to avoid breaking. I clean the ignitor with a Q tip and rubbing alcohol. Good luck.

I concur with the complaints in regard to the constant clicking of the igniter of my center burner on my five burner DCS cooktop. I've also had issues with the protective feet falling off and breaking for the last five years. DCS service says they no longer make them. ECHHHH! . Fortunately or unfortunately I gotten seven year plus on my unit and still have four burners that still operate. As soon as they go that cooktop is out of here and it will be replaced by another brand. Since other customers have received little help from repairmen I choose to not go that route. Now I am going to do my Tai Chi to restore my inner peace.

Our DCS stove model RGS 305SS serial 03L62513C, 30" had all 5 top burners replaced severeal times including the broiler in the oven and now when the oven is turned on and sometimes reaches the set temperature the oven then will not re ignite! But gas continues to flow in the oven. This is a major issue that could blow up my home as well as everyone in the area.

I have a 36in DCS Fisher & Paykel 5 burner gas stove top that we installed in our remodeled kitchen 2007, from what I am
reading I guess I am really lucky up till now. I have had some non light instances & ticking sounds during the past 5 years but
now my middle burner will not light without a flame put to it & then the ticking just keeps ticking. Once in a while I can light
it & turn it on high & the igniter will stop but once turned off must relight with flame. It all started after I cleaned the stove.
I have left a call with Fisher & Paykel tech people to see what I need to do to fix. From what I read they probably won't call back.
Any ideas from those that have replaced igniters, etc.

I have a DCS 2 door Ovens and the display has gone out for the temperatures and comes and goes for the clock. I just found out the Fisher Paykel only refurbishes the displays since their supplier has gone out of business. You must send them your display first before they will send you the refurbished display. I informed the parts service person, that the burden is put on the customer, since they will be without a working oven during that time frame. They were unwilling to send out the refurbished display first. I also have a 6 burner DCS stove and have the same issue with the ignitor striking. It was fixed the first time it happened. I was told it was a selnoid that needed to be replaced. It's been about 2 years since that was replaced and it's starting to happen again. If you let the ignitor go, it eventually stops striking. I don't know how long that will last, but I'm hoping it stops at some point. DCS is a sham and Fisher Paykel cares nothing for the customer. I can't imagine they will be in business much longer here in the US with the amount of complaints I've seen on the web.

I have a DCS 5 burner. Had it for over 10 yrs and worked for less than 1yr. Burners are completely dead, only 2 rear burners work. The flame is extremely weak and barely enjoy cooking. We called out a technician twice to repair. Both times the 5 point igniter was replaced. The bill came out to be $350 including parts and labor each time. We tried to buy the parts however DCS did not directly sell it to me, and told me service had to be repaired through a technician. After 10 yrs of dealing with a piece of junk stove, we decided to throw it out and get a more reliable stove. I decided to look up this 5 pt igniter and its for sale online now. You can buy the part online now for $90. Anyways, its time to give this piece of junk one last chance... and repair/clean the stove myself.

I have had for over ten years now, RGS-305. Most of the problems discribed here, regarding the top burners are going to be related to ANY spillage that has gotten to the surface ignitors or the burners. The oven and broiler ignitors, I have had to replace after 10 years, luckily I have the ability to do them myself and do not have to pay the service tech cost. Part are still available for this model @ reasonable pricing. Yes, this is an expensive unit, but considering the use I put it through (hard, hard cooking), and the temps it gets to w/speed(infa-red broiler reaches 750°) I will say that the unit will get me another 10 years if not more of a good working life. I have been involved in commercial rest. business for 35 years(last 20 years in the sales side), and looked very hard before buying my unit. I could have spent well under 50% less for a 36" commercial range that would have to be very tight in my 37" space, but no broiler, not well insulated, ovens cook uneven, only standing pilots not ignitors, and no simmer levels for smaller home cooking standards. Overall people need to under stand that nothing is maintenance fee, cooking included, spills are going to effect the unit, like all gas units. Overall I am fortunate to understand the needs to keep this unit working properly and I have been satisfied with my unit, but understood going in that it would require routine maintenance to keep the unit working up to my needed performance levels. If you want the closest thing possible to no maintenance, then get a sealed top unit, and deal with its pros and cons.

