Wolfgang Puck WPTPCM010 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker

Wolfgang Puck WPTPCM010 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Stainless-Steel Thermal CarafeI purchased this coffee maker for my nephew as a gift. It was on backorder, but I waited, because this was the specific coffeemaker that he wanted. I received the coffeemaker from Amazon on March 30, 2010 and gave it to him within a week of receiving it....Then the problems began.

From day one, the coffeemaker was spewing coffee all over the counter, instead of into the carafe. He didn''t want to involve me in the problems with the coffeemaker, so he called the Wolfgang Puck (WP) Customer Service...Big Mistake! Had he let me know, I could have shipped it back to Amazon, received my money and he could have purchased any other brand he wanted. However, it didn''t work that way.

After numerous attempts to "fix" the problem over the phone, the WP Company sent a pick-up order for the coffee maker and received it on May 3, 2010. Since that time, he has been repeatedly told he would have a new machine in "2 weeks".

I became involved in July, when he was getting nowhere with the company. I requested a refund on July 19, and I was told it had to be approved by corporate headquarters. A week later, I was told the request was denied, because they still have the coffee pots... (Well, where are they?)!! I then asked for the name of a contact person at the corporate office and they refused to supply me with a name.

Through lots of trials, errors, and frustration, I found a number. I called it and believe it or not, I finally made contact with a customer relations manager. I talked with her and I finally agreed to wait another "2 weeks". The time came and went and no coffee maker, so I called and she said the company had just received them and would be shipping his coffeemaker as the first shipment. And....as a thank-you, he would also receive a complimentary gift set of WP Kitchen knives. I waited until September 16 and ended up calling her again. The manager then checked and found out that the coffeemaker had NOT been shipped, because the coffeemakers were bent and damaged in the shipment.

I received an email later that afternoon, stating that she has requested a refund for me. It''s not here yet, but I have much hope that my money will be refunded.

Update: This note is being added about 6 months after my inital review. We too have experienced the problem with coffee overflowing on to the countertop. I very quickly learned that is after inserting the pot into the maker I pivot the pot so that the handle is as far left as possible, the spillage does not happen. This method has been successful for the past 200 pots made. It''s a weird quirk that shouldn''t be necessary, but I otherwise stand by my review.

The best coffeemaker we have ever owned is a long since discontinued Starbucks Barista with a thermal carafe. It was close to perfection for almost 10 years. Even after some trim pieces fell off, it continued to be a reliable performer. After several years of regular use, the plate on the bottom of the carafe top began to break, one piece at a time. The Barista continued to make great coffee, it just didn''t hold the temperature as well as it originally did.

Earlier this year we despaired that we would have to go back to buying makers that work for a few months and then die. My wife, after hours of searching spotted this familiar face in the crowd. We ordered in December and it arrived today. To say it was worth the wait is an understatement. We now know that we have years of fresh, hot, reliable coffee making ahead of us. The only difference between this model and the original Starbucks is the it now uses a cone filter instead of a flat bottom. No big deal at all.

Footnote: "Old Reliable" the Starbucks Barista worked right through this morning, its retirement day. It''s not headed for the trash however, there spare parts to be salved for our beautiful new baby.

When, (and if), this machine becomes available again, click ''n'' buy. You won''t regret it!

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Unfortunately we didn''t read the reviews before ordering this coffee maker. We had it boxed and ready to ship back when I popped on to see if anyone else was having the flooding issue. That is when I discovered that EVERYONE was having the overflow issue. My brilliant husband Robert unpacked the coffee maker and promptly went out to his shop area and cut a disc the diameter of the bottom of the coffee carafe from a piece of 1/4" masonite. Problem solved!! The spring on the top of the carafe doesn''t get depressed far enough to allow the coffee to flow into the pot properly. Putting that 1/4" spacer under the carafe is all it needed. We are happy, we love the way the coffee maker makes and keeps coffee. Robert also painted the disc black once he knew it was going to work. It looks like it belongs to the unit.

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We''ve had more coffee on the floor than in the pot since getting this coffee maker. Coffee''s good, but you have to hold your mug under the lip of the counter top and let the coffee drip into it from there. It takes a long time to get a cup of coffee that way. The worst part of all of this? The company won''t respond. No response to emails. Can''t get through on the phone (although while on hold you can refill your cup using the above described method).

Bottom line: Don''t buy it unless you have a lot of towels close by.

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Sadly, this review may be too late to save this great product. I really don''t understand the negative reviews on this unit, though it is not a traditional "Mr Coffee" type unit, it''s also not so complicated that my Rocket Science degree is required to use it. My husband and I may be lucky, but I can''t imagine a better performing coffee maker! We''ve now had the Wolfgang Puck coffee maker for most of 2011 and find it makes excellent coffee, is very reliable, brew excellent coffee (better than Starbucks!), and continues to feel like it''s very well made. We purchased this coffee maker after our Starbucks Barista Grande stopped working after over 6 years of honored service. It was the ONLY coffee maker that has a removable water reservoir, stainless steel carafe that stays hot for hours, a convenient filter basket, and makes a 12 great cups of coffee in approximately 12 minutes. For the most part all parts of this unit that "touch" coffee are dishwasher safe--at least they''ve survived so far and still work as well as when they were new!

We have learned some "Tricks" that may have "increased our luck"--these are the same tricks we had learned with our Starbucks version. We''ll continue to use these tricks on all future coffee makers, because they''re just good practices.

1. Don''t fill the reservoir beyond the "max fill" line that is CLEARLY marked on the vessel. The holes in the container used to secure the reservoir handle are located just above the max fill water-line and not water tight and will leak water if you overfill;

2. The carafe lid does collect coffee grounds (especially if you use the reusable filter that comes with the unit). Once the lid contains enough coffee grounds, it can leak and spill coffee during the brewing process--no matter how carefully it is placed on the carafe. To prevent this leakage, rinse the lid before each use in very warm water (hotter water seems to clear it faster); ensure you press the central valve and the serving valve to release the trapped grounds.

3. Rinse the filter and filter basket and carafe and run it through the dishwasher regularly--I''ve noticed improved flavor when these pieces are kept really clean. It''s also possible leakage is caused with the filter basket valve becomes covered in coffee oils, so keeping it clean could make it perform better.

--I also rinse and fill the carafe with hot water and let it sit for a few minutes while you clean the filter basket and its lid and fill the water reservoir--before I dump out the water, I''ll twist on the lid and pour additional hot water out of it, just for good measure. Then, when everything is ready (e.g. the freshly ground coffee beans are in-place and the filter/basket is closed and ready for the carafe and the water reservoir is adequately filled.)

4. The carafe is always the last component to be positioned--that''s the intended use for this unit, the filter basked isn''t supposed to be opened once the carafe is in-place. The valve spring on the filter basket is ONLY engaged once the carafe is properly place beneath it, so the basket should be in-place BEFORE the carafe is put in to place.

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