Complain about a product or service

Bunn-O-Matic

Debra of Mason MI (08/25/06)
On August 24th about 1:00 p.m. I brewed a pot of coffee in our Bunn coffeemaker. I poured myself a cup and went and sat down in the living room. About 5 minutes later my daughter, who was in the kitchen yelled that it smelled like something burning. I got up and went to the kitchen thinking it was the dirty oven, since it too was on. As I got to the kitchen entry, flames about 3 - 4 inches high started shooting out of the top of the coffeemaker. Of course we screamed. I ran over to the coffeemaker, unplugged it, (actually I unplugged the coffee grinder, too frightened to think straight), and started to blow on it as my daughter went for the fire extinguisher. Fortunately I was able to put it out just by blowing on it.

I then carried it out to the table on the deck. It now has about a 3 inch diameter hole in the top and melted plastic inside it. I knew it wasn't because of anything I had done. I merely made the coffee same as always. So I decided to get online and see if there have been any recalls on Bunns. Sure enough there had, and it included our model. I called the number given at their website. I talked to a nice girl who seemed sympathetic. She said that they had only had 33 incidents, well 34 now, and she didn't know of any actually catching fire, only smoking.

So she told me the three recall otions, they send me parts to fix it, I send in my coffee maker and they fix it, or they give me a coupon for 50% off a new one. She agreed with me that none of those options really pertained to this incident, so she was going to pass the info along and someone else would get a hold of me in the next couple hours. She gave me a phone number in case I didn't hear back from anyone. It turned out to be the same number I had already called. After an hour or so I was replaying our conversation and realized she didn't even get my name or number. I was so distraught over the whole fire incident that I never thought of it either.

So I called back and talked to someone named Jann, who told me that Erv B,(not exactly sure on first name), handled such claims and he's gone for the day. This was about 3:30- 4:00. She said that she'd put me through to his voice mail. I left him a message briefly explaining what happened and asked him to contact me as soon as possible. It is now 2:15 p.m. on August 25th, and I still haven't heard from anyone at Bunn. I can't help but keep thinking how serious this would have been if it had happened next week after I go back to work. When I get up early and start a pot of coffee while getting ready for work, and no ones in the kitchen to monitor the electrical appliances. I feel very lucky, and Bunn should feel lucky too.

Mark of Commerce, TX July 28, 2006

Mark of Commerce TX (07/28/06)
The second recall of several groups of these coffeemakers has just been released. They are a fire hazard under the right circumstances. See http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2006/bunn_o_matic.html

When the first recall happened, I checked my coffeemaker per the recall and sure enough it was one of the units. I went to their recall website: https://www.regcen2.com/ and went through all the steps. After entering all my information about me and my coffeemaker, I discover that Bunn is not really interested in taking care of their customers. I was given two options, which I will try to recall as clearly as I can. The first was to inform them that I wanted them to repair my coffeemaker, and they would ship me a post-paid box to return my coffeemaker to them for repair. Repair time was expected to take 6 to 8 weeks, if I recall correctly.

The second option was to purchase a new unit from them at a discounted price, which I believe was between 50 - 75. The original cost of the unit was 100. For this option I was expected to fork over the cash AND send in my old coffeemaker. I bought the Bunn (and I suspect most others did the same) because I am a large consumer of coffee. The Bunn provides quality coffee in a short time, faster than other makers because of the reservoir of hot water it keeps (which was the root of the recall, BTW).

Through their Recall process, Bunn captures all the information it needs to defend itself against a lawsuit FIRST, THEN it informs the consumer of the options, neither of which should sit well with ANY coffee drinker, much less a prolific one. If BOTH of their options involve sending my coffeemaker to them, what am I supposed to do for coffee in the meantime?

So now I have two options, both of which are unpalatable to me, but Bunn has ALL MY INFORMATION to include Name, Address, Email Address, Daytime Phone Number, and Make, Model and Serial Number of my defective coffeemaker. They have essentially cornered me legally, as I now cannot say I didn't know of the recall, and in order to gain satisfaction through their recall process, I must DO WITHOUT their product for a lengthy period of time! Nobody wants to be without a coffeemaker, especially consumers who spend extra for a high-end coffeemaker such as the Bunn. In my opinion, Bunn is just covering their butt legally. It may be time for us to but another coffeemaker, but this time NOT a Bunn.

James of Rainbow City, AL July 7, 2005

James of Rainbow City AL (07/07/05)
They have recalled coffee makers and will repair (Free) or replace (for a reduced price) your coffee maker that they made defective. BUT--- You must send you old unit back BEFORE they will ship you a new unit. I gave them a credit card number but they want the unit sent back FIRST-- puttng me without a coffeemaker until they decide to send a new one! This seems like an attempt to get us to buy another coffeemaker that will end up in the closet after the new on arrives. It seem that the problem would better be handled, as reputable companies do, by charging the full amount of the new coffeemaker to the card and simply refunding the difference when they receive the old one back. They say that they will not budge from their policy!

I am being robbed by Bunn!!!

Andre of Maple Rapids, MI April 2, 2002

Andre of Maple Rapids MICH (04/02/02)
I have a BUnn coffee maker that leaked water into electrical area of coffee maker,I emailed Bunn with safety concern,they sent me a repair kit,it seems to me a known condition/hidden type recall? Sent me kit at no charge but Ed Palen stated codition is considered normal wear and tear,I disagree and feel plastic in effected area can't sustain normal 24 hour heat as coffee maker was designed.

Water leaking into chamber where electrical wiring is,contact with water and human contact with water running over countertop could cause electrical shocks to consumer.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2009 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.