Cafe Italia

[Caffeinator]

Gold! The reality is harsh when you deal with their crap.

NCI can't and don't pay GST. They have no ABN (nor ACN for that matter)

[338]

Caffeinator, you are harsh. I am guessing you dont agree either with companies passing off or pretending to be something (or somewhere ) they are not? Not really the correct way to start a relationship. I view it a little like meeting a woman on a dating site - then finding out they used to be a man. Fine if they declare it up front and you are looking for that, decietful if they don't.

Yash if the grinder was delivered to Australia did you pay GST?

[Caffeinator]

- They are a 'parallel importer' of Simonelli products, i.e. they are not an official importer/distributer of the brand in Australia, therefore the warranty only exists with the factory in Italy. No official support in Australia. NewCoffeeItalia gets around this by offering their 'own' warranty service at one of their partner service outlets...

Otherwise known as a grey import which is unauthorised by the manufacturer. My experience on warranty is that this means that they (NCI) will tell you to find someone who is prepared to repair it, pay for the repairs and then get you to send the account to them. They will dispute and will underpay, or totally refuse to pay because it's more than they expect.

The take home message from this is; if you are willing to take a chance on limited access to warranty repairs and find something significantly cheaper than what you can get locally, and you don't need someone to hold your hand to choose your equipment then perhaps purchasing from a cheaper overseas option will work for you too.

It may work. It certainly didn't for a number of purchasers we have been asked to pick up the pieces for. Anyone considering this option would be well advised to read the product review site and make a call as to whether they're prepared to deal with a 2 star rated entity.

The most recent disaster for me was dead, new and non-compliant in Australia. It was a Euro 15A espresso machine which was supplied by them with a European power lead and illegal 15A-10A adapter as well as multiple other faults.

The owner ultimately spent well over $1k across two repairers- the first of whom couldn't solve it. He ended up substantially out of pocket compared to what he would have paid for a new Australian compliant model with a warranty and local support.

NCI was not prepared to provide any assistance whatsoever on the repair for the purchaser who was well out of pocket and still in possession of a low value grey import at the end of the sorry saga.

[338]

Personally, I live in Dubai these days so I was never going to make use of the 1 year warranty and I don't care if I have to cut a chord to attach a different plug.

Glad you had a happy ending. You said purchased recently, did you buy this when in Dubai or Australia?

PS are you a better musician or electrician

[Yash]

The grinder

[Yash]

I recently ordered a Nuova Simonelli MDJ on demand grinder from newcoffeeitalia.com.au. I did this hastily one evening when I noticed the price was significantly less than other local suppliers. The next day I couldn't get and response from them via email or phone, then I saw this thread and PANICKED! I was certain I had been conned. In reality I did get a response from them later that evening and long story short I did receive my brand new grinder in perfect condition as promised. Here is what I learned about this company during the process:

- They are in essence a company that operates in Italy and ships to several countries internationally
- I contacted the Simonelli Group in italy and they confirmed that the grinder I would be getting from newcoffeeitalia would be a brand new product from their factory and not a factory second or reconditioned item
- They are a 'parallel importer' of Simonelli products, i.e. they are not an official importer/distributer of the brand in Australia, therefore the warranty only exists with the factory in Italy. No official support in Australia. NewCoffeeItalia gets around this by offering their 'own' warranty service at one of their partner service outlets... I have no experience with this.
- They actually DO respond to phone calls and emails, however don't expect a reply at 9am in Australia. This is because they are in Italy which is 10 hours behind! The 9-5 operating hours on their website doesn't help here. In fact there is a lot left to be desired with their website. It does look like they have attempted to look local on it. My opinion is they should be upfront about them being based in Italy.
- I had several dealings with a guy named Mateo when I called their advertised number. On contrary to some of the comments about him, I found him to be helpful and genuinely interested in providing a good service to me. When I explained that I wasn't comfortable with what I've read about his company he offered me a full refund. Of course, I decided to give him a go instead. My experience with him was good, and I would buy from him again.

The take home message from this is; if you are willing to take a chance on limited access to warranty repairs and find something significantly cheaper than what you can get locally, and you don't need someone to hold your hand to choose your equipment then perhaps purchasing from a cheaper overseas option will work for you too. Personally, I live in Dubai these days so I was never going to make use of the 1 year warranty and I don't care if I have to cut a chord to attach a different plug. I am quite handy though so I was happy to take a chance on something going wrong and attending to it myself. I intend to use this grinder for many years after the initial 1 year warranty. It was a calculated risk that paid off in my case. So in summary, I think newcoffeeitalia MAY suit some people (definitely not all), and I wouldn't necessarily write them off because they are not Australian, especially since the products all come from the same factory.

[CafeLotta]

Sadly there are those among us who are attracted by the promise of a bargain like a moth to a flame.

...........and then constantly checking that they couldn't have done better...........

[Caffeinator]

It sounds like it could be hit and miss...

Very much so.... In the case of the most recent guy shafted by them, I am told he has been supplied with a machine which draws circa 2650W with a 10amp lead and partial wiring loom all connected Shuko to Aus plug adapter. You'd wonder if bits of the machine were taken to repair another machine. The machine is clearly capable of drawing more than 10A, but Italia couldn't care less. They hang up on him.

