Members Mark grill

by Jorge
(Rocky Point Sonora Mexico)

I own a members mark grill and definitivelly are the best, hard construction, never got rusted and I have it all the time outside (and I live on the coast), grill even, etc.... I have owned other brands and all got rusted even more expensive grills... I definitivelly recommend them.. even if you don't have your Sams Club membership it is worth it to pay the $40 dlls annual membership to buy your members mark grill... you will save more over the time....

Members Mark 4 Burner Gas Grill 6 Years Old

by Bill Young
(Chagrin Falls, OH)

At first the Members Mark grill was awesome. I did assemble myself (don't recommend), but the grill was great. I have only used the rotisserie once (not very functional), and probably only used the side burner a few times.

In retrospect, this was probably more grill than I needed. Regardless, the grill was great until about two years ago when the automatic lighter stopped functioning. I went on-line and bought the replacement part, but it still doesn't work. Now I am having issues getting the propane distributed equally to all the burners. In other words, the burner closest to the tank is really hot, the one farthest away is barely burning.

This was a "high end" grill when purchased, so I am somewhat disappointed that it hasn't held up that well. It is 6 years old at this point, and still functioning, but hasn't held up as well as I expected when purchased.

Members Mark Y0005XC2

by Jim
(Barrington, IL)

Bought in 2002 for $600.00 on sale from $800.00. The shell is stainless steel but the inside is cheap steel that rusted and has to be replaced. I have replaced the burners twice now. I now have stainless ones that cost $200.00. The cooking grate has to be replaced. The igniters have been replaced twice. Flame stones have been replaced three times.

For a grill that was $600.00 and seven years old. Keep the owners manual for parts. If you buy one but don't wait too long to order because parts are discontinued.

I had a sears that lasted for 15 years before. Sorry I bought Members Mark

Members Mark 32" Stainless Propane Grill - New 2009

by billgr
(Johnstown, CO)

I just purchased a Members Mark 4 burner Stainless Grill w/ side burner from my local Sam's Club for around $400 - about what I was intending to spend...A larger Weber was just too much $$$. I assembled it myself & it went together fairly easily w/o too many parts left over.

This puppy really gets hot...I haven't tried the sear burner yet because I haven't needed it. It doesn't seem to go through fuel too badly but that is one of the grills short-comings...my old MM had an indicator of relative fuel left in the tank but this one doesn't...& the tank is buried in the case between closed doors.

I do notice that this grill is NOT as heavily crafted as my previous MM 36" was & I am a little worried about moving it around because only 1 end of the case has swivel casters & none of them lock! Also, I can't seem to get the igniters to work but I've been using charcoal so I have lots of disposable butane ones in the garage which has kept this from being a pressing problem.

The cover that came with the grill was torn when I got it but I was sent a replacement for no cash & no questions asked...pretty good service I thought.

How this will hold up in Northern CO will be interesting because I grill anytime I don't have to shovel a path to the grill...there is a light on the hood that I haven't tried yet but that should make winter grilling a little more pleasant. I figure I will probably have to buy a heavy-weight cover for it...if anybody has a recommendation please let me know.

Members Mark 720-0586A

by Trish
(Houston)

Purchased 06/20/09 - This 900.00+ dollar 4 burner/infrared grill w/infrared box and refrigerator; what we thought would be a nice addition to our outdoor patio. After only 6 months the refridgerator is howling.

When we called customer service for the warranty they stated that the refrigerator was not intended to run all the time, it is only ment to be used as a cooler. No where in there manual states this. In fact it does state that it takes 24 to 48 hours to get to proper temperature before storing food.

How many refrigerator's do you have that you must not run consistently and unplug periodically?

Falsely advertised product.

Members Mark 720-0584A Love

by Beau
(Denver, CO)

I bought this grill May '09. I use it 3-4 times a week in the summer, at least once a week all other times. Side infared searing burner works great. Love the split hood/range, which allows me to move finished meats (or cook more delicate meats, like seafood) to keep warm. Rotisserie works great. Cabinet drawers have ample room for all the tools and accessories. Grill fires up fine, gets hot quickly. Stainless steel grates work great, as long as you prepare them properly before cooking. For the price, this grill is fantastic.

