Out With The Old-New...

... and in with the New-New!!!

Our Nespresso machine bit the dust this weekend. It had a two year warranty, and it lasted just over three years. I consider it a personal victory that the thing lasted 50% longer than the warranty period: perhaps a new record for a product made in Switzerland.

Actually, the thing did break - and was repaired free of charge - one time during the warranty period. So, in all fairness, the fine people at Nespresso did take care of us. However, I STILL SAY...

Swiss Quality: HA! RUBBISH!!!

Seeing how the fine people at Nespresso pretty much had me by MY coffee beans since I had ordered about 500 Nespresso coffee capsules the previous week, I had basically no choice but to go out and buy another Nespresso machine. And, that I did.

We are now the proud owners of the latest (and greatest?) Citiz Nespresso machine. It's sleeker, has nice little features that our previous machine didn't have, and the coffee seems to come out hotter than before: all good! Plus, we have a brand new zwei Jahre Garantie! That means that IT WILL BE THE LAST COFFEE MACHINE WE EVER BUY IN SWITZERLAND!!!!!!!!

And now for an installment of like/no like:

LIKE: The Swiss certainly know how to make machines that make a great cup of coffee.

NO LIKE: Swiss Quality is a sham! The coffee machines should last, in my opinion, AT LEAST five years!

Swiss Quality...

...MY ASS!!!

I just returned from a little errand-running trip into town. First of all, I felt that I was leaving the flu bug behind and that I needed to get a little exercise and fresh air (Hello, Swissy!). Secondly, I needed to pick up one of my watches that I had brought in to a well-known Basel watch store (that will remain nameless) for a new battery.

But I digress (God, I feel so writer-ish when I write that...)...

Mrs. TBF bought me a very nice watch for my birthday a couple of years ago. Actually, she didn't really buy it for my birthday. However, since we both were at the store when I picked it out, and it was kind of close to my birthday, I just say that she bought it for me for my birthday.

We don't really buy each other birthday gifts.

Of course, when I bought the watch (a well-known Swiss brand, I'll have you know...), the saleslady pointed out the fact that the watch was not only a certified chronometer, but that it also came with a two-year warranty.

The Swiss LOVE to point out the zwei Jahre Garantie! Just about every durable good in Switzerland comes with a zwei Jahre Garantie. Need a toaster? Zwei Jahre Garantie! Need an iron? Zwei Jahre Garantie! Need a Swiss watch? Yup...you guessed it!

Here's the problem...

I've found that everything that comes with this guarantee either: 1) is too inexpensive to actually justify the hassle of returning it if it breaks, or... 2) ends up breaking right after the guarantee has expired.

That's right...YOU do the math.

The watch was bought at the end of September, 2004, and I brought it in to be repaired (it was losing about three minutes per day) at the end of February, 2007 - two years and five months. This watch has now joined ANOTHER Swiss watch I own AND our ex-coffee maker in the "Swiss products that broke right after the guarantee expired" club.

I brought the watch in for repair around the 17th of February. About a week later, one Herr Miller called me from the store, and the conversation went something like this:

HM: Vee haff looked at zee vatch and eet appears by zee marks on zee vatch zat you haff dropped eet. Plus, zee garantie hass expired.

TBF: I realize the guarantee has expired, AND I've never dropped the watch. Look, I just want the watch fixed.

HM: Zee guarantee ees not fallid eef you haff dropped zee vatch.

TBF: It's past the guarantee period anyway. Can you fix the watch?

HM: No. Vee haff to send eet to zee factory. Are you sure zat you haff neffer dropped zee vatch?

TBF: (...getting slightly annoyed!) I'm postive that I have never dropped the watch. Plus, what difference would it make since it's past the guarantee period?

HM: Haff you effer lent zee vatch to anybody?

TBF: What? Who lends their watch to another person?!?!? No, I'm the only person who has ever worn the watch. Look, how much is it going to cost to fix the watch?

HM: Vee are not sure.

TBF: Well, I want you to let me know how much it is going to cost before you fix it.

I have to say that I was pretty proud of myself. The TBF of six years ago would have been extremely annoyed by all of this. However, I've learned that sometimes when you're speaking English with a non-native English speaker (and his English wasn't very good), some things the person says might not come across exactly as they intend them to. I didn't even get annoyed when he told me that they wouldn't send the watch to the factory until I brought in the "offical" booklet that came with the watch so that the repair could be "officially" marked in said booklet. NOR did I become annoyed (although he was pushing his luck!) by the fact that he was now calling me on Friday evening at 5:20 p.m. - the evening before we were leaving for Berlin - and the store was going to be closed the entire next week due to Fasnacht!

Nope...I just let it all go...

So, this past Saturday, I brought my little "watch booklet" to the store, along with a non-Swiss watch (Italian, Mrs. TBF will have you know!) - that I'll be wearing in the interim (5 weeks!) - that needed the new battery. I went back today to pick up the Italian watch.

You know, the one I bought three years ago...THAT STILL WORKS!!!!