I much prefer freshly-ground coffee to pre-ground. When you pre-grind, some of the oils can dry up and the coffee can taste stale. I have a blade grinder and have never felt that the resulting coffee tasted burnt.

Never. It is most likely, your coffee maker. I have had the best coffee from a french press. My SO and I purchased two single serving french presses. Because we usually don't drink more than 1 cup, this is perfect for us. And if we would like another cup, we can easily make another FRESH cup of coffee :- D
We always buy whole beans, and grind ONLY what we are going to use at that time, about 3 scoops.

I agree with the first poster, fresh ground is always the best and has the most potent flavor. We had a Jura espresso coffee machine that made the perfect cup every morning by grinding the beans per cup. Ground coffee can also be good, but never as good as fresh ground.

I only buy the beans and grind them myself. To me, the taste is much better than pre-ground.