Quality is no longer represented by a brand name.

Our GE "free standing" range was 35 years old. The oven controls were no longer working properly and parts were no longer available. We decided to buy a new range and after 35 years of nearly trouble free use, we were pretty well convinced that GE was the way to go.

After some online research we realized there would be a wide array of choices to make. So, we decided ahead of time which features we absolutely wanted and then went shopping. We ended up buying the GE JBP80 Free-Standing Electric Range. The range was delivered, installed, all was well and we were happy with our decision.

Once in awhile during the following months, my wife would mention that something didn't seem to bake completely or sometimes the oven didn't seem to heat up as fast as usual. I assumed it was because she wasn't entirely familiar with the controls yet. She must have read the instructions 50 times. One day she baked my favorite cake, Sweetheart Torte. After it cooled she removed it from the pan and found it hadn't baked on the bottom. She sort of told me I had to do something.

I still doubted her, but when she's standing with her feet firmly planted and her hands on her hips it means, be quiet and get busy. So I started a bake cycle and watched the elements heat up. I could hear the controls clicking, but the elements were not cycling like I thought they would. I called GE about the bake/broil cycles and how they were supposed to operate but that effort was a complete waste of time. All they wanted to do was send a service man out at $90 a whack. At those rates, by the time they had it repaired it would be cheaper to buy another range. I tried the vendor, it turned out they were the above mentioned "$90 a whack service man".

I got my tool pouch out of retirement and tore things apart. After removing the back panels, I found a hidden schematic diagram of the controls. On the schematic was an explanation of the operating cycle. I disconnected the oven elements and let the control cycle for 10 or 15 minutes without any heating. The problem was in one of the "mechanical" relays soldered into the printed circuit board of the "Electronic Oven Control". The normally closed contact in the "Broil" relay that routes power to the "Bake" relay, was not making good contact, causing intermittent operation of the bottom (bake) element.

A replacement oven control from GE was $121, Sears (not the vendor) wanted $142, WWW.pcappliancerepair.com wanted $93.92 with free shipping and a lifetime warranty. (Guess who I would buy it from.)

Knowing the type of relay that had failed was only a couple bucks, I contacted the manufacturer of the relay and asked if they would sell me one. They said "no, but if we have one left we'll give it to you". They did send me a relay, it looks identical to the original. Pretty darn nice of them, like a breath of fresh air after all I had been through with GE and their vendor.

While waiting for the relay to arrive, I installed a fused jumper that will blow if the control should somehow try to operate both elements at the same time. It works so good I don't plan to change anything unless the fuse blows. At that point I will get a control from WWW.pcappliancerepair.com. If that plan goes south, you can bet there will be a lot more competition involved in our next range selection.

In conclusion, the things I learned:
1. Quality is no longer represented by a brand name.
2. The GE "Electronic Oven Control" - "QuickSet IV" is not completely electronic.
3. If your wife says there's a problem, check the warranty immediately.
4. If the warranty has not expired, read the "fine print" very carefully.
5. If the warranty has expired buy a different stove unless you feel ambitious.
6. GE doesn't want to hear from you.