Rusting NewAge cabinets; Anyone had this issue?

[evoluzione]

Hey all,

I recently purchased a large set of Newage bold cabinets and after a long wait to have them delivered, about 2 months in I noticed that one of the cabinet doors started to develop rust, but it was bubbling up beneath the paint in multiple spots. Wrote to customer service and they asked for pictures and sent me a new set of doors.

About a month or two later I noticed that the actual cabinet frame was also starting to rust. Again from underneath the paint. There was no damage to the paint whatsoever.
I started to take a look closely at the inside of the cabinets and noticed that the paint is very thin to the point you can see the metal color quite clearly especially along the inner seams; lots of these out of sight areas are badly painted. And so it seems that in these areas of missing or thin paint, rust is starting to develop on the other cabinets as well (from the inside).

I reached out again, sent dozens of photos and tried to reason with their customer support but they keep coming back and saying that their lifetime warranty does not cover rust as it is cosmetic? I don’t see any mention of the word rust in their warranty pages…
How does a 2 month old cabinet rust so quickly from under the paint, and why is it rusting inside the cabinets where there is very clear lack of paint protecting the metal?

Don’t really know where to go from here. Im trying to be amicable with them but it ***** to see they keep saying it’s not their fault. Anyone dealt with anything similar or with them before?

Thanks

 

[kbuhagiar]

That's totally unacceptable. Unless you live in the tropics it's unfathomable to have that kind of rust issue so soon.

It's a shame to hear these stories about New Age cabinets, it's apparent that their customer service has fallen off a cliff.
I was extremely pleased with my purchase of Bold cabinets around seven years ago. Although I did not have any problems with them (and the cabinets still look fantastic to this day), stories abound about how responsive their customer service used to be when it came to replacing defective parts or honoring their warranty.

Here's hoping you are able to convince them to make it right. Good luck.

 

[duneslider]

I have a couple cheap box store metal cabinets that are really old and not well cared for that don't have much rust. Seems like newage isn't what it used to be...

Maybe post pics of what is going on and your location and maybe someone might have some helpful advice.

 

[m6z]

Well that's unfortunate to here.

I was looking at some Suncast Professional cabinets recently. They're plastic, so at least they won't rust.

 

[Spud McGee]

Tagged. I was really gung ho to go all in with newage cabinets in my new shop, if they would ever get them all in stock.
But not if they are already rusting before they ever had a chance to get dusty, and certainly not if they won't cover them.

Make sure to keep us informed how this goes.

 

[evoluzione]

Again, keep in mind these are not located in the open, in the middle of the equator, and in a rainforest...

Is started with the bubbling on the doors of 1 cabinet, and then it started showing at the bottom of cabinet 3.
Then when I started to look more in detail I noticed more on the other cabinets. I also took a photo to show the paint level on the interior of the cabinets to show how thin it is.
Again, I am very happy with the cabinets, and would rather we resolve this amicably but I don't see how they can deny coverage for this level of rust...in 2+ months of ownership.

 

[evoluzione]

More

 

[Jayman17]

Wow, I would consider that unacceptable for those cabinets. I wonder if your particular cabinets weren’t prepped correctly before painting at the factory. Sorry you received a cabinet with a sub-par paint job!

 

[71goldss]

That would really piss me off!

Showing these photos to Newage and them doing nothing is inexcusable! Maybe sending them a link to this thread showing the bad publicity they’re getting will wake them up!

 

[kbuhagiar]

That is horrible.

FWIW I just went to the NewAge website and engaged a chat support agent about rust coverage on Bold cabinets (specifically, on cabinets less than six months old). What a weaselfest. I couldn't pin him down, he just pointed me to the "specific warranty for each individual product".

Would not surprise me at all if they have been receiving many other complaints like yours and are circling the wagons, so to speak.

 

[evoluzione]

The crazy part is that they keep referring to the warranty page that does not include the wording rust anywhere. This is what they keep referencing that would not be covered:

Cosmetic damage, including scratches, dings, dents or cracks in paint that do not affect the structural or
tunctional capability of the product.

I would understand if they said, hey there's a deep scratch from the user, and now rust has formed on that scratch. That would be user caused rust. However to me this looks like badly prepped or painted cabinets. It doesn't seem there's any primer and the paint is super thin in areas where you're not supposed to 'see'.

 

[BillK]

Dont know who you ordered them from but if you paid with a Credit Card I would start a claim before its too late to do so.

 

[kbuhagiar]

The crazy part is that they keep referring to the warranty page that does not include the wording rust anywhere. This is what they keep referencing that would not be covered:

Cosmetic damage, including scratches, dings, dents or cracks in paint that do not affect the structural or
tunctional capability of the product.

I would understand if they said, hey there's a deep scratch from the user, and now rust has formed on that scratch. That would be user caused rust. However to me this looks like badly prepped or painted cabinets. It doesn't seem there's any primer and the paint is super thin in areas where you're not supposed to 'see'.

