Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like
you have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you.
And replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant
supply. Or for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape
deals where the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for
the stove. Set it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth,
wander out to kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of
the shower, the water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...

Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they
basically said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and
suggested I contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did,
something like four days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?

Don't get one with a timer - that's just one more thing that can go wrong.
Get a separate timer; the kind that the pot plugs into and in turn plugs
into the wall. My timer, so far, has outlived three ten-dollar coffee pots.

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the
night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run
by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it
ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr.
Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with
no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like you
have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you. And
replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant supply. Or
for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape deals where
the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for the stove. Set
it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth, wander out to
kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of the shower, the
water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...

I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....

Nate Nagel wrote:

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?

Make it by hand. Boil water in a pot on the stove, remove pot from stove,
add coffee, and let it sit for a minute or two. Finally, pour it through a
filter cone into whatever receiving vessel holds your coffee before it goes
into your mug.

I use a quart-sized mason jar as my receiver, and one of those gold filters
in the cone. Makes an outstanding cup of coffee, far better than any coffee
maker.

Jon

Nate Nagel wrote:

"http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-EC-BD15-Thermal-Carafe-Coffee/dp/B0000X7CMQ"

On Oct 17, 7:17*pm, Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. *Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. *When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. *Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... *is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? *Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?


Do the REALLY eco-friendly thing and forget the timer. Set it up the
night before, punch the button when you head into the shower, and then
TURN OFF the coffeemaker and pour the entire pot into a stainless
steel coffee warmer when you get out of the shower. The contents stay
hot all day, the container costs about $8 and lasts forever, and the
coffee tastes great all day because it's not being over heated for
hours.

SMS wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:

"http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-EC-BD15-Thermal-Carafe-Coffee/dp/B0000X7CMQ"


hey, that's a good tip. just checked their web site, sure enough they
sell replacement parts. Already have a couple of their other kitchen
things - I'm sure that at least the rice cooker is from them - as the
girlie's mom is Japanese, and they sell a lot of Japanese cooking type
stuff. Don't recall a problem with anything, and she's had at least the
rice cooker since college, I'm pretty sure.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

tmclone wrote:
On Oct 17, 7:17 pm, Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?


Do the REALLY eco-friendly thing and forget the timer. Set it up the
night before, punch the button when you head into the shower, and then
TURN OFF the coffeemaker and pour the entire pot into a stainless
steel coffee warmer when you get out of the shower. The contents stay
hot all day, the container costs about $8 and lasts forever, and the
coffee tastes great all day because it's not being over heated for
hours.

That's what the one I have does, but automatically.

Unfortunately, the only way to pour out the coffee now is to unscrew the
lid from the carafe, which isn't really that big a deal, but annoying -
so I figured I'd buy a new lid. The result of that attempt (which I
figured would take a couple minutes of keyboard time) is this thread.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:17:45 -0400, Nate Nagel
wrote:

Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


I buy the cheapest Mr Coffee maker. They last 6-15 years, used twice
daily. But, I turn it off immediately after each brewing. Sometimes
you can find a Mr Coffee pot at a garage sale for cheap.

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:25:37 -0400, "benick"
wrote:


"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the
night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run
by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it
ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr.
Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with
no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like you
have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you. And
replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant supply. Or
for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape deals where
the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for the stove. Set
it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth, wander out to
kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of the shower, the
water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...

I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....

I bought one for our office. It didn't last a year. Didn't make very
good coffee either. Replaced it with an $18 noname from some discount
place, coffee tastes as good or better and it's still chugging along 3
years later. No more expensive coffee makers if I buy them.

"benick" wrote in message
news
I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3
minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the
new
one at Walmart.....HTH....


I suspect you have "gone through" them as you didn't bother to mend them.
There is not much to go wrong on these and what could go wrong is very
simple to fix.


