VinoTemp Wine-Mate Refused to send a technician to repair a defective wine cooling system within warranty Rancho Dominguez, California
I spent several thousand dollars for a split system cooling system for a wine seller manufactured and sold by Vino-Temp. The system was professionally installed. The system stopped working after 6 months. I called Vino Temp to request a warranty repair. They said their warranty was limited to the cost of the part only. I pointed out to them that the warranty is not limited to the cost of the part or a new part, but instead says that they are obligated to "repair or replace the product free of charge."
When I pointed this out to their customer service manager, he responded by saying, well then you can have the unit disconnected and shipped to our factory and we will replace the part. The cost of having an HVAC technician remove the unit, the shipping and the professional re-installation of the unit will likely be near the amount paid for the unit. I feel Winemate has provided a worthless warranty and does not stand behind its products. I would never order a product form a company that the company will not repair within a year of purchase when it fails. If you are going to spend the money on a wine cooling system, I would look to a more reputable company.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
strommer
Washington,United States of America
Stay Classy VinoTemp !!!
#4General Comment
Fri, March 16, 2012
Wow
Just think that for the cost of a tech to come out and yank the defective part,the shipping cost of sending it back for fix/replacement and back then to have to tech get the unit running resulting in a happy customer would probably be far less than the amount of revenue that will surely be lost from future customers reading this report and the response from the Company. Someone should be fired for not making this right.
Unhappy Customer
West Friendship,Maryland,
United States of America
Vino Temp You are Misrepresenting your warranty terms
#4Author of original report
Fri, March 16, 2012
You state that your warranty does not cover "labor." Your explanation of your warranty is contradicted by the express language in the warranty. Your warranty covers problems caused by defects in material and workmanship. The limitation you cite is a limitation on what triggers coverage. Yes, it states that a defective part is what is covered, and not improper installation. However, as to the remedy section of your warranty, it covers the cost to "repair or replace" the defective product. You have a fairly standard "repair and replace" warranty. You tried to then slip in unconscionable terms requiring the party ship the product back, but no court of law has ever enforced such ridiculous terms. The way that your company is deliberately misreading your warranty renders it a false warranty, an illusory promise, and something that is hard to imagine would ever be enforceable. It is amazing to me that someone can spend thousands of dollars on your system, and when it fails in the first year, you essentially tell them to pound sand.
As for your statement: "Though your cooling unit was installed by a professional, the installation was not completed by a Vinotemp Certified Technician to ensure proper installation." Where is it in your warranty that it says your products need to be installed by Vino Temp certified technicians? Are you saying that the master certified HVAC technician I hired to install the system did something wrong? My whole point to your customer service representative was to say that if it was installed improperly, I will pay for the repair and diagnosis, but if it turns out that it was a defective part, I think Vino Temp's warranty covers not only the part, but the diagnosis and repair costs. Your wonderful customer service Manager told me, well, its the United States, so if you don't like it, just sue us. Thanks Vino Temp, way to stand behind your product.
Vinotemp
United States of AmericaCompany response to customer
#4UPDATE Employee
Fri, March 16, 2012
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to communicate why our Customer Service department did not meet your expectations. We appreciate customers who take the time to let us know of their experiences with our products and services.
While we understand that this has been a frustrating experience for you, unfortunately we must point out that our Terms and Conditions state that our Wine-Mate Split Systems are warranted for parts only for a period of 12 months, with labor not included in the warranty.
Though your cooling unit was installed by a professional, the installation was not completed by a Vinotemp Certified Technician to ensure proper installation. Our service staff would be happy to work with you to get your system operating once again; however, we can only cover the cost of the part that should be replaced/repaired as per our Terms and Conditions.
Please accept our sincerest apologies in this matter and we want to thank you for bringing these concerns to our attention.