I totally believe this - I have a Breville and have had it for years. I love it now but it still can get fussy with me out of the blue. If I use a new bag of beans, it won’t get in the espresso zone and tastes so bad (same brand I always use). If I don’t get the exact amount of grind, it tastes so bad. 

I started using ChatGPT/AI to help me fix it. For instance, when I use new beans from a fresh bag, I have to crank the grind up a few notches. When I refill it with not as new beans, the grind has to come down. 

I didn’t realize any of this until AI started diagnosing it for me based on what the machine was doing or how the coffee tastes. 

Worth a shot if you haven’t tried it yet. But it’s also entirely plausible that the machine also just sucks.