Steps To Take If Your Brand New Oven Is Defective

Considering how important the kitchen oven is to daily life, investing in a new one can feel as impactful as buying a car, especially since a high-end oven could cost you much more than a used vehicle. The costly consequences of an ineffective appliance on both your cooking and your wallet make it all the more frustrating when the brand new oven you bought arrives defective. Unfortunately, it seems that receiving a faulty appliance is becoming more commonplace. According to CBS News, thousands of customers of big appliance brands like General Electric (GE) have had to complain about brand new, defective appliances over the years, and companies are hesitant to provide replacements. So, if your new oven isn't working properly, it may be wise to try a few steps to fix the issue yourself before reaching out to customer service.

The first step after installing a new range, to give your kitchen a professional upgrade, is to make sure all the elements are working. Turn on the range burners to see if they light or heat up correctly, check that the door properly latches, and finally, test that the oven's temperature is accurate. This can be done simply by placing an oven-safe thermometer inside, turning the oven on, and checking that the temperature on the thermometer is the same as that on the oven display. If you run into any issues with your new oven, it's time to check the power and installation.

Common issues with new ovens can relate to power, such as the oven not turning on. Sometimes this can be fixed easily by checking and resetting the breaker, but if that doesn't solve the problem, you might be looking at an issue with the outlet that will require professional help. Bad connections can affect more than just the power supply — any number of things can go wrong during the installation process, even with new, trendy, high-tech ovens. Something as small as a loose washer around the gas line can make your oven defective; not to mention, it can create a serious health hazard if the gas starts to leak.

Checking every nut and bolt on your new oven can be tedious, but it's a necessary step to ensure everything will work properly. If you have a professional install the oven, ask them to help you with these checks so they can offer further troubleshooting. When the worst case scenario becomes reality and your new oven is truly defective, make sure to have the warranty on hand when you contact the manufacturer so they can hopefully make it right. Of course, if you'd rather not risk investing in a potentially broken appliance, you may want to consider a digital countertop oven.