Members Mark 36 inch Model 466071

by Redrac
(Houston Tx)

I bought this thing 5/31/09 after borrowing a truck it is big. When I got it home and finally unloaded it and opened it up it was totally trashed both hoods were pushed in as well as the rotisserie supports.

The hoods were dented on top and the back of the hoods was bent down. The front on the bottom was pushed in, in back the lower left corner was pushed in it had been dropped the lower right corner in back was crushed and the back was sprung out in the middle. The packaging was okay and strapped to the skid.

This is not made by Gtand Hall matter of fact is that no Sam's grill is made by Grand Hall anymore. No one knows who makes it; mean joung importing limited is all anyone knows. Cheap and flimsy is the best description of it.

I ran a magnet over everything and the magnet literally jumped on to all parts burners, grills, flame tamers, hoods, everything. Doubt that this would last much more than a year. Now I have to go rent a truck to take it back since little Sams won't do much of anything.

If you are foolish enough to buy this open it up at the store and check everything completely. Out of the 4 that this store had all of them were damaged. Too bad it is crap it had everything I wanted in a grill. Made in China by some 10th rated company that does not care about quality.

Weighs about 250 ponds the only good thing I can say is that the casters seemed to work well. buyer beware! and I doubt Sams is going to stand behind this junk for very long.

======================================

Thanks for this update. While the damage may not be typical, I was very interested in hearing about the quality of construction being sub-par.

5 Year Old Members Mark 3 Burner Gas Grill

by Keith
(Friendswood, TX)

I bought an MM 3 burner gas grill about 5 years ago as a replacement for my 10 year old well used Char-Broil which I absolutely loved. I spent about 3 times more for the MM grill and cannot say I have ever been very satisfied with it.

It has stainless steel grates which stain and burn and are impossible to clean. The stones between the burners and the grates that a supposed to provide "even" heating actually do little more than catch dripping juice and grease and cause flare up. Also it is difficult to get the temperature down to below 400 degrees with even one burner going.

It works better with large amounts of food rather than a couple of burgers.

Members Mark 720-0586A

by Glenn
(Slidell, La)

Until last night I loved my grill, especially the searing unit. Maybe I could have prevented this near catastrophe, maybe not. I will say I have only cleaned out the "drip pan" a few times, none recently. Last night I lit the 2 center burners, allowed the heat, then returned with a well soaked cedar plank containing 2 filets of salmon 1 of tilapia. I lowered the heat to medium, lowered the lid, set the timer for 8 minutes and returned indoors. after 4 minutes I returned to find the unit ablaze. I assumed the cedar plank had somehow caught fire. Upon opening the lid I discovered the source of the flames was the drip pan, which upon opening the lid set the cedar plank ablaze too. While extinguishing the blaze and removing the food, the 3 of the 4 grill burner on/off knobs slowly fell to the ground having melted. Today, in the light of day 13 hrs later, I go check the damage -to see if I can replace parts to get it back up and running - there's still a flame attached to the valves (even though I had turned them off upon discovering the fire last night). After 2 years of loving this unit, I was planning to incorporate it into my outdoor kitchen. Now it's headed for the trash heap! I guess you really do get what you pay for.

Members Mark M3206ALP

by Tom
(Largo, FL)

Has everything I wanted except an infa-red burner as a part of the flat cooking burners. Works well but Members Mark no longer has some replacement parts such as a grease tray (P02707065B.

Members Mark 720-0582-36" Grill

by steveieareno
(DeSoto, TX)

The Members Mark grill must be cleaned after about 5 times of use, due to the build up in the bottom of the pan. Keep it clean and you will have no problems with cooking.............

