zmanonice wrote:Question for you. If you have a wine locker, how do you protect yourself if the locker provider fails to pay his rent? In that case the landlord changes the locks and you can't get in, and I thought they could use the contents of the building to pay off the debt. Curious minds want to know what happens next.

Z

Well, I signed a big lease agreement when I got mine which shows that I retain ownership of my wine, so I don't see how'd a landlord would be able to sell your contents. In my case, the owner of the wine locker business also owns the part of the building where the wine locker is located so it shouldn't be an issue.

kylemittskus wrote:Cooler fixer guy came today. $127 for the visit and he's going to call me with a total cost for the replacement part and the labor. He's guessing $1200-$1500. OUCH!!!!!

Wow, I'm glad I own a Vinotemp now...

Husband decided we needed to get a larger cooler, so a Eurocave 170 capacity is now ours. I know we're not going to get 170 bottles in here, but does anyone have tips on arranging the shelves and loading it so we get the most bottles in it?

So here's where my life stands right now:

Ordered a Eurocave 259 performance 1-temp cooler. I erroneously assumed that the name meant that it would hold somewhere around 259 bottles. NOPE. Super misleading, IMO. Perhaps I should have researched better before buying. Thoughts?

Anyway, I wait the suggested 48 hours before plugging it in. And when I do plug it in... nothing. No lights, no compressor, no nothing. I call WE, get a voicemail which says I'll be contacted within one business day. No contact after two days. AmEx has been called and the charge is being disputed.

I am pissed.

kylemittskus wrote:So here's where my life stands right now:

Ordered a Eurocave 259 performance 1-temp cooler. I erroneously assumed that the name meant that it would hold somewhere around 259 bottles. NOPE. Super misleading, IMO. Perhaps I should have researched better before buying. Thoughts?

Anyway, I wait the suggested 48 hours before plugging it in. And when I do plug it in... nothing. No lights, no compressor, no nothing. I call WE, get a voicemail which says I'll be contacted within one business day. No contact after two days. AmEx has been called and the charge is being disputed.

I am pissed.

That sucks! Will they cover return shipping?

Due to the high cost of my monthly wine locker, and the fact that I might not end up moving after all, I'm going to start looking into the possibility of converting a small room I have no use for into a "wine cellar" if I can do it on the cheap.

kylemittskus wrote:So here's where my life stands right now:

Ordered a Eurocave 259 performance 1-temp cooler. I erroneously assumed that the name meant that it would hold somewhere around 259 bottles. NOPE. Super misleading, IMO. Perhaps I should have researched better before buying. Thoughts?

Anyway, I wait the suggested 48 hours before plugging it in. And when I do plug it in... nothing. No lights, no compressor, no nothing. I call WE, get a voicemail which says I'll be contacted within one business day. No contact after two days. AmEx has been called and the charge is being disputed.

I am pissed.

Get your full refund and run.
Get a different cooler by a different company through a different company. I don't think I would ever buy anything through wine enthusiast.

cortot20 wrote:Get your full refund and run.
Get a different cooler by a different company through a different company. I don't think I would ever buy anything through wine enthusiast.

That's my plan and that's why I got AmEx involved.

@RWF: They'd f-ing better. I'm not paying for a thing. Even if they offer to fix it (which they'd have to since I have a 5-year warranty), I'm going to tell them to pick it up and F off.

The thing that sucks, though, is that my wine is sitting not at the proper temperature and has been this entire time. And now, it's going to be for longer.

Any update Kyle? I really hope it works out OK for you, I know how frustrating it can be. Especially for such an expensive item.

We had our order placed for the EuroCave through WE, but backed ou when we found something we liked better (looks) for a bit less money. The deal breaker though was that I can service it myself if there is ever a problem. We get it delivered on July 20th, I'll post an update once we receive it. Best of luck.

I paid with AmEx through PayPal (mistake) so it looks like AmEx kicked the issue to PayPal. I'm going to call them today and see. As of now, nothing new. And still frustrated.

kylemittskus wrote:I paid with AmEx through PayPal (mistake) so it looks like AmEx kicked the issue to PayPal. I'm going to call them today and see. As of now, nothing new. And still frustrated.

