Power switch failed, fire hazard, unit barely used

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy to use, good temperature, made OK coffee, affordable.

Cons: Poorly made, no service centres, no spare parts, no assistance from Black & Decker/Applica.

The Bottom Line: 

Faulty power switch, fire hazard, no service centres, no replacement parts, poor customer service from Applica (Black & Decker Home).
Don't buy any of their small appliances.

Author's Review
I've owned this coffeemaker for a number of years, but only used it a handful of times (7-9x). It's in pristine condition.

One day I turned it on and heard a soft *snap* from the power switch. Something internal to the switch broke and was failing to make a connection, so the machine would no longer power on.
Turning the switch from the ON to OFF position produced an electrical spark. So not only is the unit inoperable because of a $5 part, it's also a safety and fire hazard.

Black and Decker have sold their small home appliance division to Applica marketing (http://www.applicainc.com), and I contacted them seeking a replacement switch since these units are still being made & sold.

The form-letter response from Applica Consumer Affairs:

"Unfortunately we no longer have service centers for repairing the units.

In reference to your parts inquiry, the parts requested are not consumer replaceable items; therefore, we are unable to provide them.

Despite the fact that components of the highest quality are used in our products, and they are subjected to rigid tests and inspections during the course of production, an unforeseen failure may occur at some point in time during actual use of a product."

So they sell junk, and offer absolutely no means of repairing it - producing items fit only for a landfill!

I've also asked for contact information for their parts supplier, power switch specifications, repair schematics... anything (I work with electronics at my job). I doubt they will be getting back to me.

I will never buy anything from Black & Decker, or any of the Applica Brands, ever again.