Adding an update 7 years later!! Clive continues to provide the most exceptional customer service in the industry. My beloved machine, purchased from Clive and still going strong, just needed a tube change (not because the tubes were failing, but because our water is soooo hard in SoCal and 7 years of daily use has resulted in some scaling, and I'm a bad owner who doesn't descale). I searched through my old emails, found an email from 2014 from the owner, and replied to that ancient thread asking for assistance. Not only did I receive a response - but on a Sunday after hours to boot. Seriously, that level of customer service is practically unheard of in this day and age. Hats off - and coffee cups up - to a great company and owner who continues to role model stellar customer service! read more

If you are buying from this company, I suggest you read every one of the negative reviews on bad attitude and atrocious service. Every one of them is true. This is the worst experiences of any purchase I have ever made in my life. Been a Whole Latte Love customer for 14 years but purchased from Clive as they stated they had a 3 month old open box ECM Sychronika. " Sitting in the show room, turned on but never used" were their exact words during the sales conversation on the phone. When the unit arrived it was dripping water, had minimal foam in the double box and was an older model. This was deciphered from watching videos on other web sites that showed a different frame, they had also changed the standard two hole steam spout to a four hole which clearly showed they had been using the machine for quite some time. When I pointed this out to Ben Piff, one of their service staff members, he denied the 3 months old prior unit conversation and argued that the spout was changed for the heck of it and not because they were pulling shots for a while. With a lot of back and forth and threats, a refund was agreed upon, every subsequent email from Clive was addressed as "Fired Clive Customer" which only reiterates what another reviewer states, they have awful attitude and service. It doesn't stop there, other companies offer bundle pricing with grinders. Clive state that they do not negotiate prices because they have great service and are the best coffee experts in the market and their premium is justified. Really, not based on all these reviews and this horrible interaction. Here comes another big one for all you buyers. Fine print price gouging brought to you by Clive Coffee.........Other companies offer a 3 year warranty for ECM and other high end machines. Clive offers two years warranty for a brand new machine..... Hmnnnn, eating the hidden extra margin are you Clive? Don't walk run away from them. If they were the last coffee company left on earth, I would work on my coffee addiction before I would ever buy from them again. Clive Coffee, you forget a fundamental rule of business, customers are what builds your business and makes it thrive, you don't fire them, they fire you. Consider your poor service, atrocious attitude, old versus new machines trickery and price gouging fired. read more

It was really cool to see all the different gadgets and coffee accessories. We have a perfectly good espresso machine at home, but we will definitely consider ordering from Clive next time we're in the market for a new one. They have some badass looking ones in their show room. They even let the hubs try one out and make himself a shot. read more

Clive Coffee - Appliances Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Wow. SO sadly disappointed. Enough to join Yelp to voice my opinion. Nice shop - But I can not believe this level of poor service can exist in this day and age! Clive Coffee have a super nice range of espresso machines and associated gear but I would highly recommend you look elsewhere. These are expensive machines (my model is $1200 or so) and they will from time to time need repair and this is NOT the place to rely on for such service. While I am sure they are well meaning and the technicians enthusiastic there is an overwhelming issue that can not be overcome. Exceedingly mind numbing almost comical BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. I am a very patient person, my machine was in for repair for over 5 months, and I am actually totally ok with that, things can take time. In this case due to some ineptness it could have taken 3 months to repair but this is not what I have glaring issue with. On 3 occasions I called and talked to a representative in the weeks after I was told it would be ready, I was told that I would get an email or a call back with an update that day or next and did not receive promised call. For this to happen once or twice a year is bad form, to happen three times in a row to one customer over a period of 2 - 3 weeks is indicative of a VERY serious problem. It takes a lot to dissuade me from shopping at a store. They did it! Adam read more

