NOTE: This post is meant as a warning to online shoppers to avoid shopping with CompactAppliance or any of the “Living Direct Network” of sites — they are a bottom-of-the-barrel company with terrible customer support and you’d be better to spend your money at another reputable dealer.
I was recently in the market for a portable AC unit and instead of trusting my better senses and getting something from Costco with a lifetime warranty, I did some looking online. Amazon didn’t have one particular unit that stood out so I kept looking at other places online to see if I could find a “favorite” among folks that have portable AC units.
I checked ConsumerSearch, a website that I’ve enjoyed in the past, but am now starting to think is a shill site for advertisers to buy their positioning in. They had a section (similar to About.com) related to Highest Rated Portable AC Units that gave very high marks to the EdgeStar units based on reviews found on the web.
Interestingly enough, Amazon doesn’t sell this item, so I checked out the 2nd most “active looking” store for the EdgeStar 12000s which was CompactAppliance.com. Over 200 “reviews” and 4.5/5 stars… not too shabby. I went ahead and ordered the device in a flurry and didn’t think much about it.
I immediately received an order confirmation from ComplactAppliance.com and soon there after a shipping confirmation email:
I thought “wow that was fast” and went about having a nice weekend.
I woke up this morning trying to figure out when this item would be delivered, so I clicked the link to check the tracking and was told by FedEx that no item with that shipping number exists in their system.
My internal alarm bells started to go off…
So now I start searching online for reviews of CompactAppliance.com and/or Living Direct and start to find complaint after complaint about the non-existent customer service, the highway robbery-esque return policies, mis-shipped and double-charged items, broken products being delivered and then like icing on the cake, terrible customer reviews of the EdgeStar unit (from sites other than CompactAppliance.com and ConsumerSearch) which seem to be very shoddy Chinese mass-produced units that the Living Direct network have exclusive distribution rights to — I’m starting to wonder now if the 200+ “reviews” of the EdgeStar12000S are being filled out by Living Direct employees and they paid dearly for their ConsumerSearch.com placement.
Given that my shipping information originally emailed to me is invalid, I am pretty much assuming that I just got scammed. So I login to the website to check 1 last time what my order status is and instead find a completely different tracking number:
And according to FedEx it will be delivered tomorrow.
At this point I don’t want anything to do with this company, so I give them a call to try and cancel the order or see what the process is for returning an un-opened item. As “Cindy” explains, my choices are:
- Cancel the FedEx shipment and pay a 20% restocking fee (keep in mind the product has obviously never been opened because it was never delivered)
- Receive the item, then call them for an RMA # and pay for shipping as well as a 15% restocking fee for an unopened item
So both choices for returning an unopened item result in CompactAppliance and the Living Direct Network having their way with my back-side. Great.
Let this post serve as a warning to you if you are shopping at any of the Living Direct Network sites (CompactAppliance, Portable Air Shop, EdgeStar, Kegerator, Simply Dehumidifiers, Hotwater Source, Wine Cool Direct) to save your money and shop somewhere else. Hell, even buy whatever it is you want locally so you can at least return it without enduring rape.
Living Direct reminds me of those sites that started springing up 10 years ago that establish what looks like a reputable online presence but in reality are just 5 people sitting at desks in some shut-in office acting like middle men. I think the most profitable thing Living Direct has done is order and secure thousands of the “EdgeStar” units from China directly and selling them as if they were a legit appliance and not some in-house invented knock off brand that gives them huge profit margins.
I’ll update this post when the unit arrives with my comments about it, but at this point I don’t expect it to last longer than a year.
I hope this post keeps someone else from falling into the trap of the Living Direct Network, CompactAppliance or any EdgeStar appliance.
