News and rumors have been doing rounds of the Internet about Instant Pot for the last couple of months. Have Instant Pots been recalled? Are they not working? Are Instant Pots the greatest faulty kitchen appliances ever made? There have been innumerable questions, but very few factual answers have been put forward. So, without any ado, let us get the facts right and set some records straight.
Instant Pot manufacturers have officially stated on their Facebook page that they have received a few complaints of the “Gem 65 8-in-1 Multi-cooker overheating” which has resulted in “localized melting damage to the underside of the product.” According to the Facebook update, Instant Pot claimed that only five series of batch codes had been affected by the problem, namely those starting with 1728, 1730, 1731, 1734, and 1746. The company advised every user with these batch codes to stop using the Instant Pot immediately until there was further information on their end.
While this was a week ago from Instant Pot, they have very recently stated some media houses that were also sent to aggrieved customers, saying that they would be replacing the faulty appliances soon. The marketing manager of Instant Pot, Anna Di Meglio said,
“We can assure you, you will soon receive instructions on how to receive a free replacement Gem 65 8-in-1 Multi-cooker. In the meantime, we again ask that you stop using your Gem 65 8-in-1 Multi-cooker.”
This message indicates that though the recall process hasn’t yet started, the company will be replacing the faulty items soon.
Instant Pot has indicated that they have seriously taken the complaints of those affected by faulty pots. Keeping in mind the strict guidelines of US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Instant Pot makers have taken safety and quality very seriously. Though the company hasn’t yet recalled Instant Pots, we are hopeful that the process will begin soon.
However, even after the official statement from the manufacturers, irked customers vented out their frustration on the comments section of the official Facebook post. One wrote,
“It’s not a few customers. Countless people have been waiting MONTHS since receiving this message as an email.”
Another customer wrote,
“Now you are posting the same form letter you sent when anyone asks what the next step is? It was a few weeks, weeks ago. Stop resetting the clock and make this right.”
Another aggrieved customer asked whether there was any comment on a replacement.
All Instant Pot users of Gem 65 8-in-1 should immediately check their batch-codes and if it matches with the ones quoted by the company must stop using the product immediately. You can find the code at the bottom of the Instant Pot as a clear silver label. If your 4-digit batch code matches these numbers – 1728, 1730, 1731, 1734 or 1746 – you now know what to do. You can also contact the company for further assistance.
It is important to mention here that the company’s famous pressure cookers are not faulty. The ‘do-everything’ device that has found a place in almost every American kitchen is not facing any manufacturing problem, but it is the company’s Gem 65 8-in-1 Instant Pots that have reported faults.
Instant Pots have previously been embroiled in similar controversies. Only two years back they had to recall the Bluetooth-enabled models as some customers complained about experiencing electric shock while using them. Kitchen appliances are known to malfunction, and it has become quite a hot topic with major television, print and web media highlighting such issues repeatedly.
The Gem 8-in-1 Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that is built with the “Instant Pot® Advanced Microprocessor Technology”. This means the Instant Pot has the same technology that’s behind one of the bestselling electric cookers sold in North America. There are a variety of functions available on the Instant Pot such as roasting, baking, stewing, steaming, sauteing, slow cooking and, rice cooking and warming. Anyone who is familiar with electric pressure cookers would know the multiple benefits this type of appliance has in the kitchen, but the fact that you can now do as many as eight things on it makes it a really attractive kitchen tool. Instant Pot is dishwasher safe, and it’s very easy to clean.
Online reviews of Instant Pots, until this point, have been favorable and there has almost been a unanimous nod for the appliance. However the current malfunction is not being seen favorably by industry experts and customers, and till the time the faulty products are replaced, apprehension will remain.
