Our Coffee Machine, A Lifetime Warranty!

Special for Valentine's Day 2011

I met Ameer in 1991, we've been married 17 years, one of the many things we have in common is a passion for a good cup of coffee.

Many moons ago (perhaps 16 years), for Ameer's Birthday, I set out to buy him a decent coffee machine.

Through our years together, we maintained a morning ritual that consists of a large coffee pot enough to serve two cups for each one of us. The only exception being when one of us is traveling.

Ameer likes to grind the coffee beans right before making the coffee and he prefers to wake up to coffee already brewing. So, when I found a coffee machine that can be timed to grind the preset amount of beans and brew the coffee all by itself, I knew I had found the perfect match for his taste.

The price tag of $199.00 was a bit shocking to me but the 'Lifetime Warranty' on the display encouraged me to inquire further. The salesperson at the specialty store explained that the manufacturer will guarantee this machine for as long as I own it. If anything happens to it, it'll be exchanged for a new one, without a receipt or without any questions asked.

To be honest, I was very skeptical of the "lifetime warranty" but the machine was such a perfect choice that I gladly purchased it. My husband was thrilled with his present and started using it immediately.

The first test came a few years later when I broke the pot while cleaning it. I called the store to ask about a replacement and I was told to bring in the whole machine and pick up a brand new one in its place. There was no need for a receipt or any forms to fill out; original packaging wasn't needed either.

A few years passed and something went wrong with the machine's filter system. By then the store where I purchased it had closed down. I called another specialty store at another mall and asked them if they carry the brand. To our luck, they did and honored the same lifetime warranty with the same courtesy.

It has been a long time since we picked up our last coffee machine (#3 under the lifetime warranty) and we couldn't be happier or more satisfied with its performance.

As we were enjoying our morning coffee a couple of weeks ago, I started thinking how much a marriage is like our coffee machine. It comes with a lifetime warranty not because the manufacturer thinks the machine is perfect, but because it guarantees that it will do everything to stand by the high standards it is offering the consumer. It set out to be faithful to its mission of delivering the best coffee experience possible knowing fully well there might be flaws or that challenges might arise. It is so confident of the quality of its product that it will give you a brand new machine every time you run into difficulty.

How wonderful is the promise of faithfulness, loyalty, love and dedication to one's marriage? We write vows, we say them out loud, we renew them and we live by them. A marriage is hard work, requires consistent commitment and daily maintenance. When it is successful, its pleasures are subtle and innumerable just like that cup of coffee that binds us together around an enchanting aroma, a rich flavor and a unique loving conversation!

When I think of our morning coffee which has set the tone for our days over many years, I can't but be grateful to one simple-looking coffee machine that has delivered something very special to our relationship that no words can honestly and accurately describe.

Here is to many more moons of a balanced, blissful marriage and a lifetime of coffee pleasure at our home!

Happy Valentine's Day to my husband and everyone who reads this! May all your days be wrapped in Love!