I am having my worst experience ever

I bought an Instant Pot from Hirsch’s mainly for the sous vide function. On three separate attempts, each lasting over three hours, the pot stayed on “Preheating” and never changed to “Sous Vide” mode. The water eventually reached boiling point, which clearly shows the temperature exceeded 100°C, yet the program still never activated correctly.

I returned the pot to Hirsch’s, expecting either a replacement or refund. They refused because Instant Pot claimed the product tested fine. I was then asked to collect it. I was very reluctant, but I travelled to the store and insisted they test it in front of me before I accepted it back.

The result? The exact same failure happened twice at the store while they were on a video call with Instant Pot support. Even after following all instructions, the pot remained stuck on “Preheating” and never switched to sous vide mode.

Despite the unit failing three times at my home and twice in-store, Hirsch’s still refused to replace or refund it. I eventually told them to keep the pot because it is useless to me.

This has been the worst experience I have had with a company. I am a pensioner and I feel I was treated very unfairly. I will not accept that pot back if they continue insisting there is nothing wrong with it.