So, Wine Enthusiast still has not contacted you?!?!

sdwindansea wrote:So, Wine Enthusiast still has not contacted you?!?!

I got a call after AmEx had contacted them. They left a VM as I was at work. I have zero desire to use a warranty on an item that never worked, though. I have zero faith in the company, their customer service, or their methods (labeling the cooler with an arbitrary # that, based on the reviews, many people confused with the capacity just as I did).

kylemittskus wrote:I got a call after AmEx had contacted them. They left a VM as I was at work. I have zero desire to use a warranty on an item that never worked, though. I have zero faith in the company, their customer service, or their methods (labeling the cooler with an arbitrary # that, based on the reviews, many people confused with the capacity just as I did).

Its amazing how quickly you get a call back once you get a major credit card company involved. Unfortunately I had to do that to a winery once when they charged me 2.5 times what they should have and were very slow about correcting it. Worked like a charm.

kylemittskus wrote:I got a call after AmEx had contacted them. They left a VM as I was at work. I have zero desire to use a warranty on an item that never worked, though. I have zero faith in the company, their customer service, or their methods (labeling the cooler with an arbitrary # that, based on the reviews, many people confused with the capacity just as I did).

I don't want to defend WE, however, it appears like almost every manufacturer lists a bottle count in an "ideal situation". This is bordeux style bottles stacked in a perfect arrangement. I do not believe WE is guilty of anything odd in this aspect. I believe all manufactures/sellers do this. You can get a more accurate bottle count capacity if you are dealing with a cooler with built in racks versus shelving.

Regardless, best of luck in resolving all the issues. I'm looking forward to hearing how it all works out.

sdwindansea wrote:I don't want to defend WE, however, it appears like almost every manufacturer lists a bottle count in an "ideal situation". This is bordeux style bottles stacked in a perfect arrangement. I do not believe WE is guilty of anything odd in this aspect. I believe all manufactures/sellers do this. You can get a more accurate bottle count capacity if you are dealing with a cooler with built in racks versus shelving.

Regardless, best of luck in resolving all the issues. I'm looking forward to hearing how it all works out.

Oh, I completely agree with you 100%. In this case, though, the unit was called a Eurocave 283 single-temperature. The 283 has NOTHING to do with the bottle capacity. It's an arbitrary # that, as far as I can tell, exists for the sole purpose of trying to get the consumer to assume, as I did (and almost every reviewer of the unit did) that it is the bottle capacity. The actual capacity is somewhere around 150 bottles. The problem with the aforementioned reviewers is not one of them said, "It holds half of that arbitrary number in the product title." They all said "it holds less than described" or "a lot less than described," which I took to mean exactly what you're saying: the bottle capacity is always best case scenario with perfect bottle shape and stacking. I didn't think anything of their (retrospectively) ambiguous comments.

kylemittskus wrote:Oh, I completely agree with you 100%. In this case, though, the unit was called a Eurocave 283 single-temperature. The 283 has NOTHING to do with the bottle capacity. It's an arbitrary # that, as far as I can tell, exists for the sole purpose of trying to get the consumer to assume, as I did (and almost every reviewer of the unit did) that it is the bottle capacity. The actual capacity is somewhere around 150 bottles. The problem with the aforementioned reviewers is not one of them said, "It holds half of that arbitrary number in the product title." They all said "it holds less than described" or "a lot less than described," which I took to mean exactly what you're saying: the bottle capacity is always best case scenario with perfect bottle shape and stacking. I didn't think anything of their (retrospectively) ambiguous comments.

Looking on the WE site under specs, I see:
Bottle Capacity:
1-Temp – Up to 223 bottles* 2-Temp – Up to 209 bottles
3-Temp – Up to 192 bottles* *Capacity is based off using standard Bordeaux size bottles, using larger size bottles may limit the capacity. If you would like to store larger bottles you can easily adjust the height of any of the shelves. Additional shelves will lower capacity.
It seems you are not nearly so optimistic as to it's capacity. Are you sure you got the single and not triple temperature model?

Thanks Kyle, now I completely understand the confusion and how misleading their numbering is. Like I said before, I was originally going to purchase the Eurocave Comfort 266, which has an ideal bottle capacity of 223 bottles. The Performance 283 has that same ideal capacity...makes a lot of sense .