We bought the DCS 6 burner stove/oven combo and after what we have dubbed 'the great oil spill of 2014', we have learned a few lessons. Firstly, big spills are a big deal with this range and if you have one, it's important to start taking the burners apart right away to properly clean up. If you don't, your problems will only get worse. The gas valve is separate for the simmer burner on the bottom and if the simmer burner does not function properly, the burner will just click click forever or won't come on at all. Also, if the igniter is dirty or the burner cap holes are clogged, that can create issues as well. My husband had a pot of oil boil over on the stove and he tried to soak up the excess with a towel, but did not remove burner caps or anything else. Well, first the burner he had the spill on went out and gradually they all started malfunctioning. Long story short, oil got into everything and gungked up every piece of the burner, most importantly though the igniters and simmer gas valves. We took them all apart down to the wiring, carefully cleaned them extensively with hot soapy water for the pieces that could and the igniters with alcohol. We put it back together and everything good as new. It taught us to keep the unit clean and going forward we will be routinely cleaning the burner parts. Hope this helps for those of you with similar problems.

I bought a 5 burner 30" DCS just before the company was acquired by Fisher Paykel. The problems started immediately with the thermostat on the oven. After 3 replacement parts failed to fix the problem I was given a new range. This one came with about 6 or 7 problems of its own but the thermostat functioned properly. After months of trying to get things straight, the warranty expired and neither the repair person or FP customer service would talk to me. i have learned to live with only one functioning oven light, numerous "hot spots" (especially when using convection), non rolling racks, and more. The cook top works well and I keep it clean. All in all the range does not perform as promised and is certainly not a good value. I would recommend a different brand. One of the main reasons I purchased a DCS was because it is an American made product. The rest of you have my sympathy.

This is what I told the dog to poop on after talking to the less than helpful people at DCS

No help from the help desk

Little rubber feet 0on the burner grates fall off--cannot find replacements, except once my wife found each ~1/4" foot was $5.00 EACH! Anyway, most pots and pans rock when sitting on the grates. The griddle plate (sits on top of the burner grates) warps when heated and all the pancake batter or eggs or bacon grease puddle in one corner-=very unappetizing. The ignitors fire randomly, even on burners where the gas is off. It's a disaster.

We bought a 6 burner 36'' professional range November 2013, a few days before the one year warranty expired, the oven broiler stop working. We call the appliance store we bought it from and they fixed it. No problem. Now April 2015, when I turn on the broiler, it short circuits my plug. I hear a "puf" sound and then nothing. I reset the plug and now the fan does not work, on top of the broiler being broken. I call the store and they do not care, they only cover one part under the 10 year warranty, BTW the part cost $80 so who cares! Why even call this a warranty. All in all, we spent $5000 on this range and every year there is another issue. We should have bought a Wolf range has planned and I should have read this forum first.

My big problem has been my DCS large oven. I have had the technician out repeatedly for six months and it never works for more than a week. I would never buy anything for DCS again. I'm sad our local appliance dealer recommended it.

Same problems that you are all having . Repair man just left for the 3rd or 4rth time since 2013.

WE bought our large DCS oven 3 yrs ago and now the oven will not reach the desired temperature. It takes almost an hour to reach 375 and that's as far as it goes. The repair man said it needs a new front panel, which displays the temp, clock, ect, instead of a thermostat. Now DCS has discontinued that panel and he is not sure he can find the correct part. Has anyone else had this issue?

I wish I had read these reviews before we purchased this brand!

My DCS won't stop clicking AFTER its turned off. I have a 5 burner with a griddle.