lagoon wrote:That I get and I'm ok with.

What didn't sit well with me was the plasticky nature of the brew mechanism. Just didn't feel right for the price point.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot I like about the machine, and no machine will ever be perfect on every point.

I'm probably one of the few people who actually likes the black plastic parts on the LMLM. Maybe b/c I like the black and white contrast. When I first learned the paddle was really just a switch, I too turned my nose up, but soon realized it doesn't really matter. If you own a AV machine, it's still just a switch. I like moving the paddle, they got the feel of it down pat.

The LMLM is 1/2 part psychosymatic + 1/2 part luxury good and 3 parts just super consistent brew and overly powerful steam machine. I've gone from a Mr Coffee -> Silvia -> Profitec 500 -> Profitec 700 and now the LMLM. My goal was light SO roasts with floral fruity flavors. But mostly, I didn't want to worry about variables anymore. The Mini produces super consistent shots every time allowing me to focus on grind and dose - and occasionally temp if I want a chocolate darker blend.

I'm too busy and too OCD to deal with a machine that is going to give me a ton of things to adjust, even if that machine could potentially make better espresso.

I too had problems with my Mini out of the box. La Marzocco was super-helpful and sent an awesome tech. Problem solved, many shots later and more than one year on, no further problems.

I too like the Mini's plastic knobs.

allwooba wrote:
I too like the Mini's plastic knobs.

I like the honking big handle. Although it is just triggering a microswitch that could easily be a touch pad button.

But the big plastic paddle is like out of Doctor Who or something, if the Dr. were from Italy.

Some of you may remember my previous report about the failed microswitch on my brand new Linea Mini. LaMarzocco sent a tech last Thursday and the switch was replaced. I did not even have one trouble free week of use before a flood the morning of Independence Day. The machine appears to have a fitting on the pump that has failed, leaking water all over the counter and unto the floor, and spraying water all over the interior of the machine. I contacted LaMarzocco Thursday and they are adamant that they will not exchange or replace this lemon of a machine. Once again, I am without a working espresso machine until the next tech visit, Tuesday of next week. While my experience does not seem to be common, I think it is important that everyone know that once you purchase a machine from LaMarzocco, you are stuck with it and at the mercy of a tech being scheduled several days out for each subsequent problem. During my recent conversations with LaMarzocco, they've been very clear that they will not replace a problematic machine, no matter how many problems you have in the first weeks of ownership.

Out of curiosity, was the drop indicator tripped when you received the machine? Two major failures already, you're either really unlucky or that machine suffered some serious impacts during transit.

Ouch, sorry to hear about your problems. I had a similar leak on my Mini about 10 months after I bought it. Fortunately, it didn't flood the kitchen or the machine, just leaked a bit on the counter before I turned off the water and switched off the machine. It could have been really bad, though, especially since I was about to leave for vacation that morning. I shudder to think what might have happened if it had started leaking when I was out of town.

Anyway, it was a brass fitting on the pump that failed. It must have been defective, since when I tried to tighten it to stop the leak, it just sheared off. La Marzocco was very helpful in getting it fixed, and sent me replacement parts very quickly. The first batch of parts had a missing washer, and they sent another batch with a bunch of extra washers the next day by overnight mail, plus a couple of La Marzocco shirts for my trouble. They were also very responsive in walking me through the repair process. No technician visit needed. Anyway, I came away very happy with their customer support. With any luck, they'll get you sorted out and happy again quickly.

Here's my original thread on the leak problem. La Marzocco Linea Mini Trips GFCI

nater wrote:Some of you may remember my previous report about the failed microswitch on my brand new Linea Mini. LaMarzocco sent a tech last Thursday and the switch was replaced. I did not even have one trouble free week of use before a flood the morning of Independence Day. The machine appears to have a fitting on the pump that has failed, leaking water all over the counter and unto the floor, and spraying water all over the interior of the machine. I contacted LaMarzocco Thursday and they are adamant that they will not exchange or replace this lemon of a machine. Once again, I am without a working espresso machine until the next tech visit, Tuesday of next week. While my experience does not seem to be common, I think it is important that everyone know that once you purchase a machine from LaMarzocco, you are stuck with it and at the mercy of a tech being scheduled several days out for each subsequent problem. During my recent conversations with LaMarzocco, they've been very clear that they will not replace a problematic machine, no matter how many problems you have in the first weeks of ownership.