Update #1: Well the EdgeStar 12000s arrived on-time and we ran it last night… it is definitely loud, especially when the compressor turns on, but seems to do a good job. I’ll wait a few months before I do a review to make sure it keeps working. Also, it’s HEAVY… like 72lbs heavy…
Update #2: Got spammed with some Living Direct email offers this morning, even though I explicitly did not check “send me offers” when I created my account. I went ahead and unsubscribed from the mailing list which showed me this screen:
You really need to appreciate a company so buried in apathy and customer-hate that they will not even remove you from a mailing list immediately. This isn’t like a mom-and-pop store that need to manually update an XLS spreadsheet… this is an online-only company claiming that it takes 30 days to remove your email address from a DB.
My guess is that they will spam me this entire month under the excuse of “well it hasn’t been 30 days yet” hoping that either (A) I forget that I unsubscribed after a month of this shit and just give up and stay on the list or (B) they actually aren’t going to unsubscribe me at all and want a fuzzy gray area in which to keep blasting me with “offers” since I’m already a “lost subscriber” they might as well try and piss me off in the process to make 1 more sale.
Again, I’m only sharing this to give you an idea of the “vibe” of this company. Customers are a necessary evil to them. Please shop somewhere else.
Update #3: Just to add insult to injury, as you noted at the beginning of this post, I like Costco. They stand behind their products and stock good quality things. I walked into Costco yesterday to do some shopping, and sitting RIGHT by the front door are Sharp Portable AC units that are quiet… goddamnit.
Dear Customer,
I am sorry to read that your recent shopping experience with our company was not all that it should have been. I can certainly understand your concern related to your order when you received the initial incorrect FedEx tracking number. I was encouraged to read that you were able to overcome the issue by accessing the correct information in your online account. We are currently working to ensure future ship confirmation emails always include the correct FedEx information and I am sorry that this segment of the transaction gave you a bad first impression of our company.
I am happy to read in your “Update #1” that the unit “arrived on time” and “seems to do a good job”. Now that the unit has arrived and is operating as designed it is my sincere wish that your fears have been put to rest regarding the true intentions of Living Direct, Inc. Should you, or any of your readers, have any further questions or concerns I invite you to contact me directly.
In conclusion, I am always concerned when I encounter a customer who did not have a positive experience with our company. Living Direct has been in business for more than 10 years and enjoys an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau as well as a very favorable rating with BizRate. These are not easy ratings to come by and have taken us years to achieve as we continually strive to serve our customers in the best manner possible. Should you decide that the Edgestar unit is truly not fitting your needs and wish to purchase the Sharp unit from Costco I will personally email you a pre-paid FedEx label to return the unit on our shipping account and issue you a full refund of your purchase price once it arrives back into our warehouse. All I will ask of you is to repack the unit in the original boxes to ensure it is not damaged in transit. Again, please contact me directly should you wish to proceed with this offer.
I appreciate you offering me this forum.
Respectfully,
Brian Ford
Living Direct, Inc.
(866) 975-4846 x113
bford@LivingDirect.com
Brian,
I appreciate the reply and the offer — we no longer have the original packing material after being told on the phone it would cost me *roughly* $180 (shipping and ‘restocking fee’, even when it was unopened) to return the unit, we just tossed the packing and decided to keep it. Otherwise I’d love to take you up on this — not because the unit is faulty, just because it’s a lot louder than I anticipated (we use it in our bedroom). I don’t think the loudness is a fault of the unit or LD though — I won’t be petty about that — it’s just the nature of this particular unit. As long as it cools, I can mostly look beyond the noise.
I understand an appliance business likely has to establish pro-company policies to stay in business and avoid abusive customers destroying their bottom lines with invalid returns (overused items, items broken by customers, etc.), I just find them incredibly off-putting.
Thank you for taking the time to followup Brian.
We had a similarly horrible experience with Edgestar and their associate company CompactAppliance (now called LivingDirect.com). They are peddling these faulty portable air conditioners aided by “Great” reviews which appears on their website. All I can say is, contact the BBB, call your credit card company and do a charge-back and basically let the world know about these shysters.
