Stop me, I'm about to pull the trigger on a Ponte Vecchio Lusso! - Page 3

[mborkow]

Wow, this has really turned into a nightmare. What a frustrating experience. I feel for you; you can't even take solace in a cup of espresso! I am also surprised you are being asked to wait for 1st-Line to get a resolution with FedEx before you get your replacement machine...

[roastaroma]

As the PV Lusso could be my next macchina, I'll be watching to see how this turns out. There are few alternatives to 1st Line for buying a Lusso in the US, and if any of them are better, I'd like to hear about it. Buona fortuna with the replacement, aindfan.

We all know how it is when an employee flakes out for lack of supervision & makes the whole company look bad. Sometimes it could be just the attitude of the person answering the phone -- that alone could make or break a sale!

[peacecup]

I bought mine at Vanelis - good experience. Others have as well. No longer carry the Export as far as I know (got mine for $375 on sale).

The Good Coffee Co. in Seattle also used to sell them, but no website. You have to call.

I think Jim at 1rst line will make things right.

PC

[grong]

I have had very positive experiences with Vaneli's over the past two years. Nicole is super on the phone, and Gene Lemos is considerate and knowledgeable about espresso, and he is a very good roaster, as I found out when I tried his Classic Cremoso.

When I was shopping for my machine, Nicole answered most of my questions. For a couple that lingered, she put me in touch with Gene, who called me on his cell phone from the airport where he was waiting to catch a plane.

I like Vaneli's, because they have made me a happy customer on many occasions.

They are in Rocklin near Sacramento, California.

[aindfan]

Jim left me a message last night stating that they received the first machine and my new one will be shipping out today! Delicious espresso will soon return!

(On an unrelated note, I chose the worst possible timing to misplace my AeroPress filter cap. The closest I'm getting to morning coffee for the last few days is a roommate's Mr. Coffee steam toy. It does do a reasonable job with steam... but crema, of course, is nowhere to be found. Interestingly enough, the group gasket is basically flush with the shower screen, which keeps the screen clean and coffee free!)

[peacecup]

I always had good luck with the Mr. C. with fresh coffee. Remember, the first espresso machines were steam brewers. I always left the cap open until the water boiled, then quickly screwed it on and brewed. This made it extract more quickly. And I always preheated the group and PF with a blank steam flush.

PC

[quoad]

Jim left me a message last night stating that they received the first machine and my new one will be shipping out today! Delicious espresso will soon return!

Looking forward to some pics!

Hopefully happier ones this time!

[1st-line]

That's the way I handled (over the phone) my return to WLL of the defective Gaggia Achille refurb in exchange for the Gaggia Factory refurb - they initially said they'd e-mail me a return shipping label to print out and would then ship the Gaggia Factory to me as soon as they'd received & checked out the returned Achille - I suggested how 'bout instead charging my credit card right then over the phone for the Gaggia Factory, shipping it to me right away & then crediting my credit card for the Achille once they'd received it and checked it out... They immediately said, "sure"... Worked very well for both sides.

r-gordon-7

Please note that we (in this case I personally) offered our customer 2 options when damage was reported:

a) We go through the damage claim process, and ship out a new unit as soon as the first, damaged unit is returned (not when the claim is paid as previously mentioned). There is no additional charge to the customer's credit card. OR

b) We immediately ship a replacement with the customer's credit card charged, and once the first unit is returned in the original packaging with all accessories, packaging, etc (in other words, our inspection), we issue the refund within 30 days based on satisfactory returns.

In both cases above, if the customer does not return the item with the original packaging, we have no possibility of making a claim, and a refund would be denied (this happened yesterday to a customer who decided not to ship a VIBIEMME machine with the double box and withOUT the styrofoam holding the machine on the inside.

Some may argue that equipment gets damaged before being shipped. Although this is a possibility, our warehouse's standard operating procedure in effect for the past 2 years calls for opening up to 85% of equipment shipments to inspect for damages and for adding additional packaging material inside the manufacturer's box.

In this post's case, our customer chose option A which was also delayed by other circumstances (vacations, weekends, FedEx pickup, etc). There was a follow up phone call made this morning to make sure the second machine arrived safely and in good order.

We do try our best to work as quickly as possible. However, we ask that each customer understand we no longer ship replacements free of charge - the reason is that about 3 years ago, we went through an audit and over $50,000 in equipment claimed to be damaged by the customer was never returned. These non-returns did not allow us to be successful in making damaged claims. We were only successful in very few our attempts to retrieve the equipment. And, we can not charge their credit card after the fact.

[aindfan]

No words. Just this:



Now here are some words. That was my second shot, two pulls. The first was less aesthetically pleasing but tastier because I didn't cram all 14g of Toscano into the basket (second and third shots were more bitter). My best description of the first shot might be "a decent bite of milk chocolate with a tiny bit of bitterness, but not the good kind." In fewer words, TOTALLY different from the Gaggia Espresso in every way.

Tomorrow morning I'll play with a finer grind and 12 grams. I'd like to push things into PeaceCup 1oz crema territory, but I'm not sure how much luck I'll have on my second day with the machine. I'm running at about 1.1Bar and I'll try to get *something* out of the pre-infusion, maybe play with a Fellini pull as well.

So much coffee to finish with so little time! My Toscano was roasted on 8/25 and there should be a bag of Paradise's Espresso Classico showing up on Monday!

[aindfan]

Please note that we (in this case I personally) offered our customer 2 options when damage was reported:

...

In this post's case, our customer chose option A which was also delayed by other circumstances (vacations, weekends, FedEx pickup, etc). There was a follow up phone call made this morning to make sure the second machine arrived safely and in good order.

We do try our best to work as quickly as possible. However, we ask that each customer understand we no longer ship replacements free of charge - the reason is that about 3 years ago, we went through an audit and over $50,000 in equipment claimed to be damaged by the customer was never returned. These non-returns did not allow us to be successful in making damaged claims. We were only successful in very few our attempts to retrieve the equipment. And, we can not charge their credit card after the fact.

Jim is absolutely right. The vacation and our timing of being home for FedEx contributed to the delay. And I have to say, in retrospect, the wait wasn't all that bad. It was somewhat frustrating, yes, and that tone is *quite* clearly reflected in my posts, but I think I can be very pleased with this machine pending the operator training issues, the fixes for which as well documented in these forums. And of course, in the grand scheme of things, the waiting isn't a big deal (again, despite the numerous posts I made to the contrary).

[mborkow]

I'm glad the machine was worth the wait!

[peacecup]

Just some good fresh beans of your choice is all you'll need. I had been using imported Italian espresso roasts since I got over here. Roast date unknown. The espresso was been surprisingly good, but just a mm or two of persistent crema.

The past couple of weeks I've sprung for some locally roasted blends (DeMatteo Tespresso 3.2, LTD). The espresso has been excellent. Its reminded me of how the spring lever brings out the essence of the coffee - for good or bad. With fresh beans the pours are 100% crema, settling down to that 4-5 mm more creme top.

I've also experimented a lot with the grind and dose, and I think I usually prefer a fuller dose.

There is a lot more to discuss, but time is short these days. I'll look forward to seeing some posts, and i'm glad Jim made it right for you.

PC