I made the mistake of purchasing a grinder from my local coffee machine provider instead of through a group that has provided me with excellent service through the years. Chris Coffee of Albany New York I Visited the Clive showroom and discussing grinders with their "experts" they steered me to the Baratza Vario grinder that I ended up purchasing 11 mo and 3 weeks later the grinder gave up the ghost Prior to this I asked them to assist me with an issue about the grinder and they did not hesitate to send me to the "manufacturer" Baratza who after many attempts { sending videos with sound, descriptions of the issue, cleaning out the machine etc) did not resolve the issue. But today the machine quit. Companies (Clive) that wash their hands of their customers are not ones I want to do business with as I never will again. Baratza is sending me a replacement grinder which if I could send back to clive in a minute for a refund but they will never do this. A) This is a cheap machine, I have other grinders previous to this that did not fail. Hundreds of dollars less B) Baratza folk seemed happy to offer me a 50% repair ( if my machine was off warranty ( which thankfully it was not) C) My communication with August of Clive coffee sums up what I should have known before making such a purchase {{Agreed! If you're looking for a lifetime grinder, I'd check out Eureka as a manufacturer. Their solid metal construction makes them really sturdy, and all the parts are replaceable!}} Yes I want a grinder that last longer than the lifetime of a gnat. D) I am a home user and I expect a 500$ grinder to last more than a year. E) I am getting a replacement grinder from Baratza and want Clive to take it back and refund my money for this worthless piece of junk F) If you are a home user I would steer clear of Clive, they are truly not supportive and will sell you what they want you to have not what works. read more

*** Update *** Clive Coffee has resolved my issues and I am very happy with the commitment to real customer service excellence by the team at Clive Coffee... Highly recommend Clive Coffee if you are in the market to purchase an espresso machine - great company! Original complaint: Very happy with the buying experience. Ben was fantastic, and spent a good amount of time reviewing their machines with me. My machine, the one I ended up buying, had to replace 6 parts in under 6 months and I ended up shipping it back for further diagnosis. They were able to fix it, but it had another issue when it came back. Spent some time on the phone trying to diagnose the problem, but in the end I had to ship back again. I have spent over $200 in shipping on this machine. The manufacturer has been of little direct help to me, maybe they have worked behind the scenes with Clive Coffee. Hopefully Clive Coffee will stand behind their sale and do the right thing - we will see. read more

I bought a machine designed by Clive Coffee on Craigslist and went into the store the next day to get a few replacement parts. I was open about how I had come to be a Clive Coffee customer and explained what I needed. Ben Piff was very helpful-- he even asked me which of the two machines on Craigslist over the last week I had bought, to give you an idea of the level of detail the company pays attention to for its machines in the Portland market. He asked me about my setup and what I was planning on using and I was ready to go in about five minutes. Why is this remarkable? I've been in a similar situation twice with other espresso parts providers in the Portland area, and as soon as they realized I wasn't in their store to buy a machine, they treated me like dirt. One store employee told me that they were sure they didn't have a part I was looking for and then went back to looking at his computer. I ended up walking over to the shelf, grabbing the part, and slamming it down on the counter about fifteen seconds later. For the other store, I asked if I could bring a machine in briefly to see if a portafilter would fit. When I came in with the vintage machine, the clerk looked at me as if I had just walked in with a dead dog and then made a bunch of shady comments about the equipment. As a result, I truly dreaded going into another espresso store for the opportunity to be condescended to. Clive Coffee was not condescending at all and seemed to be genuinely interested in supporting their branded product even though I wasn't the first owner. Clive Coffee also has an excellent set of videos about espresso machine maintenance and technique that I watched before I even moved to Portland. (Kindly ask the videographer to work on not cutting the top of presenter's head's off, if you're reading this.) They're definitely knowledgeable, and I have no doubt this would be a great place to go if you wanted to buy a machine new and get an in-depth overview of the various kinds of machines available. I will definitely look out for classes offered by Clive in the future. read more

I just purchased a Baratza grinder free shipping recieved it in 2 days. I am also dealing with Seattle Coffee Gear right now, what a joke they are you cannot even get to talk to someone you get hung up on immediately or within 2 min. When I called Clives got threw right away please keep that in mind, when deciding on which vendor to use call them first, if you cannot get threw to them, why do business with them. From now on I will use Clives for all my online coffee needs, and repairs and maintenance for my Rocket Giotti espresso machine. Do your research on the vendors first before you buy, I did not do that and paying the price with Seattle Coffeee Gear read more

Gorgeous, minimalist shop to match the sleek machines. Mark obviously has a fetish for walnut (not a bad thing at all..). Mark and his colleagues are warm, knowledgeable, and expert baristas to boot. I don't buy heaps of fancy espresso equipment--but if I need to, I'll go back to Clive. For serious. My only complaint is that the location is a little.. meh. But who knows: within five years the inner SE industrial area could be the next Pearl! (My fingers are crossed that it doesn't happen.) read more