Dave, would you mind sharing more info about your experience with them?
If you’re in Canada and purchase one of their units, your REALLY out of luck it seems..the phone #’s won’t work from here, and trying to find anyone to listen is almost impossible thru emails. I just contacted Brian, so we’ll see if that gets any better results, but so far Riyad, you’re bang on with their lack of customer support, again especially if you’re not in the USA
Glen Parsons,
Did you buy one of the EdgeStar ACs from them? Are you trying to return it or change an order?
Keep us posted on the development, every bit of information about this company counts… that being said, I hope Brian is able to help you.
Actually I purchased one of their portable FP430 fridge/freezers, but after only a month of use, I’ve developed major problems with it, and cannot get anywhere with obtaining service or warranty
They all have GREAT reviews when working, but now I’m finding more posts like this one for when they’re not!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll keep you posted!!!!
Hello,
Dave Malcolm – please contact me directly regarding the issue you may be having with an Edgestar unit. As with most blogs, it is impossible to properly assist anonymous customers as I am unable to access your account. I will be in the office Monday – Friday next week and have voice mail on my phone extension. You may of course email me as well.
Glen Parsons – did you email or call me? I do not recall speaking with you but would be happy to do so and will be in the office Monday – Friday next week. I will be up front with you – we do not ship products outside of the contiguous United States as we are not able to properly offer warranty support to Canadian residents. If you have an Edgestar product within the stated “90 day labor” warranty period we will gladly email you a shipping label on our account but you will need to take it back across the border into the U.S. and ship it from a stateside FedEx facility.
Once again – here is my direct contact information. Please leave me a voice mail if you call or email me directly: (866) 975-4846 x113 or bford@LivingDirect.com
Thank you.
Brian, I’d like to thank you — as one human being to another — for working to make things right with your customers.
Brian, thanks for the reply
I too appreciate your time and trouble to help your customers here in this blog!!
Yes I did email you on July 23rd, but no reply. I did manage though with some help from my daughter living in the USA to get Edgestar to phone me at home here, and a VERY helpful Mike explained the Canada problems to me, but still provided me with warranty service if
I use my daughters USA address (the unit was shipped to her originally), and have them ship me the parts needed, so I’m getting the fridge checked out shortly to determine the problems, and then will contact Mike again
with the info. I’ll keep you and the others updated here as things go. Thanks again Brian!!!!!
Sorry it took so long, but Micheal T came thru at Edgestar, and I’ve got my parts waiting for me in Missouri for pickup when I’m there next month. I LOVE this fridge, and that’s with it not even working properly right now, but once I’ve got it fixed, it should be as good as new.
Thanks again Brian for your interest and involvement here, and Micheal T should be commended on his end
Glen, I am happy to read that our service dept was able to properly assist you with the needed part. I appreciate the positive feedback related to Michael T. and will certainly share this with him.
Brian Ford
Living Direct, Inc.
I got an Edgestar wine refrigerator that completely failed after the first day, the temperature in my house was close to 102F and I had several opened bottles that were obviously ruined as a result. I would like to know how to this matter will be addressed. I have read that Edgestar product are notoriously known to fail and have experienced it first hand.
Jeremy,
Did you buy this from LivingDirect? Brian, from customer service, posted above (here) with his contact information.
I would recommend calling or emailing him directly to discuss a repair/replacement/return.
I am sorry to read that the wine cooler may not be functioning as designed. If the temp inside your house was 102F as stated in your post that may be contributing to the problem but we can’t be sure until you speak with one of our Edgestar service reps. Please give us a call (when you are with the unit) during business hours so we may troubleshoot the situation with you directly: (866) 319-5473, M-F, 8am to 5pm CST. Please keep all boxes and packaging related to your purchase in case we need to pick up and replace the unit for you. Please feel free to contact me directly if needed: (866) 975-4846 x113 or bford@LivingDirect.com. Thank you.
