Green Pans Suck

After seeing demonstrations of Green Pans on HSN for months, I thought they would be a great  choice for cookware. They claim to be easy to cook on and easy clean-up – their website claims the same as well…  Notice how chipper and focus on the word PERFORMANCE.

My mother had asked me what I wanted for a gift, and I’ve learned to be quite specific about gifts with her, otherwise one ends up with some rather well-intentioned unfortunate gifts that end up in closets until she comes by.

But I digress, this is not a blog about my mother… My mother doesn’t buy things online. Or have cable tv. In fact, she doesn’t even have a tv. When I saw the Green Pans in Target, I realized that I found something relatively practical to ask for.

Delighted when I received them, I read the directions about washing and caring for them. All the chipper HSN demonstrations show clean-up using a paper towel.  (After a month of use, it’s more like a jackhammer.)

I generally have 3 egg whites every morning with some chopped veggies. The first couple of times, the pan worked like a dream. I was pleased as punch.

But then they started getting a little less non-sticky. I added the slightest little pea-size of butter to help things along. That pea-size had to get larger and larger, to the point that it was not only not non-stick but VERY stick. I could literally use 2 pats of butter, upon flipping I would have to use another 2 pats to get it out.

Rather contradictory to the whole non-stick healthy concept?

I did not want to alert my mother to the problem, so I began shopping various Targets to see if I could find a replacement and switch the pans out. Turns out Target no longer carries them. I spoke to a store manager that said they had ‘numerous complaints’ about the pans and were no longer carrying them.  At this point, the return grace period with Target had exhausted anyway…

I attempted to email Target corporate, who also said they no longer carry the product and recommended me contacting the manufacturer directly.

I started reading online about all the dissatisfied people and Green Pans. Wow. I wish I had discovered these reviews ahead of time.  There was a plethora of people indicating that this was a rather pervasive problem, that the manufacturer claimed it was a one time problem… (By this point, the Green Pan cookware was completely un-usable. I had purchased a Cuisinart Green Gourmet set and give them three thumbs up on performance. You can get them at Amazon.com for $189 here:  #mce_temp_url# )

I found a link on the http://www.green-pan.com website and sent an email on 3/13
I received a GreenPan cookware set for a gift in October 2009. After seeing numerous presentations on HSN, I was excited at the quality and performance of the products that the demonstrators professed.

However, after a few uses, food started sticking. I followed cleaning directions – trying to use soapy warm water & a sponge – but the food particles would not come off. The finish isn’t scratched off – one pan is completely unusable unless I wanted to use a Brillo pad to remove the food. Target will not take the set back and they (smartly) are no longer carrying the product line.

Please advise – I’m extremely disappointed.

On March 24, I received the following response:

Thank you for informing us the problem with your GreenPan.  I will forward your enquiry to our US distributor for them to communicate with you directly.  I am sure Ronni will be willing to help you with your complaint.  Below the details of our US distributor for your reference.

IDL 2060 9th Avenue, Ronkonkoma, New York 11779  Contact Person: Ms. Ronni Fauci

On March 25, I received this perky email:

I am sorry for the problems you are having with your Greenpan. Although we give the highest attention to quality control, it is always possible that some can slip through the cracks, and unfortunately it sounds like yours was one of them. Customer satisfaction is very important to us and I would like to rectify your situation as soon as possible. If you could please email me your daytime telephone number and address, I will have my Customer Service Dept. contact you to arrange a call tag to pick up the damaged product and to replace whichever pan(s) are not working for you.

Again, please accept my sincere apology for the inconvenience this has cause and I hope to be able to fix your problem shortly.

I replied the same day with my contact info as well as the following information:
I have already purchased a set of Cuisinart Green Gourmet pans as the Green Pans had become completely unusable. I am able to cook even egg whites with no butter or oil with the Cuisinart pans. The GreenPans got to the point where even using a pat of butter, upon flipping 2 egg whites, it would require a 2nd pat of butter to finish it off. It’s completely contradictory to eating healthy.

No response. April 8 I send the message again and received this response:

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Please send me your last name and what size pans you need replaced and I will have the items shipped.

I replied back:
Nicole,
As my email on 3/25 said, I have already replaced the GreenPans with a set of Cuisinart Green Gourmet pans because the GreenPans were unusable.

I received this email yesterday afternoon:
Ok, I will have a UPS call tag mailed tomorrow. Once received please return the defective pans for a refund.

Then I received a call this morning from Nicole inquiring as to how many pieces were in my set for returning them. I advised her it was 7 pieces. I asked how the refund would take place. She said something about forwarding it to HSN. I advised her, as my initial email stated, I did not purchase them through HSN, but through Target. She said they’d have to issue a replacement set. I advised her that I had already purchased another set and not only had no use, but had no desire to experience the ‘performance’ of Green Pans again. She said that was all they could do.

I reminded her that she already put in writing that they would refund my money. My initial email indicated I purchased it from Target, not HSN. One should not promise a refund without clarifying the issue. ($169 + 8% sales tax)

So, Green Pans and Ingenious Designs, I will do my fervent effort to utilize my skills as an Internet marketer and Social media expert to share my experience with as many people as possible…

Up next, we’ll be posting pictures of what it is like to cook with Green Pans and clean up.  Stay Tuned! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!