Review on Zojirushi SH RA19 TA Stainless Steel Brown by Shawn Xayamonty

I used to be a big fan of Zojirushi. We use many of their electrical and non-electrical products. I bought this to replace Zojirushi's smaller SH-HB/15 stainless steel vacuum carafe because it stopped holding hot water after a little over 3 years. Received this in early September and after a month we have noticed that the outside is warm to the touch and no longer keeps the water hot. again. I'm disappointed that after a month of normal use it stopped working and the quality of the product isn't as good as before (I'm not sure if it's because it's now made in China instead of Japan is made and the quality standard is different, or I just got that one lemon). Regarding customer service, I contacted them when my SH-HB/15 started having trouble keeping the water hot and warm on the outside because it was still under warranty. All exchanges were done via email. Customer service asked if the carafe was physically damaged and asked for a photo. There were a few scratches on the bottom and that's it, it's normal wear and tear. Scratches on the bottom were inevitable as you pick it up regularly and put it on the counter. The representative considered this to be incorrect operation and initially did not want to redeem the guarantee. After some resistance, she agreed to issue an RMA, but I boxed it up and sent it back for inspection. I have no problem with it but the point is I have to pay for shipping and there is no guarantee they will honor the warranty and send me a replacement or a working one. With the cost of postage and packaging (to make sure it doesn't get damaged in transit) and the risk of not getting it back, I decided to pay a little more and buy a new one instead. I saw this larger version and went for it, plus the bottom is protected by plastic. Sadly it did not work.