How do get rid of damp?
I am glad that I came across this site since I was ready to plop down some dough to these folks at Living Direct. They have 3 or 4 websites that go back to the same server and show the exact same picture in the internet searches. With large items like appliances I think the internet just does not work well with all the shipping and handling issues. Costco just does too good a job at having good stuff with the ability to bring it back without hassles. Internet is good for the small stuff like electronics where the weight and the handling are not such as issue.
PT
PT, while my EdgeStar AC is actually still running (fingers crossed) I couldn’t agree more. You have to consider the case when something goes wrong and that is where a retailer like Costco shines, especially with a big ticket item.
I am sOOOOOO disappointed !!!! I ordered a red “garage” refrigerator for my fiance” July 4th birthday. I knew it might be a day or two late considering the advertisement stated ” usually ships in 3-4 business days. I paid for it on June 24th it is not July 9th and I still don’t have it for his gift. Then I read that FED ex is to give me a ship date email which I just received today AFTER I called Livingdirect up and bitched about not hearing anything from them and writing them a scathing email demanding attention.
I felt as if I was being ignored. Sergio told me it was going to “ship” direct and I should hear in a day or two that was July 5th when I called them to find out when to expect it.
I called again July 7th and spoke to Michael and he said I should receive an email from Fed Ex —
NOW I am to receive my unit JULY 13th –IF I don’t get it by the 13th of July and as furious as I am at the terrible lying advertisement I will add this to my face book of 4,880+ friends, Craigs List, Better Business Bureau and while I am at it –Angies list. I am so humiliated that my fiance’ did not receive his gift I could just croak. Isn’t it wonderful how one can feel when dealing with an unreputatable company. Just watch the unit probably isn’t going to work either after all this angst.
Nancy,
That sounds like a goddamn nightmare. Thank you for taking the time to come here and add your experience so other people can find it.
Well I did receive it…and quess what it has a dented corner which I will be supplying a photo of to Fed Ex it made the back left wheel very, very difficult to attach .the piece had to be “hammered” back into place to make it work.
We will see how well it works…he was surprised…but it would have been nice to surprise him at his party with all his buddies around. (sigH)
Nancy, glad to hear you eventually got it and hope it works. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Nancy,
As you may have already surmised from previous posts on this blog, I am the Director of Customer Relations for Living Direct, Inc. which is the parent company for the website where you made your purchase. I am sorry to read that your purchase may have been delayed but unfortunately do not have sufficient information to access your account and review the matter on your behalf. Please feel free to email me directly so I may personally ensure that you receive the information and service that you deserve as a Living Direct customer. bford@LivingDirect.com
Thank you.
Open post to all current and future participants in this thread from the Director of Customer Relations of Living Direct, Inc. and Edgestar products:
Hello,
My name is Brian and I’ve been heading up the customer service division for Living Direct, Inc. (including Edgestar products) for over six years now. We have been fortunate to experience substantial growth over that time period which of course brings new challenges with it as we continue to expand. We do our best to ensure each of our customers has a great experience with our company as we completely understand that folks have nearly limitless choices these days related to where they choose to spend their money.
As with any company, sometimes mistakes are made. Frequently, those mistakes are not immediately within our control (i.e. – FedEx damages or loses a package) but once we are advised that an issue has occurred we will step in and do whatever is possible to rectify the problem. Should any of you ever be negatively impacted by an issue related to a Living Direct web order please feel free to drop me an email and I will gladly step in and personally assist you.
Blogs such as these are a great way to share information with others. I first posted to this blog over a year ago. My name and email address are now all over these postings. The one thing that surprises me the most during the past year is I do not recall anyone ever actually contacting me directly for assistance. If you feel the need to post a negative experience related to an interaction with our company please by all means do so. In addition, please take a moment to send me an email with your details so I may personally assist you as there are very few service related issues that I will be unable to assist you with once I know my help is needed.
