Denis Carroll got in touch with what he admitted was “a first world problem”, one that may “seem trivial to some”, but we defy anyone not to agree with him when he also describes it as “perplexing and infuriating to me in equal measure”.
It is certainly convoluted so bear with him – and us.
“I bought a Sage Nespresso Creatista Plus coffee machine from Harvey Normans in 2023 [and] was blown away by its chrome good looks and decent beverage output. So far, so good,” he writes. Then, in December 2024 it stopped working, with the water from the tank struggling to make it into the machine.
“After contacting Nespresso’s helpline and talking to a customer service agent, a video call ensued where it was determined that the machine would have to be repaired,” he writes. “At this time my machine was still well under warranty, and I was assured that everything would be sorted out.”
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The machine was collected by DPD, repaired and sent back to our reader within two weeks and Carroll says the whole experience went “swimmingly, and I received my machine back in early January 2025 and could enjoy my barista-style experience at home once more”. Fast forward to December 2025, and almost to the day, the machine stopped working again.
He called Nespresso’s customer service line and after waiting a considerable time online was connected to an agent, who went through the whole rigmarole again via video call – only to find that the machine would have to be sent for repair yet again.
“They assured me that a courier would pick up the machine again within two days. It was coming up to Christmas, so I understood that couriers would be busy, but the two days came and went. I called again and was waiting on the line for what seemed an age until a customer service agent answered. They couldn’t understand why the machine hadn’t been picked up by the courier and said they would investigate it. They would have to put through a new order for the collection.”
‘Unfortunately we had to go through the whole video call thing again. With the same outcome’
— Denis Carroll on Nespresso repair experience
So Carroll waited another few days, but heard nothing back, so he called Nespresso and explained the situation again. “They were very apologetic about the whole ordeal, [and said] apparently there was some problem with their online ordering system with DPD, and they would have to investigate it further. They went through my details again, address, Eircode, etc, and all seemed to be in order.”
Eventually it was arranged that the machine would be picked up on December 27th.
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No courier turned up.
Carroll was travelling overseas for the new year, and on his return be called Nespresso’s customer service again. “I think the number could be tattooed to the inside of my eyelids at this stage! Again, I got the same apologetic tone and I requested that they escalate it to a supervisor/manager.
“They put me on hold for a few minutes and they came back and said that they were very apologetic, that the issue with the system had been rectified and they would be arranging a DPD driver to come and collect the machine within two days. Of course I was dubious, but what alternative did I have?”
A courier did collect it a few days later, and Carroll “began to feel optimistic about the situation”.
The optimism was misplaced.
“Approximately three weeks later, I got a message to say that DPD would be delivering my machine in the next 24 hours and they would contact me with a time slot with a more exact time of delivery,” he writes.
“The machine duly arrived, and I felt butterflies in my stomach that I had been reunited with this shiny, metallic object that had once dispensed such delightfully caffeinated drinks at a fraction of the cost of the local cafes.
“I opened the box, unwrapped the bubble wrap, placed the machine on the counter, plugged it in and pressed the on switch. I was met with a familiar clicking sound, and nothing. The water from the tank was still not going into the machine. If I weren’t follically challenged, I would have pulled all my hair out!!”
He called Nespresso again and explained to the agent that he had just received his machine and it was still not working.
“Once again, they were very apologetic. We went through the whole video call again, factory resetting the machine, turning it off and on again until they were satisfied that I wasn’t making all of this up and yes, my machine was still broken,” he says.
Another courier collection was arranged and the machine was collected within a couple of days.
Fast-forward another three weeks ad he got another message from DPD to say they would be delivering his order within 24 hours.
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“Could they finally have fixed this well-travelled coffee machine that I had forked out almost €500 for in a moment of impetuous shopping? Could I dare to dream,” he writes.
Spoiler alert – no.
‘The machine still failed to suck water from the tank into the bowels of the machine. It was as if it almost hadn’t been repaired! Could this be true?’
— Denis Carroll
“I took the box into the kitchen with the machine within. I noticed that this box had been reused and had once held the newest iteration of coffee machine produced by Nespresso, the Vertuo. I didn’t think much of that, but I did notice that the box had been sellotaped shut but was now evidently open on one side. Was this the harbinger?
“I could feel a sense of foreboding again as I took the machine out and unwrapped it from its duvet of bubble wrap. Hastily, I plugged in the machine and attached the detachable bits that didn’t travel away with the machine lest they be lost or damaged. I took a deep breath and pressed the on button.
He heard the familiar sound of a click, click, click and then nothing.
“The machine still failed to suck water from the tank into the bowels of the machine. It was as if it almost hadn’t been repaired! Could this be true? No, the engineer’s report on the attached docket suggested otherwise. Flow had been checked. Pump had been replaced. Apparently, even the interface of operation had also been replaced. But still no joy.”
He called Nespresso again and the customer service agent was “nothing but pleasant and polite as he read through what I imagine must be reams and reams of notes about the whole situation. Unfortunately, we had to go through the whole video call thing again. With the same outcome. Of course. He asked me if it would be okay to put me on hold as he called his manager. I agreed and waited. Again.”
Poor Carroll was then told that the machine would have to be collected again and taken for repair.
“This time it appeared that it was the interface that was at fault. He said that Nespresso would add €20 credit to my account as a gesture of goodwill.
“He even went on to say that his manager would personally check the machine before it was returned to me to make sure that it was fixed. Not to worry, and that my warranty would be extended.” Carroll finally contacted us at that point.
He said there was “no evidence of a credit to my account, and the machine still hasn’t been lifted. I wait patiently to see if any of those promises are honoured. I don’t know what else to do but wait and see. Needless to say I am not overly confident that this time anything will be different.
“I’ve now managed (by the time I get the machine back and presume it is fixed – that is a big presumption) nearly three months without my precious coffee-maker. I have had some coffees out and about during that time, but with the average beverage now costing €4-5, my caffeine intake has dramatically declined. Maybe that’s a good thing?”
The funny thing is Nespresso has done most of the hard things right – they have engaged and accepted responsibility, and worked to resolve our reader’s issues in a manner many other companies would not in our experience bother with. But when it comes to the actual resolution, he has been repeatedly let down.
We contacted the company and received the following statement. “We are very sorry that m [our reader] has had a poor experience with the repair of his Nespresso machine. We are working to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”
