Thanks for coming back to Taste of Zach. One of my many new years resolutions is to get back into my weekly updates. I have enjoyed so many items since summer time and won't be able to review everything from memory but I am determined to get back into writing again. So to start off let me tell you about some a couple items I have bought off Amazon.
Honeywell RTH221B Basic Programmable Thermostat
I bought this product because of it's high review from Amazon and for it's price. It works fine during the summer time but after my 30 day guarantee AND now that it has gotten cold I have a problem. I programmed the thermostat to be a higher temperature in the morning. It turns out the device never tells my heater to stop running. Now this doesn't happen all the time but when it does I have to go to the circuit breaker to stop my heater from turning my house into an oven. This could be a faulty unit but Honeywell's customer service has been agonizing.
I contacted them at the beginning of November and in the last 3 weeks I have given them proof that I have purchased the item, I have told them I am past my 30 day return window and that I can't return it (that was Honeywell's first suggestion...), and recently they told me that I need to call the Technical Support office. I would be fine with this but they are only open during standard business hours(I think 9-4)... while I am working at a standard business.
Also the customer support themselves haven't been helpful and my last email response was just rude.Customer Service: "I'm not certain how you expect this to go ... This type of thing generally requires the person seeking the information to invest in the process to some degree or extent... "
-attn: Paul Arntzen
I have been trying to fix this problem for weeks. It is hard to ignore a problem when it changes your condo's temperature 30 degrees and wastes electricity.
What is the lesson to take away? Test all programmable settings/times (hot and cold) within 30 days and hope that, even though it worked during your testing (mine works 50% of the time), you do not have a faulty unit. Also Honeywell might as well have no customer service so don't depend on that. Look at alternatives like the Nest thermostat.
How it was consumed: via my condo built in the 80s
Rating: 3/10 not worth the time.
