Mill City Roasters- Bad experience, NEED Help Please

[John F]

I'd find it hard to believe if HB hasn't deleted a dozen posts since Joe made that joke, hahahaha!

The reality is that they are extremely quick on the censorship button over there, always have been. The beauty of the system is they also operate with a lofty sense of gentlemanly snootery that uses a heavy dose of front end agreement all will gladhand each other else be labeled a common dolt should one drop the pretense.

Of course you see the inherent problem of me mentioning this.  No matter, GCBC has been a house of scoundrels from day one.

I shall conclude my rant with the random words fanboys and pomposity.   

[John F]

Rats...I forgot the words honor, decorum, and tweed jacket.

[NightFlight]

I agree John and Dan can be fickle. There are so many turned up noses there that I should have bought stock in Kleenex. I have no love lost for HB but if I read one more freaking newbie post at CG, my head will implode. I love rants and I hope my post was on target. Oh and thanks for all you do and if I might be so bold; UNLOCK 3 WORD for me for Christmas. I hope that the OP finds resolution without the need for legal representation.

[John F]

I hear ya.

I checked CG a few years ago and they were talking about the need to consider a proper grinder in your espresso budget and I realized I'd never need to go back there again. A sticky 101 thread and the 4.7 million words posted on that aren't enough eh? 

[Curtis]

It is unlikely to the extreme that changing the power connection could void any warranty the machine has attached to it. I would change the plug end or have it done by a professional and send the bill to Mill City. If it is as I have read from your description of events, most distributes of equipment will fall all over themselves to take the cheap and easy solution.
There will be more difficult obstacles to overcome during the machine's life. Even those which come up during the warranty coverage can require thought and action. Solving this yourself will make you better.  Not solving this will do the opposite. I believe you are about one hour from roasting, or considedably longer. The choice is yours.
I, like most others here, wish you success.
Curtis

[John F]

But to the OP I'd say that the plug itself probably would not bug me a great deal but the color thing certainly would.

Figuring out how to tinker with stuff is sort of part of what we do but if I paid a significant chunk of cash for a red espresso machine and somebody sent me a green one I'd have a serious issue with that. I'm particular about stuff like that.  I really wanted a red machine one time and it was on backorder. Never did get that little monster.

[wayneg1]

I can certainly understand being disappointed if you got the wrong color but in the end it has zero impact on the roaster itself.  It seems to me that if you're trying to return this roaster over a simple plug replacement you might have more of a feeling of buyers remorse.  I agree with Hank that this is not a big deal to replace on your own.  I'm certain there are hundreds of youtube videos that will walk you through it with ease.  Question is if you really want this roaster or are you just trying to find a way to send it back?

[John F]

What if somebody was opening a shop and had logo work done, sinage made and the roaster was going to be in the center of the room? I know several shops like that.

Point being the color doesn't matter to some people and might matter a lot to others.

It would matter to me if I went to the trouble to buy a specific color.

[wayneg1]

What if somebody was opening a shop and had logo work done, sinage made and the roaster was going to be in the center of the room? I know several shops like that.

Point being the color doesn't matter to some people and might matter a lot to others.

It would matter to me if I went to the trouble to buy a specific color.

I see your point.  For me, personally, none of this is a deal breaker.  But that's just me.

[Badam]

The wrong color would likely be a deal breaker for me. I am far too particular for color not to pose an issue. If it is written into the contract, I can not see how it is the buyer's responsibility to pay for return shipping to get the right color.

The plug probably isn't a big deal, but there is something to be said for meeting the terms of a contract. You'll have to spend some time on roaster maintenance, but should you really have to fix the roaster new out of the box?

[Kind_Karma]

     I had multiple discussions and emails with them about the color I wanted and even had to wait 2 months longer to get the one I wanted. Before the roaster shipped, there were pictures sent of our shipment and the color I purchased was shown in the picture. Then I receive the roaster and it is not the roaster I ordered. The transformer is not the same as in the instruction manual they sent with the roaster and has a permanent plug on it, not a removable one. I understand that mix-ups happen, but the response was that I needed to cut and strip the cord and replace the plug on the transformer and to open the transformer because there was also a loose wire that I sent them a picture. This is for a brand-new $4,500 roaster, not a used or DIY. If I want the correct roaster that I ordered and paid for, then I was told that I would have to pay to have it crated and pay for the shipping back to them. In addition to all of this, the fact that Dave stepped out of this and that Steve doesn't care that the wrong roaster was sent to me shows me that I would not be able to count on them for technical and customer support for their product, which is important when buying a roaster, especially your first "real" one(this was going to be an upgrade from Hottop).

This is such a bummer. Many professional roaster friends told me not to buy this roaster, but due to user reviews(apparently only the positive ones are allowed in threads on certain sites) and having Dave's endorsement, I tried it out. Hopefully the return will be settled sooner than later, so I can pursue other roaster options.

Thanks & Peace.

[Joe]

The wrong color would likely be a deal breaker for me. I am far too particular for color not to pose an issue. If it is written into the contract, I can not see how it is the buyer's responsibility to pay for return shipping to get the right color.

The plug probably isn't a big deal, but there is something to be said for meeting the terms of a contract. You'll have to spend some time on roaster maintenance, but should you really have to fix the roaster new out of the box?

Yeah you should get what you ordered no matter what and they should be more than willing to make it right. You aren't talking about buying the wrong color toaster..this is an expensive investment that was considered carefully. It should come ready to go as was ordered no questions asked. So if you bought a black fridge and it shows up green and wired for 220v you are just gonna let Best Buy get away with that? Not me, they better get my black fridge with the right plug on it pronto. If I was HB I would be putting the squeeze on Mill city to make the right decision.

[John F]

Bummer.

Hopefully you didn't pay cash to a guy in an alley  I'm sure you will find recourse over time but it still sucks to get all jazzed up and the new toy isn't right.

[Joe]

What if somebody was opening a shop and had logo work done, sinage made and the roaster was going to be in the center of the room? I know several shops like that.

Point being the color doesn't matter to some people and might matter a lot to others.

It would matter to me if I went to the trouble to buy a specific color.

I see your point.  For me, personally, none of this is a deal breaker.  But that's just me.

I would see your point if it was used or at a significant discount, etc... Otherwise that is a bad black eye on Dave and Mill city.

[Joe]

It is unlikely to the extreme that changing the power connection could void any warranty the machine has attached to it. I would change the plug end or have it done by a professional and send the bill to Mill City. If it is as I have read from your description of events, most distributes of equipment will fall all over themselves to take the cheap and easy solution.
There will be more difficult obstacles to overcome during the machine's life. Even those which come up during the warranty coverage can require thought and action. Solving this yourself will make you better.  Not solving this will do the opposite. I believe you are about one hour from roasting, or considedably longer. The choice is yours.
I, like most others here, wish you success.
Curtis

it's unlikely that a Chinese "North" roaster warranty is good for anything. But I bet you dollars to donuts that anything changed outside of what was shipped would immediately void any such warranty. Especially if it wasn't installed at the factory etc.
To the OP: why anyone would want to buy a Chinese roaster is beyond me, the discount isn't much more than a US roaster and you can actually get support and help. Should have listened to your pro roaster buddies.