My husband and I took their home barista 2-hour class ($45 each) during our PDX visit and I'm so glad that we did! Our instructor Victoria was really informative and went over everything from the basics to the more specific details for people that were more advanced. Having never touched an espresso machine before, it was great to get such individualized attention (there were only 4 people in our class) and the ability to pretty much test things out to our hearts galore. The studio in the back is designed to be an amazing classroom and is all set up with 5 espresso machines, 5 grinders, 5 scales, and even some shared cool pressure-induced washers (like the kind at commercial coffee shops). We started off the morning with information about storing coffee and then learned about how to dial the grind to get a good pull of espresso. She intentionally changed the grind settings so that we would have to adjust them to the correct grind by testing the speed of the pull. We also tasted the espresso at various points so we could taste an under- or over-extracted pull. Afterwards, we learned how to steam milk correctly, tried it a few times, and then put it all together by making and pouring our very own cappuccino. Finally, it ended with us sipping on our very own cappuccinos while Victoria explained how to maintain your home espresso machine. For the amount of coffee and milk we each went through and the individualized attention, I thought this was an extremely affordable class. You can also add-on a 1-hour advanced latte art class afterwards for $25 (or take it separately). You also get 15% off accessories the day you take the class. The entire store is gorgeously arranged. It's basically an Instagram photo waiting to be taken. read more

I bought a top of the line machine and grinder spent about 4k they where super great to work with order came fast and they where as nice as could be till it was all done ... Now i need some service work done ?? .. I'm sh_t out of luck have called and talked to them and e mailed many times support is a total joke .. they just stopped e mailing me hoping I would go away .. Its just a grinder switch button maybe a $10.00 part its now 7 month old I even told them tell me where to buy it and I'll pay some one here to put it in so I'm very done with them and they said "NO"... Just know they will kiss your but and make you feel good but no chance of service ever !! when they get paid they are 100% done with you ... They are jerks .... !!! read more

My coffee machine had an issue 10 months after purchase. At first, Clive sent me the replacement part. Clive kept making appointments with local tech companies to come fix the machine. The tech companies kept bailing (i.e. not coming to fix it). Clive understood that this was very frustrating and decided to send me a new machine. While it was frustrating the technician didn't come, I truly appreciate the professional attitude Clive demonstrated, understanding the customer and solving the issue. They didn't ask me to change / modify review as a condition, as many other companies do. They just did what was right. read more

Pretty much the best place around to buy coffee equipment. Clive has a helpful staff and a great selection of beautiful and functional coffee-related stuff. Plus, it's just down the road from Water Avenue Coffee, which is great. While their main business is probably espresso gear (which is expensive), Clive is worth a stop if only to make sure you're stocked with proper filters or grinder cleaning tablets or other specialty essentials that are otherwise difficult to find. read more

During our trip to Portland we decided to stop at Clive coffee to see the Lucca M58 in real life. Paul was fantastic, he talked to us even though right off the bat we told him that we were not looking to make a purchase and didn't want him to waste his time. He was very friendly about it and showed us the machine anyway, offered us the opportunity to pull some shots and answered all of our questions. I'm really glad I dropped by Clive and after this experience I am 100% sure that when the time comes I will be making my next coffee related purchase from them. read more

When I look for a special place to frequent I look for, above all, a special connection to the people who work there. Clive coffee has this in spades. I met two gentlemen in my search for the perfect gift for my coffee snob wife. I was greeted by Mark. He had a gentle demeanor and listened to what I was thinking about before he made some insightful, intelligent suggestions that made my eventual purchase the perfect present. This is where the experience usually ends, but not at Clive. Mark then asked if I wanted to sample some coffee that went through the entire pour over process using the Chemex Eight Cup Coffeemaker and using the Coava Kone Metal Chemex Filter instead of a paper filter. I jumped at the chance and at this point Mark called for Nunzi. Although it looked as if Mark called him away from something he was engaged in Nunzi looked almost excited to be able to share the knowledge of how to properly use this equipment. He chose the Ethiopia Harrar Longberry for our coffee to drink. He noted that with this process I would be able to really taste the notes of blueberry in this particular coffee. You have to understand that my wife works for a local coffee roaster so when I make coffee for her and know how to go through this process I will definitely earn brownie points. Thanks Nunzi! He described how to grind the bean, how to measure the grinds and the water to fully realize the equipment, how hot the water should be and how to pour the initial bit of water into the grinds to make the bloom just right. then how to finish the water pour and the time to do it. While all of this was going on he would also tell of stories about his personal experiences in Costa Rica. By the way the notes of blueberry in the Ethiopian Harrar were amazing! I've now have a plan as to what to get for my wife for Valentine's day to finish the search for the perfect pour over process and you can guarantee that I will be going to Clive Coffee for everything. They also told me about a tasting they have with New Deal Distillery (a local company) so my wife and I will both be going to check that out. I hope I've expressed how great this experience was, rock on Clive. read more

