I can't comprehend for a moment how Vita-Mix has received a bad review. Perhaps those leaving bad reviews don't speak English or can't follow directions? My customer service experience with Vita-Mix is perhaps the best customer service experience of my life. First off - nobody offers a warranty as good as Vita-Mix...7 years warranty on a brand new kitchen counter appliance? It's unheard of. We have used our CIA (Culinary Institute of America) Professional Series (C-Series) almost every day for 5 years. It is outstanding.
The bearings went out on the container/blades a few weeks ago. This is to be expected since we have literally used it hundreds upon hundreds of times. I called Vita-Mix customer service and received outstanding customer service. The rep I spoke with greeted me very nicely. As I explained what the problem was she would answer immediately with "Yes, it sounds like this is the problem." She put me at ease immediately by saying, "You have complete coverage and we'll fix everything for you." She emailed me a pre-paid UPS label for me to send the unit back to the factory. She said they would replace the bearings/blades/seal in the container and get it back to me in like-new condition within 2 weeks.
I can only speak for myself and I had a WONDERFUL customer service experience with Vita-Mix.