The Appliance Coffee Lovers Might Regret Buying At Costco

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you're looking for an affordable yet modern coffee maker to spruce up your daily caffeine ritual, checking out Costco's selection seems like a great place to start. Maybe you have your eye on the Keurig K-Café Barista Bar Single-Serve Coffee Maker and Frother. This multi-function Keurig is sold at Costco for $99.99 (at the time of writing). While there are many things Costco does better than Sam's Club, stocking this fancy new Keurig model may be a rare swing and a miss from the popular big box chain. 

Though Costco offers fairly high-quality coffee pods and prices this machine better than other stores do, reviewers agree that this barista-style coffee maker doesn't live up to the hype. With a slim, sleek design and controls to adjust both the brewing temperature and strength, the model boasts the ability to recreate your favorite caffeinated beverages with ease. It comes with a separate hand-held milk frother capable of aerating not only dairy milk, but vegan alternatives, like oat, as well. 

With all these features, $99.99 seems like a reasonable price, given the amount of money you'll save making frothy cappuccinos and iced mochas at home. However, recent reviews from Costco customers caution potential buyers to reconsider investing in a Keurig K-Café Barista Bar Single-Serve Coffee Maker and Frother. Reported issues with the machine range from refusing to turn on and brewing weak, lukewarm coffee. Others warn that "the frother does not work, it only heats up," (whisking the milk is part of the frother's job).

Some Costco members describe loving this coffee maker — until it suddenly stopped working within a few weeks, or even a few days. Those who were able to replace it under the warranty or via customer service report that the second model usually died just as quickly. This suggests an issue with the model overall, rather than a few bad apples in an otherwise bountiful bushel. 

Even the customers who performed regular cleanings and maintenance on their Keurig machines cite issues with water temperature. Complaints about the controls to make hot or iced drinks not working well, creating tepid hot brews, and unpleasantly warm iced ones, are common. A Costco customer review states, "Had to return ASAP. Coffee was not even hot! Brew was terrible." 

Possibly the worst part of the situation is the shocking lack of customer service. Keurig has been called out for sending customers previously used and returned models, as evidenced by coffee stains on the replacement machines. One Costco customer noted, "The replacement was a refurbished unit, and it stopped working altogether with no power a little after a year." Per these same reviews, customers who contacted Keurig directly had difficulty reaching a live person to help them. Those who eventually did were frequently denied returns, refunds, or replacements, due to claims they were attempting to return secondhand machines, which was not the case.