A cautionary tale of glass, grit, and the quiet satisfaction of doing things properly—even when the system’s a circus.
You know when you buy something thinking, this’ll last—good brand, bit of a splurge, but worth it for the peace of mind? That was me with the oven. Smeg. Premium, they said. Thermal cleaning function, they said. I was sold.
Fast forward to a quiet afternoon when I hit the cleaning cycle and—boom—the oven glass exploded. Not cracked. Not chipped. Exploded. Tiny shards everywhere. I stood there thinking, if the glass went that far, what got into the fan? This wasn’t a cosmetic issue. This was a full-blown malfunction.
I contacted Kitchen Things. They said the warranty had expired. Never mind that I’d bought it during COVID and installed it later in a new build. Apparently, I was out of luck. If I wanted someone to come out, I’d have to pay. Parts? Also on me.
Eventually they offered to replace the glass—if I paid the labour. I said no thanks and took it to small claims court. Six months of waiting, recalibrating, documenting. Then, just before the hearing, they changed their tune. Offered to replace the whole door and do it within a week.
They came back claiming I hadn’t returned the trays.
Luckily, I’d filmed the oven that day. Trays? Right there. Inside. Returned. Documented. Done.
Then came the refund. And then—another one. They paid me twice.
They didn’t notice. I did.
Now, I could’ve kept it. Bought a new lemon squeezer. Treated myself to a fancy herb rack. But I didn’t. I deducted the court costs, sent the rest back. Not because I’m trying to win sainthood. Just because I sleep better when things add up.
And look, I’m not saying you have to be perfect. But sometimes you’ve got to hold the line—even when no one’s watching. Even when the system’s a bit of a circus.
Because when the glitter peels off, what you’ve got left is your backbone.
And just because other people drop their standards doesn’t mean you need to join them in the puddle.
So keep your receipts. Film the trays. And don’t let anyone dull your shine.
You’re the star of your own story
