Danby Wine Cooler

Purchased Danby Silhouette dual zone 166 bottle wine cooler from Quality Matters in May 2008, noticed in January it was not keeping the temperature. Of course it no longer under warranty, so I took it to one of Danby's recommended service providers to see about the repair, only to find out that there is a leak in the system and will cost $600 just to locate it plus parts and labor to fix. The repairman said it was not worth fixing. Seems this system was most likely defective. I have tried to contact Danby but cannot get past their customer service who do not know how to do their job, because they are not helpful and will not put me in touch with someone who cares.

I have never had this kind of experience with any major purchase, most companies are willing to try to resolve the problem, because they know that a satisfied customer is good business. In this economy you would think that Danby would care about their customers opinions and satisfaction with their products. I was not trying to get them to give me a free product, but to maybe work a deal where we split the cost on the repair or a new unit. All I can say is that there products should come with a warning label of BUYER BEWARE!

During the last 2.5 years, I have owned two Danby Wine Coolers that had refrigeration system failures within 19 months (DWC110BLSRH) and within 9 months (DWC166BLSRH). Both were purchased from Appliance Smart, who were great to work with. In the case of the 110 bottle unit, I had no recourse because the warranty was expired. Friends who purchased the same unit, at the same time, had a similar problem with this unit and replaced it. I was disappointed in the failure, but then bought the 166 bottle unit which was great until the top portion stopped cooling. I reported the problem to Appliance Smart and without having the unit examined by a refrigeration expert, offered me a full refund because the unit was on an extended five-year warranty.

I took the refund and then paid to have the unit examined on my own. The specialist determined that there was probably a slow leak in the refrigeration system. Since it would be very difficult to find the leak without dismantling the sides, etc., he did not believe the unit could be fixed at any reasonable cost. As a result, the unit was turned in for recycling and I bought a similar size unit from another manufacturer. I will never own or recommend another Danby product because two such failures are inexcusable in a cooler unit of this type. Other reviews confirmed my feelings about Danby, their products and the attempts by others to get service. At least, I did not waste my time trying to get some satisfaction out of Danby, a company that from reviews of those needing service, does not care about its customers. Hopefully, they will be held responsible for their multiple failures in product reliability and services of them.

I have been waiting since 8/9/10 for the repair of our Danby wine cooler DWC283BLS. It is now 11/9/10. The repair service shop recommended by Danby parts cannot get Danby to supply parts. I cannot get Danby service department to even return calls after I faxed all the documentation they requested.

My husband and I went to Appliance Smart less than a year ago. We purchased two wine coolers for our home. Upon delivery, one of the wine coolers did not work. Appliance Smart immediately fixed the problem by replacing the wine cooler with a new one.

About a month ago, the first wine cooler started to lose temperature and no longer was cooling. We were in the process of contacting Appliance Smart when the second Danby Wine lose temperature and finally no longer was cooling. We contacted Appliance Smart who told us they did not have another product in stock and would not send out a repair person because these were not salvageable. The Appliance Smart Dealer explained they had several issues with the slow leaking systems and they would not even send someone out to repair. They immediately offered us a full refund. Now, I am in a position that I have two systems which are not operating and no way to repair. Appliance Smart said "if you want us to come and get them, let us know and we will salvage them."

So I contacted Danby because of my disappointment that I could not get them repaired and I requested them to pay for someone to look at these or I would have to start the rat race of finding new refrigerators along with booking delivery people to remove and pickup my refrigerators. The Danby representative proceeded to tell me that they were not my refrigerators because Appliance Smart had credited me and they would not nothing. I get that Appliance Smart credited me (by the way, I would recommend shopping with them because they were great to me), but why is my time not important as a consumer? Why should I now have to wait on a delivery and take time off from work?

Instead, I think Danby owes me at least the effort to fix them? This is not a financial issue, but more of customer service issue. I have reviewed major appliance sites and consumer sites (including this one) with the same results: Don't buy a Danby product. They do not care about their consumers. If you have a default in a piece of equipment, pull it from the market.

I wish I would have read the reviews on the Danby wine cooler product prior to purchasing as I have been through the same nightmare and my issues are still not resolved. In August of 2009, I purchased a WWC287BLS model wine cooler from Lowe's and had it delivered to my home. Lowe's was great and even installed the unit. It was after I started experiencing warranty issues that this relationship went downhill.

