Here's an interesting story about "Made in China" vs "Made in USA"
Vornado is an innovative US brand of fans and heaters, with a storied history dating from 1945. Their fans cost a lot more, but they have a patented design and have been known for excellent quality and customer service, with a 5-year warranty on their products.
From their website: "Vornado was founded on the premise that comfort should be constant, bucking the trends of oscillation and utilitarian design. That still holds true today with a broad range of products that enhance efficiency and keep everyone comfortable all year long. Vornado maintains its worldwide reputation for forward-thinking products and above-and-beyond customer service from its headquarters in Andover, Kansas."
I recently had one of my Vornado products start to give me issues.
I had to replace a heater back a few years ago, when we still had our sticks and bricks in 2014. Vornado's customer service was great to work with, they simply asked me to take a picture of the manufacturing plate and then cut the cord as close to the base as possible, and send that picture as well. I upgraded to the next model for a reasonable price, and they shipped a new Vornado heater in 2 days.
Fast forward to 2016, I had one of the tower fans quit working, right about the 1-year mark. I did the same process (cut cord, send pic, new fan 2 days later.)
That fan quit working about 8 months later, and again, I did the same process with Vornado.
Well, the Vornado heater previously mentioned started creating a burning smell every time it ran, no matter the length of time. I decided to again call Vornado. They would not ship a new heater. They told me this unit was made in the USA. The other products I had previously had issues with were made in China, so it was more cost-effective to have me disable the product and they ship a new one.
Because this heater was made in the USA, I was required to box the unit up and ship it to them in Kansas, so they could evaluate it and repair, then ship it back to me. I was shocked that I was going to have to jump through more hoops, for having a unit made in America! I asked them to send me a refurbished unit in 2 days like the previous warranty claims, but they would not do that, either. I shipped them the heater (they did supply a prepaid shipping label, but I had to find an appropriate box, packing material, and take it to UPS.) About 10 days later I received the repaired heater. They included a typed note with a real person's signature, that said they were happy to help me, they had cleaned the unit and replaced the motor, and that my customer satisfaction was very important to them.
However, when I removed the unit from the box, some little white metallic pieces fell out of the heater. I could not see anywhere that they could have come from. I also noted that the covers that conceal the assembly screws were not all replaced. I am using the heater and so far it seems to be working, I think. I cannot tell a difference between low and high (the fan speed seems the same) but maybe it's low and high heat. I
hope that I don't have any more issues with this one!
I don't know what's worse, Chinese products that fail quickly, or a slow process and half-hearted repair work in America?
I know you may be thinking, "Just buy a different brand!" Well, I did. While still addressing the warranty claim via email, I needed something to help with the cold weather since we are having issues with the furnace. I looked for a few days on Amazon, and read all the reviews for a variety of brands and styles. There were very few heaters that scored at the top, and almost all of them had some kind of premature failure record reported in the reviews. I purchased a Delonghi, which had a good reputation, and had many of the same features. However, it does not warm the area as effectively as the Vornado does.