The problem I have with it the burners last about a year then you have to replace them. The grill has about a 5 year warranty on them and you can get them replace free, just pay shipping. I bought the extended warranty from Sam's and the first time I called to get service, they said no problem. About 4 days later I got an email saying the would refund my money less tax. Great! I get the replacement parts through Nexgrill. I am still using 3 years later.

I use it 3 to 4 times a week.
1 gas grill for chicken and pork
3 charcoal grills ribs, steaks and burgers.

To replace the burners you have to use a carbon tipped drill bit to drill out the back screw and then replace it.

I would like to find another new grill where the bottom tray pulls out for quick cleaning.

Members Mark 720-0584S Grill

by Cindy
(Lansing, IL)

I tried to use my rotissserie and ended up with a grill fire. Had 2 roster chickens on the bar and after 20 minutes ended up with a fire in my grill! Is the cover suppose to be left open? Is smelled like rubber burning. What did I do wrong?

Members Mark 7 Burners

by Bob G
(Niland Ca.)

I have done every cooking on it and love the grill!

Members Mark 3-in-1 Outdoor Modular Grill NG

by Manny
(Miami Beach)

Bought this grill with much excitement only to be severly disappointed at the performance. The grill gets hot when the cover is down, but lift that cover and it goes cold instantly. Very faint grill marks on a fillet of SALMON... This thing costs over two thousand dollars and I have a 15 buck charcoal grill that does a better job of cooking a steak.

Love My Members Mark BQ05046-6

by Clint
(Lakeland)

Bought this grill Island and from the get go fell in love with it. The style, the size and the features are top notch. With the exception of the 2 corners on the rear of the hood that always tear the cover (They are sharp and pointy and will tear at any contact - stupid design)the grill is great. My wife and I grill 2 - 3 times a week and every weekend. I know there are better more expensive grills out there but why pay $5000 plus when you get this grill for 1/3 the cost.

Members Mark Y0005XC-2

by Jim P.
(Georgia USA)

Purchased it 10 years ago. Have been looking around to purchase another grill, but have not found one that I feel compares construction wise to my Members Mark. Stainless steel is much heavier than on the newer grills I have shopped for. Cleaned my four year old burners, ordered new flame tamers, and purchased a new grill cover. It should be good to go for another five years.

Trouble Shooting The Grand Hall Model M3207 ALP Burner Problem

by Dr. Mettrick
(Southern California)

My grill has been a pretty good performer over the last year up until now. My rotisserie burner will flame out and start sputtering leaving it useless. I've perused forum threads and can't find any help beyond the first few steps of what I've already tried.

I've called Grand Hall and they don't know what their doing. I've received misinformation and a solution of let's start replacing parts until you buy one that solves the problem. Then we'll stop taking your money and call it customer support.

Yeah the customer supports your salary. So pretty much I've been left on my own as to the nature of the problem. There are no experts at Grand Hall qualified to ride their way out of a box car on a stick-horse when it comes to customer support!

Here's the deal, I have this model M3207 ALP propane with 3 column burners and 1 sear radiant. The grill also has 1 rotisserie radiant back burner mounted on the starboard side of the rear wall of the grill. All of the burners work fine except the rotisserie burner.

This burner will ignite normally and burn normally for a timed span of between 7 to 10 minutes. After that interval of normal burning there is a loud pop and accompanying flame-out (yellow) with a subsequent continuous sputtering that's very loud. From that point on the burner will not heat or produce the normal infra red radiance.

Here's what I've done to systematically identify the potential component that is causing the problem. After each of these steps I tested the rotisserie burner = no change in its behavior.

1. I have very carefully instituted the proper procedure for turning on the propane at the main tank.

2. I have systematically started with the furthest burner from the tank before proceeding to use the grill.

3. I have soaped all of the fittings looking for a leak.

4. I have soaped the clamp valves looking for a leak.

5. I have removed the burner orifice and made sure it was clean.

6. I have ensured that all of the igniter contacts are clean.

7. I have made sure that the igniter circuit ground is clean.

8. I have ensured that the chamber behind the ceramic element of the rotisserie burner is clean (not the element per se, just the mix chamber behind it.