--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they
basically said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and
suggested I contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did,
something like four days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?
nate

I use a kettle and a plastic cone that sits on top of a carafe (or a big
coffee cup). Takes me maybe thirty seconds to put a filter and two scoops
of coffee into the cone, and a few minutes more for the kettle to boil. No
moving parts, nothing to break or wear out. Buy decent beans and grind them
yourself every week or two and you'll have better tasting coffee than Mr.
Coffee ever dreamed of.

DGDevin wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they
basically said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and
suggested I contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did,
something like four days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?
nate

I use a kettle and a plastic cone that sits on top of a carafe (or a big
coffee cup). Takes me maybe thirty seconds to put a filter and two scoops
of coffee into the cone, and a few minutes more for the kettle to boil. No
moving parts, nothing to break or wear out. Buy decent beans and grind them
yourself every week or two and you'll have better tasting coffee than Mr.
Coffee ever dreamed of.


Its even better if you grind them as required.

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:50:00 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:25:37 -0400, "benick"
wrote:


"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the
night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run
by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it
ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr.
Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with
no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like you
have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you. And
replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant supply. Or
for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape deals where
the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for the stove. Set
it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth, wander out to
kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of the shower, the
water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...

I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....

I bought one for our office. It didn't last a year. Didn't make very
good coffee either. Replaced it with an $18 noname from some discount
place, coffee tastes as good or better and it's still chugging along 3
years later. No more expensive coffee makers if I buy them.


I believe a good cup of joe has to do how the coffee is made, rather
than the kind of maker (or its value). I used to make coffee at a
restaurant, and everyone told ME that I made the best coffee! My
"secret," as strange as it is in this case, was that I watered the
coffee down a little (maybe 15%) with plain hot tap water which was
enough to remove some bitter taste. It helps to have a clean maker,
clean pot, and freshly ground French-roast beans too.

On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:21:08 -0400, Phisherman
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:50:00 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:25:37 -0400, "benick"
wrote:


"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the
night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run
by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it
ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr.
Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with
no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like you
have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you. And
replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant supply. Or
for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape deals where
the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for the stove. Set
it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth, wander out to
kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of the shower, the
water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...

I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....

I bought one for our office. It didn't last a year. Didn't make very
good coffee either. Replaced it with an $18 noname from some discount
place, coffee tastes as good or better and it's still chugging along 3
years later. No more expensive coffee makers if I buy them.


I believe a good cup of joe has to do how the coffee is made, rather
than the kind of maker (or its value). I used to make coffee at a
restaurant, and everyone told ME that I made the best coffee! My
"secret," as strange as it is in this case, was that I watered the
coffee down a little (maybe 15%) with plain hot tap water which was
enough to remove some bitter taste. It helps to have a clean maker,
clean pot, and freshly ground French-roast beans too.

It's not recommended to drink hot water from the tap. It is not as
"plain" as you think.

Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

If you are only making one or two cups of coffee at a time, you might
also want to think about a "single serve" brewer. I have a Senseo that
takes a minute or so for the water to heat up and then about 30 seconds
to make a cup of coffee. Second cup would be another 30 seconds. And
since you make each cup fresh, you don't have to worry with the thermal
carafe or a heating element under the carafe. I just brew directly into
my mug.

My Senseo is admittedly a low end model. There are other SS machines
that have lots of bells and whistles, including timers. There are models
that take pods and ones that use those plastic cups. If she likes the
eco-friendly part, she'd probably prefer the pods.

Informative forum at http://www.singleservecoffeeforums.com .

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:25:37 -0400, in alt.home.repair, "benick"
wrote:

I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....

I had a Pour-O-Matic. It does make a decent pot, and does it quickly.
Unfortunately I had trouble with mine: first, hit with a series of
manufacturer recalls, it seems like I spent more time sending it back and
unpacking the new one than I did using it. Finally, after about a year of
use on the last one, it developed a charming habit of blowing the circuit
breaker every couple of days or so. Turns out that the tank heater tube had
corroded through, exposing the contents of the water tank to live electrical
parts. Apparently it had been resistance-heating the water itself, rather
than the nichrome wire, for some time....

