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 tit so far.

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