I bought a Lelit Victoria from Clive but ended up returning it because the steam performance was inadequate for my usage. I can't recommend the Victoria if you plan on making milk drinks regularly and expect milk texture resembling anything like what you'll find in a good café, but it is a single boiler so I knew I was taking a risk. Lesson learned: pay more money upfront and pay less in frustration later. My opinions on that model aside, my experience with Clive was nothing short of phenomenal. August is the name of the gentleman who assisted me. He was patient, knowledgeable, and kind through the whole process. He even humored me in testing my machine in-store to help me determine if the issue lied with the machine's performance or my own lack of experience. It turned out to be a bit of both. In the end, I walked out with an Elizabeth and so far this unit is performing MUCH more to my liking. Thank you, Clive, and August! I hope August gets some recognition for his amazing job! read more

This was a great place to visit to check out all the ways to make great coffee. No Mr. Coffee machines sold here! Super knowledgeable and friendly people work here. Good coffee house right next door. read more

Just bought a espresso machine for my cart from The good people at Clive. Couldn't be happier with the service. Professional, informative and friendly. Will do business in the future for a long time! Couldn't be more pleased!!! read more

I got a sample of their coffee at an open house at one of the local distilleries around Christmas time, and my husband loved it. He loved it so much that I ordered several bags from their site. Unfortunately, it was a limited edition roast and isn't available anymore, but the other roasts that we've tried since have been great. I would love to see Clive sell to local coffeeshops or open one of their own. Now that they have a showroom, hopefully I can pick up my order rather than pay for shipping. read more

From the time I purchased my Profitec Pro 700 and every step in between Clive Coffee has provided professional service and with the same passion and spirit I have for coffee. Ben, Tim and Ryan have been extremely patient whenever I had a question and needed to troubleshoot. Their customer service is second to none. Other business should look to Clive Coffee as a model for their own customer service practices. I recommend Clive Coffe to anyone looking for anything coffee equipment related. read more

My mother-in-law has left countless messages at this point trying to get someone to fix their one year old $2700 Profitec Pro 500 machine. Nobody will return her messages or answer her calls. She has sent emails and still nothing. Are you going out of business???? This has been such an obnoxious process for her. The machine is under warranty, but she can't speak to a soul at your company. What does she have to do to get this resolved???? read more

Clive reached out with an apology for the issues regarding my order. For me that goes a long way. As a good faith gesture they refunded my money. Thanks. read more

We ordered our Ratio Eight coffee machine from Clive last January (almost a full year ago) and our machine still hasn't been delivered. Each delivery date they've given us (and there have now been six) has gone unfulfilled and the excuses and non apologetic tone of their "updates" are beyond irritating. Don't act like I'm lucky to be paying you half a grand for a glorified pour-over, and drop the pretentious 'tude for five seconds when dealing with the customers who aren't getting what they paid for despite your repeated empty promises. *UPDATE* Thank you for your reply, Mark! There IS something you can do, and it's to send me the coffee maker I ordered and paid for almost a year ago. Thanks! Xo read more

A big thank you to Clive coffee! I purchased a grinder and espresso machine from them and had the opportunity to come in for a full demo! Ben was fantastic help. Atmosphere was great! Learned so much! Thanks! Highly recommend if you are looking for help or a good machine! read more

Ordered open box machine and new grinder after working with the crew for the decision and machine arrived and didn't work. Worked with Gil for a week over the phone to try and get it working and he finally said to ship it back and they would do a full refund. I did and kept the grinder but didn't receive the full refund, but a 20percent restocking fee was charged. This was against what I was told by the technician. Would go to one of many other great places to buy equipment from in the future. read more

