Seattle Coffee Gear review: PID Controller

I purchased a brand new PID from www.seattlecoffeegear.com for around $260.00. This little device is supposed to make your coffee espresso way easier. I cut a hole for it in my Brand NEW Machine Rancilio Silvia to install it. It took me 4 hours to install, but every step I took I had to double check because my machine is so expensive. I don’t want to make any type of mistakes to cause damage. After all the wiring and installation was done I turned it on for the first time. This PID system supposedly holds the brewing temperature more accurately, but for some reason temperature goes way above the safety limit. So I was scared it would damage my machine and I turned it off. Next I call www.seattlecoffeegear.com and spoke to Nakita Parramore from technical support. He then guided me through what I was supposed to do. First he thought it had been programmed wrong from the factory. Furthermore after all the many steps I took, he found that there was no problem. He then told me to watch a video on YouTube to show me how to program it, then to call him back after I was done watching the video. I didn’t receive his video, but I found one where Gail explained how to program the PID (There has been plenty of times I had watched videos with Gail, and that enticed me to order this precise system from them. That was a BIG MISTAKE and was very disappointed, so I called Nakita Parramore back, told him I never received an email from him with the link for that video. I then told him I found it, and watched it. He asked me only a couple of questions what the settings said on the display to make sure everything was correct. He didn’t come up with any problems. Nakita came up with an idea to record a video again after many times from beginning to make sure that he could clearly see the rising temperature, and make sure all buttons are set correctly. I made a video but unfortunately it was too long and he wanted to have the entire video footage. I told him the video was 780mb (huge file) he then told me to send it to him through via Email. REALLY? I asked him twice how to because it was so big, and he told me that the video is not that big to be sent through email Blah Blah Blah... Finally he realized it was too big. He wanted me to upload video on YouTube and make it public. So next I did what he told me to do and uploaded my video, made it public. I waited on the phone to confirm he saw my video. He found it and told me (this was on Friday of march 26th) Technician was not there and I was told he would be back on Monday to see my video and would then let me know what could possibly be wrong. Unfortunately I got a call on Saturday from Mr. “ I know more than you ” Nakita Parramore, he told me because I installed the PID by myself the warranty would no longer be in affect and was void. If I wanted to pay for it to be shipped they could repair it or troubleshoot it and I would have to pay for shipping and repairs?!?!?! That is ridiculous because he never mentioned this preposterous thing on Friday when I was led to believe I would still have a warranty. He didn’t want to wait for technician. He apparently knows more the technician right?... absolutely not! So now I have an installed PID controller, which doesn’t work, with a cut hole in my brand new machine, and it doesn’t even work. If they repaired (what?) send it back, and it still doesn’t work can I then keep sending it back lets say every other weak? Now because I installed it myself the warranty is voided. Who has time for this? I am a paying customer and I didn’t receive what I asked for nor get the right information to solve the problem. Lastly Nakita Parramore should not be in customer service he is misleading and one of the rudest people I have ever had to encounter. The only thing I know for a fact is that my money was wasted, and it is completely wrong to have no warranty for this expensive piece that I bought to make my espresso machine work efficiently. From now on I will no longer spend my well-earned money on anything from this company, and will find better elsewhere with no doubt. I would recommend people save their money and go to www.wholelattelove.com Thanks Rick