Vinotemp International

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
I don feel that I should pay a restocking fee of 35% and all of the money that sent including the shipping and the dollar wire transfer fee.
Regards,
*** ***

The customer opened up an online ticketThe representative that was assisting him responded to him in a timely mannerWe had him run through some simple troubleshooting techniquesOur representative then determined that the best course of action would be to have a 3rd party technician look at itAt this point the customer was overstated as far as the timeline, stating that this has gone on for weeks when it had only been a course of daysWe then responded to him apologizing that we could not be any more help and that these questions are basic troubleshooting that we ask ALL of our customersHe then replied saying to stop email him or he would file for harassment. We told him that it may be a good idea to have a technician come out to inspect the unit based on the answers he gave us regarding the troubleshooting we went throughWe determined that the compressor was running and normally when this is the case, it is best to have a local tech diagnose the unitWhen the compressor is running and it is not cooling, there is little we can do over the phoneI had advised him that since I was not physically there, then it would be very hard to pinpoint the issueAfter the customer became upset at our answer and stated that “we are a joke” and we have the “worst customer service”We explained our processAt that point he was not listening to anything we had to say to help him resolve his problem

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.You are right, I was given the option of bringing the unit to VinoTemp myself, however, I have no idea how I am supposed to remove the unit from the wine cabinetI am not choosing to have you send someone out to remove it and take it to your facility as I am hoping to have the unit fixed in less than 2-weeks that I was quoted for diagnostics. I have chosen to contact one of the repair companies VinoTemp suggested to come out and take a look/repair the unit on siteAfter reviewing ***, I will not do business with EZ Appliance Repair due to overwhelming negative reviewsI contacted *** ***, only to be told that they do not have repair technicians to service the *** areaI just got off the phone with the 3rd repair company who told me that they cannot proceed without a work order from VinoTemp - something the VinoTemp technician I have been working with did not mentionHe also said that it was going to be very difficult to get parts for this unitI have contacted the VinoTemp technician by email and asked him about the work order.Before ever reaching the current VinoTemp technician, I left multiple messages with your customer service department over a period of weeks and was repeatedly told a technician would contact me as none were available whenever I called and, several times, I was told that although customer service is open until 5:00, the technicians turn off their phones at an earlier timeFinally, I was able to reach the current VinoTemp technician by phoneHe told me what to do to attempt to resolve the issue and to call him back if I had further problemsHis suggestions did not work and I then left voicemail messages for him which were never returnedFinally, a customer service rep gave me his email and we have traded a total of 8-emails and I still don't have a technician scheduled to repair the unitWe have many thousands of dollars invested in our wine collection and it is being ruined with every hour that goes byWe are extremely frustrated at how much time and energy we've invested in trying to resolve this problem, extremely frustrated with the possibility that parts will be difficult to get, and extremely frustrated with all the wine we are losing
Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
I have been complaining about this entire custom made unit from day I even tried to have them pick it up and take it away because of all of the problemsI understand their stubbornness because they have been swamped with complaints in recent months. I know they won't do anything about this unitI think the Revdex.com should give this company an F rating so that other people will be able to see what type of business they really are and how they treat their customers They should be given the worst rating possible and hopefully they will lose a significant portion of their sales because of how they act and how nasty this company really isObviously this comes from the topWhen an owner doesn't care about the internal issues of their business then the managers and supervisors don't care eitherThe customers suffer but ultimately the business will suffer. Nothing may happen to vinotemp now or in the near future, but sometime, someplace, when they least expect it...karma will come back to haunt them.
Regards,
*** *** ***

The customer placed an order with us for a replacement part 2.The customer was ordering from the Cayman Islands and paid via wire transfer so it took a few days to processWe shipped the package via UPSOnce the package was received the customer had a technician install the part which according to
the technician the part was defectiveI requested a service report from the technician and it stated that the control board had been usedParts are not usedWe sent a replacement part free of charge since the first one was defectiveI provided tracking to the customer once that was availableYes, the second part was sent via USPS We would be happy to send the customer another control board or refund him for the part with a 35% restocking fee and freight costs

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Regards,
*** ***
When I first called for service I was told they were going to replace the coolerThey then changed their mind and wanted to try replacing the compressorI was told that if it did not take care of the problem they would then replace the coolerThe cooler did run sound better but the more it ran the louder it gotI sent them another recording of the noise and was then was told it was out of warrantySince they tried to repair the cooler under warranty and it still was still making noise I think they should still take care of the problemI was their choice to spend the time and money replacing the compressor but I was told they would replace the cooler if did not take care of the problem

