I finally got myself an induction hob. I have been hob-less since my gas powered stove blew up on me. Even now I shudder at the thought. Expectedly that scary incident has been a little difficult to forget. It was also the reason I took my time to find a replacement. Anything but gas.

The path to induction should be relatively straight forward particularly as I had only two requirements. Or so I thought. First, two burners. Second, that it fit snugly into the cut out space left by the previous occupant.

Searched on Google. My husband and I found many brands offering induction hobs. From Teka, Lebensstil, Electrolux to Bosch. In various sizes – square, oblong, vertical and rectangle. One, two, three and four burners. Many benefits. More energy efficient than gas and electric hobs. Easy to clean because spills on the glass cooker top do not stick or burn. Mind boggling cooking zones and temperature controls. A few negatives. One being only induction friendly cookware allowed. As that was on my next to-search-and-buy list, I was nonchalant. I also managed to cast aside the slight niggle about finding the exact hob-fit for the gaping hole on the kitchen worktop. Admittedly, there was a Plan B, with two options. Just in case.

After a fairly extensive search, we found just one model – Teka Induction Hob IR721SR – that made the cut.  It had two burners and fitted our cut out space of less than 700 cm by 370. The Teka hob’s built-in measurements were stated as 695cm by 360cm on its website. That meant we could delete one of our two options, which was to buy a free-standing hob. The deal was sealed following a few WhatsApp messages to confirm and reconfirm measurements with the retail shop that sold the Teka branded hob. 

In preparation, we engaged our condo maintenance person to change our 13-amp socket to a 15-amp socket on our MCB circuit breaker. The Teka hob has a maximum combined wattage of 5200 for its left and right burners. My husband also got the maintenance person to switch the wiring and plug points of the oven for the new arrival. Induction hob arrived. Slim and sleek. The Schott Ceran (never heard of this before) glass top looked too good to cook on or mess up. Very nice. Placed the hob into the worktop hole. Too big. Wrong size. Didn’t fit. Frantically, more WhatsApp messages and phone calls ensued.   

This was what had happened. I had asked the sales lady, whom we’ve met before, for an induction hob that specifically measured no more than 700cm by 370cm.  Plus, I asked for b/w technical specifications to be doubly sure. She sent a snapshot of the size (695 cm by 395 cm) from Teka’s hardcopy brochure. She also sent https://www.teka.com/en-my/product/ir-721-sr_10210116/ – which presented the hob’s features, technical details (695cm by 360cm) and downloads.

I referred only to the website’s technical specifications (which is what we had used to decide on the make and model). I didn’t notice the WhatsApp snapshot. After toing and froing since Jan 23, we adopted option two of Plan B. Cut an inch lengthwise off the countertop to install the hob. How? It was a toss-up between my husband doing it, and engaging a contractor. The contractor won. Expertly the contractor cut the countertop while he suctioned the debris and sawdust into our vacuum cleaner. Quick and clean. We actually didn’t mind putting back all the things we had removed from our kitchen cabinets in anticipation of a messy outcome.

In parallel, I had also requested the sales lady to ask Teka to contact me.  After all, it was Teka’s inconsistent information on its website and brochure that had caused us – Teka’s customers – inconvenience, time and money. Over more than a week and several reminders I received a telephone call from a Teka sales manager on Feb 1.

He said I should have referred to Teka’s printed brochure as it had the latest dimensions. And, something about the marketing team being in charge of the website. My response to him was it is Teka’s responsibility, sales or marketing or whatever department, to ensure correct and consistent product information – online and offline. I also pointed out that as we are all in a pandemic, where and how was I to get hold of Teka’s printed brochure? He apologised for the inconvenience caused and said he would call me again on Feb 2. Today is Feb 8.  No call and no effort to rectify the wrong measurements on Teka’s website.

Teka? I like the product. People, especially the one I spoke with, not so much.   Will I buy Teka again? Hmm…