Again, I hope everything works out for you.

I had the numbers wrong. This is as close to my unit as I can currently find on their website.

The unit arrived dead so again, the bottle capacity isn't the reason I'm pissed or the reason I'm returning it. I just think it's BS business practice to use these arbitrary #s (in my case, EuroCave Performance 259) when that # has nothing to do with anything bottle-wise.

Anybody have any input on this unit for longer term storage of nice bottles?
http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/wine/dwc612blp.shtml

eluofthenine wrote:Anybody have any input on this unit for longer term storage of nice bottles?
http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/wine/dwc612blp.shtml

I don't have any direct feedback on that unit, other than I like the looks of it. I would consider it myself by the shipping to Ohio kills all of the savings ($155!)

eluofthenine wrote:Anybody have any input on this unit for longer term storage of nice bottles?
http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/wine/dwc612blp.shtml

These folks are local to me if you need eyes-on and some other photos...

kylemittskus wrote:I had the numbers wrong. This is as close to my unit as I can currently find on their website.

The unit arrived dead so again, the bottle capacity isn't the reason I'm pissed or the reason I'm returning it. I just think it's BS business practice to use these arbitrary #s (in my case, EuroCave Performance 259) when that # has nothing to do with anything bottle-wise.

another interesting tidbit about the EuroCave: despite advertisements showing the bottles stacked on the bulk storage shelf three high, they strongly advise against allowing bottles to touch the sides and back of the cooler. I eventually sacked up and bought a bunch of rolling shelves. Total bottle count is lower than max possible, but everything is very accessible

Edit: Link to manual.http://www.wineenthusiast.com/templates/productmanual.asp?pid=17734&fmt=pdf check page 7 in the bottom right hand corner. pages 21-27 are filled with examples on how to stack the bottles and all of them show bottles touching the sides. nice

Anyone have any thoughts on this cooler http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/app/3135487387.html

Despite the utter lack of shelving (seems to prevalent with Eurocave?) this looks too good to pass up for $200.

North316 wrote:Anyone have any thoughts on this cooler http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/app/3135487387.html

Despite the utter lack of shelving (seems to prevalent with Eurocave?) this looks too good to pass up for $200.

Hopefully you can procure some additional shelving for a reasonable sum.
With shelving, that would be closer to a K-buck in SoCal.

rjquillin wrote:Hopefully you can procure some additional shelving for a reasonable sum.
With shelving, that would be closer to a K-buck in SoCal.

That's what I am thinking. Even though I don't have the room for it, if it actually in working condition as noted, that seems like a steal for $200. I sent an email with some questions, hopefully I get the answers I am looking for.

I don't know too much about the Eurocaves, but I think a lot of them are made this way with a more open shelving arrangement and you just stack the bottles on the shelves (3-4 or more bottles high). I don't really like that set-up and would definitely be looking for more shelving, but will take what I can get.

North316 wrote:That's what I am thinking. Even though I don't have the room for it, if it actually in working condition as noted, that seems like a steal for $200. I sent an email with some questions, hopefully I get the answers I am looking for.

I don't know too much about the Eurocaves, but I think a lot of them are made this way with a more open shelving arrangement and you just stack the bottles on the shelves (3-4 or more bottles high). I don't really like that set-up and would definitely be looking for more shelving, but will take what I can get.

If it works, BUY!!!

North316 wrote:That's what I am thinking. Even though I don't have the room for it, if it actually in working condition as noted, that seems like a steal for $200. I sent an email with some questions, hopefully I get the answers I am looking for.

I don't know too much about the Eurocaves, but I think a lot of them are made this way with a more open shelving arrangement and you just stack the bottles on the shelves (3-4 or more bottles high). I don't really like that set-up and would definitely be looking for more shelving, but will take what I can get.

If you are reasonably handy, you can probably build your own fixed shelving as well. The EuroCave shelves are really expensive so it may be a good option.

Kyle, any update on your cooler nightmare?

sdwindansea wrote:If you are reasonably handy, you can probably build your own fixed shelving as well. The EuroCave shelves are really expensive so it may be a good option.

