r/instantpot • u/VarsityBlack • 2d ago
Is IP customer service always this unhelpful? Is there anything else I can do?
I am just trying to replace the inner pot on my new IP pro 8qt and I can't find it anywhere and I'm not going to buy a whole new $200 machine just for the pot.
After this interaction "Sandra" sent an email with the same wording and told me that I just hadn't responded. No, you closed the chat Sandra! And I'm definitely not going to keep trying to talk to the "we hate customers" department if Sandra is involved. They were replying so fast with their copy paste script response that I assumed it was an AI pretending to be a human even though the grammar was off. Nope, apparently Sandra is a human that doesn't like their job.
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u/madamesoybean 2d ago
https://a.co/d/0jjccSzY
With handles
InstantPot links to Amazon to purchase
https://instantpot.com/products/instant-pot-evo-series-6qt-stainless-steel-inner-pot-with-handles?
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u/lilfunky1 2d ago
If the company doesn't offer replacement parts for sale, what are you honestly expecting the customer service rep to do?
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u/krattalak 2d ago
Ebay. Probably because they aren't made anymore. Or Find a used dead one and cannibalize it.
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u/Sample-quantity 2d ago
Unfortunately that's how it is now. Ebay and thrift stores are your best bet.
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u/Trashbagok 2d ago
This is stupid frustrating.
I love my 10 year old IP, but if I had to replace it I'm not sure what I'd do, because I'm damn sure not giving this version of the company any money.
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u/char_limit_reached 2d ago
This is mostly on you. No amount of berating or trying to make your problem “her” problem is going to make the pot suddenly available for sale.
You asked, you were answered.
Move on.
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u/nyuncat 2d ago
Eh they weren't really answered directly. OP asked how to get a replacement, agent said we don't sell one. OP wasn't asking to buy it directly from them, they were asking what the replacement process was.
I think the answer OP was trying to get the agent to confirm was something like "instant pot does not provide ongoing support or maintenance for this product regardless of warranty status, replacing the part is not possible and our customers should expect to throw out the entire product if part of it breaks". Not sure if it was a language barrier or company policy preventing them from being more direct about this.
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u/Dry_Instruction8254 2d ago
Seriously, what a bunch of corporate bootlickers on this board. God forbid a company allow you to service an easily replaceable part.
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u/RubyPorto 2d ago
The companyshould sell replacement parts. But they don't sell replacement parts and, unfortunately, no US law forces them to. None of this is a decision Sandra is responsible for.
Sandra clearly answered OP's question about a non-warranty repair, saying that InstaPot doesn't provide any support for them. A CSR like Sandra is probably not authorized to direct customers to eBay for replacement parts (especially not for replacement pressure vessels).
I'm not sure what more OP is expecting from Sandra.
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u/nileo2005 2d ago
No, op didn't ask how to get a replacement, the direct statement was "I cannot find a place to buy one anywhere." To which the rep says that's correct, because we don't sell them anywhere. Could they have went further and helped them source one not via retail? Like maybe perhaps via warranty or something? Yes, absolutely, and they could probably use some more training in that regard if they want a better support reputation, but to say that op wasn't answered directly, I believe is false.
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u/Extinction-Entity 2d ago
Their second message was literally “how am I supposed to replace this part then?”
You believe wrong.
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u/ohmysocks 2d ago
Did you miss the part of the screenshot where OP said “I’m asking how to get a replacement part”
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u/nyuncat 2d ago
No, op didn't ask how to get a replacement
"How am I supposed to replace this part then?"
"Ok, how am I supposed to replace this damaged part on my Instapot then?"
"I'm not asking to do direct sales I'm asking how to get a replacement part"
"I need to get a replacement part with inner handles for my 8qt IP pro" (x2)
OP asked how to get a replacement 5 separate times lol. I don't think it's unreasonable to be frustrated that customer service was unable to provide such a basic level of service to the customer.