9. I have called Grand Hall and the local BBQ retailer for this unit (BarBQues Galore, not Sam's Club) and no body has a damn clue.

10. I called Grand Hall today and they blithely told me to spend 100 dollars on a new burner unit and try that. . . . great

I have very little confidence in the Gal that answered the phone at Grand Hall. She could not even begin to contemplate an explanation for why the sucker would run 5X5 for 10 minutes then flame out and start sputtering. No joy there.

One other thing. I have a stainless steel kabob skewer that is 3 mm flat metal about 1/3 centimeter in width and 1/3 meter in length (3/32 X 1/2 X 14 inches). I tried interrupting the stream of propane between the orifice and the mix chamber when the burner was running normally and again when it was sputtering. Here's the result.

Normal: this stops combustion and so stops the radiant element from working. Remove the obstruction and combustion returns with normal behavior of the element.

Sputtering: There is a tremendous eruption of flame on the radiant side of the skewer. The orifice side has not flame. Remove the obstruction and the flaming moves to the interior of the chamber.

I ordered the new burner because I had little choice and the grill is a good one. I paid less than 400 US after waiting until the end of the season last year. The grill was brand new with warranty at Sam's. It's all stainless and pretty well made.

About two weeks of tinkering with the problem and:

I though all IR burners needed that device too. However, I can say unequivocally mine does not have one.

I solved the problem and thought I'd share.

After extensive and systematic testing I found out that every mechanical fitting and component was spec. The problem was a gasket surrounding each biscuit of the ceramic burner. It appears to be made of pressed fiberglass and had deconstructed into a few pieces that worked their way out of where they needed to be to form the seal. The only seat for this 'gasket' is on the metal shoulder serving to hold the IR elements in place (the surround) it is solely the pressure between each biscuit that maintains the seal in the field (the in between each biscuit gasket). Thus there are 4 short and 2 long pieces of this 5/16 x 1/16 gasket stuff.

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I refit the pieces that had fallen out and viola the burner works just fine. Interregnum . . .
Asking for professional advice from the grill manufacturer became an object lesson in people wandering around where the sun doesn't shine. I mean you're on your own totally when you call Grand Hall, and they actually give you MIS information!!!!! When it concerns the end user (at least on this problem) if you don't have the talent for tinkering your gonna be taken TO THE CLEANERS.

So if your an unsuspecting sod who relies upon the manufacturer you will have to order a new burner $99 US, which I did. After discovering it was this gasket I canceled the order. Of course asking Grand Hall to send some of the gasket material was met with condescension 'you have to order the complete unit.' Oh yeah, as I canceled the order after the burner had shipped they hit me for a $20.00 restock fee.

What does it mean when you gotta spend $99 US for a fiberglass gasket? What kind of #$#!!holes are these people? Who staffs this place, ex AIG CEOs?

OK so here's what I think will work if anyone has this problem like I did. Buy header wrap (exhaust headers for cars). It's the right thickness, can be trimmed easily to the correct width and comes in 15' lengths : $9 US.

I sincerely hope all people who own GRAND HALL grills never have to rely upon GRAND HALL. This forum is the only place where legitimate folks try to help you enjoy your grilling experience. GRAND HALL doesn't give a shit.

That's my story. I'll keep the grill because I fixed it. Had I not been able to. I would have sold it on Craigslist and looked for a Brand with better service. I mean give me a break.


==========================================

Thanks for the great, or should I say poor, customer service story. Grand Hall appears to have a need to sell inconsistent quality but super consistent low quality customer service. I'm going to take a wild guess and suggest that you are not a "loyal" customer, which means they will have to cut costs in manufacturing to make up for the high acquisition costs of new customers.

That's just a guess on my part --- Mike

Members Mark B10PG20-2R

by Ken
(Port St Lucie, Fl)

Incredible, horrific odor of burning plastic while grill is on. As far as I can tell the odor may be coming from the red paint on the grill lid. The odor is shocking and overwhelming. I thought that running the grill on high for a few hours would caused the odor to "burn off" but it has only gotten worse, and no, there was no plastic remaining in the grill after assembly if your wondering that.

