1st Mistake = PGO

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BobSled

New member
Browsing the internet for about a year and finally decided to move up to a pellet grill. Shopped around and Pellet Grill Outlet (PGO) had a pretty nice package for a Mak so I ordered it 7/6/11. They charged my card the same day and I have not heard from them since. They don't answer their phone and they do not respond to emails. I contacted Mak Grills and they said that as of 8/1 PGO is no longer a dealer. What a scam!

If your browsing and thinking about buy a pellet grill don't make the same mistake I did.

BobSled
 

sparky

New member
Don't feel bad, made the same mistake myself. I then ordered from BPS and all is well. All is so well that I ordered 3 maks from them. BP and jessie are great (jessie is really the boss) lol. Great ppl to deal w/.
 

Rip

New member
Sorry to hear that BobSled. The folks at BPS will treat you right. Big Poppa also makes sure this forum stays a positive arena for all of us!
 

RGrunz

New member
Ouch!!
I have never dealt with PGO; but I HAVE dealt with BPS.... I just received an order from them this week, ordered it Sunday and discovered the minute that I hit "submit" that I ordered the wrong thing.... I emailed customer service; Jessie was all over it and fixed it in a flash... Oh, and btw, I received it in 3 days..... That kind of service is important to me. Sometimes the best price is not the best value. I hope it turns out ok for you...
 

SmokinSaluki

New member
I just read on the other place that someone there is very sick and they have fallen behind on filling orders and communicating with customers. It seems like they are not out to rip anyone off but they simply were not prepared to fill in for a very important person in their operation.
Still not a great excuse but it helps to know what is going on.
 

Techy

New member
Ugg another one. I fortunately found Big Poppas before I made the mistake from ordering from there as I was just about to. A buddy of mine ordered a Memphis from there and had to call Memphis and the credit card company to finally resolve and it was Hearthland(Memphis Grills) that was great in the whole matter and shipped his smoker. Hopefully they get their act together as it gives everyone that does online selling a bad name.

-Bob
 

cowdog

New member
On another forum there are several similar complaints concerning PGO. Some ordered from them in May and have yet to receive their orders and also can't get in touch with anybody from the company. It is very sad that their employee got cancer, and my heart goes out to her. However, one missing employee should not keep an entire company from fulfilling its obligation to people that spend their hard earned money. Not answering calls or emails is a red flag. Hope your credit card company can help you get your money back. Good Luck.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
My goal is to ship products to people that make them happy. We dont charge credit cards until we ship...we authorize upon receipt of the order.

I dont wish any competition badly...we are all selling pellet grills...but these stories whether true or not have been going on for quite some time. I posted a thread "choose your dealer carefully."

I hope the person they are talking about is doing better and hope that everyone gets their grills.

I dont believe that MAK would terminate a dealer without just cause....
 

papamike44

New member
made the same mistake also. On 6/25/2011 I placed an order for pellets and they charged my AMEX I think before I completed my order. Here it's August and still have NOT received my order. I called and emailed several times, but wasn't able to speak to anyone. I was able to speak with a young lady who seemed to be new and did put me through ( I bet they fired her for doing it ) to a salesmen. He seemed very surprised and nervous, but did say my order was scheduled to go out that afternoon. He also said when it shipped he mentioned he would email me a tracking number. While I had him on the phone I asked him why he charged my AMEX the very minute my order was placed. He put me on hold, probably counted to 30, came back on and said their computers were down..SURE they were.

I have turned it over to AMEX and will also be contacting the States Attorney General
 

Norm

New member
Pellet Grill Outlet is under investigation.

I ordered a MAK 2 Star from Pellet Grill Outlet (PGO) on June 18, 2011. My credit card was immediately charged. Excuse after excuse for non-shipment were made which included the following - Sales Manager Anna has Cancer, CEO Richard Lightowler claimed all grill orders were shipped by Elizabeth who claims they are shipped by Richard, MAK had production problems, we (PGO) have to re-pack their grills because MAK does a poor job, it will ship on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, next week, soon.