Exactly.

I think they are realizing that they are in a bit of a bind; they know there was a large batch of cabinets that were produced with this defect, and they don't know how (or don't want) to deal with it.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Dont know who you ordered them from but if you paid with a Credit Card I would start a claim before its too late to do so.

This is very sound advice. Probably your best bet at this point.

 

[kbuhagiar]

We used to have a GJ member here (Dittle Fart Around) who sold NewAge cabinets. Good guy, I bought mine from him. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall, as he stopped selling NA a couple of years ago.

 

[Spud McGee]

Yep. If its not too late, I'd start the chargeback process.

 

[evoluzione]

Dont know who you ordered them from but if you paid with a Credit Card I would start a claim before its too late to do so.

Looks like this if I see they won't budge. They've offered $200 as an exception...

Exactly.

I think they are realizing that they are in a bit of a bind; they know there was a large batch of cabinets that were produced with this defect, and they don't know how (or don't want) to deal with it.

Yes this is what it looks like sadly.

 

[evoluzione]

Yep. If its not too late, I'd start the chargeback process.

The cabinets are less than a year old so it's not too late at all!

 

[Spud McGee]

The cabinets are less than a year old so it's not too late at all!

Well that's handy. I wanna say my bank is like 45-60 day period.

 

[PhilJohn]

Wow that *****. I ordered the pro series back in 2019. No issues. I am getting ready to redo my main attached garage and was considering another order, but after seeing this I am thinking not.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Wow that *****. I ordered the pro series back in 2019. No issues. I am getting ready to redo my main attached garage and was considering another order, but after seeing this I am thinking not.

Same here, my NA cabinets are seven years old and I am in the process of moving them to my new-to-me garage, and being as how the new location is larger than the old I was going to order some more matching cabinets to fill up the wall.

Guess I'll have to re-think that decision...

 

[Imatk]

Yep I'd do a chargeback immediately. Why keep them? Obviously they don't stand behind their product, so if something else happens... more rust, door falls off... whatever? I seriously doubt you'll get any other answer than the one you just got.

***** to have that happen but better to get out while you can.

I'm having a similar issue with my Bendpak GP7 lift... has been faulty since day 1 and still has problems... still under warranty... still not fixed.

 

[Rod N]

That is unacceptable.
My overhead NewAge cabinets had the shocks go in 2 years. They said nope and we can't get them anymore.

 

[Youngandfree]

That would really piss me off!

Showing these photos to Newage and them doing nothing is inexcusable! Maybe sending them a link to this thread showing the bad publicity they’re getting will wake them up!

He needs to post it on their social media pages

 

[Spud McGee]

He needs to post it on their social media pages

This has worked well in the past for me. Not for Newage specifically, but for companies in general. Step past that useless customer support person. If you can get their marketing people involved, they'll make things happen. Put them on blast on their social media. I have also had good results calling and talking to a company's regional manager when a certain one of their chains did me wrong.

The amount of effort they have to put into getting new customers is 100x higher than the amount of effort you have to put into posting your pictures and story and costing them those customers. I dont know if newage has anything like a regional manager in the US. They certainly have social media and marketing teams who put a lot of money into blasting their products to the youtube shills.

 

[sjvicker]

Depending on your investment it may be worth spending a few bucks for an attorney to send a letter requesting replacement. You definitely have defective materials (Paint) and that is covered under the warranty.

Also, I would read your CC policy before filing a claim and be cautious about accepting that $200 from them. By accepting that you may be agreeing to not proceed further legally.

 

[Spud McGee]

They are nice enough to have a linktree that puts all their twitter, facebook, instagram, etc accounts in one place. I say upload your pictures and start tagging them. There's a link to their linkdin. I dont have an account, so not sure if that would let you send them messages. https://linktr.ee/NewAgeProducts

 

[P0234]

What's your average relative humidity in your garage? Parking hot and wet cars in a garage will make for some unfavorable conditions, rust being one issue but mold being a more serious issue.

Regardless of the humidity, they shouldn't rust that fast but it could be a warning of another issue.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Hey all,

I recently purchased a large set of Newage bold cabinets and after a long wait to have them delivered, about 2 months in I noticed that one of the cabinet doors started to develop rust, but it was bubbling up beneath the paint in multiple spots.
How does a 2 month old cabinet rust so quickly from under the paint, and why is it rusting inside the cabinets where there is very clear lack of paint protecting the metal?

Bear with me while I play devil's advocate...
...by any chance are you storing swimming pool chemicals or any other corrosives in or near the cabinets?

 

[Firebrick43]

What do people really expect with the insanely cheap price their cabinets are?

 

[kbuhagiar]

What do people really expect with the insanely cheap price their cabinets are?

