I bought a Maverick MM-5501 food grinder in March to start this sausage making hobby.
Just a few weeks ago I was grinding meat for some snack sticks. The recipe required one pint of water. I figured one cup of that as ice would help keep the meat cold, so I fed some crushed ice into the grinder. Was working great until the metal housing cooled enough to refreeze the ground ice and the auger seized up. It broke the drive gear inside the motor housing. Doh! Not the smartest thing I've ever done.
I sent an e-mail to Maverick asking to get a replacement and what the cost would be. They sent an e-mail back saying just send it back, we'll take care of it, no charge. I paid for shipping and they sent me a new base unit.
I was very impressed with their customer service and friendly attitude. You don't see that kind of service these days. So just a "hats off" to Maverick and Bernie the shipping manager whom I dealt with.