Edit: (DK) Changed the thread title to a neutral postition. OP has issues with Customer Service, manufacturer has issues with Grey or black market/knockoff units. Information from both sides contained within. Decide for yourself.


I snapped up the last VT 28 in my hometown from a retailer who bought all the remaining stock from the local distributor.

It was a good price, brand new and still shrink-wrapped. Got it home and unpacked the handle, shelves, manual and noticed there were no screws to affix the handle.

I called Vinotemp and spoke to an awesome guy name Houlio. He said he had them in stock and would pop the two screws and matching plastic cover caps in the mail. (I didn't even realize there were covers)

Almost 3 weeks later, no screws. I called and was told by a very polite girl named Cassandra that she could see the order in the system but her supervior cancelled the order. I asked why and she said the woman who cancelled the order insisted I provide a serial number. Lord knows they couldn't risk send two screws to someone who simply claimed to to have been short-shipped. They also wanted the name of the retailer.

So I e-mailed the s/n and name of retailer to Cassandra. She e-mailed me back saying her supervisor (same woman who cancelled the original order) said she did not recognize the retailer as an authorized VT outlet. And that she would require a copy of the bill. I was also told the s/n I provided did not seem to match their "records"? (whatever the Hell that meant?)

So biting my tongue I snapped a bunch of pics of the cooler, the screw-less handle, the bill, the serial number, The Vinotemp emblem (in case they thought I was trying to scam them into providing me parts for a Chinese knock-off!) and asked her to simply send me the screws and bill me for the damn things already! What can they cost? fifty cents? a buck? Good Lord!

Julio seemed like a helpful decent guy, Melissa was polite and apologetic but whoever this paranoid "supervisor" is needs to give her head a shake.

I hate to jump to conclusions but this "Supervisor" strikes me as the same power-tripping paper-pusher who we've all run into and who seem to serve no purpose other than reinforcement of their own petty authority. If she was working for me... she'd be working for someone else.

What's a guy gotta' do to get a screw?
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Sorry you have had a bad dealing over something so trivial. You last line made me laugh though.
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That is a lot of work over something so trivial. She's probably just so anal over something so tedious to make herself feel more important than she really is. Hopefully, the next step isn't mailing the cooler back to the factory for verification.
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Sorry to hear about your troubles over a screw! LOL that sounded so wrong...
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Sorry to hear you're being "screwed" with. Any chance you can talk to the supervisor that doesn't want to stand behind their product?
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people like that make me want to bite the face of kittens....
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Lifes little ironies....

You got screwed and yet you look forward to further screwing. :-)
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:-)

Thank you.
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I would hope that someone in her position would realize that customer service is everything, especially for something as cheap as a couple of screws. It creates good will and is not worth alienating a customer over.

:-) :-) :-)
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Flowers and chocolate usually work for me. :-)

Hopefully they'll send the screws soon, but this is why I hate dealing with customer service. Usually ends up being customer disservice. Though when I find a place that does it right, I'll keep coming back.
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I think i got the last one. 100 bux no tax, already opened :-) Harv seems sketchy, but not too sketchy, so i bought it.

It didn't come with any extra screws tho, sorry :P

looks like this now http://i42.tinypic.com/21jw21e.jpg (3 or 4 of those boxes are empty :P)
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Goalie! YOU probably got my screws and plan on putting them on ebay!

Never trust a Winnipegger... Hey, wait... I'm from...

Never mind.
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Well, I was floored today to hear back from "The Supervisor" at Vinotemp. She told me my cooler was not a genuine VT and they would not send me the missing screws.

She said the serial number did not match their records and the Canadian distributor was buying them directly from the manufacturer. He is no longer selling VT and sold his remaining stock to another local company and I bought the last one.

So, in essence it is the 100% same unit (right down to the VT logo and emblem) but just not purchased through their distribution chain. She was incredibly rude to me and told me I should go back to the people who sold it to me.

They finally agreed to sell me the screws. $1 each and $10 shipping and handling. Even though the circumstances were unique she could have made an exception for the sake of customer relations.

I was thinking about getting a large VT dual zone wine fridge for for my home but after this fiasco I will be looking at other brands.
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I certainly don't blame you. I guess they don't understand that it's not just about the screws. It's about taking care of your customers. That woman is just full of :-)
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Mine is an avanti, not a vino either. Did you get it from vinocool near inkster/kewaitin?
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I would try to go higher in the food chain until you get to someone that will treat you the way you should be treated.

Ask the "supervisor" for their "supervisor" and don't stop until you get what you need. You bought their product, don't put up with any of their crap.
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When people act like they have authority, it hurts the company....those with actual authority are appointed or elected by shareholders....all others should just follow directions.
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I hope you don't mind, I emailed president@vinotemp.com and sent this link as well as Lexxxus's posts. The email hasn't bounced back ... so fingers crossed.

This sort of customer service problem SHOULD be a major concern to them and it is quite possible that the higher ups don't realize that they have somebody working for them in customer service who would be better placed in a position not requiring contact with human beings ... or animals for that matter, with the possible exception of rabid badgers.

Hearing a story like this STRONGLY impacts my willingness to buy Vinotemp products, and I am planning to buy 2 coolers in the next few months, a large one for wine and smaller one for cigars.

I can understand companies not wanting to support gray market merchandise, and we have seen this problem many times in the photographic equipment arena, where gray market imports are not supported by the manufacturer (USA warranty v.s. International warranty), but this is spelled out by the companies selling gray merchandise and there are no surprises, you are given a warranty from a third party. Were you told that the Vinotemp you bought has no manufacturers warranty? Why would you think it would not .. you bought the unit from a retailer who got it from the distributor.

But for crying out loud .... 2 screws .. come on. Losing {multiple} customers like this for the sake of a few dollars (screws plus shipping) makes zero sense in this economic climate.
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I actually think the real cost here is sense/cents. It should be a no-brainer for the CS rep to say, "I will gladly mail you what you need, I will try to do it free of charge, but if I can't, it might cost 3 dollars max!.
Attempting to charge 10 dollars shipping is shoving a finger in your face, and not the one that says you are #1 for being kind enough to purchase their product. No matter where you purchased it from.
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It blows when things don't go your way. I hate it.

2 words



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