I received an email from MomSpark looking for people to review a wine cooler from the Air-N-Water Appliance Company. Review…Wine….I’m on it, count me in!!! The product I received was the Avalon Bay AB-WINE18S 18 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler.
I was SO happy to be picked to review this cooler, and couldn’t wait for my package to arrive. When it did, I was a bit sad, though … I opened it up and it looked like this:
Now, please don’t get me wrong, I am not showing this photo to discourage you from this company and/or product. I got in contact with them and almost immediately was sent a return slip for the shipping company, and another unit was sent out within a week. The one thing that I did see from this, was that there might need to be a bit better packing on the companies part, such as a thin piece of Styrofoam inside the door, etc.
I received the next one in no time flat. I opened it up, plugged it in and had it all ready to go.
However, the temperature was showing 80 degrees. I set the temp to go down to 58 and waited a few hours….nothing!! I figured it might take some time, so I just left it plugged in and waited overnight. When I woke up in the morning, the temp was now at 82 degrees…something isn’t right here. I got in touch with the lady who is hosting this blogger review and she said that I was not the only one to have this issue and a few others were waiting for replacements, as well. She was told by the company that i could just keep the one that didn’t work, since they had already replaced the one with the shipping error.
That didn’t bode well with me, so I called the company directly and talked to Mike, who was a person in their “Returns” department. He said he would get in touch with the lady in charge of the blog event. I got an email from them saying that the damage was all the fault of the shipper in my area (which I knew was not the case). The replacement unit that I had received (that didn’t work), also had dents on the back and top. The box that it was in, was in another box and all padded pretty well, but there was no damage to either box. How could these things have been wrong, and it was the shippers’ fault? I let them know I wasn’t happy and would be blogging about this portion of the conversation. I was given another return slip and told that a new unit was going to be sent out, but if there were any problems, I would just be asked to keep it and not expect any other returns/replacements. Hmmm….I wonder if they do this to their customers? If I would have paid for this unit and had these problems, would it have been different? I know they are trying to advertise their product using the blogosphere, but I sure hope that if a paying customer goes through this, that they will provide. The person that I talked to on the phone was very nice and helpful and the emails that I got were very quick, so I know that they have good customer service, in that case.
Like I said before, I only wanted to share this because of the customer service I had with Air-N-Water! I so wish more companies in today’s world would conduct business like them! They were quick to respond and quick to ship the product(s).
Once I received the third one, I plugged it in and waited while for it to cool (and it did, YIPPEE!!), then I filled it up!!
After letting it sit for a couple of hours, the bottles were chilled nicely, and it was working great!! The only drawback is that I have it set at 58° and it is only getting to 64°. Not sure if that matters, or not – the bottles are still chilled nicely and I do my wine redneck style anyway…with ice!! 🙂 I so love having a special place for my bottles that aren’t taking up room in my fridge. It’s come to a point now, that most of the bottles I buy (seltzers, etc.) do not even fit in my fridge and I have had to move things around, and it was getting really crazy. With this, I have a special place for my favorite Sangria, the yummy World Market Italian Soda I buy, and other goodies. It would even be perfect to use for a party and have soda in it for the kids, etc.
It’s somewhat portable in a sense, so moving it where you would need to would be easy. Another great thing it could be used for is in a garage, etc. Except this one is going nowhere – I love it!! Sorry hubbie! 🙂
All in all, the quality was good, the storage space was perfect, the inner light was awesome (beautiful color), and once again, like I said before, the customer service of Air-N-Water was above and beyond what I am used to in today’s world. I would recommend this product and company – just pray that your unit gets there intact and working!
About The Product
Avalon Bay AB-WINE18S Single Zone Wine Cooler
Designed to keep your most treasured wines at their desired temperatures, the Avalon Bay 18 bottle wine cooler will do everything to help you enjoy the true aroma of your wine. Don’t let the temperature of your wine be the spoiler when entertaining guests. This thermoelectric single zone wine cooler will be a great addition to your wine collection and most importantly an affordable way to keep your wine properly chilled.
Temperature Control: Place the AB-WINE18S freestanding wine cooler in your kitchen, living room or mini bar when entertaining guests. Bursting with so many features, this cooler will blend in easily with any interior. With this affordable wine cooler from Avalon Bay you can relax and enjoy your favorite vintage wines at temperatures between 51° to 64°F.