Kyle, any update on your cooler nightmare?

WE called me again to try to troubleshoot the issue over the phone. He sugggested I make sure it's plugged in and that I press the power button.

I'm going to call AmEx and let them know they're trying to call me. I don't want to fix it, though. I bought a new, broken item. I want a total refund. And to never deal with the company again.

kylemittskus wrote:WE called me again to try to troubleshoot the issue over the phone. He sugggested I make sure it's plugged in and that I press the power button.

I'm going to call AmEx and let them know they're trying to call me. I don't want to fix it, though. I bought a new, broken item. I want a total refund. And to never deal with the company again.

More stupid question times. Did you try a different outlet on a different circuit? Are you maybe overloading that circuit and the cooler has a built in switch to kill it if the voltage is wonky?

I'm guessing that is NOT the case and it's a defective unit, but never hurts to try.

Are you plugging it in direct or using an extension cord? If using a cord make sure it's a heavy one, like for outdoor use, not a flimsy indoor one.

Again, probably not the case, but ya never know.

I hate when a company gives me something that is completely DOA and then can't understand why I want to exchange it, not have a tech come out. I paid for a WORKING unit, not something that is going to be refurbed in my house and may or may not last. You wanna send someone to my house to fix it, knock half off the price and extend my warranty three years. Otherwise, come get it.

bhodilee wrote:I hate when a company gives me something that is completely DOA and then can't understand why I want to exchange it, not have a tech come out. I paid for a WORKING unit, not something that is going to be refurbed in my house and may or may not last. You wanna send someone to my house to fix it, knock half off the price and extend my warranty three years. Otherwise, come get it.

You claim to be an unreasonable sort (), and then knock such claims completely out of the box with an erudite and totally reasonable post like this one. I couldn't have said it better. In fact, I'm going to copy this for possible future use.

bhodilee wrote:More stupid question times. Did you try a different outlet on a different circuit? Are you maybe overloading that circuit and the cooler has a built in switch to kill it if the voltage is wonky?

I'm guessing that is NOT the case and it's a defective unit, but never hurts to try.

Are you plugging it in direct or using an extension cord? If using a cord make sure it's a heavy one, like for outdoor use, not a flimsy indoor one.

Again, probably not the case, but ya never know.

Good plug, good circuit, no extension.

kylemittskus wrote:Good plug, good circuit, no extension.

But did you plug it in AND THEN try to turn on the power?

....Clearly I am just making a joke here.

ddeuddeg wrote:You claim to be an unreasonable sort (), and then knock such claims completely out of the box with an erudite and totally reasonable post like this one. I couldn't have said it better. In fact, I'm going to copy this for possible future use.

well, to the merchant I seem unreasonable

kylemittskus wrote:Good plug, good circuit, no extension.

Then you're screwed. This is the only benefit to dealing locally on big ticket stuff like this.

bhodilee wrote:Then you're screwed. This is the only benefit to dealing locally on big ticket stuff like this.

I've got AmEx behind me. They'll take care of it.

kylemittskus wrote:I've got AmEx behind me. They'll take care of it.

true, but the time involved sucks.

bhodilee wrote:well, to the merchant I seem unreasonable

Yeah, the days of "the customer is always right" are long in the past.

kylemittskus wrote:If it works, BUY!!!

Just a random question, when transporting one of these things (empty of course), is there any issue with laying it on it's side or will that damage the compressor in any way?

North316 wrote:Just a random question, when transporting one of these things (empty of course), is there any issue with laying it on it's side or will that damage the compressor in any way?

No. But when you bring it back into your house and stand it up right, don't turn it on for 48 hours to let the compressor coolant and such settle.

bhodilee wrote:true, but the time involved sucks.

And the time that is going on right now where my wine is without a proper environment. I don't want to buy a new one just in case AmEx doesn't resolve the issue in the way I think they should.

kylemittskus wrote:No. But when you bring it back into your house and stand it up right, don't turn it on for 48 hours to let the compressor coolant and such settle.

Thanks. That will not be an issue as it will be going directly to my storage unit until I move in the near future (hopefully). I am going to make sure they have it plugged in when I arrive to pick it up to ensure that it works.

I am very excited to be getting this.