Krupps Product failure

Jordec

I bought a Krupps bean to cup coffee machine for my hubby at the cost of £400, so not cheap! He’s the only one that drinks coffee, so it certainly hasn’t been over-used. It broke after 2 and a half years and given the price, I feel that is unreasonable. They won’t fix it or even help with the cost. I realise the 2 year guarantee was up, but surely the cost of the product leads to an expectation of quality and lifespan?

DullGreyGuy

Did you buy it from Krupps or someone else? Your statutory rights, that sit alongside your warranty, are with the retailer not the manufacture. 

Hoenir

 but surely the cost of the product leads to an expectation of quality and lifespan?

Far more complexity though ( things that could go wrong) than a cheaper coffee machine. A Ferrari is far more expensive than a Ford Fiesta. Both perform the same the function of getting you from A to B. The Ferrari is something that you can show off though. 

DullGreyGuy

Hoenir said:

 but surely the cost of the product leads to an expectation of quality and lifespan?

Far more complexity though ( things that could go wrong) than a cheaper coffee machine. A Ferrari is far more expensive than a Ford Fiesta. Both perform the same the function of getting you from A to B. The Ferrari is something that you can show off though. 

Not sure what showing off has to do with the quality or lifespan of an item?

Jordec said:

 surely the cost of the product leads to an expectation of quality and lifespan?

Yes and no... its cost relative to other bean to cup machines would be considered, the Tesco Value version, if one exists, wouldn't be expected to last as long as say Sage. 

However there is more complexity than that... you can be on the cutting/bleeding edge of technology which mean high prices but given its barely beyond experimental and so is more likely to have issues than last years model. Similarly you can have vanity upgrades that add cost but are less durable than the lower cost material so replace your steel watch bracelet with 18k gold one will be a costly upgrade and the new bracelet will be easier to scratch than the steel. 


Currys, as a not high end shop, sell 90 bean to cup machines, 12 are under £400 and 78 are over £400 and of those 70 are over £500 (25% more). Whilst £400 is a very nice present it is at the lower end of the spectrum of the price ranges. There are plenty over the top of what currys stock too... the Wolf M Series machine is £7,500 ish

Jordec

Thanks for the feedback, but I still feel that it should have been expected to last more than a couple of years. I know others with the same machine, 4 or 5 years old and still working perfectly. There is obviously something wrong with this one, as it started playing up after maybe 18 months, but I didn’t realise the guarantee was 2 years, so just put up with it. I know that Trading Standards used to state that a cheap product could be expected to fail sooner and if you paid a reasonable price, then the reasonable expectation was for it to have a decent lifespan. Unfortunately Trading Standards no longer deals with consumers and Resolver doesn’t have Krupps on their list, so it looks like I am stuck. I won’t be buying another machine, as I can’t afford thousands and I can’t afford to pay £200 a year for a few cups of coffee a day. I might look at a grinder and buy a machine that simply makes coffee from grounds.

Ergates

Jordec said:

Thanks for the feedback, but I still feel that it should have been expected to last more than a couple of years. 

Yes it should have lasted more than a couple of years.

Your rights lie with the retailer, not the manufacturer.  Where did you buy the machine?

Raise it with them.  They are allowed to request that you provide some kind of report from a qualified professional that indicates that the failure is due to a design or build defect (i.e. that you've not somehow broken it yourself).  

There are companies that do repairs for professional coffee machines, maybe one of those could help.  You'd probably have to pay, but any (reasonable) cost would be reimbursed by the retailer if they are liable.

If/When they accept the machine had an inherent fault/flaw then they are allowed one attempt to repair or replace it.  If, after this, it is still faulty, then you can insist on a refund.  They may also decide it's not cost effective to replace or repair and just offer you a refund.   Any refund, they are allowed to deduct an amount for the use you've had so far - usually a pro-rata of expected lifespan.  6 years is commonly used.  So for a 2.5 year old machine you might get 60% back.

DullGreyGuy

Jordec said:

Thanks for the feedback, but I still feel that it should have been expected to last more than a couple of years. I know others with the same machine, 4 or 5 years old and still working perfectly. There is obviously something wrong with this one, as it started playing up after maybe 18 months, but I didn’t realise the guarantee was 2 years, so just put up with it. I know that Trading Standards used to state that a cheap product could be expected to fail sooner and if you paid a reasonable price, then the reasonable expectation was for it to have a decent lifespan. Unfortunately Trading Standards no longer deals with consumers and Resolver doesn’t have Krupps on their list, so it looks like I am stuck. I won’t be buying another machine, as I can’t afford thousands and I can’t afford to pay £200 a year for a few cups of coffee a day. I might look at a grinder and buy a machine that simply makes coffee from grounds.

Not sure anyone here is qualified to judge the lifespan of a bean to cup machine and no doubt there are different versions which may or may not impact their durability. 

As has been said by others and I, your rights are with the retailer not the manufacturer hence we've asked you if you bought it directly from Krupps or from a different shop? If it is Krupps you have to be abundently clear that you are approaching them as the retailer and under the Consumer Rights Act else there is notable risk they assume you are approaching them as the manufacturer and/or under the warranty. 

Hoenir

Jordec said:

There is obviously something wrong with this one, as it started playing up after maybe 18 months, 

That's resulted in a further year's use while it's not been functioning properly. Potentially resulting in further self inflicted damage to the unit.  Had you reported this earlier then the unit may have given you many years of future service. 

PHK

Have you had it cleaned and serviced?

powerful_Rogue

Jordec said:

Thanks for the feedback, but I still feel that it should have been expected to last more than a couple of years. I know others with the same machine, 4 or 5 years old and still working perfectly. There is obviously something wrong with this one, as it started playing up after maybe 18 months, but I didn’t realise the guarantee was 2 years, so just put up with it. I know that Trading Standards used to state that a cheap product could be expected to fail sooner and if you paid a reasonable price, then the reasonable expectation was for it to have a decent lifespan. Unfortunately Trading Standards no longer deals with consumers and Resolver doesn’t have Krupps on their list, so it looks like I am stuck. I won’t be buying another machine, as I can’t afford thousands and I can’t afford to pay £200 a year for a few cups of coffee a day. I might look at a grinder and buy a machine that simply makes coffee from grounds.

Resolver is just a site that sends out template emails. No-one actually gets involved. Nothing you can't do yourself.

We don't act on your behalf and we don't take control of your complaint. Instead, we’ve set out to make it as easy as possible for you to get results.

Bradden

PHK said:

Have you had it cleaned and serviced?

That's the other side of the argument... has it been maintained@? I have an expensive Sage machine.. I only use filtered water and descale every three months as I live in a hard water area.