We are in the Los Angeles area and the customer was provided a few optionsOne option I did not see is for her to drop off her unit since we are in the Los Angeles areaThese were the options, as the parts are under warranty however the service is no longer under warranty. You can send the
unit in for>>>> repair to us in *** ***We can give you numbers to>>>> technicians that can go out and take a look at the unit for you or>>>> we can go out and pick up the unit for you for a $feeWe>>>> will need about 2-weeks to diagnose and repair the unit. We hope that we can solve the customers issues and that she chooses an option for repair so that her unit gets working again

We are truly sorry for all the delay and inconvenience causedWe understand customer is stating parts were returned to VinotempWe have reached out to customer asking to provide tracking information of return so that we can process a credit memoA return authorization number was
not originally processed as procedure requires to do so before initiating a returnWhen proper procedure is not followed unfortunately it takes a bit longer to process paperworkIf customer is able to provide tracking information for return we will immediately process a credit/refund accordingly and send customer a copy for his records

The customer opened up an online ticket days agoThe representative that was assisting him responded to him in a timely mannerWe had him run through some simple troubleshooting techniquesOur representative then determined that the best course of action would be to have a 3rd party technician
look at itAt this point the customer overstated the timeline, stating that this has gone on for weeks when it had only been a course of days (date of ticket)I then responded to him apologizing that we could not be any more help and that these questions are basic troubleshooting that we ask ALL of our customersHe then replied saying to stop email him or he would file for harassment

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I have enclosed the specifications and installation instructions for clarification.  I personally selected the unit (not my installer) because it claimed to cool air for a 200 cu ft space and my space is only 88 cu ft.  I chose the Top Exhaust because there is a large "dead space" (approximately 5 feet) between the ceiling of the wine cellar and the flooring above.  The unit was installed per the enclosed instructions.  After consultation with [redacted] a solid/insulated door was added to the cellar and the area under the cooling unit was opened up.  These points are all moot, however, because when the unit was removed and bench tested we failed to get a reading under 55 degrees.  This is why the unit was returned to VinoTemp.
Regards,
[redacted]