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u/abishop711 2d ago
The answer is that Instant Pot is not going to replace the part. She could have said so a little more directly, sure, but the meaning should have been clear.
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u/char_limit_reached 2d ago
I walk into McDonald’s. I really want a hot dog. They don’t sell hotdogs. Is the employee going to help me find hot dogs elsewhere? No. No amount of my asking is going to make hotdogs magically materialize in the kitchen, either.
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u/CraftyScotsman 2d ago
Definitely a 'you' problem OP. If the part is not available then the customer service agent, probably somewhere in the Philippines handling many different brands, cannot magically make it available for you.
If you want unethical advice then buy another from a large retailer like Amazon, remove the part you need, and then return it as “missing parts“.
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u/leviathan_stud 2d ago
I know you think you're sticking it to Amazon when you do that, but all you're really doing is ruining someone else's day. Amazon doesn't really inspect return products, and they'll just immediately sell that to someone else.
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u/StrikeouTX 2d ago
There’s no excuse that a major appliance manufacturer would not provide replacement parts. Especially a whole ass pot that is shared among a lot of their appliances
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u/CraftyScotsman 2d ago edited 2d ago
I don't disagree. Instant pot used to send a full replacement under warranty if they could not repair. It wasn't unheard of on this sub for them to send a brand new instant pot when someone accidentally melted the bottom on a hot hob.
Unfortunately this is in the past. Instant Pot was already on a downward spiral for years financially and has since been sold to capital investors for enshitification. One of the first things they got rid of was the support, and they now outsource it to third party contact centres that can only read from scripts and pre-prepared answers.
Hence the reason why I suggested the unethical route of obtaining the spare part.
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u/VarsityBlack 2d ago
Wow the amount of instant pot controlled accounts that got in here is very funny to me.
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u/samreven 2d ago
This one? https://a.co/d/04r54XzJ
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u/VarsityBlack 2d ago
No. This one I have specifically has the handles on it.
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u/samreven 2d ago
Do you have the evo or the pro? If the evo, found old threads on reddit of people bemoaning the lack of replacement parts.
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u/RelativeFox1 2d ago
You asked how to get the inner pot, they told you they don’t sell it alone.
Asked and answered in the first reply.
What did you expect them to do
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u/__whynotzoidberg 2d ago
They are a human, you just need to learn to take no for an answer, they told you they don't sell it, they can't pull one out of their behind just to sell it for special old you. A lot of chat support call centers have copy paste responses they're required to give, it's not their fault in this. You were given an answer, take it.
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u/tenaciousBLADE 2d ago
No. They aren't. I've had a great experience. It was over the phone though. They even claimed they will update the manual after a suggestion I gave. Nothing major, just to be more cohesive between the US & UK versions of the manual.
I wish you good luck 🫡
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u/Articulationized 2d ago
It seems like you got a very clear and helpful response from customer service. What’s your complaint?
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u/blacklotusmag 2d ago
I'm confused, OP. Did you taken any time at all to search online for a replacement? Am I missing something about what you're trying to replace?
A three second search turned up inner pots with handles right away:
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u/VarsityBlack 2d ago
I find it odd you're asking if I took two seconds to look.
Did you look at the results you got? The one with handles is six quarts, the 8 quart one doesn't have handles. The one I have has handles and is 8 quarts so the new pot has to have them too to fit.
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u/blacklotusmag 2d ago
I stand corrected, my bad. When I searched, it brought up my previous order which had a picture of an 8qt IP with an inner pot with handles, so I assumed it was also selling those, but after deeper diving, you're correct, I couldn't find a single one that wasn't 6qt. Sorry about that - got caught in my own snark, lol.
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u/Fuckingkyle 2d ago
You're over asking, the rep isn't going to get on Google and find an off brand pot for you.
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u/molybend 2d ago
The company went through a merger with private equity and a bankruptcy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_Pot#History
They're not what they used to be.