Between us, my partner and I own 5 insulated mugs/beakers which we use mostly at our desks to keep hot drinks hot.
Two are very recent budget supermarket purchases (~$4-5 each) and proving quite adequate, while 3 are from the same brand, Cheeki, cost about $40 each, and are the subject of my Shonky nomination.
A couple of years ago I bought an insulated Cheeki mug to use in the office to keep my drinks warm. It’s double-walled stainless steel, and has a plastic lid with a centre which pops down to drink, up to seal. Up until we started working from home 18 months ago (due to the pandemic) it was very rarely used.
On my working days now it gets used a couple of times a day. Because it works so well, in August last year I bought 2 more, so if one was in the dishwasher for an occasional thorough clean there would still be another available to use. The 2 new ones are almost identical except for a modified lid which can be disassembled for more thorough cleaning, and have a painted exterior so are not suitable for the dishwasher, and have been hand-washed.
Recently, the lid of the older mug and one of the newer lids have both become stuck in the closed (sealed) position, and the third lid is showing signs of similar behaviour.
Since having non-functioning lids renders the mugs useless (they won’t keep drinks hot and have a narrow steel rim which would not be practical to drink from), today I contacted Cheeki to explain the situation and ask for a solution.
The response I received was to point out that the lids only have a 3 month warranty (link to warranty supplied) and that I could use another link (also supplied) to purchase more.
The response they received in turn was that having already paid over $100 for 3 cups I was not inclined to spend any more money.
Moreover, Cheeki states their ‘mission is to provide a solution to the plastic pollution crisis. This is a lifetime mission and we fully expect our products to be your lifetime solution.’ Their cups come with a lifetime warranty (great!) but the lids are only warranted for 3 months.
How is this reducing plastic pollution? They clearly know about the issues with the pop-up mechanism, hence the expected limited lifespan.
My reply to them concluded with an expression of disappointment that their lifetime warranty was worthless, their commitment to reducing plastic pollution did not extend very far, and that I would not purchase any more of their not-so-premium products. I also explained that my very cheap Aldi insulated cups (purchased opportunistically because of the problem with the others) were just as sustainable and far more economical.
I have not received any further response from them, nor do I expect to. However I thought this worthy of a Shonky nomination on the grounds of being expensive, having a meaningless ‘lifetime’ warranty, as well as not only not living up to their stated mission, but continuing to supply plastic lids with a known defect and short lifespan and encouraging the purchase of more.
Isn’t this a case of ‘Green washing’?
Appreciate @Guitarfish has some genuine cause for complaint. I have a tall SS beaker with plastic lid and slide gate (Gloria Jean’s) that is ancient.
We don’t have a carbon miles/cost or GHG rating for consumer products. A simple assumption is that the more expensive a product the greater it’s initial carbon footprint. Compared to a porcelain or glassware mug which costs less to purchase, how does using the insulated mug save carbon?
Our tea cups and coffee mugs last a long time. I suspect changing styling trends have a greater impact on the environment than any other attributes.
Under ACL is there a strong argument for a free replacement or your money back? The reasonable life expected of the insulated SS mug might be 5, 10, 20 years. Should the supplied lid or spout last as long?
Thank you @mark_m for your thoughts.
Like you, we also have another brand insulated beaker with a plastic lid which is around 20 years old and still going strong, so it seems that the Cheeki ones are just poorly designed and made, and sold at an over-inflated price, especially compared with Aldi’s much cheaper and so far more robust option.
To be honest I am so disgusted with Cheeki’s dismissive response that I just want other would-be purchasers to be aware of their shoddy product and policy, which I do agree with @karen_seager is blatant greenwashing.
To that end I am in the process of posting appropriate reviews where I can, to warn others and hopefully save at least a few people from a similar disappointing experience and waste of money.
I don’t think it’s worth my time to pursue the matter further, since at best I may receive 3 more lids (the 3rd has conked out now) which are destined to fail in another few months and need replacing again, and at worst will have wasted the equivalent value of my time.
I am so disappointed in these, not only the consistent failure of an expensive product, but the empty mission statement of wanting to reduce plastic pollution only to create even more due to poor design and manufacture. Cheeki by name, expensive Shonky by nature.
Their “lifetime solution” appears to be that you should keep buying replacement cups for the rest of your life!
Indeed! A lifetime solution for them, not so much for the environment…
I have found the MANNA brand off double stainless mug to be excellent and the lid has a sliding gate but the lid can’t be disassembled. The cheaper Aldi mug I usually take to the gym or swimming is good but hasn’t the insulating quality.
