I know it's not fashionable to speak ill of members of the coffee industry, but, a few things need to be made clear for anyone contemplating buying a PVL. * There is not and never has been a Ponte Vecchio agent or distributor in Australia. There was a private citizen importing six machines at a time and onselling them. * Subsequently there is not and never has been warranty, service or support available to Australian purchasers Any parts were obtained by the distributor ratting his personal machine * The low water indicator on my PVL let go exactly two hours after I first turned it on. The fault is not unknown and occurs in PVLs which have been converted to 240 / 250 volt. A fact I had to discover on my own researching on US coffee forums, there being no support in Oz Promises were made and never fulfilled. I paid for the necessary repair myself 18 months on and I am still waiting for a wiring diagram and "real" tamper. If I hadn't diagnosed the problem and solution via HomeBarista and purchased a tamper via OE, I'd still be waiting. * The wiring and insulators in my PVL are totally useless. In fact, the ceramic insulators turn to dust when touched and the wiring is so brittle it snaps when being removed. That's WITH the OE insulation kit And, before any jumps down my throat, I am extremely fastidious with the way I treat my machinery and it (the PVL) has never received anything but the best and most careful treatment. I didn't purchase the machine based on price, rather on the quality of coffee it delivered, something I cannot fault, HOWEVER, coffee quality counts for nothing when a major problem surfaces after less than eighteen months, there is no local support, the main US supplier of parts no longer wished to handle the brand, the only source of parts is in the USA and the manufacturer will not reply to any correspondence.