Then I was told the finally shipping date (July 18, 2011) was missed because Richard Lightowler, PGO CEO gave the order not to pick up my grill from the MAK factory. I requested a refund and was told it would be done that day. As of today, August 1, 2011, there is no record of a refund. The Credit Card Company is currently investigating PGO over this matter.

Bob Tucker at MAK Grills made good on my order and informed me that PGO is no longer a MAK dealer. The PGO link has been removed from the MAK site. However as of 8/1/2011 PGO was still is taking orders.
 

Deano

New member
In the same boat, Ordered a Memphis Pro form PGO on 6/23 and was told I’d have my grill no later then 7/15. As with your sale they charged my card on date of purchase many calls to them with no response. I decided to contact the manufacture direct “Hearthland Products” three weeks after the initial order PGO hadn’t even placed the order with Hearthland. I canceled the order and am having the Credit Card Co. dispute the charges. I ordered a new grill from Big Poppa's on 7/21 and It’s scheduled to be delivered via UPS freight tomorrow. Sure wish I’d have dealt with them first would have saved me bunch of frustration. Good luck on your situation.
 
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PhilD

New member
Per their facebook page Anna Maria is very sick and may not be returning to the company. Anyone who has worked with her knows she's a sweetheart who IS the company and its terrible for this to happen to a young person. Posts on FB indicate the company is not doing well in her absence. Phones not being answered, orders not being filled etc etc. One of the owners indicated to me that they had just had some serious financial problems that they "were working their way out of". Be aware before you place an order with them.

I ordered a grill in early July and received it only after weeks of phone calls and angst over whether I had been ripped off. I'm one of the lucky ones. I got my grill although parts of the 'summer bundle" I ordered never arrived and Ive given up that I'll ever see them.
 

Deano

New member
Just wanted to give a big thumbs up for Big Poppa's, Cancelled my PGO order and ordered from BP's on 7/22 received my full order by 8/3.
This included my new Memphis Pro which was shipped from Minnesota to California. Now the only question I have is what I'll be grilling up this weekend.
Thanks again Big Poppa’s it was a pleasure doing business with you and I look forward to placing future orders as well.
---Dean
 

jimsbarbecue

Moderator
Hopefully by now all can see that PGO is not the place to order a new grill. Anna was the person that made it happen. It does sadden me when a vendor that embraces pellet cooking has these issues. I am a Big Poppa customer and if he sells it I buy it from him. But I was also a PGO customer. They never did business smoothly like Big Poppa does. Unfortunately they may become a statistic of this "recession" and their business practices they tried to use to survive.
 

Norm

New member
After my having trusted what I was told at PGO by both Richard Lightower (CEO) and Anna Maria (Sales Manager) all of which were, to give it a nice name, "untruths" over a month long period, I am not sure what to believe. They took my money and never shipped the product. Credit Card Company is investigating them for fraud. MAK no longer deals with them. Memphis Grills are no longer being offered by PGO. What does that tell you about the honesty of the company and their CEO and Sales Manager? I do not know if she has cancer or not. I hope not, but after all the excuses I was given for non-shipment, her illness being one, I am not sure anymore.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Norm I understand your frustration for we probably should not question the health issue....

What needs to be emphasized here is that both MAK and Memphis are backing their end user customer....It is nice to know that these people are stand up.

Im not sure what is happening over there I hear rumors and we have been dealing with their angry customers for awhile.
 

smoker pete

New member
Have no skin in the game and have no clue about what's happening there but here is what was posted on their Facebook. Maybe this will help you get your money back.

Ok, this is Taylor. I want expedite this process as we sort out these orders. I have set up 3 email accounts to get your refund or orders filled.

If you ordered a grill, email [email protected]​.

If you ordered pellets, email [email protected]​.

Anything else, email [email protected].​
 
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