Ah yes, this is the company that picked up the 1,000+ heavily used La Marzocco machines retired from Starbucks. La Marzocco and ESI issued a memo warning customers to avoid them just a few weeks ago.
The memo indicated that ESI had a first right of refusal to purchase the used lot over a year ago, but decided against it "...because we did not believe that the machines could provide appropriate value to our customers based on the cost it would take ($2,000 to $3,000 each) to repair them properly." One case is known to exceed more than $5,000 already.
Also from the memo:
"Scale build-up is an issue with [these] machines, exacerbated by the time many of them spent in storage." "...ESI and La Marzocco saw considerable evidence that [the] machines' steam and bew tanks would require descaling."
Initial repairs and service reliability aside, potential buyers should remember that these are among the most heavily used espresso machines on the planet. Even if they were maintained perfectly over their 5 or 10 years of use, they cannot be expected to last nearly as long as a new machine. I would guess that they were long depreciated before being liquidated.
If anyone out there is looking to save a few dollars up-front, I suggest that this is best done with other equipment than that which is the primary money-making lifeline of your business.
