Well the saga continues...
We ended up sending the machine back to 1st Line for repair. Last week 1st Line calls my coworker and tells him the control board was bad on his PVL and they replaced it. On Friday they called him again and asked to send back the double basket, single basket, funnel for filling boiler, and the measuring scoop or they would have to charge him for those items. Confused, my coworker John asked them why they would be charging him for those items when they would be sending the machine back to him after the repairs. 1st Line then proceeded to tell him they had boxed the machine up and put it back on the shelf for resale and need those items to go back with the machine, and would be issuing him a refund. Even more confused, my coworker said he did not want a refund. He wanted the PVL repaired and sent back to him. Whoever he talked to at 1st Line told him that accounting had already started the refund process and that he could buy anther machine if he wanted one, minus the cost of the portafilter, which I had made into a naked portafilter. They also told him they were charging him for the piston seals they had sent out and I had replaced. When he asked why they were charging him for the seals, they proceeded to tell him the seals were not the problem and were operating fine. He informed them that I had already changed the piston seals and the old ones were indeed torn and defective. He had pictures to prove it. They are still charging him $90 for a new portafilter.
He was so pissed that he told them to keep the machine and issue him a refund. I was was shocked at the way he was treated. Originally, he wanted to return the machine for a refund, but they told him there would be a 5% restocking fee, plus the cost of a new portafilter (understandable), plus he had to pay return shipping. Instead of getting a refund he decided, on my advice, to send the machine in for repairs. 1st Line even issued a "Repair Authorization Number" form that stated it was being sent in to be repaired, but instead of sending the machine back to him they stuck it on the shelf and refused to send it back.
It's bad enough that he got a machine that was defective in more ways than one, but now 1st line's customer service has exasperated the situation.