I see recent postings extolling the virtues of CostCo and other brick and mortar retailers. I completely agree that some items may be better suited to a local purchase versus online and I myself am a CostCo member. The one thing I can offer customers though that CostCo does not is personal assistance. If the service reps within my department are not able to assist you to your satisfaction please contact me directly and I will gladly review the situation on your behalf and reply back.
Thank you for your time. bford@LivingDirect.com
PS – Edgestar medical freezers are now present in the majority of the CostCo pharmacies across the United States now. In other words, CostCo is one of our customers!
Are these Edgestar freezers FDA approved? Anyone? Maybe I’ll go to my local Costco and ask to see the FDA approval on the freezers they are using to keep my prescriptions.
William, I cannot speak to the Edgestar appliances, but if you need a freezer with that specific of a certification, it might be much (safer?) to check it out in person at a place like Costco or Sams before purchasing it to make sure.
Versus mail-ordering a freezer, finding out it ISN’T FDA approved and then you needing to pay hundreds to return it.
DO NOT PURCHASE FROM LIVING DIRECT OR ANY EDGESTAR PRODUCTS! I purchased a portable dehumidifier, which turned out to be defective. I returned the unit and it was replaced by another non-working unit.
Edgestar HELD MY MONEY HOSTAGE and forced me to return the unit ($75) AT MY EXPENSE in order to refund my money on the purchase of the dehumid. This is robbery and a SKAM. I did the legwork and read all the reviews and felt i was making a sound purchase. I was sorely mistaken. They STOLE $75 of my hard earned money just to jerk me around with 2 non-working pieces of equipment. When i didnt get any help from Edgestar, i contacted Living Direct and they only pointed me back in the direction of Edgestar. Living Direct offered absolutely no assistance in rectifying this situation even though i purchased through them “with confidence”. What a joke.
DO NOT PURCHASE ANY EDGESTAR PRODUCTS AND DO NOT ORDER THROUGH LIVING DIRECT. They are thieves.
Joie Silva – Thank you for contacting me directly when you posted to this blog. I have replied to your email and believe we will have little trouble rectifying your current troubles.
Brian Ford
Living Direct, Inc. / Edgestar
bford@LivingDirect.com
Thank you for contacting me Brian. I just left you a voicemail that will explain my situation in more detail. I do hope you can help me to rectify this situation and i for the first time, i have confidence that the right thing will be done.
I left you my direct phone number and I welcome you to call me.
I appreciate your prompt response and willingness to help.
Joie Silva
I too have had a terrible experience. I ordered a thermoelectric wine cooler that is loud and beeps! Michael Taylor the customer service technician basically laughed at me, told me I was blowing things out of proportion and that I am looking into things too much. He REFUSED to give me anybody’s contact information. He told me that HE was the one empowered to make these decisions, even after I said that I wanted to complain about him, he refused. I did a live chat through livingdirect dot com and was given a wrong email address twice for a “floor manager” at edgestar. Thats when I came to this site. Hopefully Brian can assist me because this just isn’t fair. Order number P0194814.
Anthony Stephens the manager, nice but no remedy. Apparently the unit should be noisy, even though it has NO compressor, only 2 silent fans. No return because it is “working”. In regards to the treatment I received, he said he was sorry. How does this help me? I am in service management and can guarantee this would never pass with us. He is going to “pull records” and “deal with it internally”. Whatever. On to Google to find more sites like this to voice my concerns.
Mr. Saltamanikas,
I am sorry to hear that you may have had a less than favorable experience with one of our Edgestar service reps. The floor manager you spoke with, Anthony, will work with this particular rep and utilize your feedback to help this agent improve his “soft skills” with future callers. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
I have met with Anthony and reviewed your account records so I am now aware of the wine cooler you purchased and the issue at hand. From all accounts, the unit is working as designed and cooling within the expected temp range. You are correct in stating the unit does not include a compressor but does include internal fans as a thermoelectric wine cooler of this size utilizes fans to distribute the cold air throughout the cooler to avoid any hot spots. It is quite possible that the fans may run the majority of the time depending on where you set the internal thermostat. This is by design and not unique to Edgestar models.