After that I wasn't enjoying my $100+ investment anymore. I put it on a
shelf in the garage and bought a little 4-cup maker from Shopko for $15.
It's slow, but economical for making the one big cuppa mud that I drink
every day.


--
Due to Usenet spam, emailed replies must pass an intelligence test: if
you want me to read your reply, be sure to include this line of text in
your email, but remove this line before sending, otherwise my filters
will delete your email with all due prejudice. Thanks!

Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

Check out Walmart

Phisherman wrote:
On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:50:00 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:25:37 -0400, "benick"
wrote:

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the
night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run
by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it
ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr.
Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with
no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like you
have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you. And
replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant supply. Or
for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape deals where
the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for the stove. Set
it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth, wander out to
kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of the shower, the
water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...
I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....
I bought one for our office. It didn't last a year. Didn't make very
good coffee either. Replaced it with an $18 noname from some discount
place, coffee tastes as good or better and it's still chugging along 3
years later. No more expensive coffee makers if I buy them.


I believe a good cup of joe has to do how the coffee is made, rather
than the kind of maker (or its value). I used to make coffee at a
restaurant, and everyone told ME that I made the best coffee! My
"secret," as strange as it is in this case, was that I watered the
coffee down a little (maybe 15%) with plain hot tap water which was
enough to remove some bitter taste. It helps to have a clean maker,
clean pot, and freshly ground French-roast beans too.

I learned to add a pinch of salt if it's bitter. Just a pinch.

wrote:
On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:21:08 -0400, Phisherman
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:50:00 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:25:37 -0400, "benick"
wrote:

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the
night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run
by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it
ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr.
Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with
no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like you
have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you. And
replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant supply. Or
for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape deals where
the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for the stove. Set
it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth, wander out to
kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of the shower, the
water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...
I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....
I bought one for our office. It didn't last a year. Didn't make very
good coffee either. Replaced it with an $18 noname from some discount
place, coffee tastes as good or better and it's still chugging along 3
years later. No more expensive coffee makers if I buy them.

I believe a good cup of joe has to do how the coffee is made, rather
than the kind of maker (or its value). I used to make coffee at a
restaurant, and everyone told ME that I made the best coffee! My
"secret," as strange as it is in this case, was that I watered the
coffee down a little (maybe 15%) with plain hot tap water which was
enough to remove some bitter taste. It helps to have a clean maker,
clean pot, and freshly ground French-roast beans too.

It's not recommended to drink hot water from the tap. It is not as
"plain" as you think.

From what tap? From mine? And is cold water OK but hot water bad?

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:17:45 -0400, Nate Nagel wrote:

Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

BTDT, with a Bodum one. Piece of crap; the surface of the heating plate
started to rust quickly, the valve that's supposed to shut things off
unless the pot's underneath broke in a couple of weeks, the pipework
within the heating element part filled up with sediment. The rubber feet
fell off, then the glass pot suddenly cracked one day (without being hit
on anything).

I've looked around the stores, but everything seems to be equally
plastic-fantastic and built like crap, no matter how much you pay.
Wife has her eye on a thermal one which might be the same as yours,
so I'll have to check for that - thanks for the warning if so :-)

We boil water in the kettle now and just use the filter part of the Bodum
(actually it took paper filters, but we found a wire basket that'd fit
from somewhere - but even that's starting to fail now and needs
replacing). *Much* quicker to make. I like my coffee hot anyway, not just
slightly warm, so it suits me fine that way; the only issue is not being
able to leave it and do its stuff.

I really don't know why there's so much crap on the market - I mean it's
not like it's hard to make something that heats water and pours it
through a filter into a pot, but all the vendors of "home" equipment seem
to screw it up nicely. In the spirit of the newsgroup, I'm tempted to
build my own...

cheers

Jules

Nate Nagel wrote:
SMS wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:

"http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-EC-BD15-Thermal-Carafe-Coffee/dp/B0000X7CMQ"


hey, that's a good tip. just checked their web site, sure enough they
sell replacement parts. Already have a couple of their other kitchen
things - I'm sure that at least the rice cooker is from them - as the
girlie's mom is Japanese, and they sell a lot of Japanese cooking type
stuff. Don't recall a problem with anything, and she's had at least the
rice cooker since college, I'm pretty sure.

