Hello everyone,

First post.
I've decided to upgrade my Expobar, which has served me well for the past 5 years, to the ECM Technika Profi IV beauty.
In terms of online vendors, I can't really find many who offer this machine except for Whole Latte Love, CoffeeWishes, and 1st Line. Removing CoffeeWishes from the list of options, due to never hearing about this vendor, which of the other two would you recommend going with?
Both are similarly priced and offer 2 year warranty on this machine.

I know it's a solid machine so it really all comes down to having to deal with good customer service in the rare case that I have to pack this 60lbs machine, ship it back to the vendor and expect to get back well-packed and cared for (I've read stories about bad packing peanuts packaging by Whole Latte Love to ship back serviced machines)

Thanks for the help!

Mike

I see Clives also carries ECM now...
If possible they would surely be my choice as they have great customer service & follow thru on
their promises. I have dealt with them for main purchases & will stick with them

1st Line I have not dealt with as shipping is high due to distance

WLL I have dealt with once & never will again

Good Luck

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately Clive doesn't offer the specific ECM model in which I am interested.
Mind elaborating on your negative WLL experience?

Maybe Clive could special order it? Could call and ask.

1st Line is in NJ as are you? Do a search and see what people think of 1st Line you'll get a feel, although vendor criticism is officially tamped down on this site.

"... bad packing peanuts packaging ..."
I tried but couldn't say it three times fast.

Pretty sure 1st Line is direct with ECM, which is kind of what you want since it means they can get parts directly instead of having to wait for a third party to order and ship them. Have no direct experience with their CS/repair department but I do think they're considered "the ECM guy" in the US like Chris Coffee is "the Quick Mill guy" (that could be wrong, I'm not in the US)

editedby wrote:...although vendor criticism is officially tamped down on this site.

To be fair, members with a site history who make a sincere effort to resolve customer service issues prior to posting are free to criticize. As long as it doesn't degenerate into an all-out rant fest, moderators will not intervene.

The site policy is spelled out under Public complaints about customer service in the Guidelines for productive online discussion. Simply stated, we ask that members use these forums only as a last resort for complaining about vendors, since in the overwhelming majority of cases, they play out in the same six steps documented above. Otherwise, for the rest of the membership, it gets tiresome to read the same story 3x a week, even when it ends happily.

That said, the HB sponsors are very much aware that to stay in good standing with this community, they are expected to provide good service. If a member with an established site history fails to resolve a customer service issue, they can use the forums as a last resort. They are also welcome to contact me directly if they prefer not to discuss their concerns publicly. A couple times a year, I contact an HB sponsor on behalf of such a member; in every case that I can recall, the root cause was miscommunication and with a short phone call or e-mail, the issue was resolved amicably.

As 1st Line is in Jersey, you could go look at it and pick it up right there!

OquendoM555 wrote:Mind elaborating on your negative WLL experience?

I don't mind but thought it best to reply via personal message to you

Thanks all for the valuable information!