EVAKOOL FRIDGE WARRANTY - BEWARE

I have the Evakool RF 60 fridge..It hasn't missed a beat..Was never told this when i bought it at the Caravan camping Show.Mines over 5 years old now and hasn't been serviced..$88 bucks is a lot just to be told the fridge is working great when you already know it is.Thats just shy of another $400,I'd run the Gauntlet as not much goes wrong with the higher end fridge..




Could this be a new condition ???

Don't worry about them, you have consumer rights without all their mumbo jumbo! New laws came into effect Jan 1 2011. Australia wide. Michael

I hope Michael is correct re the Consumer laws.

The retailers use the warranty as a selling point and it is not until you read the booklet that comes with the fridge that you find out to get the warranty you have to spend money with a service agent every year and that makes it about another $400 to extend the warranty to 5 years.

To me when the sales stuff says it has 5 years warranty without any qualifications attached to the statement then surely that is a misleading repreentation.

Ken

Mudda,
Just being nosy so please don't take this as a critism, but what would you service on a fridge. As long as it's keeping your favourite beverage cold what else could be an indicator that something needs servicing. Never heard of this for any other brand of portable or household fridge.

Cheers
Pop

A fridge either works or it doesn't so with the yearly service it is pointless otherwise. I have experience due to working in the refrigeration industry for 10+ years. If I was you it probably wouldn't hurt to get a 2nd independent opinion if u have the time to do so. A t/stat issue can be troubleshooted by turning the dial down to lowest setting and seeing if it freezes within a timeframe and it cuts out. If its continuously running it means it has become intermittent. It shouldn't cost anything to replace due to it being a part which can't be serviced anyway. I dare say you'd have fair grounds with the consumer law no worries to report this slight lame warrant issue. Bloody money spinners!

there is stuff to check on a fridge but mostly stuff you can do yourself.
number 1 is check the condensor for lint and dirt build up. This is likely to be the number one thing to reduce the performance of a fridge in hot weather besides a gas leak.

Mudda,
this may help a little to diagnose the problem.

Everkool fault codes and wiring diagram

I have never had anything to do with Evakool and don't own any of their products.

But a very quick look at their warranty is pretty clear. It is a 5 year warranty if you have annual inspections, and a 2 year warranty if you don't. That is well and beyond any consumer laws. It's the first section in their warranty page.

Would you complain about a 5 year car warranty that includes service conditions.

People may have had fridges that have run for 100 years without a service but that doesn't get over the fact that some fridges are in roll overs, left outside, full of dust, rusty, etc etc.

I think it is perfectly reasonable. They only ask that you get an annual inspection to extend the warranty. And I may be wrong here but the general feedback in forums like this on this brand seems to be very positive.

Forget extended warranties.
A similar thing exists for almost everything you buy now. Try buying a radio or TV and you will be "pressured" into buying an extended warranty by the retailer.
Add up the service costs over the period and you are well on your way to the cost of a new fridge or other item for that matter.

I suggest you wait until the cost of repair is known then decide if it is justified.
I would suggest it is.
Ensure you are dealing with a reputable service agent.

Personally, I have found Evakool to be an excellent company to deal with.
I have an Evakool ice box which travels with me on many an occasion.
One fault developed with a latch and I rang Evakool to ask if I could pay for a spare part over the phone and have it delivered.
The lassie asked for my mailing address and a new latch would be posted to me at no cost.
The part arrived within a couple of days and included a couple of replacement rivets to attach the new latch with.
The part was not technically faulty as I explained to the Company. It was damaged when the icebox latch was left open and bent.
No matter said Evakool, we will send out a replacement, which they did.

Good Aussie company in my mind.

Mudda, you haven't mentioned what the amber fault light is doing

Step 1/ Go to good old Google & type in "evakool troubleshooting"

Step 2/ Select "Customer Service - Evakool"

Step 3/ Select "TO DOWNLOAD THE RF/FM TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE"

it comes up side ways, but you can save it & rotate it for easier reading.

I've had mine for over 5 years, the connection works itself loose at times, just got to check it now & then and had the fuse changed to a circuit breaker, no charge, which yours probably has standard now.

It's been a great fridge/freezer.

Good luck with yours.

If a manufacturer offers an extended warranty then they have a right to periodic inspections to make sure that the goods are being treated correctly & to make any adjustments as required to prevent future failures.
Some tyre manufacturers insist on inspections, rotations etc, which is no different to Eva Kool's requirements, they need to know that the item that they are responsible for is not being abused.