Beautiful shop, very hands off sales staff. Would have loved to see more demonstration, education or sampling in-store; the venue seems perfect for showing a potential customer the benefits of a high-quality machine. Not much information was offered nor did I see any postings for home barista classes or anything. Perhaps they thought I was just browsing? Missed opportunity. Still, a gorgeous store -- they just did not seem that eager to sell to me. read more

We are coffee people. Clive is coffee. Investment coffee, but if you are looking to upgrade your grinder, tamper, espresso maker, etc, go here! Staff is incredibly knowledgeable. They carry high quality product lines. Very friendly and helpful. Ask for Chris, he's the best. read more

A few years ago, I purchased [online] a Rancilio Silvia espresso machine from Clive Coffee. Recently lost the backflushing disk -- sent in request to help find a replacement. Ben pointed me in the right direction and suggested getting a gasket while I was at it. I got the cleaning kit, gasket and backflush. My order was processed quickly -- the gasket was the right one -- and my machine (and the grinder) are as good as new. Thanks! read more

The customer service at Clive Coffee is exceptional. I recently purchased a hand grinder and a stainless steel coffee filter for home use. Brad walked me through their selection of hand grinders and didn't try to up-sell me on a more expensive grinder when I chose the mid-priced Zassenhaus Panama coffee mill. They have an excellent selection for a small business and I will definitely be returning for my next coffee investment. read more

Saw Clive Coffee's posts on Home Barista.com and decided to check them out. The shop is in inner SE Portland on SE Washington. Their building has a display area up front and warehouse space in back. I was greeted by Nunzi. We conversed about how I found them and what my current equipment consisted of. I asked questions about their roasting. Nunzi said they roast / package on Tuesday / Wednesday so there is always a freshly roasted beans available. We talked about their equipment and accessories they had out for viewing / testing. Our conversation bounced around but I decided I needed a drip coffee set up as well as a couple of bags of their Lovejoy Espresso blend. He set me up, got some information and my credit card. He said he'd e-mail me a receipt. All in all it was a very pleasant experience. I am glad to have found them and glad they are here in Portland. I tried their Lovejoy Espresso blend today. It look some grinder adjustment and some tamping adjustment but I dialed in a nice double shot of espresso using a bit less than 18 grams - 25 to 30 seconds extraction time to yield 2 ounces of liquid. Very sweet, creamy and full bodied with a nutty / caramel / chocolate taste. I enjoyed it both as an espresso and later as an Americano adding about 4 ounces of hot (filtered) water to a double shot. I look forward to trying their other coffee offerings. read more

We live in PA and found Clive by online reviews--especially at Homebarista.com. We are true newbies, and spoke with Ben, Karen and Mark. We explained our goals for our new hobby and they listened intently and carefully. After a number of patiently received calls, we settled on a machine and a package of accessories. One week later we received our delivery. Report--This evening after a few hours of setup, we pulled our first 2 shots. Were they as expected??? Best description--these may be close to the proverbial god shot!!! So--Clive steered us in the right direction. They could not have been nicer and more informative. Look forward to being "Clivers" for many years to come. read more

We spent about an hour here checking out different machines. The guy pulled espresso for us on the two machines we were comparing. He was very knowledgable and gave very honest opinions. He did not try to sell us on any particular machine. He invited us to come back and try the machines out ourselves before we made a final decision. There's a small kids' toy area under the stairs by the bathrooms, which was really nice for keeping our kids' bored little fingers off all the shiny coffee paraphernalia. They sell bags of beans there, and if you don't get any sample pulls, there's a (totally unrelated, I believe) coffee shop next door. read more

These guys are great. First and foremost, they give you a totally honest assessment of the various coffeemakers and espresso machines with all of the pros and cons. They do not try to sell you the most expensive machine. And they know their stuff. After asking a million questions, I felt that I had all the information I needed to choose my machine and the right coffee grinder. I ended up buying a relatively inexpensive Bonavita drip coffee maker, but I might just as well have been buying a top-of-the line espresso maker by the way they treated me. Many of the machines can be repaired on site. If you live in Portland, this is reason enough to buy from them. When I called to check on my order (and add an extra coffee carafe), Chris saw that I only lived a couple of blocks from him and offered to drop off my order on his way home from work. I was able to pick it up instead, but I think this is just reflective of the kind of business they run. In my case, I could have ordered the same products online. I'm so glad I didn't. read more