We apologize for the missed messages. The 2nd bag has been shipped to the customer.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Both Vinotemp and the shipper(s) noted how the shipper is trying to work with me.  Other than informing me that I must pay $80 for a "non-standard" weekend delivery or pay 35% of the approx $1500 order price for "refusing" to receive the shipment, no one has reached out to me regarding a more flexible and reasonable alternative than the two "standard delivery" days in my area.  If Vinotemp or one of the shippers, ICAT Logistics or
[redacted] is trying to accommodate me and work with me, I am waiting to receive word regarding this.  Where is it?
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.The only trouble shooting actions the company offered were to 1) unplug the unit and 2) take it to a repair shop.  They did not really attempt to trouble shoot and help me figure out why it was not working.  In addition, they sold an inferior product, do they really expect their wine coolers to last only 3 years before failure.  They made the whole service process unacceptable and should never claim as on their website the following ... this is not true: "Our goal is to provide the three most important aspects of a successful business; Quality, Value and Service. We are known in this industry to provide a high quality product for an affordable price."  In addition, they have failed to even recognize their failure ruined my wine collection.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that the vendor's response is inaccurate in terms of the facts in this case.  They have agreed to replace the cooling unit (finally after never provding what they promised), but I have yet to receive it.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The
delivery to my home of the wine fridge on Saturday was appreciated.  The
original issue regarding the weekend delivery is resolved.  I am writing
this additional response to note for the record my concerns with the longevity
of the product as well as other issues that arose during the delivery. 
Because of the occurrences that follow it is my strong opinion that Vinotemp
should reconsider doing business with anyone contracted with the shipper Alpine
Cartage.  The business is a liability to Vinotemp and its customers.
Saturday I met the truck driver outside my building.  There was only one deliveryman
to deliver this large and heavy item.  Due to insufficient labor and
inappropriate equipment, the man was unable to properly lower the box
containing the wine fridge from the truck to the ground so he simply pushed it
off the truck and onto the ground where it dropped about 4 feet and landed onto
the wood base with a crash.  I expressed my concern immediately to the deliveryman.
Following that, once at my door the delivery man initially refused to let me inspect the wine
fridge even though Vinotemp had prominently adhered a sign to the box  that read customers
are to inspect the product before signing for the delivery.  He still
refused even after I also informed him that the terms and conditions I agreed
to stipulated that customers are to perform this inspection at delivery. 
The man said that this is not the procedure Alpine Cartage follows.  It does not
permit Vinotemp customers to inspect the product before purchase.  The man
said the sign meant that the box, not the product, should be inspected for
holes before signing for delivery.  He ended up calling his supervisor who
had to get back to us with the answer.  It was quite an issue before the
supervisor finally called his deliveryman back and gave the okay for me to inspect
the product.
After that, the next issue was that the deliveryman refused to bring the item
into my home, this was before I had opened the box.  He said that due to an going litigation where Alpine Cartage was being taken to court because its worker(s) had damaged that customer's floors that Alpine Cartage no longer brings items into homes,
but leave the items at the doors for the customers then to take inside.  I
informed the man that this was not something I could do with this heavy
item.  This was outrageous!  I had never encountered such an
outlandish policy for such a large and heavy product delivery.  It is the
norm for the shipping industry to not only bring such items into homes, but
to also set it down where the customer requests.  When the deliveryman
finally called his supervisor again and got the approval to bring the delivery
into my home the man then refused to place it in the kitchen per my
request.  I acquiesced because the difference between where he set the box and where I requested it be placed was a few feet away in an adjacent
room.
The next issue was that when the man opened the box in the foyer of my
apartment so I could inspect the product he almost damaged my floor due the
lack of sufficient labor by having another man on the job and due care on his part to ask for my assistance to keep the heavy dolly with the medal wheels
furthered weighed down by the wood base attached to the product from crashing onto my wood floors as he
slid the product onto the floor.  Thank goodness I was standing nearby and
successfully grabbed the dolly and crate preventing them from damaging the wood
floors in my entryway.  This became another issue causing me to ask him to
stand by the entry door in my apartment away from any visible possessions after
he also knocked down an item in my hallway and it became clear after all of the
above incidents that he did not care enough to be careful and use common sense when it came to delivery
items and in people's homes. He could not be trusted to not cause damage, so I
had him stand where there was absolutely nothing around him to damage while he
waited for me to inspect the product then sign the delivery form.
Given all of the above occurrences in addition to the "standard
deliver" issue of only delivering two days a week in certain areas, Alpine
Cartage has made it apparent that they operate so contrary to the normal
practices of the shipping industry that Vinotemp should not contract with any
organization doing business with Alpine Cartage.It is apparent that Alpine Cartage does not enforce a policy requiring its employees to practice due care with deliveries and in peoples homes.  Instead of  stressing that employees operate with due care and with common sense, the organization has adopted the policy to renege on performing the full delivery duties of bringing the items into home of recipients and setting the items where requested.Please note that I indicated the issue of dropping the box from the truck on the delivery sheet when I signed it.  I recorded some of the conversations with the deliveryman and his supervisor.  Also note that this morning I notified Vinotemp customer service of a possible issue with the the temperature fluctuating by six degrees within 45 minutes which is unacceptable for storing wine.  I know from the users manual that it is normal for the temperature to fluctuate but I cannot be sure as to whether what I have encountered is due to that or the four foot drop the wine fridge took when it fell from the truck.  Either way, temperature fluctuations of six degrees several times a day is adverse to the proper aging of wine.  I would like Vinotemp to address this and the other concerns noted above.
Regards,
[redacted]

This unit is not supposed to be “ducted”. The customer is stating there is a 5 foot area between the roof area and wine cellar which means the hot exhaust would have to travel 5 feet before reaching the roof. This is why the unit was not cooling. We explained this to the customer and he disagreed with our installation instructions. The hot exhaust needs to be going directly into the open space and cannot have any area that it needs to travel through.

The customer was informed that if we received the unit and it tested OK, then he would be charged $125 for diagnosing plus shipping. [redacted] was in contact with this customer and was very responsive. The way he has the unit installed is the reason it is not cooling. [redacted] has told him that on multiple...

occasions. If you see the attached email stating these charges and [redacted] trying to assist as much as he could. The installed purchased it from a 3rd party dealer I believe. His installer did not consult with us prior to purchasing this unit. If that would have been the case he may not have had this issue. We are a manufacturer not installer.

Freight company has agreed to pay for the extra service of the 80$ saturday delivery. We hope this satisfies the customer.

Seems there was a miscommunication within our company. We will be reaching out to said customer and advising that they will not be liable for the $56.00 in storage charges to close this case.