Stefano’s Espresso Care Repair Sales and Service

I wouldn’t take my LaPavoni espresso machine to these people if they were the last people are earth.
i was «fortunate» to talk to a woman who made me feel like I was wasting her time.
After 5 minutes of this, I finally asked, «are you having a bad day» ?
She said no, but I wasn’t talking the same language when it came to parts on my machine.
Okay…I was supposed to ask for a «portafilter». SORRY!
I acted overly nice to see if I could at least get her to lighten up.
NOPE.
If this is the way the treat prospective customers, no thank you.
I’ll look elsewhere!

I left a message on Saturday about a problem I was having with a new to me Sylvia and our somewhat newbie status as high end owners, needing some help ascertaining whether the problem was equipment or user error. The return call on Wednesday was by a woman who was brusque and rude. She wouldn’t listen long enough to hear my my issue and kept saying «I am going to stop you right here» then telling me what she perceived I needed to know, In an irritated manner. Obviously busy, but not my problem.
When i finally got a word in edgewise to say that since Saturday our pump had died and we had ordered one online, she was angry that I had wasted her time and didn’t buy the pump from her. when I explained that I hadn’t heard from them until now, and therefore didn’t have a relationship with them and needed to solve my problem, she told me that I should have the people I bought the pump from tell me how to use the espresso maker and she hung up on me.
Merry Christmas.

As one can tell from the reviews we espresso machine owners love our espresso and our machines.
Just returned from fetching my little Pavoni of 16 years of age. I am so pleased and thankful. I’ve had it repaired several times over the years and probably paid for the machine several times.
Having an Oregon connection is wonderful. It’s easy to deliver and fetch my machine.
Saves the worry of packing and insuring.
Kathleen was totally professional and knowledgeable. Learned a lot from her about my machine and I thought I knew a lot. Totally trust them.
Hoping for a forever Oregon connection for my Pavoni. Call Stefano’s for an appt!

I recently purchased a really nice, used Elektra espresso machine. After reading the some of the espresso blogs, it seemed that Stefano was clearly an expert and was more than willing to lend his assistance. After contacting him and Kathleen, they seemed to help, and this is before I’d spent a single dollar with them.
As soon as I did figure out what I needed, I promptly placed an order with them for a water softener, as well as a rebuild kit which consisted of a bunch of washers, O Rings and gaskets. I know I’m still going to have questions, but I’m confident that they will be there for me.
They say word of mouth is the best advertising, well I couldn’t have better things to say about Stefano, Kathleen, and the way they run
.
Thank you for earning my business forever.

I always enjoy it when I can support a local business instead of the mega-​store monoliths, so I’m pleased to say that Stefano’s Espresso Care has first rate customer service. I ordered some rare parts on the website at 10pm one night, and it was shipped by 8am the next day! Can’t beat that! Stefano’s will be my first stop for any other espresso machine needs, as it’s clear by the other reviews that they have a passion for what they do.

This is my first Unilocal review and I was motivated to register for Unilocal and write this review for one reason: Stefano’s amazing customer service! I have a rather old, rare espresso machine for which it is very difficult to find parts, etc. In fact, as I found out, there are no obvious places to find parts list or schematics for parts. This meant that there was no obvious solution when I needed to buy a new gasket or a few extra portafilter baskets. I was led to Stefano’s from the great things that people had posted about them on
and
, so I contacted them to see if they could help. Wow! Kathleen has been my go-​to person at Stefano’s and she has gone above and beyond with everything! An example: the portafilter baskets that I needed. Because I couldn’t just say «I need a XXX-​brand replacement basket» I asked her if she could help me get precise measurements — I would measure mine with a caliper, she could measure a few of the ones that they keep in stock since fractions of a millimeter could make the difference in the fit of the basket. Kathleen responded to each of my emails within a few hours (and, in several cases, within the hour!) going back and forth with different measurements to ensure that it would fit. The same thing with a group head gasket. In end, I knew that the precision of either of our calipers could be off by a bit here or there, so, I ordered the parts knowing that it would be on me if they didn’t fit. Bang! Spot-​on measurements! And, the communication was just great. Everything was packed well and shipped on the business day of the order and it arrived in perfect shape. Really, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Thank you, Stefano’s!

