KitchenAid KTT340 2-Slice Toaster

I have always heard great things about Kitchen Aid and I currently own a couple of their products. It has always been my understanding that their products are made to last for years to come. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to see if my KTT340 would last, as the first one I purchased was defective. I returned it to the store and brought a second one home - again with very high hopes. I ended up returning that one, as it, too, was defective. I even took the liberty of contacting Kitchen Aid directly to insure that I wasn't doing something wrong, but even they assured me that the unit was defective. In the end, the manager of the store where I purchased my toaster ended up checking all the KTT340 toasters on sight only to discover that they were all defective. I don't know if this was just a bad batch or if I should steer clear of this model toaster. To say the least, I was very disappointed, as I really had my heart set on a Kitchen Aid. Perhaps my opinion of this toaster will change if I can ever find one that actually works.