Yeah, that's one nice think about Zojirushi, they're pretty good about
spare parts, even small parts. I've got a bread maker, hot water boiler,
and coffee maker from them. I'll likely replace the old rice cooker with
a Zojirushi as well.

I seem to recall a review about that coffee maker that mentioned that it
was one of the few where the hot water going up through a hose that
passed through the water reservoir did not cool it so much to affect
brewing. Still, I often flip the hot water spout back over the reservoir
for a couple of minutes to recirculate the water to warm it up so the
coffee is hotter.

on 10/17/2009 7:17 PM (ET) Nate Nagel wrote the following:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they
basically said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and
suggested I contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did,
something like four days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer
that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

Cuisinart has a model with no carafe. I have one. The only problem is
that there is no carafe.
To fill the the reservoir, you need a large measuring cup or some other
container to fill it.
http://www.cuisinart.com/products/co.../dcc-2000.html

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:05:33 -0400, LouB wrote:

Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

Check out Walmart

Black and Decker (!) has a line of halfway decent automatic drip
coffee makers that, feature for feature, are about half the price of
the brands that are better known for this category.

On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:10:19 -0400, Tony
wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:21:08 -0400, Phisherman
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:50:00 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:25:37 -0400, "benick"
wrote:

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the
night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run
by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it
ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr.
Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with
no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

Or just give up on the plastic crap and buy a single-burner Bunn like you
have in the break room at work. Expensive, but it will outlive you. And
replacement carafes are available at pretty much any restaurant supply. Or
for a more realistic answer, just get one of those cone-shape deals where
the filter and coffee fit in the top, and a teakettle for the stove. Set
it up the night before, and while you are brushing teeth, wander out to
kitchen and flip the burner on. By the time you are out of the shower, the
water will be hot enough to pour.

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...
I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3 minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the new
one at Walmart.....HTH....
I bought one for our office. It didn't last a year. Didn't make very
good coffee either. Replaced it with an $18 noname from some discount
place, coffee tastes as good or better and it's still chugging along 3
years later. No more expensive coffee makers if I buy them.

I believe a good cup of joe has to do how the coffee is made, rather
than the kind of maker (or its value). I used to make coffee at a
restaurant, and everyone told ME that I made the best coffee! My
"secret," as strange as it is in this case, was that I watered the
coffee down a little (maybe 15%) with plain hot tap water which was
enough to remove some bitter taste. It helps to have a clean maker,
clean pot, and freshly ground French-roast beans too.

It's not recommended to drink hot water from the tap. It is not as
"plain" as you think.

From what tap? From mine? And is cold water OK but hot water bad?

ANY tap. Yes, cold water is okay, while hot water is not.

on 10/18/2009 1:33 PM (ET) wrote the following:
On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:05:33 -0400, LouB wrote:


Nate Nagel wrote:

Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


Check out Walmart


Black and Decker (!) has a line of halfway decent automatic drip
coffee makers that, feature for feature, are about half the price of
the brands that are better known for this category.


B&D appliances are GEs

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:07:04 -0400, willshak
wrote:

on 10/18/2009 1:33 PM (ET) wrote the following:
On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:05:33 -0400, LouB wrote:


Nate Nagel wrote:

Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


Check out Walmart


Black and Decker (!) has a line of halfway decent automatic drip
coffee makers that, feature for feature, are about half the price of
the brands that are better known for this category.


B&D appliances are GEs

The prices are not the same, regardless of who may have made them.

Nate Nagel wrote in
:

Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they
basically said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and
suggested I contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did,
something like four days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer
that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate


You could just run it through a sock. Then again, you would have to
replace that too. You know how they get the holes at the big toe.

