Evakool fridges - Worst purchase in 20 years...

No good at all! Cheers for the heads up, however, some regular contributors here will soon be along to ridicule you for bagging out an aussie company that 'just could not possibly give poor service and that you must be at fault somehow'!!

Hi Freelance1000.Well, I've had pretty good service out of my eight-year old Evakool. I have visited the factory in Caloundra and found them pleasant and helpful. BTW I also have an older Engel which, like the Evakool, continues to function perfectly.

Mark

Engel, They a bit pricey for a reason .
Had my one for 8 years ,and it has never missed a beat .
And it sat on the back of my work ute out in the open for 2 years

Cheers

Hopefully Evakool will be along shortly to explain too.....

I have the RF 60litre and it hasn't missed a beat ove 6 years now, well once a tarp blocked off a vent on a 30 odd degree day.. The wireless Incab showed an increase in temp, once I realised it was sorted..

Last trip I had to move my vehicle (rain etc awning in wrong spot), I was still in 4wd low and heard a bang when I took off, the Evakool fridge slide didn't click in properly and the top of the slide came flying out the back onto the ground lol with the fridge still strapped in. The reciever for the temp is cactus (just ordered another with alarms etc) , it doesn't work correctly. Fridge is perfectly fine.... no splits, cracks etc...

Goodluck...

I have 2 Evakool fridges which were custom built for me. I have found their service excellent, so I suggest you call Allan Smith personally and I expect he will get onto things for you.

138Ltr ! What model is that ? I am thinking of buying an evakool .

G'day Stephen

Realistically, dud products are going to occur from time to time, even with reputable brands. But dud service from retailers or manufacturers, assuming a rational approach to them, is unacceptable. Keep on their backs, and elevate your concerns to management, as some have suggested already.

Good luck
John

Stephen,
I'm not familiar with Australian Direct but it sounds like an internet based sales mob.

This is little help to you now but may serve as a warning to others....yes the warranty is with the manufacturer but as a consumer, you'll have a better chance of getting a change over if the product is bought through a shop front distributor of significant size.

I'm 42 also (snap) and in my experience a shop front place like Rays, BCF, Anaconda blah blah blah will usually help you out and in some cases do a change over, then send your unit back to the supplier for a warranty claim. The supplier has privileged position in some of these big stores and failure to help on warranty claims often earns them a black mark. Enough black marks and shop front X stops stocking their goods.

Just my experience but I'm sure others will have other experiences that contradict mine. Good luck...nothing worse than warm beer.
Fab.

Yep............NO SUCH FRIDGE

Suspect a troll

Does he mean a 38 L fridge?

On Saturday last week I sent Allan Smith the following email.

Hi Allan,

1) In early May of 2014 we took delivery of two Evakool BCD138L Chest style fridge/freezers.

We purchased these fridges because we live in a cyclone area. Replacing our big old leaky Kelvinator with the versatility and effeciency of two 12/24/240v Chest fridges/freezers made sense. The fridge was placed in the kitchen, the freezer in the laundry.

In late May the fridge stopped working and we lost all the food stored in it. After replacing the fuse it started working again.

In early August the fridge stopped working for the second time; resulting in all the food being lost again. This time it wasn't a fuse.

As it stopped working hours before we were leaving for the Cobourg Peninsula, it was not delivered to the Evakool Service Agent in Darwin (GP Refrigeration & Airconditioning on the Stuart Hwy Ph 08 8947 1124) until mid September.

This fridge has still not been repaired and returned.

i.e. In the seven months we have had this Evakool fridge, it has worked for a total of three months. Of the four months it has not worked, for three months it has been at the Evakool Service Agent.

2) Since early August, Brodie Thompson at Evakool has been aware of this non functioning fridge. Although being in contact with him on a regular basis, there is nothing to show for it. Emails to and from Brodie are listed below.

3) Last week I started a couple of threads online documenting our experience and thoughts regarding Evakool products and servicing.
Evakool fridges - Worst purchase in 20 years...

View on www.exploroz.com

4) Based on our experience to date, we are very, very disappointed in Evakool products and servicing.

We are now at the point where regardless of what the Evakool Service Agent does to that fridge, there is no way we will be able to confidently rely on it.

One way to resolve this issue, and what we would prefer is for Evakool to provide us with a full refund of $1,009.00. That way we can go and purchase a new fridge for the kitchen. For the last four months the kids and I have been living out of the secondhand 40L Engel.

Regarding the freezer, it has worked as advertised. However, it has recently started occasionally making a strange rattling sound when the compressor goes off. Time will tell, and we can deal with this when/if it fails.

Regards,
Stephen