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Call Kurtis: Burned By A BBQ Store?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― The upscale grill company Barbeques Galore recently closed all four of its Sacramento area stores.

The Carlsbad-based company also closed its sale to an Australian company two weeks ago.

But all the upheaval has left some customers with unfilled orders, and wondering if more problems are on the way.

David Hutchinson is one of those customers.

"What I like about it is all the stainless steel is replaceable, uh, lifetime guarantee on it."

And it didn't come cheap.

"I had to pay maybe, uh, two to three times more than I would typically pay for a BBQ" says David Hutchinson, of Elk Grove.

In July, David bought his "Turbo Classic" grill at Barbeques Galore in Elk Grove; he paid nearly 12-hundred bucks for it.

A big selling point-- lifetime service if there's ever a problem.

"I'd just call them and they're there" he says.

A few weeks after his purchase he wanted to pick up the custom grill cover he was promised but hadn't received.

So he went by the store.

"I look in the window and everything's closed up. No BBQ's in the store; there's no sign on the window" David recalls.

Barbeques Galore had closed all of its Sacramento area stores.
I
t turns out that the company was deep in chapter-11 bankruptcy and trying to reorganize.

David says not one salesman told him about their financial problems prior to his purchase.

He feels deceived.

"Not being transparent not being up front with me, the customer, when I'm saying hey I'm willing to buy one of your thousand dollar BBQ's."

David wrote emails and made calls, trying to find out what's going to happen to the cover they owed him, and the lifetime service that was promised.

But no one replied, until after he contacted us.

We called and emailed Barbeques Galore corporate offices. It took a week, but their CEO personally returned our call.

Jeffery Sears told us that the sale of the company has made it stronger financially than it's ever been.

He assured us that customers will be able to get replacement parts, and technicians will continue to perform service calls.

As for David's cover, Sears told us Barbeques Galore will call him – and they did; they called him last week and said they will send him the cover in 45 days.

If not, they'll allow him to return the grill for a full refund.

And David may take them up on that; he's still not sure he'll be able to get the parts or service if needed.

"And it's just you know nothing may ever happen I may not have a problem, but I don't wanna be on the limb for a thousand dollar BBQ."

David did a lot of research on the grill, but not the company itself.
If he had he would have seen that Barbeques Galore was in the midst of bankruptcy, and he says, would not have bought the grill.

We will keep on top of this for David and make sure Barbeques Galore follows through on its promises to him.

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