Stoelting Inc

Review: Two Stoelting Twin Twist Softserve Custard Machines (Model [redacted]) were sold to my company on March 13 2013 with delivery on May 17 2013. The claims made by the company indicated “…greater reliability…worry-free operation…maximum profitability…long-wearing parts offer low preventative maintenance costs.”

There was a concern about the reliability of the machines prior to delivery and an inquiry about the issues resulted in the following response: "It was a combination or settings/controls/and refrigeration valves combined with a few issues of operational error. The equipment you will be receiving will be the latest version of the custard units, with factory updated settings implemented."

We opened for business on June 5 2013 and since then have had numerous malfunctions with both machines. Calls to the authorized service representative have resulted in either misdiagnosis and or temporary repair with subsequent malfunction again.

We rely on these machines for the majority of our business. We have lost significant revenue, lost wages for labor, our cost of goods has increased and our brand has been affected by the lack of product availability.

In the most recent episode one machine has been out of operation for six days. Four service visits with over 10 hours in service time have not resolved the problem. We are halfway through the service warranty period. Stoelting now wants to send a service technician from their factory to diagnose and repair the machine.

I have been more than patient and reasonable with their product and service. The machines are not functioning as advertised. They are not reliable, worry-free, low maintenance nor profitable.Desired Settlement: Complete refund of my costs and return of the custard machines.

Business

Response:

[redacted] basic timetable appears to be accurate

There are two O431 machines at this location and each machine has two freezing cylinders The problem was with one machine and not both, so during this time period one machine was fully operational while the second was not always operational Initial service calls made by local service provider did not fully solve the problem Issue was escalated and factory service technicians tried to troubleshoot the problem using the local service provider When the issue could not be fully resolved Stoelting flew two factory representatives to the store on November 22nd The factory representatives were able to diagnose the problem which was a very unusual electrical wiring problem Upon resolving that problem there was still another component problem with one of the two freezing cylinders on the one machine The local service provider returned to the store on November 25th to replace that component to make the machine fully operational As of this writing both machines and both cylinders are fully operational

To make up for the inconvenience of only having one machine for almost a month the one year parts and labor warranty on both of the machines has been re-started effective November 25, 2013, basically extending his warranty from 1 year to 1.5 years

Let us know if you have further questions.

Executive VP & General Manager

PW Stoelting LLC

502 Hwy 67

Kiel, WI 53042 USA

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

While I agree that the factory representatives and the local service provider were finally able to service the machine, the details and effort to achieve this result are being neglected or discounted. As the representative providing the response noted, On November 22nd, after 6 months of ownership, the machine was found to be delivered to my store with improper wiring. This was repeatedly misdiagnosed during service visits that required multiple phone calls, messages, machine cleaning, discharging and producing product, and last but not least, transmitting error data through the company's wireless data system by my staff. The improper wiring caused the motor to create an odor requiring total ventilation of our store on several occasions and also led to many customer complaints. In addition to the wiring problem another component that is essential for the proper production and quality of product had to be replaced three times before being deemed functional by the technician at the last service visit on November 25th. This entire process took approximately one month at which time we were left with a non-functional or intermittently functioning machine. Due to the issues with the machinery, we incurred an increase in operational costs and lost revenue despite many appeals for assistance from the service provider for timely repair. Only when the issue was escalated to a corporate level did we finally receive the necessary assistance. I appreciate the extension of the warranty for six months however I disagree that an extension of the service warranty makes up for the inconvenience of the financial losses and poor customer service we have experienced. Based on this experience and the response from the company, I am not confident in the future functionality and timely serviceability of these machines. If Stoelting continues to ignore how poor functioning or defective machinery affects a small business that depends on these machines to stay in operation, I want nothing to do with the company and I expect a full refund.

Regards,

Business

Response:

We received letter of 12-3-13 and will not be taking any further action in this matter. The equipment problem has been corrected and the equipment is fully functional. We have extended his warranty for 6 months.

Executive VP & General Manager