Our service reps were able to hear your fans during the call but were unable to detect any noises out of the ordinary for your model. This, coupled with the fact the unit is cooling as designed, indicates to us the unit is not currently defective.
I have found over the years that noise is a very subjective topic. One man’s quiet is another man’s loud. I am sorry that the unit’s noise level is not pleasing to your ears but that is the nature of the type of thermoelectric wine cooler you chose to purchase. Please know that should the unit develop any type of actual defect during the 90 day labor – 1 year parts warranty time frame Edgestar will gladly assist you.
Respectfully,
Brian Ford
bford@LivingDirect.com
NO SATISFACTION from Brian. Apparently I am supposed to live with the noise as “One mans loud is another mans quiet”. Off to the blogosphere to vent I go.
Why would you not offer to swap out a unit making a customer very unhappy. I just opened it yesterday!!
I If it working properly why since I have had it on for over 24 hours wont it stabilize and get warmer. It is on the lowest setting and yet it is sitting at 61 degrees. The video on your website, which might be you, states that it will go down to the 50′s. I am sure that this has something to do with the fan working overtime!
I too have experienced most of the issues noted here. Horrible product, worse post sale support with policies that are flexible to living direct / compact appliance benefit and put the consumer in a position to get screwed no matter what the situation.
Brian, don’t bother with another patronizing email or comment here. I know what I have; a 500 dollar pile of trash designed to burn electricity,make noise and heat my house wrapped up in a package that appears to be a refrigerator.
Off to the landfill I go… Lesson learned. I feel a little better venting and knowing karma is a beoch.
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Received the Edge Star Mini Keg as a 40th birthday gift from my wife. I found that after tapping a Heineken or Newcastle mini keg, the beer in the hose connecting the keg to the dispenser would start to solidify after just 2 days! Then, the “gunk” in the hose would come out into the beer pint, or it would be so solidified, I would have to take the hose off and flush it with white vinegar solution. Sometimes, I would have to push the gunk through to clear the line. The unit did not seem to be getting cold enough, even though I set the thermostat to 38 degrees.
I called customer service to ask for a solution. The customer service rep (Michael) told me that he himself has the unit, that this is normal, and that he cleans his every 2 weeks. When I told him I was cleaning it every 2 days, he told me he was “skeptical” of my claim, but that this was still “normal” and that the hose is just like the water or ice maker in a refrigerator (which I have never had to flush out). I asked him to speak to a manager, and he told me flat-out “no” since he was the person who wrote the Owner’s Manual, so there was no need to speak to anyone else. So basically, I am left with a $300 Mini Kegerator that I cannot use.
A different customer service guy called me back, apologized for “Michael’s” behavior on the phone, and then proceeded to feed me the same story, that it is the beer’s fault that the tap hose gets gummed up inside, and that this happens with darker ales, even though I have been using Heinelen! He said I could ship back the unit at my own cost for them to look at, and if it was broken they would fix free of charge. But according to him it is not broken. Their own Owners Manual says to clean the tap after ever time a keg is used, and that the Heineken kegs are good up to 30 days, but he said I should drink it within a day or expect to clean the hose!
Mr. Delin,
I am sorry to read the unit is experiencing some type of solidification issues within the dispensing lines. After several years and thousands of units sold, this is not a very common report with our brand or any other offering these counter top 5L mini-keg units. I arranged for the Edgestar service manager, Anthony, to contact you with a follow up call which you have noted in your blog postings. I have also spoken with Anthony to learn the details of your account.