I have an Isomac Tea espresso machine. I needed a gasket for the head group and some descaling agent. When I descaled the machine, it stopped working and just blew the house fuse every time I turned it on. Stefano and Kathleen helped me figure out that I had blown the heating element. They helped me with the ohm readings by taking a measurement on an existing element in order to be sure it was blown. I ordered the new element and everything is now working perfectly.
Stefano and Kathleen were also very helpful when I ordered the various gaskets and materials.
I would definitely do business with them again!

I have had Stefano do service work on my old Isomac Tea for several years before it was finally given the death certificate last year. Stefano warned me to be vigilant about descaling as my machine was a mess the first time he worked on it. He gave me great instructions. Told me the machine would not survive if I did not. But did I listen? Nope. And did everything he say come true? Yep.
Did he charge a fee to make an analysis of what would have to be done? Sure. But until you have Stefano do work on your machine, you have no idea how much he puts into his work. It takes a lot of time to dive into these machines and figure out all that is wrong. My guess is he puts MORE time into these preliminary investigations than he is really charging for. I’m guessing there are also cheaper alternatives for service than Stefano. BUT YOU DO GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Anyone complaining about having a fee for this is missing the boat. By the way, Stefano has always sent back to me the old parts that have been replaced in my machines, so you do know what he does is totally legit.
But here is a little anecdote that tells a lot about Kathleen and Stefano. About 1−½ years AFTER I had my last service done on the Isomac, I am finally getting a new Vibiemme from Stefano. Not only did I get incredibly detailed information/​instructions on what I need to satisfy my very hard water problem, I was also informed I had a $ 9 credit with them from way back, and they would credit us on our new order. I had no recollection of it until Kathleen told me about it, THEN I remembered. I know it’s not a big sum, but it is indicative of the great people Stefano and Kathleen are. THAT is what I call great, honest, trustworthy service.
Worthy of my first post on Unilocal

We received and Elektra SemiAutomatica as a wedding gift (purchased at Williams & Sonoma) December 2007. What a gorgeous machine and as a coffee lover (converted my hubby as well) I was thrilled to be able to make my special latte at home. Our Elektra was fabulous and cranked out some super special brews! After 8 – 10 months, I thought we should probably do some maintenance of some kind as our gal was pumping out 8 shots of espresso a day. I called W&S and asked for help… where do I go. who do I call… what do I do? She got back on the phone and gave me the number for a repair shop in CA. I thought that was silly… put it on the back burner and did nothing. SHAME ON ME! So I am embarrassed to say our gal kept giving us those amazing espresso shots daily for years. then in 2013 she said no more. coughed her last shot and stopped working. I did research on line and found Stefano’s. I sent an email and got an immediate response from Kathleen and we loaded the old gal up and shipped from Texas to OR. The repairs were going to be extensive as we had not done any maintenance, descaling NADA for ⁵¹⁄₂ years! That is 16,060 espresso shots! I am impressed our gal hung in there that long.
Stefano emailed me a list of repairs and a lot was based on the sheer amount of descaling that was needed which might damage other components. We emailed back and forth as I wondered if she was worth repairing. Call with Kathleen to review everything INCLUDING future maintenance, with instructions that were «dumbed down» for folks like me. Stefano and I also chatted about my baby and we agreed to try one descaling to see how she would react. After 24 hours, no additional damage so we moved forward with the repairs. The final bill was actually 15% LESS than Stefano’s «best case» figures. Gota love that!
OK. the love fest continues when our beloved Elektra came home… she is GORGEOUS and then we very carefully followed Stefano’s instructions to fire her back up and after a few trial shots, our girl gave us the most delightful coffee! Simply perfect! And my steamer. OMG! The most beautiful foam ever. I had tears in my eyes! My husband said. wow you haven’t been this happy in the morning for a while! I immediately wrote to Stefano and Kathleen expressing my complete happiness and gratefulness for their assistance.
You can tell without a doubt that Stefano and Kathleen know their business, know coffee makers and put love into every repair they do! Thank you a million times over!