The odor may also be coming from the thermometer assembly as it seems to be concentrated in that area. Today is Jan 1 2010 and I cant use my new grill or return it today so it will have to go back 1st thing Jan 2nd. I did try cooking some ribs last night (before I noticed the odor of course) and due to the odor I noticed I threw the meat away to be on the safe side.

WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

Member's Mark Grill Catches Fire in Kentucky

by Julie
(Bowling Green, KY)

I gave $1000 for my Members Mark grill about 3 or 4 years ago. This morning the grill caught on fire while I was in the house, preparing the food to go on the grill. Water would not put the fire out & the fire department had to come to my house.

The burners were turned off immediately when I seen the flames coming out from around the control knobs. Turning those off didn't shut the gas feed off to it & therefore water only kept the flames down but wouldn't put out the fire.

This grill was only about 2 feet from my house. The fire Marshall said that my grill was defective and a total loss for sure. I am very upset about this. I called the Bowling Green, KY Sam's Club and the boy working there today told me there was no way to report this. Said only way they get recalls is from corporate and corporate receives their information from the manufacturer. I asked him how does a consumer notify the manufacturer about a possible serious risk.....he said I couldn't.

This makes no sense to me what so ever. I would like some clarification about this please. I am just very fortunate nobody was hurt & that my house did not catch on fire.

Members Mark Gas Grills Are Just Junk

by Ted

I paid 650.00 4 years ago for a stainless grill and cast iron burners and thought this would last us for years. Have kept this under a roof on our patio. Just China junk! The burners lasted just 2 years and just fell apart Replaced and they did the same thing. I will never buy another grill made in China or a Members Mark grill again. Just junk.

Two Members Mark Grills - M3206 and M5205

by Eric
(Hartland, WI)

I am seriously disappointed with my Members Mark grills. The M3206 is used at the cottage the the larger, M5205 (both propane) is used at home. Both sit on wood decks. They are routinely cleaned and covered when not in use.

I live in Wisconsin and within 1.5 years have had to replace the first M3206 because the insides were rusting away And once again the non-stainless parts (and there are a lot of them) are rusting to the point of rendering the grill useless.

Example? The drip pan rusted so bad that when I went to pull it out the stainless front pulled right off. The heat shield fell completely off. The burner holders are rusting away. There is more but I think you get the idea. The first time Sam's replaced the grill. Since it's a couple of years out of warranty many of the afflicted parts are not available for replacement. I am having a local machine shop fashion new versions of the discontinued parts so I can again use the grill.

When I called Member's Mark to complain it almost sounded like I was being scolded. The operator asked what do I expect, living in Wisconsin? I told her I expect an expensive grill - which is covered when not in use - to last for many years. I will NEVER EVER buy a MM grill again. Regardless of how 'sexy' it looks on display.

The M5305 didn't rust as bad, but it's difficult to cook on. Both grills flare up easily - and in the case of the larger M5205 - dangerously. As such I can't leave the grill for more than 30 seconds or risk major flare ups / ruining good meals. If you buy either of these grills you better have a pretty large bottle of water at the ready. Or else you will be eating Pizza Hut.

Lesson learned. Never ever again. OK there is one good thing. The quality of the stainless is really pretty good. But that's it.

Members Mark 3 Burner Stainless (Sams Club)

by Andrew
(Ann Arbor, MI)

First few years it was great. But then the frame started rusting, the cast iron burners rusted down to nothing. Basically rust, rust, rust. But the stainless lid and table are still nice?!

Members Mark 620-0619A Garbage

by J Fulton
(Tucson, AZ, USA)

Bought this 4 burner grill at Sams 2 months ago. First couple of uses I could not figure out why the food never got done. Then I started paying attention, it never gets hotter than 350 degrees. I went through all the trouble shooting, etc. No Change. Sams Club grills are garbage.