If you want to see a really dodgy warranty, read the terms & conditions of the Cooper Tyres warranty!

hey mudda, thought this may be of some help, I found this whilst researching the evakool as I am looking at buying 1. not sure if the guy is still there, but he seemed to take notice when some one complained on the ausfish forum.

G'day Jethro6641,

I have just returned from a Trade Show in Canberra where a gentleman advised me of your chat room WARNING regarding your EvaKool Fridge/Freezer and the problems you are having with it. Could I ask that you contact me directly so that I may take control of your concerns directly.

Contact details appear below.

Regards,



Rod Miles
National Manager
Nexberg Pty Ltd t/a Evakool Ice Boxes
16 Enterprise Street, Caloundra
Queensland. 4551
AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 7 5492 7777 Fax: +61 7 5492 7733
Mbl: 0414.925.533
email: rod@evakool.com
web: www.evakool.com

We bought ours from an Authorized Service Centre and the Warranty Statement was pointed out to us at the time of purchase.

We had our 24 month check done in March and was done free of charge as part of their customer service.

We are more than pleased with both the product and service we have received.

Don't be fooled by manufacturers/retailers claims regarding warranty limitations Mudda. Your consumer rights trump their written warranties and bluff in many cases. The ACCC website is a good starting point if you want to learn more. They will also provide phone advice.

I've said it before on here but consumers should be aware that there is always an implied warranty on expensive items. This warranty is not limited by what the manufacturer says or conditions they impose (often to extract more $$$) but by what might be considered reasonable for the item. How a manufacturer/retailer promotes it is also a factor. For example if they promote something as extremely hardy and suitable for offroad use they could then not argue that normal offroad use could limit or negate your warranty claims. There are always exceptions of course and it's not a one-way street (some consumers have unreasonable expectations).


Excluding "wear and tear repairs" (which yours may or may not fall into) how long with proper care would you reasonably expect the item to last. In your case the question might also be - has the lack of annual servicing played any part in its breakdown. Many have already suggested that the answer is no.

Nexberg Pty. Ltd. trading as EvaKool undertakes to the original purchaser that this product is sold free of defect in materials and/or
workmanship under normal use for a period of 5 years subject to the following: EvaKool will repair free of charge or replace at their
discretion your EvaKool fridge/freezer if the unit’s failure is as a direct result of faulty workmanship and/or materials.
• As this is a portable unit subject to a variety
of different operating conditions the purchaser
is obliged under this warranty to have the unit
regularly inspected by an approved EvaKool service
agent, as prescribed in the attached service record.
The first inspection must be undertaken 24 months
from date of purchase and repeated every 12
months thereafter. The annual inspection should
take not more than 30 minutes and will help ensure
that your EvaKool is maintained in peak condition.
Please note that the cost of this inspection is for
the owners’s account. Failure to have the unit
inspected will limit the warranty to 24 months from
date of purchase. Please ensure the service card is
kept in a safe place as it will need to be submitted
in the event of a warranty claim after 24 months.
• As your EvaKool is a handcrafted product there
may be slight differences between units. These
differences do not constitute a claim under the
terms of this warranty.
• The warranty period commences from the date
of purchase by the original purchaser from an
authorised EvaKool dealer.
• Please note the beneficiary of this warranty is the
unit’s original purchaser.
• EvaKool will honour this warranty on presentation
of proof of purchase of the unit to EvaKool or its
approved service agent. The service agent must be
provided with a photocopy of the proof of purchase
to obtain approval to proceed prior to warranty
being honoured.
• Please telephone (07) 5492 7777 for the name of
an authorised service agent or refer to list provided
and for a warranty authorisation number prior to
any work that may be claimed under warranty being
undertaken. It is the purchaser’s responsibility
to freight the unit to and from the service agent
indicated by EvaKool.
• EvaKool will not be held responsible for any
damage or loss suffered or cost incurred whilst in
transit.
• Warranty repairs may only be carried out by an
authorised service agent. EvaKool will not reimburse
repair claims carried out by unauthorised service
agents. Any tampering with any part of the unit by
an unauthorised service agent will automatically
void the warranty.
• Service agents may charge a fee for viewing or
testing the unit. This is not covered by EvaKool or
this warranty and is payable at the service point
unless authorised by EvaKool.
• EvaKool will not accept a warranty claim if:
1. Modifications have been carried out to the unit
without EvaKool’s written authority.
2. Damage to or failure of the unit has been caused
in EvaKool’s opinion by incorrect, extreme or
unreasonable use.
3. Damage to or failure of the unit has been
caused in EvaKool’s opinion by misuse, neglect,
accident, impact or similar cause. Refer the
preventative maintenance guidelines.
• EvaKool will not accept any claims for consequential
loss of any nature whatsoever arising from the
malfunction or stoppage of this unit.
• EvaKool has total discretion on the variation of the
warranty terms.
• This warranty cannot be varied by others.
COMPLETE THE ENCLOSED WARRANTY CARD AND

Mate looking at the Evakool Spare Parts the Thermostat is only worth 60 bucks..

