"The “no customer service discussion rule†benefits grill companies, and hinders potential customers."
I can remember the ceramic grill company that invented that rule for their forum. You have that rule when customers start having a lot of issues and/or complaining that the service and parts to fix said issues is slow to non-exsistant. An honest company with confidence in their product and a company that fixes issues doesn't need that rule. Oh yeah, the company that started that rule starts with a P.
One of my favorite things to see a company do is to replace a defective part with an identical part that's just as messed up. A part like....oh, I don't know...a hinge maybe. At least one company still makes you pay shipping for replacement parts. Under warranty!
As far as grills in general go...Steven Raichlen said in one of his books that some some of the best BBQ he's ever eaten was cooked in a hub cap overseas. It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian! But it doesn't hurt to have the best arrow made either.