[3rutu5]

It sounds like it could be hit and miss. I bought my machine from italiaworldwide knowing fully that it was a risk, but it was also 4 years ago before the GST level as lowered from 1k and the AUD was not this bad (pretty close to equal). I got my lever into the country for 950 which included the shipping and couldnt be happier. There is a language barrier but thankfully i had a parent who can speak italian. If i was to compare it now, the machine would cost close to 2k if not more which doesnt make it viable. How would i have gone with after sales support, most likely crap as they no longer exist, would i do it again? maybe if the AUD\USD gets closer to parity and depending on the price. Would i have liked to go into a local store and actually try it out? Hell yes, too bad i hadnt seen my machine anywhere locally in a store. Would i have bought it if it was locally available and a couple of hundred more? sure and i would have haggled my way into a free bag of coffee or a cheaper grinder

There are other italian based suppliers out there, but one really has to have a honest look in this day and age and wonder with the poor dollar, extra GST and expensive shipping is it really worth it, or is it easier to go to a local and put the hard word on the supplier to give you the best cash price

[robusto]

Nore and more on Ebay, China-based sellers purport to be selling from Australia. That way buyers are tricked into believing their parcel will be delivered within days rather than weeks.

[Yelta]

Sadly there are those among us who are attracted by the promise of a bargain like a moth to a flame.

[dan77]

Has anyone on the forum purchased equipment from New Cafe Italia?
This company offers very attractive prices that seem to be too good to be true.
Especially on the Alex Duetto and Alex Leva at under 4K!!! “On Special”
Interested in customer experiences and clarification of whether they are really Australian based in Sydney?

....if it's too good to be true....

$3k - $4k is a lot of money and who knows, you might get lucky but then again, if you have issues will you get support? My opinion, as everyone else is saying, spend a little more, visit a sponsor and get peace of mind.

[Andy]

Cafe Italia
Caffe Italia
Coffee Italia AU
New Caffe Italia
New Coffee Italia
newcoffeeitalia. com.au

...or whatever they are called this month have many, many years of complaints on CoffeeSnobs.


This post from Jan 2013:

I was the manager of Coffeeitalia AU for 5 years but mid way through this year made the decision to withdraw from the group. I am only responding to this thread now because Coffeeitalia AU is now administered from Spain/Italy and all products are now shipped from Italy. I would advise anyone to buy from Coffeeitalia AU with great caution. The Pitt Street address on their website is a carpark with maybe some virtual offices above it. Greg Miller

In 2015 that Australian arm of the business tried to distance itself from the European operation.

Coffeeitalia Australia is are primarily an online store dedicated to bringing you the best Italian espresso machines at affordable prices.However, if you bought your machine prior to 1st January, 2015 and have an issue with it, you will need to contact newcoffeeitalia
We have no association with that organization.
The best way for you and us for contact is via email. Emails are usually answered within 24 hours.
For sales or product enquires please email us at:
sales@coffeeitalia. com.au
Limited telephone support is also available at 03 8199 0941

In November 2017 the Melbourne business deregistered their ABN and killed the website
CAFFE ITALIA (MELBOURNE) PTY LTD
ABN: 61 119 713 174

The Melbourne connection is still in the coffee industry selling parts and I assume happy to not be associated with the European business anymore.

The newcoffeeitalia is a network of virtual offices and VoIP phone numbers that could look local but isn't.


The "new" Sydney office in Market St (instead of Pitt St) is also a "virtual office" where you can buy a rent a CBD mailing address but never actually go there.
https://www.servcorp.com.au/en/virtu...ces/locations/

Their London address is the same:
Caffè Italia, Kemp House, 152 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
https://yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk/

As is their German address:
Lyoner Straße 14, Frankfurt, 60528
https://www.ihr-buero-frankfurt.de/en/virtual-office/

and the Irish address is even spelt wrong!
Parkwest Enterprise Centre, Lavary Avenue, Dublin 12
(should be Lavery not Lavary but maybe they meant Lavatory?)

I assume all their other addresses are also virtual offices but I didn't look them up.

The Sydney phone number is from a block of Voice over IP (VoIP) numbers that certainly isn't plugged into the wall at Market Street.

There are lots of clues that this is an overseas site
It does say on their website "Plug Adapted To The Country Of Sale" which should set-off alarm bells as the plug is adapted not the machine and the pricing is written as "100 AUD" which is just weird unless you are in another country.

If any price is too cheap, please turn-on your suss alarm.

Review sites have some good reviews but plenty of bad ones.
https://www.productreview.com.au/lis...w-caffe-italia


CoffeeSnobs always suggests that you use our quote form to contact our Site Sponsors when you want to purchase something.
They are real Australian businesses, with real warranty, service and genuine products and it won't cost you much more than a dodgy product full of grief and no real warranty.

[Lyrebird]

Not sure that will work.

I just did a random check of five site sponsors, none had ABNs on their website front pages or "about us" pages.

It's also pretty damned easy to get an ABN: I have one and I'm as dodgy as.

[Dimal]

Well, there's a lesson for potential customers to learn I guess...
No ABN, no deal.

Mal.