So if you don't get any warranty just do it yourself..

I'm afraid I can't see consumer affairs giving a rats about your problem.
The warranty details are in black and white for anyone to see (or enquire about), and it's your word against theirs whether they told you about the conditions when you brought the fridge.

Now you've spouted black and blue about it on a national forum I'm sure there will be internal emails to all distributors reinforcing the need to give all a heads up on any extended warranty.

I would have called them directly and discussed any options that were available prior to broadcasting your issues. I can't see them bending over backwards for you now.

As you said...'read the fine print'.
It forms part of the sale contract.

I've had a few warranty items fixed on mine over the yrs no questioned asked & no hassle

Given the treatment some fridges get its pretty amazing that a company will offer a five year warranty at all. I think the required inspection is a good way of telling if the fridge is being exposed to ridiculous abuse (submersion in sea water etc) so that in the event of a premature failure the company is liable only for actual manufacturing and design faults and not misuse by the owner.

A no strings two year warranty seems pretty reasonable to me.

Refrigeration mechanic charges are another matter. $88 a consultation is way more than say a GP charges, and people are always grizzling about "rich" doctors.

Bob

Hi Mudda and everyone else,

I will see if I can cover as much as possible but please feel free to reply or PM me if you need some more information.


The Evakool RF ( white fibreglass ) range and FridgeMate ( yellow polyethylene ) range of fridge / freezers have one of the best warranty policies offered in Australia for a portable refrigeration system.
As Australia’s leading manufacturer of 12 volt portable refrigeration with many years of experience in this field we have ascertained that one of the primary causes of issues with portable refrigerators, irrespective of brand, is the lack of maintenance performed by the owner over time.

Whilst Evakool’s fridges are built to take the hard knocks, once in the field every unit is treated differently and for this very reason we recommend that 30 to 45 minutes of simple preventative maintenance each year will ensure that any potential issues are resolved before you depart on your journey. After all you are making an investment in an asset which is crucial to your camping / off road experience and is no different to how you should treat your motor vehicle.

Simple maintenance such as taking the compressor cover off and cleaning the condenser, particularly after extensive off road driving is sometimes not being performed, even though this has been recommended in our owner’s manual for years.

We recommend that you take your Evakool or FridgeMate fridge to an Evakool authorised service agent (of which there are approx. 100 around Australia) and have an annual service performed which should take between 30 – 45 Minutes. Such routine inspections will ensure years of trouble free operation from your Evakool.

This requirement is clearly stated in the owner’s manual and warranty booklet supplied with every fridge.

If the servicing schedule is not carried out and there is a failure with the fridge the warranty terms are 5 years on the cabinet and fittings ( handles, hinges, latches etc. ) and 2 years on the refrigeration and electronic system.

Please note if your fridge is in for a routine service and there is a fault with the unit, you still need to pay for the service but the parts and labour costs involved with repairing the fault are covered by the warranty.

The cost of this service depends on the service agent, but if the fridge is returned to Evakool for the service, our average charge is between $30 - $45, a small outlay to ensure your continued peace of mind.

All our stockists and their staff are aware of the terms of our warranty. Unfortunately staff at our stockists do change and if anyone is able to advise a specific store that did not give them all the required information please PM me so I can follow-up with the store concerned .


Thanks, Brodie
Warranty and Service Manager

Interesting story-always a case of fine print vs consumer rights and what is considered reasonable. agree with idea of trying for a remedy with supplier first with the situation. have seen many other warranties subject to service: cars for one. on subject of apparently outrageous things....- in news some time ago-gyproc ceiling in house collapses! insurance tried to refuse payout on grounds of insufficient maintenance or that it was result of a process occurring over a period of time, thus not covered! howsthat!. how do you 'maintain' a ceiling?

One could say its not an unreasonable thing to ask for verification that an item has been regularly checked/serviced and not subjected to severe abuse. sales staff seem to often fail to mention fine print requirements. I have seen photo of a badly damaged fridge shown by sellers (Engel)as an example of how the item still worked( 4wd show). the obvious catch is the ongoing cost of such checks.
Its like ink cartridges- computer printers cost less than $100, but the ink cartridges can cost anything from $20-50 and don't last that long. may as well buy another printer. this is how makers get their money-many people consider this a rip off as after market/refill cartridges often wont work in the printers..
hope you get some resolution.
MG.