I have worked with the wonderful people at Stefano’s twice now. The first to repair a burnt out thermostat in my old Rancilio. Over email, they led me through the process and the thermostat is replaced and our son is now the proud owner of a smooth running older Rancilio. I just finished another experience with getting my newer Rancilio unclogged by removing the solenoid valve and cleaning the pilot — thanks to Stefano’s.- all for no cost! I would have never been able to fix it on my own. I just bought a new steam wand for the older Rancilio (our son’s machine) from Stefano’s. I won’t deal with anyone else when it comes to espresso repair and parts. Great communication, great help.

My Baratza Vario’s belt and pulley were stripped so I tried to order some from Baratza. Baratza themselves did not have them in stock while Stefano’s Espresso Care did. I ordered the pulley and belt and figured I would get the ceramic burrs at the same time since their price is considerably less than Baratza’s for the same burrs. The same day I received an email stating that they only had one of the pulley’s and burrs and could ship that immediately or wait for the second set first if I wanted. I choose to have the one set sent since the other was intended as a back-​up set anyway. I canceled the second set and two days later had the burrs, belt and pulley at my house plus the refund for the extra set was canceled.
Stefano’s Espresso Care Sales and Service was quick and courteous and I will definitely shop their again. Really happy I found a place to get parts quickly and reasonably when I need them. Lord knows I have to have my coffee when I need it. :-)
Pierre

I bought a Vibiemme Double Boiler espresso machine from them about an year and half earlier. For last one and a half year I’ve enjoyed the most wonderful espresso/​cappuccino every single day I’ve been home. Three weeks ago my machine stopped working. Stefano and his team have been wonderful over phone and through email to help me get it fixed locally since I didn’t want to ship the machine (with all the possibility of shipping damage). They even charged bulk price for the replacement PID controller instead of retail. They also asked me to send the defective part back to them so they can look into «what caused the problem» and if possible get the manufacturer to cover it under a warranty. As Gary mentioned above Stefano has been very helpful on
forums. Most importantly I am delighted to have bought my machine from some one who appears to be deeply passionate about espresso. Stefano along with others has also spent a lot of effort in the developing a detailed manual for the Vibiemme Double Domo V3 which is much appreciated by the owners of the machine. All in all a wonderful experience.
Sandeep

I regularly order from Stefano’s Espresso Care and find Stefano is helpful with expert advice, often for free. Stefano is one of the sponsoring vendors at
. He and Kathleen are well known and respected in the business. I am a loyal customer and post as drgary on
, where I have no business interest. If you search the forums there for Stefano you will see he often offers advice for free and he usually identifies the problem accurately.
If you want to know the vintage of an Elektra espresso machine, Stefano knows how to identify them. If you have an old, discontinued Isomac machine, he has the parts. If you have a La Pavoni that is no longer in warranty and you are trying to figure out how to tune it up or fix it, you will get expert service. If you want a food-​safe thread sealant, he carries that unusual product.
The complaints I have seen by other reviewers don’t take into account the time it takes to run a web-​based business. One reviewer was unhappy with Stefano’s inspection charge of $ 65. Apparently the reviewer isn’t familiar with inspection charges. I have a treadmill I want to fix and no one will look at it for less than $ 150. But Stefano is glad to help you without receiving the machine, unpacking it, and taking it apart. I have gotten correct advice and bought inexpensive parts from him just by sending him pictures. In one case I had an Isomac Amica that was not powering up. I sent multiple emails with questions. Finally he helped me narrow down where the problem was and I fixed it with a cheap thermal fuse.
Another reviewer faulted him for a tamper that doesn’t fit. Most commercial tampers aren’t precisely sized and leave a little play around the edge of the basket. There are some that are made with more precision to fractions of a millimeter but you’ve got to measure your filter basket carefully if that’s important to you. I have one, for instance, that’s hand turned and to make it fit my machine I had to take some metal off on a grinding wheel just to get it to fit the basket at all. This could have been another source of complaint for some and is why mass produced tampers have some play.