Our records indicate the unit was purchased in October of 2011. This would lead me to believe it may have had many mini-kegs run through it since that time. Over time, the lines will definitely begin to experience a build-up of residue which will require periodic cleaning as noted in your posting. At this juncture, it may require a more thorough line cleaning than a simple rinse through the currently connected setup. I am referring to removing the beer lines completely from the unit and soaking them in a cleaning solution for a longer period of time and then rinsing them completely to ensure all beer residue is removed. Again, I am suggesting this due to the age of the unit and the build-up that may occur over time. If you would like, I can arrange for Anthony to send you a new set of beer dispensing lines so you may test the unit with lines we know to be completely free of residue.
As for Anthony’s offer to have you send the unit in for service, he was referring to the temp related issue you raised during your conversation. The unit only has one month of the parts section of your warranty remaining. Anthony was offering to also cover the labor on your unit to rectify any temp related issues as a courtesy since the labor section of your warranty expired after the initial 90 days. He was asking you to ship the unit back to the service facility in order to take advantage of this out of warranty labor offer. Normally, out of labor charges will run $50 to $75.00 dollars. I would recommend you try testing the temp inside the unit before making a decision on sending it in for service. If you have an old mercury based thermometer I would suggest submerging the temp end of the thermometer inside a glass of water and placing the glass inside the unit overnight with the temp set to its lowest setting to achieve an accurate reading.
Again, if you would like to receive a new set of beer lines I will arrange for Edgestar to send those out free of charge. If the unit is truly experiencing a temp related issue I would encourage you to accept Edgestar’s offer since they will waive the labor fee for a unit that is no longer covered by the labor portion of the manufacturer’s warranty if you ship the unit to them for service. Please feel free to contact me again with any further questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Brian Ford
Living Direct, Inc.
Director of Customer Relations
bford@LivingDirect.com
Brian:
Thanks for the response.
You say this is not a common report, but both Anthony and Michael told me that this is normal. Michael told me that I should expect to clean the lines every 1-2 days, and Anthony told me not only should I clean the lines every 1-2 days, but that I should finish a freshly tapped 5L keg in 1-2 days. Who is correct, you or them?
I spoke to a few friends that have similar products, and they only flush their lines every 2-3 kegs (about once a month) and they have never experienced this issue.
As far as usage goes, I have only been using the unit since June, when we moved into our new homes. I have run maybe 4 or 5 kegs through it in that time. All have experienced the same issue.
I did check the temperature as you suggested and it seems to be fine.
Please send me the replacement beer lines and I will give them a try.
So, Brian Ford and EdgeStar sent me a replacement hose for my mini kegerator. After three days of use, the Heineken solidified in the hose as before. Garbage product. DO NOT BUY!
Yeah, my wine refrigerator stopped cooling after 6 months of normal use. Looks like EdgeStar is a low cost low quality type product. All the “helpful” responses arent going to fix that. Try producing a better product!
Ronald J L, sorry to read the cooler is not functioning as designed. Depending on what is creating the issue there may be an easy fix to the problem and if you’ve had the unit less than one year it would still be covered under the parts section of the warranty. Edgestar has recently produced several “how to” videos and published them on their website that will walk you through basic parts replacements. Again, it depends on exactly what is causing the issue but it would be worth exploring if you have not done so already.
Edgestar service contact: (866) 319-5473, M-F, 8am – 5pm CST. (please have the units serial number with you when you phone them)
I can also set up a service phone call for you during business hours if you wish. Please send me your order and contact information if you wish to pursue this option.
My email: bford@livingdirect.com
Respectfully,
Brian Ford
Living Direct, Inc.
Let me add my bad experience with Edgstar. My wife purchased a mini kegerator for my birthday. Upon opening it, I find it’s missing most of the tubing and parts to make it work.
I contacted customer service (Michael Taylor) and he responded to forward a list of the parts missing as well as the model and serial number and where it was purchased from.
