Baratza: should I be worried?

[MarkSealey]

One of the reasons why I bought my Baratza Encore was the reputation of Baratza as a company.

I am very happy with it - and with Baratza .

Recently I decided to investigate upgrading to the Virtuoso +; I also wanted to replace my burr grinder in case such an upgrade didn't work out or really wasn't necessary. It doesn't seem to be available on the parts section of the Baratza site; and was apparently sold out elsewhere.

I emailed Baratza and got an immediate auto-reply, which explained that they have turned off their phones because of an "unusually high volume of…" etc. Nothing in the days since then.

But I want to continue to think the best of Baratza.

Should I be worried?

Is the company in difficulty?

This seems unusual when compared with my past experience: orders and inquiries have previously been handled quickly and efficiently.

Never anything but satisfied

Like many others (here), I consider Baratza an industry leader and by-word for quality and service. Indeed reviews of alternatives to the Encore --> Virtuoso + route stress that Baratza believes in longevity and aims to make replacement/repair/upgrading as painless as they can.

Anyone any insight, please, on why their customer service SEEMS (I do hope I'm wrong) to be… 'faltering'? I'm not complaining. So re-assurance welcome, please.

TIA!

 

[shadow745]

No doubt Baratza has had stellar customer service for years and they seem to put a cutting edge on grinder design/function, but no doubt long term reliability was left out for cost cutting. I do get their 'repair, not trash' philosophy, but also don't care for cheap sacrificial parts to be used in something I rely on daily. Yes some will say it's just a coffee grinder, but that espresso is my lifeblood every day, bwahaha.

In case you didn't know, Baratza was bought out by Breville awhile back so not surprised some changes have taken place. Breville also bought Lelit along the way. Some might look at this as a powerhouse sort of move, but I've never been impressed with build quality/performance/longevity of anything either of the 3 design/build. No telling where Baratza customer service will end up, but based on what I've read they don't seem to be as involved as they were for years leading up to now.

 

[MarkSealey]

Thanks for that, @shadow745 !

Yes, I was disappointed by the Breville buyout. I like tithing that Baratza's founders knew (know?) what they were/are doing.

I'm attracted to the Virtuoso +. But , if I buy it (assuming it's still available), will I get any sort of customer service?

Will Baratza's excellent models still be around in a couple of year's time… those are the questions I'm hoping to get answers for

 

[MarkSealey]

In the end I got a helpful reply about the replacement burr. I asked for more general re-assurance but haven't had that yet.

Nevertheless I went ahead and bought the Virtuoso+… very happy with it so far.

I have a feeling that there was/is no need to worry about Baratza/Breville.

 

[MarkSealey]

I was notified that Haydamaka replied saying that I should be worried (about the company). But presumably withdrew their post… I can't see it.

In fact the Virtuoso + has so far well exceeded my expectations. Apparently Baratza recently changed CRM software - hence the delay in replying. But the product I bought seems as good as ever!

 

[Mav52]

Thanks for that, @shadow745 !

Yes, I was disappointed by the Breville buyout. I like tithing that Baratza's founders knew (know?) what they were/are doing.

I'm attracted to the Virtuoso +. But , if I buy it (assuming it's still available), will I get any sort of customer service?

Will Baratza's excellent models still be around in a couple of year's time… those are the questions I'm hoping to get answers for

I think like most companies that sell out to a bigger company, its all about the $$. There are a reported "Per the Finance News Network, the total sale price for Baratza totaled around $60 million, $43 million to be paid in cash with the remaining $17 million “[issued in] additional shares of the company.” I still like my Encore after 2 years of daily use.

 

[MarkSealey]

Thanks, @Mav52; Yes. It's always all about the money, isn't it.

I am very pleased with the upgrade I made from Encore, which I had had for over 10 years.

I get a much more consistent grind now. In fact the only slight (very slight) step 'backwards' is the absence of a notch in the base (and even that base with its indents makes it easier and safer to carry the Virtuoso +) for the cord.

I had a very friendly reply from the customer support lead saying that they were aware of the backlog and 'working very hard'. I think I'm satisfied now .

 

[Mav52]

Thanks, @Mav52; Yes. It's always all about the money, isn't it.

I am very pleased with the upgrade I made from Encore, which I had had for over 10 years.

I get a much more consistent grind now. In fact the only slight (very slight) step 'backwards' is the absence of a notch in the base (and even that base with its indents makes it easier and safer to carry the Virtuoso +) for the cord.

I had a very friendly reply from the customer support lead saying that they were aware of the backlog and 'working very hard'. I think I'm satisfied now .

So you bought the Virtuoso +, nice grinder

 

[shadow745]

I will say that when Baratza grinders actually work as designed they do pretty well, but the flimsy build quality just doesn't sit well with me. For example, yrs ago I had a Vario with ceramic burrs. The grind quality was quite good, decent speed for the size, low retention, etc, Over time with basic daily use parts started giving out. Microswitch failure, plastic parts easily cracking, the geared motor pulley for the belt drive started slipping/stripping and the final straw was the circuit board literally going up in smoke. Not respectable for a $450 grinder that was just 3-4 yrs old with 4-5 double extraction's worth going through it daily. Of course they offer replacement parts quite affordably, but those parts are just weak/sacrificial in design and won't cut it for long term use. Their motto has always been to fix it to keep out of landfills, but throwing money at junk parts repeatedly isn't any better.

 

[TerkumOsber]

I totally get your concern about Baratza. They usually have top-notch service, so this does seem a bit unusual. I haven't heard anything about them being in trouble, but maybe they're just swamped with orders and inquiries right now. One thing that might help them manage their communication better is using a system like SugarCRM. It's a premier suite for business growth and scalability. I If you want to see how it works, you can start with a sugarcrm trial. Hope you get a response soon and can keep enjoying your Baratza products.