Recently my 3 month old Ascaso Basic died for want of a new seal. The large black o ring between the filter holder and the machine kept falling out. I contacted the dealer who advised me that the seals are only warrented for one month, that he didn't have any in stock and that they are readily available from any motor factors. A somewhat terse exchange of emails followed and finally a phone call that left me wondering why I had bought such a badly supported machine.
There is however a happy ending, I spoke to Rob at Fairfax, sent him a selection of photos showing serial numbers etc and a seal will be in the post tomorrow.
A word of warning, if you buy an Ascaso machine make sure it comes from a genuine importer and that it is new stock.
It will once again make superb coffee, now, off to the trusty stove pot!!

It's nice to know of successful attempt to fix malfunctioning older machines and pots.

Hi Rob,

customer service is what I have on my mind too.

But unfortunately I find the experience of visiting your store in Swiss Cottage not a great one due to poor customer service. I pop in on rare occasions for kitchen equipment and the staff come across as cold and unfriendly. They seem to adopt the attitude that they're doing you a favour each time. This is doubly odd as your prices can be quite uncompetitive, so actually I think I'm the one doing Fairfax a favour!

Last time I was in one of the ladies hovered behind me as I was browsing which was pretty irritating, when all that was needed was a 'let me know if you need any more help'....another time i was lectured briefly on correct cake making in a pompous manner.

Basically they just have no customer skills at all.

I like to support local independent shops, and I love my cooking. So I find it sad - and frustrating - that you are not fulfilling the personal touch such shops should offer. A little extra here would also go some way to justifying your prices.

Maybe some staff training wouldn't go amiss. Until then I'll stick mainly with John Lewis or the internet.

On the subject of customer service, can you tell me how much it would cost to ship a Handpresso Domepod to Ireland? The company that I work for recently removed the regular coffee machines and replaced them with a pay-per-coffee machine that dispenses truly awful stuff.
Someone in the office already has a Handpresso and a few others may be interested in getting their own.
Thanks.

Liammoo,

Let me add thoughs to Andrew's.The Handpresso would have to be pumped each time and in an office several pumpers might slow you down a bit. I suggest you look at a purpose built Ascaso pod machine with what they call fixed filter holder. The quality of the coffee is superb and you get the advantage of steam for Cappuccino as well. The fixed filter holder is a special order item for any model in the range, but just to get an idea from the ground coffee version look at the Ascaso Arc Fun Its slightly over the RRP for the Arc but probably well inside the budget for a few of you to club together.