"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal" coffeemaker
because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a heating element
under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could set it up the night
before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to. Well,
it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is apparently run by
a third party. When I contacted them, they basically said "if it ain't on
the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I contact Mr. Coffee
customer service. Which I did, something like four days ago, with no
response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

The answer: yes, no, definitely, maybe, and I don't know.

It all depends on your coffee needs.

I am the only person who drinks coffee in my house. I like strong coffee,
so to make 12 oz. mug of coffee in the morning, I use 2 tbsp dark Starbucks
coffee. One cup is all I make. Melitta #4 paper filter, but first the fine
mesh screen out of a dead coffee maker. I leave the grounds for about a
week, or until they fill the #4 filter, only adding two new fresh scoops of
coffee to the grounds in the filter. When it gets full, I toss it and start
again.

Werks fer me. One strong 12 oz. cup in the morning. If I drink two, I
can't keep up with myself.

It's like life, just a matter of choice.

Steve

I believe a good cup of joe has to do how the coffee is made, rather
than the kind of maker (or its value). I used to make coffee at a
restaurant, and everyone told ME that I made the best coffee! My
"secret," as strange as it is in this case, was that I watered the
coffee down a little (maybe 15%) with plain hot tap water which was
enough to remove some bitter taste. It helps to have a clean maker,
clean pot, and freshly ground French-roast beans too.

As any connoisseur knows, the secret is the temperature of the water. If
too hot, it leaches out the oil where the bitterness lies. Water from 180
to 190 is right. Percolated coffee above that temperature is bitter. Drip
coffee brewed with too hot of water is also bitter, no matter the grounds.

YW

Steve

"Jon Danniken" wrote in message
...
Nate Nagel wrote:

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?

Make it by hand. Boil water in a pot on the stove, remove pot from stove,
add coffee, and let it sit for a minute or two. Finally, pour it through a
filter cone into whatever receiving vessel holds your coffee before it
goes into your mug.

I use a quart-sized mason jar as my receiver, and one of those gold
filters in the cone. Makes an outstanding cup of coffee, far better than
any coffee maker.

Jon

At last, a man who brews coffee properly. Kudos, Jon.

"DGDevin" wrote in message
m...
Nate Nagel wrote:
Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they
basically said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and
suggested I contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did,
something like four days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?
nate

I use a kettle and a plastic cone that sits on top of a carafe (or a big
coffee cup). Takes me maybe thirty seconds to put a filter and two scoops
of coffee into the cone, and a few minutes more for the kettle to boil.
No moving parts, nothing to break or wear out. Buy decent beans and grind
them yourself every week or two and you'll have better tasting coffee than
Mr. Coffee ever dreamed of.

Ditto that. That's the way I do. Only one big mug, but it is strong, and
kick starts you and keeps you on cruise until about 10 AM. Not good,
though, for weenies who drink weak coffee all day long.

Steve

Jon Danniken wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:
So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?

Make it by hand. Boil water in a pot on the stove, remove pot from stove,
add coffee, and let it sit for a minute or two. Finally, pour it through a
filter cone into whatever receiving vessel holds your coffee before it goes
into your mug.

I use a quart-sized mason jar as my receiver, and one of those gold filters
in the cone. Makes an outstanding cup of coffee, far better than any coffee
maker.

Jon


Hi,
Boil what kind of water? I use multi-stage filtered/RO with UV light
water. Drink only a cup un the morning. Rest of all day I drink all kind
of tea.

On Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:35:29 -0400, salty wrote:
It's not recommended to drink hot water from the tap. It is not as
"plain" as you think.

From what tap? From mine? And is cold water OK but hot water bad?

ANY tap. Yes, cold water is okay, while hot water is not.

