I know some of you have been thinking of buying a Gaggia Achille. It may be a good time.

I got an email from WLL yesterday, and they have some deals. You can actually get a refurbed Achille for $539.32 by using the code "refurb08" for 10% off. Without the code, it's $599.25. I'm pretty sure that has free shipping. http://www.wholelattelove.com/out.../achille.cfm?cid=2

You can also get a brand new Achille for $799. http://www.wholelattelove.com/Gaggia/achille.cfm

And I see WLL's price for the "regular" (non-refurb - or, dare I say it, "pre-refurb" ) Achille has also dropped significantly, down to $799 from $1,299 (and now with a 2 year warranty - correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the warranty for the non-refurb Achille previously just 1 year...?)

I suspect these significant changes may be prompted by and indicative of the frequency with which folks have been having troubles with the Achille - though for anyone still curious and wanting to give it a try, these changes (coupled with WLL's generally very good customer service if/when problems are encountered) would seem to make it more attractive...

jamhat wrote:I know some of you have been thinking of buying a Gaggia Achille. It may be a good time.

That's a good deal! I payed 699 Euro (approx. $US1100) 15 months ago.

Here in N.Z. we have what is called the "Consumer Guarantees Act' which states;
Guarantee of acceptable quality
Goods must be:

..fit for the purpose they are made for
..safe
..durable - last for a reasonable time
..have no minor defects
..acceptable in look and finish.

At those stated prices here, you would just keep returning the goods until the supplier provided a machine that complied, at their cost.

I had a guy working for me at one time that purchased a pair of 'gumboots' for his little lifestyle block. About every 2-3 months the sole would split, so every 2-3 months he returned the faulty product and they were replaced. This went on for a year or more. It forces low quality or faulty goods out of the market.

I can't imagine how these companies mentioned on this forum can keep sending out 'reconditioned' machines when obviously they are not reconditioned. If they can't fix them for whatever reason, they should be sold as 'faulty' or scrap. But for someone with a bit of nous, that's a good price.