# Poorly Porlex - anyone know who is the UK distributor ?



## monkeyboyo (Jul 6, 2012)

Grinder handle not sitting flush on spindle, as excessive play led to excessive wear to hexagonal slot in handle, and spindle itself.

Both beginning to 'round', with handle frequently lifting off spindle during normal use.

The Retailer Coffee Hit no longer supply, so reckon they can't help.

Wondered if this is a faulty handle, or normal for Porlex, as I have never seen another to compare.

Anyone know who the distributor is for Porlex?. Thanks very much


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

I've got 2 and never had wear of the spindle slot. Who did you buy it off and when? There are other UK retailers but unless you bought from them I'm guessing they might not directly help. The first port of call would really be who you bought it off.

Do you have a photo of the wear?


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## monkeyboyo (Jul 6, 2012)

Retailer *Coffee Hit*'s reply was "we no longer stock the Porlex grinder", hence seeking details of distributor

Photos attached


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

To me it looks like the handle hole is too large for the spindle and as you say the 2 have subsequently worn excessively. I would personally consider this to be a manufacturing fault as there's really nothing you could have done to cause this. When did you buy the grinder and was it from Coffee Hit? You can buy replacement handles from Has Bean for £14 but your photo shows the spindle to be damaged as well, therefore it's probably more economical to just replace the overall unit. I'd show the photos to whoever you bought it off, and depending on when it was bought, ask for it to be fixed/replaced/refunded if applicable


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## taxiboy (Jul 15, 2011)

My handle is the same I thought it was just normal wear and tear. Got mine off Hasbean might send email and see what they say.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

When I'm back home I'll take a photo of the handles to show the fit on mine


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

I think the handles are prone to wear but not the spindle. I think the new handles are about £5-6


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

How old is it?

Under the 'sale of good act' Coffee Hit sold it to you so your first port of call is them, regardless of whether they still stock it or not.

If it is less than 6 months old then it is not up to you to prove there are issues, they need to repair, refund* or replace. (*refund doesn't have to be full amount, they can deduct some money for however long you have had the grinder)

If it is 6+ months old then it is a bit trickier as the retailer can ask you to prove that there was a fault with the product and the fault wasn't caused by improper use, you may have to pay for a report.

If Coffee Hit want to ignore their responsibilities under the Sale of Goods act then sadly your only course of action would be the small claims court, which would require a small fee to be paid.


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

aaronb said:


> If Coffee Hit want to ignore their responsibilities under the Sale of Goods act then sadly your only course of action would be the small claims court, which would require a small fee to be paid.


I am not sure that the age of the product is at issue here. Under SOGA items have to be (a) of merchantable quality and (b) for for the purpose for which they are intended.

I would say that your grinder clearly is neither.

It is up to the retailer to refund or replace and you should not let yourself be fobbed off. If you paid by credit card then you have additional protection and you can contact your card supplier.

I would advise that you write (not email) enclosing evidence of purchase and a clear description of the issue. Tell them that you "reject the grinder as not being of merchantable quality and not fit for the purpose for which it is intended" and tell that if they do not refund or replace within (say) fourteen days then you will take the matter further.

Your first port of call should be trading standards. Small claims costs have just risen enormously so that will be a later resort.

Hoping this helps!

David


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## monkeyboyo (Jul 6, 2012)

Thanks for the reply Geordie Boy. Yep, a fault, but without others to compare, figured poor finish on the handle was perhaps common.

*Coffee Hit* clearly feel they have no responsibility to help; just a short "we don't stock them any more" in answer to my questions.

Just need the UK distributor details, which I'm sure Has Bean will have. Cheers


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## MrShades (Jul 29, 2009)

Age of the product IS certainly an issue - it'll be different if it's 8 weeks old, 8 months old or 8 years old.

If the OP has owned it for 8 weeks then (as aaron says) it's less than 6 months and onus is on retailer to prove it wasn't faulty or to replace/refund. Over 6 months it's the reverse - and onus is on the owner to prove it wasn't misused and is a manufacturing or design fault (often a product guarantee is more generous than this - and assumes that most failures within the guarantee period are manufacturing faults rather than misuse (unless very obviously so). Up to about 6 years you're then in the realms of the SOGA (as David states) but the root of this act is the "reasonable person" test... How long would a reasonable person expect a £30 hand grinder to last in normal use. 4 or 5 years would probably be the least you could expect - so if it's 6 years old then SOGA may not apply as the product could be deemed beyond reasonable life.

I've got a Porlex grinder and the handle fit isn't precise - but I am very careful NOT to hold it as the op is in the picture, ie with very obvious vertical pressure on the handle - to avoid rounding off the shaft and handle. I guess that's necessary now, to keep the handle turning properly - but the way that it has been used is possibly a factor in the failure.

How long have you owned it? (As it's almost certainly an issue that you will have with the retailer rather than anyone else - unless you're simply looking to buy a new shaft and handle. If that's the case then I'd probably just ante up the £30 to buy another entire grinder!)


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

I agree. I was referring to the over / under six months test. I have successfully returned goods such as PCs after five years! I successfully returned boxing boots to a retailer when they fell apart after two years!

The thing is to go back to the retailer and not allow them to fob you off!

David


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## monkeyboyo (Jul 6, 2012)

Thanks to all for your helpful replies. Will start with UK Distributor who, regardless of fault, blame, responsibilities would I presume care to know about faults which may affect their product's reputation.


