Kudos to Bunn

          I try to buy American when and where I can. When I had a few extra dollars in 2009, I was in the market for a new coffee maker. I did some research and decided upon the Bunn GRX model. It was about $100 from Walmart. While not all of the parts are American made, the company headquarters is in America, and it’s assembled right here in the U.S.A. Not all Bunn coffee makers are assembled in America anymore, but the GRX model is.

          The coffee pot ran flawlessly, that is, until a few weeks ago. It just up and died. My wife had used it to brew a pot of coffee, and when she went back to get another cup, she noticed the warmer switch light was out. She thought maybe the little light had died, but we come to find out that the entire coffee maker was dead. It wouldn’t heat water inside anymore either.

          I figured that either a switch had burned out, or maybe an internal fuse had given up its ghost. So, not wanting to throw this coffee maker away, I went to the Bunn website for research. I was hoping I could diagnose the problem and maybe order the parts. These GRX coffee makers come with a 3 year warranty and mine was on year 4.

          I couldn’t find any info about my problem. I saw a link for Bunn support, so I filled that form out, with my coffee makers date code, and description of the problem, and asked Bunn if there was a fuse that could have blown, and I asked them if I could order the parts from them.

          The response that I got was totally unexpected. They sent me an e-mail that stated that my coffee maker was out of warranty, but only slightly. They said that they had ordered me a brand new coffee maker and that it would be on its way. They said that all they wanted in return was for me to ship my old unit back to them at my cost so they could inspect it, and improve their product.

          I couldn’t believe it! Now that’s how a company should operate! I’m not saying this is how they will treat you if your coffee maker is out of warranty, but they easily could have told me to pound sand.

          I got the new coffee maker sent to the door by UPS. It was a brand new model too, not a refurbished one. They told me to keep the carafe and the brew funnel where you put the filter and grounds. They only wanted the main unit returned. I shipped it back to them Priority Mail at a cost of about $14.

          When companies like Bunn do things right like this, I feel I should let people know. If you want a good coffee maker that helps the American economy, buy this Bunn. They stand behind their product. Kudos, Bunn! I used to buy generic coffee filters, but it’s Bunn from now on in. You made me a believer in your company and a lifelong customer!