18 Bottle Storage Capacity: Even though its small and only weights a little over 30 lbs, this cooler has the capability of storing 18 standard size bottles of wine. With 5 removable chrome racks, you can make room for larger bottles. Construct the AB-WINE18S wine cooler to suit you and your wines. And If the occasion arises for some Champagne, you can easily remove the metal shelves. This unit really has been created with craft in mind.
Special Features Include:
- Single Zone Cooling
- 5 Removable Shelves
- Stores 18 Standard Size Bottles of Wine
- LED Light
- Silent Operation
- Sleek Design
This black and silver wine cooler internally illuminate with an LED light, which creates a bright contrast to showcase your favorite wines. Positioned at the top of the door is touch screen digital controls, which allows you to personally set the desired temperatures of this unit. All of these features add to its elegant design and stainless steel shaded finish. To compliment this wine cooler even further it has an almost silent and vibration free operation. You won’t even know its running.
Thermoelectric Cooling System: To compliment this wine cooler even further it has an almost silent and vibration free operation. With a thermoelectric cooling system its extremely quiet, you won’t even know its running.
About The Company
In 2002 Luke Peters, Founder and CEO, started Air & Water while he was working his day job as a Hazardous Waste Scientist. Every night he would burn the midnight oil building the site and adding products with adventure in mind. His goal was to do something new and have a great time doing it. Helping customers find the right air conditioner or heater was fun and an adventure at the time, especially in 2002 after the internet bubble. If you are interested in reading the whole company story click here.
Hours of Operation: 7:00 AM – 5 PM PST Monday – Friday
Will Call Hours: 9:00 AM – 4 PM PST Monday – Friday
Toll Free Phone Number: (800) 734-0405
Local Phone Number: (714) 241-4328
Fax Number: (714) 200-0665
Email Address: sales@air-n-water.com
Address: 1100 S. Linwood Ave. Bldg B
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Connect With Them
Also, if you hurry, they are having a contest to win one here. You must enter by August 21, 2014.
I received an Avalon Bay Wine Cooler for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I, Jamie Tomkins, own and operate Tiger Strypes Blog located at www.tigerstrypes.com. From time to time you’ll hear about my real life experiences with products and/or services from companies and individuals. Let it be known that I have no affiliation with these said companies, and have not received compensation for reviewing their service/product. I received an Avalon Bay Wine Cooler for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. The review that I give regarding the product/service is based off my own personal experience, I do not guarantee that your experience will be the same. Thoughts are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Sounds like a good product. Seems like they need a better way of packing the machines for shipping to help protect them from damage. It seems like a hassle having to return the a product that size back twice. Glad you finally got one that works. Enjoy!
Thanks for a great review and for being honest about the issues you had. Great customer service is key for any company and most problems are almost forgotten with the right amount of customer care. I’d love to have a wine cooler, but I’ll just keep using a shelf in my fridge for now.
Wow, what a hassle for a blog review product! Still, its sounds like a pretty great product assuming you get one that isn’t broken right away 😉 Entering the giveaway now!
Hi, Keiko excited to hear you have entered the giveaway! I can assure you our warehouse takes great concern in minimizing any possible damaged products and handles all products very carefully. Occasionally delivery people are in a hurry and accidents can occur. We use proper cushioning material to ensure that the products are secure as well as bubble wrap, peanuts, packing tape and other forms of protection depending on the product.
Stay informed like us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/airnwaterinc
Good Luck!
It wasn’t the delivery people who messed with mine. The boxes were in perfect condition and the dents were already in the 2nd one. I don’t want to put blame on our guys up here who do a great job. Also the shelves do go in and out, even with the tie you put on them and hit the glass – there needs to be a small piece of Styrofoam in there to secure those during shipment, that’s how the first one broke. 🙁 Other than that, I love the one I have now that works! 🙂
The reason the temperature won’t get down any further is because it is thermoelectric cooling. Unlike a compressor system the ambient temperature surrounding the cooler has an affect on how low the temperature will go down. Generally it’s about 18 or 20 degrees lower than the surrounding temperature. (Which also means that in summer they’d have a hard time cooling in a garage.)
That makes a bit more sense. I figure, it’s still cooler than the bottles just being in my pantry! 🙂
We need one of these because my husband is really into wine. We live near wineries and he ends up buying a lot of wine that we store at our house.
Hi Daisy, we are happy to hear you are interested in the Avalon Bay Wine cooler. Sounds like one of these can come in handy to you and your husband. Take advantage of our giveaway, four lucky winners will be selected today at 11:59 P.M. PST. If you haven’t entered yet you can do it at the following link. http://info.air-n-water.com/avalon-bay-wine-cooler-contest. Good Luck!