Hopefully this is not a sign of a downfall. I have been working with Baratza lately and I feel something is a tad off compared to years past. Then again a lot has been wonky for the last couple of years. Personally I'm on the fence for a 270 or vario+ purchase. I'm still using a preciso since 2013. I feel like it's time to upgrade and I'm hesitant to leave Baratza's support system.

Just an update, it's been two weeks now and still nothing from Baratza. Not that it matters I guess, since I don't have the grinder anymore. WLL did refund 95% of the purchase price, and not the return shipping. I'm calling it a low-impact near miss, lesson learned, and taking my business elsewhere.

slybarman wrote:i agree it is BS that a retailer won't provide a no cost replacement for a readily shippable item that is DOA.

If that's their business agreement with the manufacturer/supplier, then they have to adhere to it. And there are actually a bunch of good business reasons why a manufacturer AND a retailer would do this. Consider shipping. If it ships back to the retailer and then ships to the manufacturer for repair, that's an entire shipping cost eating into profits. On something like a grinder, which has weight and heft, that cost is not insignificant. So if the manufacturer is going to repair, rather than replace, the item, this arrangement makes eminent sense.

But yeah, being out a grinder for many weeks is a drag.

coyote-1 wrote:If that's their business agreement with the manufacturer/supplier, then they have to adhere to it. And there are actually a bunch of good business reasons why a manufacturer AND a retailer would do this. Consider shipping. If it ships back to the retailer and then ships to the manufacturer for repair, that's an entire shipping cost eating into profits. On something like a grinder, which has weight and heft, that cost is not insignificant. So if the manufacturer is going to repair, rather than replace, the item, this arrangement makes eminent sense.

That's all well and good, but then the partnership between dealer and manufacturer needs to be better at addressing the needs of the customer - one party passing the buck to another unresponsive party is **** customer service any way you slice it. The dealer needs to get off of their ass and get on the phone once they catch wind of a DOA unit and radio silence from the manufacturer.

While I didn't purchase a Baratza, I have also been unimpressed with the customer service at WLL. Their responsiveness is really, really poor.

I asked about a portafilter leak on a $3k machine that I'd purchased from them, less than 6 weeks prior. In return, I was given a purchase quote for a replacement gasket and shower screen. No attempt to troubleshoot or make it right, free of charge, just a purchase quote.
I also placed a small order (~$150) that didn't move for 6 weeks, at which point I reached out. I got a canned response one week later. I immediately responded to that message and it took another week for them to get back to me, at which point they realized that they couldn't fill my order and finally cancelled and gave me refund.
I placed another order with them (I had some points to spend with them, otherwise I would have went elsewhere, at that point) and, again, two weeks went by without a peep until I reached out to them to ask about it. Again, it took about a week to get a response.

That's just bad.

would agree on something like an 80 lb espresso machine, but this grinder is really not that big a deal to ship. i have the sette 270. i know the box it came in and the weight. this isn't a big item to ship.

Graymatters wrote:That's all well and good, but then the partnership between dealer and manufacturer needs to be better at addressing the needs of the customer - one party passing the buck to another unresponsive party is **** customer service any way you slice it. The dealer needs to get off of their ass and get on the phone once they catch wind of a DOA unit and radio silence from the manufacturer.

While I didn't purchase a Baratza, I have also been unimpressed with the customer service at WLL. Their responsiveness is really, really poor....

That's just bad.

If you search for "Warranty Information" on WLL's webpage, you'll note that WLL will perform replacements and repairs in-house for some manufacturers and in other cases will direct customers to the manufacturer for warranty replacement or repair (within the warranty period). That's just the way it is, and it's not WLL's fault. The warranty info is clearly stated on the website.

I've purchased stuff from WLL and anytime I've had a problem they responded very quickly and IMO satisfactorily. A couple of times replacement items or parts were needed (on in-house warranted items) and these were shipped quickly...shipping paid for by them.

This business with Baratza is concerning, because they have been known to be very responsive to customer needs, especially regarding items under warranty.

Grizzley wrote:Sharing recent experience with Whole Latte Love and Baratza.
.....WLL offered to take it as a 'standard' return, which means return shipping and 5% restocking fee are on me.
...

From their website:

Will I Be Charged a Restocking Fee?
If you wish to return one or more items to us, a 5% restocking fee (15% restocking fee for Canadian orders) will be deducted from your refund for any of the items returned. If the returned order is instead exchanged for a purchase of equal or greater value, the restocking fee will be waived.

Would an exchange for the same model have waived the fee?

I think so. But the return shipping still on me. I get it if I had 'changed my mind', but for a DOA product? As far as I can tell, WLL is now just a middle man, without much value add. Tough business model.

Purchased my Profitec Pro 700 and grinder from Whole Latte Love. They have lost me as a customer. They don't have customer service. 35 minute wait on the phone and no tech help. Clive coffee is where I go now.

Pressino wrote:If you search for "Warranty Information" on WLL's webpage, you'll note that WLL will perform replacements and repairs in-house for some manufacturers and in other cases will direct customers to the manufacturer for warranty replacement or repair (within the warranty period). That's just the way it is, and it's not WLL's fault. The warranty info is clearly stated on the website.

Again, I'm not saying that that's a problem, but it *is* a problem when their customer clearly isn't being taken care of by their business partner and WLL can't be bothered to get someone on the horn on their customer's behalf.

Pressino wrote:I've purchased stuff from WLL and anytime I've had a problem they responded very quickly and IMO satisfactorily. A couple of times replacement items or parts were needed (on in-house warranted items) and these were shipped quickly...shipping paid for by them.

That's good for you and a nice data point for others, but it doesn't mean that contrary experiences, like the OP's and mine, all of which were in the last 12 months, shouldn't be concerning for prospective customers.