I am sorry you had to go through this, Nate.

It took me a while to decide what espresso machine to buy, spent a lot of reading on HB, and another while to pull the trigger after deciding on a Linea Mini. I also went to a couple of La Marzocco's open houses in the Bay area and came to realize about the machine's physical characteristics (heavy weight and size), and the people behind LM sales and support. So I knew what I was getting, a heavy crated package after spending that much money .

I've bought other home appliances (refs, gas ranges, ovens, etc...) over the years and experienced frustrations when an appliance or another under performed or revealed problems. I've come to realize that most appliance manufacturers, if not all, want to go the tech visit/repair scenarios to get to the bottom of the problem until it is fixed. I can understand the cost of shipping back/forth and the effort to pack/unpack the appliance.

Just like what Beezer said, I hope that your machine gets fixed soon, and that you will be happy with it.

Just out of curiosity, did you purchase it with credit card that has extra coverage insurance for damaged/defective goods, and within the time frame to contest the billing? I'd be all over it if they treated me this way. Contesting the payment should get their attention. If they want it back after that, they can come pack it up and haul it away on their own dime. Or getting a reimbursement for a defective purchase from the credit card folks would let you unload it for parts and go to their competitors.

Surely they realize that incidents like this hurt their reputation.

I'd also consider sending a certified letter (with a link to this thread) to the Owner/CEO. People who answer the customer service calls have little or no latitude to flex away from the standard procedures, and risk their jobs if they do so. CEO can say "replace it asap" and then they are authorized.

PandaSPUR wrote:Out of curiosity, was the drop indicator tripped when you received the machine? Two major failures already, you're either really unlucky or that machine suffered some serious impacts during transit.

I was extra paranoid at the time of delivery. There was no indication of being dropped, and the packaging and pallet were in great condition.

The tech arrived on Tuesday (another 6 days with no working espresso machine) of this week and had to replace the entire pump. The bushing on the pump failed in such a way that he couldn't get the threads out. The replacement pump worked fine while he was here, but of course now that he is gone, it has been operating much louder than the previous pump and has developed a rattle. The tech did say that LaMarzocco do not use torque wrenches, and the fitting on the pumps do get over tightened and they do see some failures. That's very not German of them.

Overall, I've now had this machine exactly one month. Does it work? Yes? Has it been a hassle? Yes. Am I happy with it? Not entirely. Am I worried that it is only a matter of time until the next problem with this machine? Yes.

Beezer wrote:Ouch, sorry to hear about your problems. I had a similar leak on my Mini about 10 months after I bought it. Fortunately, it didn't flood the kitchen or the machine, just leaked a bit on the counter before I turned off the water and switched off the machine. It could have been really bad, though, especially since I was about to leave for vacation that morning. I shudder to think what might have happened if it had started leaking when I was out of town.

Anyway, it was a brass fitting on the pump that failed. It must have been defective, since when I tried to tighten it to stop the leak, it just sheared off. La Marzocco was very helpful in getting it fixed, and sent me replacement parts very quickly. The first batch of parts had a missing washer, and they sent another batch with a bunch of extra washers the next day by overnight mail, plus a couple of La Marzocco shirts for my trouble. They were also very responsive in walking me through the repair process. No technician visit needed. Anyway, I came away very happy with their customer support. With any luck, they'll get you sorted out and happy again quickly.

Here's my original thread on the leak problem. La Marzocco Linea Mini Trips GFCI

Beezer, I just read your thread, my machine failed at the exact same location. Tech deemed it to be due to over tightening at the factory and my machine was not the first case of it he had seen.