Post# 287 - Bubba Keg Round Two: Bubba Keg Leaks - 7/15/2011

Back in 2008, I wrote a letter to Bubba Keg about my big leaky coffee mug, which has a design flaw that they fixed more recently.  I wasn't happy with their response, and may have stirred up a hornet's nest with somne Bubba Slappees by posting my letter on the Bubba Keg Facebook Fan Page.

I wondered if presenting the same problem 3 years later would net a different result.  Maybe the lady I dealt with jumped ship.  Maybe corporate policies have changed.  I used an alias and cut out all of the iditarod stuff (even though that really happened).

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Dear Bubba Keg,

I have a 33 ounce mug that has a design flaw.  The gasket on the lid, over time, slips out of the groove.  The very act of screwing the cap onto the mug gradually unseats the gasket.

Eventually, if I forget to check the gasket, I get a coffee leak, and coffee on my shirt and pants.  This is annoying, and shouldn't be this way.

I see with the new mugs, you've totally redesigned this.  It's almost like you realized it was problematic, and did something about it.   Unfortunately, I'm stuck with the old one.  The one that leaks.

I'm very unhappy with my mug.  It's one more thing that as a father of 11 girls (still trying for a boy), I don't have time for.  I just wanted to let you know how dissatisfied I am with my Bubba Keg Mug.

Sincerely,

Stephan Mariendo
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Subject: Re: Leaky Mug
Date: Saturday, July 16, 2011, 1:28 AM

Stephan,

Thank you for contacting bubba brands.  We do not  have replacement parts available.  We would be happy to replace the entire bubba keg for you.  Please send the defective bubba to:

Bubba Brand Replacement Department
202 South 1st Street
Knoxville, PA 16928.

Please include a note explaining the problem.  Upon receipt of the bubba keg we will request a replacement be sent to you.

Thank you

-- 
InZone Brands
Gerry
Customer Service Department
http://us.mc1617.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Info@In-Zone.com
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From: Stephanie Marie <stephmarie1974@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Leaky Mug
To: Info@In-Zone.com
Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 11:43 PM


Gerry,
Thanks for the info.  I'm trying to figure out how much it's going to cost me to package and ship a design-defective mug to your shop in Pennsylvania.  Won't the cost of packaging and shipping cost almost as much as a new mug?
Can I photograph the problem, or are you planning on running some tests on it?  Are you worried that it might not be damaged, and that I'm after a second 33 ounce mug?
I'd be willing to photograph the problem and email it to you, along with a video of me destroying the mug.  No funny business.
Please advise.  
Thanks Again for Responding!
Stephan

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Post #18 - Bubba Keg Leaks and They Don't Really Care - 9/12/2008

The leaky mug part of my letter is 100% true. For four years, I've dealt with a leaky mug on my way to work. I'll reposition the gasket in the groove, and it will start leaking again two weeks later.

I've seen their improved design. It also has a bottle opener on it.
I refuse to buy the new one. The exchange below made me even more determined. I now put a big beach towel on my lap and drink in such a way to direct any would-be shirt stain drips onto the towel.
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Dear Hubba Bubbas,

As a Suit Sales Associate at an upscale department store, my business is all about first impressions. Appearances are everything, and my apparel must be perfect for me to strike with a vengeance! I depend on my morning cup of coffee to put the extra spring in my step, and that coffee is carried in my trusty Bubba Keg 34.

At night, I hop on my sleigh with my eight Alaskan huskies, and ride around my subdivision. We are 2010 Winter Olympic hopefuls. In the summer months, I glue castor wheels on the rails. During these exercises, I enjoy PowerAde—it keeps the vocal cords moist, so I can holler “Mush! Mush!” at the top of my lungs. My Bubba Keg 34 holds all 32 ounces of refreshment, with room to spare.

Whether my beverage is hot or cold, I always trust my Bubba Keg 34. However, I’ve found what I believe to be a design flaw in the cup itself. The lid features a circular seal that looks much like a rubber band, with non-uniform sections. The seal fits within the unique geometry of the groove, which goes all the way around the lid. The orientation of the seal within the groove is crucial to sealing capabilities of the mug. Over time, the screwing and unscrewing of the cap, seems to ever-so-slightly unseat the seal, creating a leak right below where my mouth goes.

The Bubba Keg becomes the Bubba Sieve. I get coffee drips on my shirts. I get PowerAde on my parka. It’s a nightmarish carnival ride, and I need to get off.
Coffee stains are difficult to remove. Suddenly, the first thing would-be customers see is a drip in the shape of Telly Savalas’ Kojak-shaped head, and not my welcoming smile. My laundry bills are on the rise, and my suit sales are dwindling. Who really wants to buy a suit from “Mr. Coffeestain”?

The huskies no longer respect me—they won’t mush. For the time being, the Olympics are on hold, and I’ve put numbers 4 (Rocco), 6 (T-Bone) and 7 (the Fonz) out to stud.

What can be done? I can’t continue this way. If this keeps up, I’m going to be broke and out of a job. I’ll be filling this thing at the soup kitchen and getting minestrone all over my parka.

Thanks,
Jerry Herman
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Note from “Melissa” at In-Zone, makers of the Bubba Keg, dated 9/15/2008
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:10:44 -0400

Jerome,
Thank you for contacting InZone Brands, Inc. regarding our products.
We have designed new lids with a better gasket system. If you would please send us the lid & gasket we will replace the gasket and send them back in their lid with a new gasket it if the size is available. If we do not have the right size or style, I will send them a replacement keg.

Once we receive your lid & gasket we will send out a replacement and please allow 4-6weeks for your replacement to arrive.

Please mail it to: (No PO Boxes)
Eva
InZone Brands, Inc.
2251 Corporate Plaza Park
Suite 200
Smyrna, GA 30080
Thank You,
Melissa
IN ZONE Brands, Inc.
Creator of The Bubba Keg, Belly Washers and Tummy Ticklers!
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My response, sent 9/15/09

Melissa,

Thank you for your prompt response. I find it interesting that you changed the design of the gasket. It sounds like I bought too soon, and therefore have the leaky design. You can imagine the sting of buying a horse and buggy the day before the first Model-T came rolling down the street.

I only see one problem with sending my leaky design lid and gasket, for you to see if you have the right size and style. That is, I am then out of a coffee mug with a lid, for the next 6 weeks. That is 6 weeks of lukewarm coffee from a Ziploc bag with a straw. That is 6 weeks of tepid PowerAde, and an equally tepid fleet of huskies.

Is there, perhaps another solution? What about these words and numbers on the underside of the mug? I don't see any part numbers, lot codes, serial numbers, date codes, etc. Perhaps you have cleverly hid them. What about a photo of the mug? A photo of me with the mug? A photo of the lid? A photo of me with the lid? A photo of the gasket? A photo of the lid and gasket with the gasket "feeling a little leaky?" Let me know if any of these will work. I have preliminarily booked some time with a photographer friend of mine, at his studio for a shoot.

I'm not trying to be difficult. It's just that when I bought this mug, I wasn't signing up for a leaker, nor a six week beverage sabbatical.

When I bought the Bubba Mug 34, it was for three very important reasons:
1) Functionality-Hot or Cold!
2) Sex Appeal--The Ladies dig a fellow with 34 ounces of climate-controlled beverage, in a container that appears to have it's chest puffed out like the biggest, strongest rooster in the barnyard.
3) Shear Size. No one else had a 34 ounce mug that fits in a cup holder.

Let Me Know How We Fix All of This!!!

Jerry Herman
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No Reply. They could have easily sent me the lid if they cared. Don’t buy anything from In-Zone (from my experience).