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## MrShades (Jul 29, 2009)

Yup - agree 100% David...

I've had similar success with SOGA returns (electronic stuff to ebuyer after 3 years for full refund etc).

You work in sales as well don't you ;-)


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## monkeyboyo (Jul 6, 2012)

[quote=MrShades;164922

I've got a Porlex grinder and the handle fit isn't precise - but I am very careful NOT to hold it as the op is in the picture

How long have you owned it?

Holding it deliberately in that position for photo to show extent of poor fit. In use, try to keep it even, but inevitably a slower grind

Owned just over 6 months, but were i not so busy, could have returned months ago for the same fault


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## MrShades (Jul 29, 2009)

Simple case of beIng firmer with Coffee Hit then - pursue them for a refund, replacement or repair.

Quote the Sale of Goods Act and tell them that your contract is with the original retailer - them - and whether or not they still stock them is their problem and not yours.

However, as I said, the handle fit on the porlex is far from precise and it may well happen to you again.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

What they might be saying is that they can't replace as they don't stock them any more. If you'd take a refund ask them for one and as MrShades says, be firm with them


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

monkeyboyo said:


> Thanks for the reply Geordie Boy. Yep, a fault, but without others to compare, figured poor finish on the handle was perhaps common.
> 
> *Coffee Hit* clearly feel they have no responsibility to help; just a short "we don't stock them any more" in answer to my questions.
> 
> Just need the UK distributor details, which I'm sure Has Bean will have. Cheers


No you dont, Coffee Hit are responsible whether they like it or not!

Really poor show from Coffee Hit if they are ignoring their legal responsibilities under the Sale of Goods act.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

I know there's a few of us saying exactly the same thing but the seller took your money and has the legal responsibility to you. The distributor has no legal responsibility to help you (if they did it would be purely on good faith as it would be directly costing them money)


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## CallumT (Aug 23, 2013)

Cream supplies do porlex spares.

Coffeehit have been really decent with an issue I had to get sorted with my bonavita kettle. Porlex grinders are really hard to get now for some reason they used to be our retail grinder of choice in upshot but we just can't get hold of them!

Prices have also skyrocketed


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

At the BB forum day, Claudette commented that they wanted to change their distribution and sell them direct (and wasn't expecting to sell then again). It was after that the prices went up and they suddenly got harder to find in the UK


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## monkeyboyo (Jul 6, 2012)

Thanks all for your helpful contributions.

Written back to CoffeeHit. We'll see what gives.


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

I'd certainly agree that CoffeeHit are still legally obliged to help if they were the people who sold it to you. The fact that they no longer stock it is irrelevant.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

I've heard of people with issues emailing Porlex directly and they have sorted the problems out so might be worth emailing them with some photos and a copy of your Coffee Hit receipt.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

I contacted Porlex directly via email and they were excellent. This was to do with the burr that supplied on a brand new Porlex. This completely confused my introduction to coffee and nearly ended it.

They shipped me out a brand new set of burrs completely free of charge from Japan and were excellent.

I also experienced really poor service from the place I bought them from.

In my case it was Hasbean. It was completely clear that the Porlex burrs were defective and got the complete fob off.

After Porlex had sent out the replacement burrs I emailed Hasbean on a couple of occasions pointing out their the issues with their customer service but got more fob off.

I wasn't after anything more than "sorry about this we should have picked up on this" but instead I think I had and email back saying along the lines of "...you've got your burrs what more do you want".

Which is a real shame as I've heard of people getting great customer service from Hasbean.

I have to say It's made me begrudge giving them future custom. That and preferring darker roasts....anyway rant over.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

As promised, here's some photos of the fit on mine, firstly the mini Porlex










Secondly the tall Porlex


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## adam0bmx0 (Feb 20, 2014)

The metal hole on the handle deforms over time as it pops off the spindle when being rotated. Would help if the spindle was a couple of mm longer.

Mine is more deformed than the OP's, not a snug fit at all anymore but just about still usable.


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

I think I would investigate drilling a small hole through the shaft and using a split pin to keep the handle on the shaft.


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

...obviously I mean this as a preventative measure.


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## jonathan (Aug 14, 2013)

Similar problems with mine. Try googleing porlex handle mod.

Not tried to do any of these yet, but would be interested to hear how people get on.


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## Ian_B (Jan 14, 2016)

I know that this is an old thread but after four years of daily use the outer ceramic burr on my Porlex Mini has just broken. I was surprised as I expected it to wear, not break! I actually got mine in Japan but I have just ordered a replacement burr from Hasbean and now I'm worried after comments here about whether that was a good idea! Hopefuily OK now after three years - their website seems very slick, so fingers crossed!

Oh, and I have had no problem with the handle. The grinder is used by myself and my family up to four times a day. So it has potentially ground coffee for 4-5000 cups in its life


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## Lucian_Blue (Feb 2, 2018)

Burrs touch each other at 1 and 2 clicks, resulting uneven grind and a very short life for it. Too expensive because of that. I'd choose different if i had to do it again.!


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Lucian_Blue said:


> Burrs touch each other at 1 and 2 clicks, resulting uneven grind and a very short life for it. Too expensive because of that. I'd choose different if i had to do it again.!.


That's normal for these types of grinders, the outer burr floats. You won't find any ceramic burr grinders that are different in that respect, in this price range (one, or other of the burrs will be floating). What happens at 3-4 clicks?

Grind quality is even enough for tasty cups.


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