I had a friend once who would only drink cold water from downstairs taps -
the upstairs being typically gravity-fed via a holding tank, and she was
paranoid about critters getting into the tank and dying :-)

Always been told the thing about hot, too, but I think it depends on the
temperature of the water. I'll still drink hot water (in tea, coffee etc.)
but only if it's been boiled first.

cheers

Jules

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:15:53 -0400, salty wrote:
I had a friend once who would only drink cold water from downstairs taps -
the upstairs being typically gravity-fed via a holding tank, and she was
paranoid about critters getting into the tank and dying :-)

Always been told the thing about hot, too, but I think it depends on the
temperature of the water. I'll still drink hot water (in tea, coffee etc.)
but only if it's been boiled first.

As far as I know, boiling will do nothing to remove the lead.

Wouldn't have thought so - but it should get rid of any living nasties
that may survive in the tank if the temperature's not high enough
(although I've no idea how long the water needs to sit in the tank before
it's an issue - with three kids in the house always wanting showers things
circulate through pretty quickly :-)

I'm less bothered about non-living crap in there as I would have thought
that's just as likely to be in the cold supply, too.

cheers

Jules

"Roger Shoaf" wrote in message
...

"benick" wrote in message
news
I 2nd the Bunn Pour-O-Matic....A pot of coffee is never more than 3
minutes
away....Even using the hell out of it (3+ pots a day) it lasts for
years...Have gone through a couple in the last 15 or so years and love
them...About a hundered bucks or so..Just replaced the old one...Got the
new
one at Walmart.....HTH....


I suspect you have "gone through" them as you didn't bother to mend them.
There is not much to go wrong on these and what could go wrong is very
simple to fix.


--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube,
then
they come up with this striped stuff.



I still have the old one that just died after 7-8 years in the garage , want
me to send it to you ?? I have more important things to do than frig with an
old coffee maker...Like watching paint dry...

40 posts and not one mention of a French Press.

I have a glass Bodum that feels fragile but makes a great pot. My
weekend press is a Nissan stainless thermos press. It holds about 4-5
mugs. My work press is a Bodum clear insulated travel mug. It is ideal
because my workplace requires clear bags, no pockets, etc.

I have a hot water dispenser both at home and at work, both using
filtered water. I grind my beans every morning and it really is the
best coffee going. And very quick / simple. I will never go back to
electric or gas. Ever.

Buy a French Press.

In article ,
"Jon Danniken" wrote:

Nate Nagel wrote:

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me
high and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal"
thing altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a
timer that I can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific
carafe?

Make it by hand. Boil water in a pot on the stove, remove pot from stove,
add coffee, and let it sit for a minute or two. Finally, pour it through a
filter cone into whatever receiving vessel holds your coffee before it goes
into your mug.

I use a quart-sized mason jar as my receiver, and one of those gold filters
in the cone. Makes an outstanding cup of coffee, far better than any coffee
maker.

Jon

I guess taste in the buds of the tastee. "Steeped" coffee is
tremendously frowned upon by many aficionados.

In article ,
Nate Nagel wrote:

Couple years ago the girlie bought a new Mr. Coffee "thermal"
coffeemaker because she liked the eco-friendliness of not having a
heating element under the carafe, and also it had a timer so you could
set it up the night before.

Fast forward to recently - the lid of the carafe doesn't pour nicely
anymore. Would like to buy a new lid, or a new carafe if I had to.
Well, it's not available on Mr. Coffee's online store which is
apparently run by a third party. When I contacted them, they basically
said "if it ain't on the web site, we don't sell it" and suggested I
contact Mr. Coffee customer service. Which I did, something like four
days ago, with no response yet.

So... is there another brand of coffeemaker that wouldn't leave me high
and dry like this? Or should I just give up on the "thermal" thing
altogether and buy the cheapest regular coffeemaker with a timer that I
can find, so I don't have to worry about a specific carafe?

nate

I've used these people for small kitchen appliance parts:

http://www.thegourmetdepotco.com/store/

since before the internet existed. Still have a tattered card with
toll-free (800) phone numbers from them tucked into my address book.