My memory may deceive me ( ), but I kinda recall that when Dennis first started up there in Indonesia he discovered that RJ's former employees were not mixing the tile adhesive properly.
Bottom line, you have to have an extremely capable production manager on site all the time during production as you are dealing with a labor force that requires close supervision on a constant basis.
Deej, remove this part if it is over the line, but I remember the Kamado production manager who openly informed the kamado forum about the bad batch of concrete used in some cookers that had too much water in it, and it was done during the winter when there were extended rains and high humidity. The concrete would not dry. My point is, there can be mistakes made when formulating mixes. It seems Dennis has the capability to make sure there is sufficient oversight of the process. Previous discussions on this forum have indicated he makes a great effort to get highly trained production manager/supervisors, and then you have to make sure they do their jobs. Beyond the design improvements that Dennis has implemented, the quality control seems to be consistent.
I think we all agree that the first step in customer service issues is a direct email/contact to the vendor. It is basic courtesy to give a vendor/manufacturer the opportunity to address a mistake or issue. We all well know that when the opportunity is extended and ignored the problem would find its way to the forum. What we have consistently seen with Dennis is that when there are little issues they are quickly addressed. RJ has evasive, defensive response to problems. Dennis has shown action oriented response.
I look forward to seeing your dissertaion on being a Happy Camper!