Please note this review only focuses on Clive Coffee's customer service with respect to placing an order and answering my questions on one of their products. I hope to update in the future as my relationship with the company continues. I was in the market for a basic auto drip coffee machine. My wife required a machine that makes coffee at the push of a button. So I wanted to replace our old machine with a top of the line model. I research everything to the fullest. I was trying to decide between a "proven" Technivorm machine vs Clive Coffee's own "Ratio" model. I was very impressed with the design and felt many things that are important to me as a consumer were answered by this machine and with this company. I'm not normally one to buy anything until there are a plethora of reviews, videos and a proven track record for a product. However, I made an exception with this product. I would not have made this exception without a great email conversation with Mark. I emailed and Mark got back to me right away with some really great responses to my detailed questions. This kind of customer service makes me feel good about making an investment in a coffee machine with this company. I'm excited to be one of the first people to get their hands on this machine and to continue to give business to Clive Coffee / Ratio. I hope to do a full review on the model once I receive it. read more

Very Happy with Both Clive Coffee & the Pro 300 we bought. (read my Pro 300 review on Clive's site great machine) Clive Coffee is a fine example of a great company to deal with. Great Prices, Great service both on the phone or via email if your buying online as I did. Most importantly their help does not end with the sale. They go the extra mile to be sure your happy with your purchase even sending along a nice fresh bag of their Love Joy Blend Coffee Beans, Clive Logo Micro Towel & Shot Glasses... very nice! Thank You Clive for your help in making this a super smooth transaction with great follow up. We will continue to get everything coffee we need from you first read more

After a rough start, Clive has come through and made sure that my shopping experience was a good one. I suspect that my initial experience was an anomaly and I would now recommend buying from Clive. read more

Worst customer service ever. I would not buy from this company. I bought a Ranclio Sylvia from them that malfunctioned shortly after purchasing online (about 3-4 weeks). I emailed, called, emailed, called, etc. for over a month to finally get a call back only to have them tell me the machine is likely broken because of misuse on my part, mind you they never made any attempt to have the machine returned to actually look at the machine. According to Rancilio they were suppose to honor the warranty and did not. Luckily the manufacturer stood behind their product and within a few minutes they were emailing me a shipping label to get the machine repaired. If you want the worst customer service experience ever then you have the right place, otherwise shop elsewhere. read more

I was looking for an upgrade from my Rancillio Silvia which I've had for over ten years. After much online research I narrowed my choices down to two machines, the Profitec Pro 700 and the ECM Synchronika. During my search I ran across Clive Coffee's website. They sell both machines, have a lot of good information, and they're in Portland! I spoke with one of their employees on the phone who was very helpful and made arrangements to stop by their store. The store/showroom was very impressive. I was not pressured and all of my questions were answered. I eventually decided on the ECM. I would definitely recommend Clive Coffee to anyone looking for quality espresso or coffee machines and grinders. I'm looking forward to my first espresso with my new ECM tomorrow morning. read more

This review is for the Home Barista Class that Clive Coffee offers. Had a great Saturday morning with Victoria training us on the basics of pulling a good espresso shot and steaming milk. It's a much more involved process than I thought (having worked at Panera previously where everything is automated), and it was very helpful to have somebody knowledgable helping you along the way. I thought 2 hours was going to be way too long to just learn how to make a latte but you get to practice pulling a LOT of shots to fine tune them. There was a slight hiccup with one of the machines being off and needing to get warmed up first, but Victoria was super apologetic and fixed it as quickly as possible. You can tell they put a lot of effort into trying to make sure the class is a seamless experience. Definitely a helpful class if you plan on making lattes at home, or like us, are just interested in learning about the process. Classes are a little pricey, but overall I think it was worth it! As a plus, the whole shop and the back room where the classes are held are beautifully designed spaces! read more

The selection is fine, but the customer service is horrible. Granted I only spoke with two people, so only speaking about those two people. Very disappointed. After the experience at Clive went to a different place in NW and they were great, incredibly knowledgeable and great service. read more