I sent the info. Michael contacts me to tell me that the dealer was not an authorized Edgestar dealer ( Like my wife would know this ) and the parts would have to be purchased. Who knows where the electronics store gets his inventory from? I tried to contact the store an they are out of business. When I explained this in a follow up message and asked for any considerations since this is an edgestar product purchased new, I was told curtly. “At this point, you have the part numbers and the pricing. Call to order.
If Brian Ford happens to read this, I would appreciate your help. We are just consumers and my wife’s thoughtful gift of your product has now become a sad chapter and an embarrasment to us.
Hello,
Please email me your order information so I may review your account and see if any other options are possible.
My email: bford@livingdirect.com
Respectfully,
Brian Ford
Living Direct, Inc.
Hi, I’m just beginning to pursue a complaint over a defective Edge Star compact air conditioner. Do you know if it is possible to confirm ‘the manufacture date’ of the unit through the serial number? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jerry
Okay so I read this whole blog from beginning to end and then I ordered the EdgeStar AP 120001S from compactappliance.com. I was nervous of course because of all the negative reviews for compactappliance.com and the products they sell expressed here in this blog site.
The EdgeStar AP 120001S had all the spec’s I was looking for and the price was lower than other PAC’s with the same spec’s so I ordered it.
I must admit I was afraid I was going to either not receive it or receive a defective unit because of all the negative reports here in this blog.
CompactAppliance never sent me any email’s regarding “order shipped” like most online retailers do. You have to check “order status” and the FedEx tracking number is listed there. Click that number or copy it and paste it on the FedEx Tracking website.
I ordered my portable air conditioner on Friday the 3rd and I received it on Thursday the 9th. This is a very acceptable time frame. FedEx is one of the most responsible carriers on the planet and my appliance was delivered to my door by a capable and adept young man wearing the FedEx uniform.
I cut the bands and removed the contents carefully.
Assembly is a no brainer. First, clean the unit by vacuuming the packing dust off it then wipe it down with a very slightly damp and clean face cloth.
The window venting kit is well made and easy to assemble. Gorilla Tape is perfect for sealing the seams around the edges.
Before you turn on the unit you want to close all windows and check that all air leaks are sealed as much as reasonably possible.
I plugged it in, turned it on and set the thermostat at 73 degrees.
Wow.
Powerful unit.
No complaints here.
Several hours later: no complaints here.
Several more hours later: no complaints here.
This unit is not offensively loud, it has a very powerful but soothing sound cycling on and off. You should be consciencious and set the thermostat at the highest temp that can acheive your desired comfort temperature.
I reset the thermostat to 74 degrees.
This PAC is purring like a kitten. It is cycling on and off gracefully and powerfully.
My house is cool and dry thanks to the EdgeStar AP 120001S.
This is a world class portable air conditioner.
I’m using it as a semi permanent appliance and it is exceeding all expectations.
Thumbs up, five stars.
I have had this air conditioner running for two days now. This is a fine appliance for general cooling. It does blow ice cold air at a powerful rate. It creates a negative air pressure state in the room it’s in. Experimenting with open or closed windows, vents and doors will reveal the negative pressure effects. Watching TV at night with this portable air conditioner nearby and running will show it’s local negative pressure. The more airtight your area is the more pressure on the condenser when it kicks on and the noisier it will be. Open a window slightly and the condenser noise will be reduced significantly but now you are cooling the outdoors to some degree. Or better stated, you’re blowing cold air out the window. This is a trade off you must decide on regarding noise. These kind of units are not very efficient anyway so I choose to crack the window open a little, have a quieter compressor and breath some fresh night air. I am in the Pacific Northwest United States where the air is clear. If you are in the southeastern or eastern United States during the summer, the raw humidity will kill you so keep the windows closed to seal the insane humidity out.
This unit is keeping my living, sleeping area cool and dry.
I am very happy with compactappliance and this EdgeStar PAC (EdgeStar AP 120001S).