Seriously?
Mine are over seven years old and they still look like new, and if anything they are more expensive now.

 

[Firebrick43]

Seriously?
Mine are over seven years old and they still look like new, and if anything they are more expensive now.

Seriously?
Inflation has raised the purchase amount of every product.

But Seriously. If you price even mid grade cabinets with no style like lyon, they are much more expensive per linear foot.

I am not saying its right that its rusting. I am happy that yours are not. There have been a lot of complaints about newage cabinets, several just in this thread. To offer whay they do, at the price they do, something is going to be lacking and apparently that is customer service and long term support.

There is an old adage that you can have things high quality, fast, and cheap, but only two of the three.

 

[Spud McGee]

There is an old adage that you can have things high quality, fast, and cheap, but only two of the three.

That doesnt quite apply here. You can't even get newage products fast. 80% of the stuff on their website is backordered or no-ETA.

 

[Firebrick43]

That doesnt quite apply here. You can't even get newage products fast. 80% of the stuff on their website is backordered or no-ETA.

Beat head against wall.


The phrase is relative to other options in the same category.

A local school being built is delayed by a year in opening not because of the progress on the building itself but one of the main things missing is lockers made by lyon even though they were ordered well before the project started. Everyone is having issues.

Then the third high class option would be custom baltic birch cabinets. Yea, Baltic birch hasn't been available for a while so they are using lower quality materials and see how long your on the list for you to even get a quote for custom made cabinets.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Seriously?
Inflation has raised the purchase amount of every product.

But Seriously. If you price even mid grade cabinets with no style like lyon, they are much more expensive per linear foot.

I am not saying its right that its rusting. I am happy that yours are not. There have been a lot of complaints about newage cabinets, several just in this thread. To offer whay they do, at the price they do, something is going to be lacking and apparently that is customer service and long term support.

There is an old adage that you can have things high quality, fast, and cheap, but only two of the three.

Agreed that inflation has impacted products and production across the board.

The point I am trying to make is at one point in their past they did make a higher quality product at a reasonable price and stood by it. They generally had a good reputation (which is why I purchased from them). Somewhere along the way they changed, and now they've lost their way.

 

[mpraddict]

Every single purchase I've made from New Age had at least one damaged cabinet. Usually from shipping. I have the same cabinets in your photo and no rust issues. Since these things come from China, I wonder if it was exposed to the salt air during shipping.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

The bottom line here is that the rust is due to POOR WORKMANSHIP. If the cabinets were PROPERLY prepared prior to painting and PROPERLY painted, they would not be rusting so soon.

Below is taken off of their website. I'd contact Mike Holmes with this issue and tell him you purchased NewAge due to his endorsement.

"We trust NewAge Products to Make it Right."

Mike Holmes | Professional Contractor & TV Host

 

[evoluzione]

Valid point I agree the issue is prep was done badly.

I am in the process of doing a chargeback, and if for some reason it doesn't work will have to seriously consider small claims or sending a letter from an attorney.

I emailed Mike Holmes as well. I found more pics I took that show how little paint there is on the inside areas of the cabinets...


As for the other comments, there are no pool chemicals or anything of that sort being stored in them

 

[tom86951]

How awful, so sorry to see that. I spent 10 minutes on their site trying to find their warranty and could not find it. I did see that the cabinets are painted, not powder coated, and that production locations include China and Malaysia. If you have that much rust in two months, they were delivered defective and are just going to get worse. I'd honestly do everything possible to get their attention -- chargeback, lawyer letter, YouTube videos, social media campaign, etc. Depending on terms and location of sale, also consider small claims court. You might be able to get some of your money back that way. They may not even show up and, if they do, I don't know how they'd defend sending rusty cabinets.

p.s., on the opposite end of the 'stand-behind-your-work' spectrum, I went with Baldhead Cabinets and cannot say enough good things about them. They are made and powder coated in Bend, Oregon and would just never try to juke and jive behind a well-hidden warranty like this. If I called today, several years after the fact, and said they were rusting, I'm sure they would be all over it.

 

[Joe Reed]

The crazy part is that they keep referring to the warranty page that does not include the wording rust anywhere. This is what they keep referencing that would not be covered:

Cosmetic damage, including scratches, dings, dents or cracks in paint that do not affect the structural or
tunctional capability of the product.

I would understand if they said, hey there's a deep scratch from the user, and now rust has formed on that scratch. That would be user caused rust. However to me this looks like badly prepped or painted cabinets. It doesn't seem there's any primer and the paint is super thin in areas where you're not supposed to 'see'.

The word I made bold above is what they're using to avoid a warranty claim. With that terminology, rust doesn't have to be mentioned.....and they're saying it is cosmetic and that doesn't affect the structure or function of the cabinet.
Wonder how bad the rust has to get before it's deemed to affect the structure.....