They will charge you $ 65 for a repair estimate and no part of that estimate will be refundable. Only if you go ahead with the estimated repairs will they credit the estimate «labor» to your repair bill. That is their non-​negotiable though unwritten policy, as I discovered the hard way.
Case in point:
Sent them my grinder for repair. I expected the burrs needed to be replaced. They claimed that it was the burrs and an additional, equally expensive part that needed replacing. I was faced with a choice: either have it repaired for a ridiculous price (more than the machine was worth) or eat the entire estimate charge, an estimate which probably took them an entire five minutes to make.
I suggest you not send them anything unless your warranty demands that they repair it. With shipping expenses and unknown repair costs, it may not be worth it, and they will not negotiate. They will keep the entire $ 65 repair estimate (I offered to split it with them through Paypal, an offer they quickly dismissed) and disassemble the machine for its scrap metal. Seriously. (Kathleen claimed they make no money doing that, but why would they do that if it wasn’t worth their while.)
Lesson learned: Stay local whenever possible. You most likely don’t need an ‘authorized repair center’ to do the job, especially if your machine is not under a manufacturer’s warranty Better to TAKE your item to a local espresso repair place which will look at it for a nominal fee or hey, even for free if it doesn’t require too much of their time. Don’t put yourself at the mercy of unscrupulous long-​distance repair «experts».
Lesson Learned #2: Don’t pay for long-​distance SERVICES with Paypal. Use a credit card instead. Paypal will only assist you if you have problems with an item of MERCHANDISE. A credit card company is more likely to help you, its customer, reach a fair agreement with the merchant if there is a disagreement over services rendered.
Response to Stefano’s remark that my previous review was «dishonest.»:
We exchanged two or three emails: His help was basically «Keep Adjusting the Machine.» Not very technical and did not produce results.
Nowhere on their site does it say that you will forfeit the entire deposit. They state that the deposit will be credited toward the repair, but their policy does not explicitly say that if the repairs are not approved, then the entire deposit will be forfeited. Update: They have since rewritten their policy to clearly state that a customer will forfeit the entire deposit if he chooses not to go ahead with repairs.
I offered to split the $ 65 repair estimate. They offered $ 20 off on another machine. With shipping and their mark up, I doubt it would have been a decent deal

These guys REALLY know how to make a picky guy like me DELIGHTED with all the over and above customer service… but most importantly, they are experienced and KNOW the ins and outs of my machine.
As a result, TWICE NOW, they were able to remotely diagnose what was wrong and save me lots of money and messing around (vs. if I had tried to figure it out on my own).
Basically my machine stopped heating in September, and I had placed an order for a new heating element and they contacted me to ask how I knew that was the bad part? Well, I didn’t really know. They told me that most likely it was the thermo-​fuse, and they were correct… saving me $ 54 !!!
Then just last week, again the machine was not heating, but this time it wasn’t the thermo-​fuse. Apparently whatever blew the thermo-​fuse in the first place (in September) also weakened one of the relays in the main control unit. I had thought it was the pressure-​stat or a standalone relay, but Stefano’s was able to tell me exactly how to EASILY rule those other things out. They saved me $ 98.95, that time.
Amazing!!! I couldn’t be happier!

I ordered a tamper that was advertised to fit my specific espresso machine. When it arrived, it did not come close to fitting — it was way too small for my machine’s basket. A second tamper that I ordered for my friend’s (different) machine, did fit her machine perfectly. i returned the defective tamper (at my own cost), but Stefano’s dedecuted a $ 6.40 ‘restocking fee’ from the refund for this $ 32.00 item (which as far as I’m concerned was defective). They have since updated their website to show less specific dimensions, although they still claim it will fit my machine.