Disappointing product and customer service
I bought the Always Pan twice (once for myself and once as a gift for my mother). Unfortunately, both pans developed the same problem: after around 6–9 months, the non-stick coating stopped working properly. The first time, when my own pan developed the issue, customer service was polite and helpful and replaced it without any problem. However, when my mother’s pan developed the same issue, despite her following the care instructions the experience was completely different. As the pan was still within the one-year guarantee, I contacted customer service on her behalf. The representative I dealt with, Francis, was polite in her wording, as you would expect from a customer service representative, but I found her genuinely unhelpful and suspicious throughout the conversation. Because this was the second pan I had contacted them about, I felt that she was asking questions in a way that was trying to lead me into saying that the pan had been used incorrectly, rather than taking my account seriously. I was also surprised by how restrictive the care requirements were described to me. Francis advised against using butter or olive oil. This was particularly confusing because Our Place’s own website says that olive oil and butter can be used with the non-stick coating. Being given contradictory information by customer service and the company’s own website is confusing for customers, and I think anyone considering buying this pan should research the care requirements carefully before purchasing. This is especially frustrating because I have since bought other, much more affordable ceramic non-stick pans. I have been using them regularly with olive oil for more than six months and they are still completely non-stick. So, based on my experience, I don’t think the short lifespan of the Always Pan can simply be attributed to ceramic cookware requiring very careful use. I would not buy another Always Pan and, based on my experience with both the product and customer service, I cannot recommend it.