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Mr. Coffee Replacement Or Zoji Purchase--What To Do

Pam Drake <pamdrake@concentric.net>
Thu, 07 Aug 1997 00:56:47 -0700
v097.n051.18
     First, please accept my apology for the very long post which follows.
I believe knowledge of all the facts will help others to give me the best
opinions/advice possible.  

     I have had a Mr. Coffee BMR200 for 	approximately the last 18 months
or so.  

     After about 16 months the machine suddenly quit kneading.  I thought
the problem might be due to having accidentally pulled the plug, but the
next attempt to bake produced a loaf which did not rise at all, though I
had been very careful to keep salt and yeast separated as instructed on
this list.  A subsequent attempt produced a sad concoction of cooked egg
and other separated ingredients baked into a mishmosh which, though it
smelled delicious, was pretty rough to deal with at 7 a.m.  <g>  

     I contacted the company and, after failing to find any error messages
on the display the next time a friend and I attempted to start the machine,
was advised to send the machine back.  They told me they would replace it
even though the warranty had expired about 3 months ago.  

     The replacement machine I received produced about 6 wonderful loaves.
I noticed it had a rubber seal in the pan which had been absent from the
original.  Then yesterday afternoon I prepared a loaf of sweet butter bread
and started the machine on the sweet bread setting.  The machine stopped
before rapid kneading had begun.  Because we had had a power failure
earlier in the day I thought that perhaps we'd had another brown out,
causing the machine to stop.  I am totally blind, and so could not see any
dimming of lights and only had become aware of the momentary power outage
because  an electric alarm clock had begun sounding, a clear cue that it
had reset.  

     I started the machine again and found that it stopped again at about
the same point in the knead cycle.  I left it alone and in a few moments
heard the series of beeps which would have informed me that the time had
come to add any supplemental ingredients.  When I tried to activate the
machine again absolutely nothing happened nor were there any beeps.  The
last time I tried to start the machine, this time having left it unplugged
for several hours and with a sighted friend watching, she verified what I
feared.  Although the time was properly set, absolutely nothing happened
upon pressing the start button; no beep, no kneading,  and no timer
countdown.  I duplicated this result several times with her in attendance
and assuring me I was operating the machine correctly, pressing the correct
buttons.  They are easy to feel and I have memorized their position, but
for purposes of testing I wanted to double check.    The only conclusion I
can draw is that the microprocessor has glitched, which may have been what
happened the last time.  The unit was shipped with no note of explanation.


     When I first unpacked the replacement unit I noticed that it had a
small dent in front.  This leads me to believe it may be a reconditioned
model.  This would not trouble me, except that perhaps this problem
afflicted it when it was new; and that this may be a weakness in these
machines.  

     I have also read messages on this list indicating that these units
wear out a year or two after purchase.  I don't even make bread every week.  

     I am in a quandary as to whether to contact Mr. Coffee again with the
news that another of their machines has failed in less than a month.  After
all, they did replace one unit after the expiration of the warranty.  I
don't want to get a third unit and have to ship it back again.  

     I have heard very good things about the Zoji machines and said that I
might consider one if the Mr. Coffee wore out.  Of course I had not
expected this to happen so quickly.  

     I am interested in others' opinions, which may be sent privately if
desired.  Have other Mr. Coffee users had this same problem; and how was
the company at replacing more than one machine?  

     I would also appreciate a  description of the Zoji.  Before I buy one
I need to know a bit about the design of the machine.  Does it use touch
pads; and if so, is there sufficient space between the buttons so as to be
distinguished by touch?  Does the machine use beep tones to indicate
successful entry of data?  Can the data be changed by pressing an
individual  key the desired number of times, (i.e., 8 presses of the
<select> key on the BMR200 brought me to the sweet bread setting) or is
there a fast-moving scrolling display?

     Finally, is there any way of getting a list of retail outlets so I can
determine whether there is a store in Visalia or Tulare, California where I
might examine it for tactile friendliness before purchasing?  

     Once again I apologize for the length of this post.  Please feel free
to write to me privately, especially with regard to the tactile layout of
the Zoji.    

     Many thanks in advance.  




                              Pam Drake <pamdrake@concentric.net