Sharp R-216LS Compact Size 0.8 Cu-Foot Microwave, Stainless Steel
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Sharp R-216LS Compact Size 0.8 Cu-Foot Microwave, Stainless Steel
Customer Review: _Horrible_ Sharp Customer Service. Bad Glue. Great Amazon.
Summary: 1 Stars
As other reviewers have mentioned, underneath all the carefully placed, protective plastic that keeps this microwave shiny, Sharp sticks a little card on the very front of the door. The card is stuck to the microwave door with a potent, stubborn glue, so I went out and purchased some goof off (about $7), a product made for removing such sticky residues. The goof off corroded the front of the microwave, completely ruining the black, plastic cover aesthetically. I called Sharp customer "service" to see if they could send me the plastic part that was ruined. They had put the glue on it to begin with and it seemed like reasonable customer service. (I can't imagine that it costs more than $1 to make the little piece.) They would not, so I asked if I could buy the part. The customer service was _completely_ unhelpful. Finally, (calls later) I tried to simply get them to help me find the _name_ of the I needed or the part number, so I could order it from someone else. (A very small number of retailers and "Sharp service centers" sell parts for these microwaves, but most don't have pictures or have the parts on-hand and finding the exact part I needed was almost impossible.) They refused to help with with this as well. (When I finally found the part I needed from Andrew's electronics, it was over $40, not including shipping.) Overall, I think I had a problem that could have been solved very easily and at little cost with good customer service, but Sharp's service was abominable. (Specifically, I spoke with Jason at approximately 2:35 pm EDT on 9/30/09 and then Camille (sp?) at about 3:00 pm on 9/30/09.)
Finally, after I thought I was stuck with an aesthetically ruined microwave, I called Amazon and told them about my problem. They said they were totally backing the product and allowed me to return it for a full refund. They even paid return shipping. Needless to say, I was _extremely_ impressed with Amazon.
Customer Review: Stay Away
Summary: 1 Stars
I just received my Sharp R216LS. I read all the reviews, even the ones citing poor quality, but I was certain that Sharp must have corrected these issues by now -- WRONG. When I lifted the unit out of the box, something was rattling inside the cabinet. Set it on the counter to find that the rubber feet were present in the front only, so it sat on the uneven metal base in the back and wobbled severely (metal on granite). The holes for rubber feet are there, but no feet! Followed the setup instructions, set the clock, hit the "popcorn" key and nothing happened. Read the manual and tried other methods of starting a cook cycle, and although the keyboard seemed to work fine, the oven would not turn on. On the upside, my unit did not have the dreaded non-removable label I've heard so much about.
On top of all this, I ordered the product through Amazon, but it was fulfilled by LiveSpan at a cost of $88 plus $17.90 shipping. There were no other options on Aug.31st. Now I look at the same product on Amazon and they're fulfilling themselves at a cost of $68.54 with free shipping available -- a potential savings of over $37 (35%). Not sure what's going on here, but I'm just starting the angry consumer grievance/returns process and will report back. They may be dumping these products on the market, so buyer please beware.
Re; Sharp. C'mon people! Just because we want/need a compact unit, that doesn't mean we deserve a poor quality product! You practically invented the microwave so I'm sure you can do better. Time to look at other options for your offshore manufacturing and your quality assurance.
Added 9/10/10 -- Livespan was excellent to deal with and I completed the returns/refund process with minimal hassle.
Customer Review: Don't mind the naysayers, initial usage indicates this thing is excellent.
Summary: 5 Stars
Not sure why there are a lot of negative reviews for this microwave, I've had it for a couple of weeks now and could not be happier with its performance. Looks good, has ample internal dimensions, and performs almost as consistent as the 1100-watt microwave I had in my previous apartment. I only need to add an additional 30 seconds or so to the stated cook times on whatever product packaging I'm working with to account for the lower wattage. To address some of the negative comments I read about this before purchasing-
1. Someone mentioned that there was no sub 1-minute cook option (ie 30 seconds). This is false, you can enter whatever cook time you please.
2. Illuminated LCD clock- its a microwave for crying out loud, not a clock. If you want an illuminated LCD clock, buy a clock. I bought this to warm up food, not to act as a clock.
3. Noise- Unnoticeable for the most part, it operates quieter or as quiet as any other microwave I've used in the last 20 years.
It's hard to find any faults with this really. I have it set up on a countertop and if I had to name any faults, the only thing I can think of is that the unit may slide slightly on the countertop when I press the open button, because it is not resting on a back-panel. Solution to this? Just place your fingers over the top with one hand while you open it with the other. Hardly a fault even worth mentioning but that is the only thing that comes to mind when I think about it. I will update over time if I experience any issues but for the time being I would give this microwave my full recommendation.
Customer Review: Buzzing Sound, Loose Door, Slow Cooker & Broke Down
Summary: 1 Stars
This is an update to the Sharp R-216LS. I bought it in August 2008 and I wrote about it in 2008 (see below). However, as of today, July 24, 2010, the microwave stopped working--it no longer cooks the food, and I smelled smoke come out of the compartment and it rattled so loud, I thought it was going to explode. In less than two years, this microwave broke down--and I only used it about twice a month. I will never buy another Sharp microwave, and I highly advise you not to waste your money on this one even though you can't help the fact that it looks so nice on the counter top.
2008 review: I do not recommend this microwave. I have to say that this slightly pricey microwave, compared to other brands and models, look really classy with its shiny touches. It's a nice looking microwave, but that's about it. This microwave gives off a loud buzzing sound during cooking and the door is a bit loose around the hinges. The door can literally be shaken while the door is closed. Another issue I have with it is that it cooks much slower than the microwave I have at work. When I cook a TV dinner platter, the food is never heated in accordance to the time the box says it should cook (even when I use the maximum recommended time). When I microwaved the same type of TV dinner at work (a smaller microwave model), it cooked at the minimum recommended cooking time. With this Sharp R-216LS, I always have to add an extra minute to the recommended cooking time--a waste of energy. Luckily I don't use the microwave for much except once in a blue moon TV dinner.
Customer Review: Only purchase a Sharp appliance if you are close to a Sharp-authorized service center
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased a Sharp microwave oven, which worked fine for 7 weeks.
I used it to heat soup, and for oatmeal in the morning.
One morning it just broke.
The door closed, the light and fan came on, but there was no heat.
It emitted a burning plastic smell.
Sharp service told me that I needed to have a Sharp-authorized technician examine it before it could be replaced.
Unfortunately, the nearest Sharp-authorized service location is a two-hour round trip drive for me. They don't accept shipments, nor are they are not open on weekends.
This means that in order for me to obtain warranty service on this relatively new product I would have to *take a day off work*, as it is too far to drive on my lunch hour.
Also, one cannot return a product to Sharp for examination; as per the warranty you must "hand carry" or ship the item to a service location (if your service location accepts shipments).
So I believe my current options are:
1) find a local microwave service place, and pay for the service myself
or
2) throw the oven away
I recommend not purchasing any Sharp appliance unless you know that a Sharp-authorized service location is close by.
Best Regards and Good Luck!
Mark