After returning from a short vacation in early June of this year, I noticed that the dual zone temps in the wine cooler were at 91 degrees - and how long they had been that temp was a mystery since I had been gone. I called Lowe's and they advised me to call Danby, the manufacturer of this Whirlpool branded wine cooler. After reaching Danby, they provided a service provider that I had to use for service. The service provider came out and took the wine cooler into their shop as they do not repair on site. After a few days,they advised that there was a leak in the sealed system and the unit could not be repaired. After calls to Danby, they required the service invoice stating that the unit could not be repaired along with the purchase receipt in order to proceed with the claim.

I immediately faxed and emailed to them. Not hearing from them after several days, I called and received information that they would be replacing the unit. The new unit was delivered by A-1 Express Delivery Service. Unfortunately, they refused to bring into the house and would only leave at the front door. Noticing that the box was damaged, I unpacked and found that the unit had a big dent on the side and would not level. Calls to Danby resulted in the same service company to again come out and advise that the unit could not be repaired and would not level. After again sending in the invoice stating this, Danby advised that they will immediately send another unit.

After waiting over a month, I phoned Danby today for the status and they advised that they sent me an email advising the procedure in returning the old unit. After staying on hold for 20 minutes, I finally was able to discuss the situation. I never received an email and basically unless I hadn't phoned, I would still be waiting to hear. They advised that it would be another 3 or 4 weeks for the replacement unit after I returned the damaged unit and they kept stating that they had sent a replacement unit. Obviously, they felt that I should just be happy with the replacement unit.

When I requested to speak to a supervisor, after all wouldn't the logical result be to pick up the damaged unit when delivering the new one, I was hung up on and when I phoned back, the office was conveniently closed although scheduled to remain open another 20 minutes. All I can say is that I wish now that I would have accepted their offer of a refund. But no, I am still at their mercy and waiting for a replacement unit. I will try again to phone tomorrow and see if I can reach anyone in authority.

Judging by the complaints on this website and others, I am not alone. I made the mistake of purchasing a Danby Wine Cooler, model DWC166BLSRH a little over a year ago. It quit cooling 3 weeks after being installed. I contacted Danby for warranty work and they gave me the name of 4 service providers. All refused to work on the unit because they can't get the parts or paid for the service. These are the names that they gave me! I contacted Danby again and they said I could find my own provider and that they would work with them.

This happened after they called all of the service providers and confirmed what I told them. The service company came out and tried to order parts and found out that they are not available. This is wine cooler that is just over a year old and that is still being sold. Danby confirmed that the parts are not available and that they had no ETA for when they would. It is a sealed unit and parts are not available from any other source. They said that they would replace the unit but that the waiting time is 4-6 weeks. I asked if I could get it replaced through the company that I purchased it from and they said that they would approve it if the unit is in stock.

I contacted the company and they confirmed that it was in stock and that they would send the new unit if Danby would approve the payment. That was almost three weeks ago and Danby won't call them back. They said that they needed the bill of sale, which was provided. They said that they needed the service work order which was provided weeks ago. Now they just don't return calls or emails. This is the worst experience I have ever had with a supposedly reputable company. Laura, the customer service manager doesn't follow up or return calls or emails. Nobody else at the company responds either. Judging by the other complaints here, none of which seem to be resolved, it appears that this is going to be a very long process. I have already sent my wine to an offsite storage location. Even though the cooler is built-in and it will cost me to modify the opening, I am going to try to get them to simply let me return the unit. Don't buy anything from Danby. They might have some good products, but I can tell you, that the service is a nightmare.

I purchased a Danby Silhouette wine refrigerator, model DWC166BLSRH, Serial number 0908080100008 on September 2, 2008 from beveragefactory.com. One of the main reasons I chose the Danby line was because of its warranty and promise of good service, which is written directly on the website. Unfortunately, my Danby wine refrigerator has been broken since March 15th, 2010. After nearly 5 months, it is still broken and no progress has been made, whatsoever, in the effort to get it fixed. I have made over 20 calls to Danby's service organization to date attempting to get this product, which is still under the original warranty, fixed. So much for their "commitment" to service.

The ticket number for your reference is #***. I have emailed the receipt for my purchase three times and been told each time that it was not received, despite having received email confirmation that it had been opened. I have been told by the service dealer here in North Carolina that the work order has been faxed multiple times to the name given to me, only to be told that it never arrived either. I have left two messages for the manager, Laura, provided the ticket number for her reference, an overview of the issues, and my phone number, and never received any call back. I have called the service manager directly (Dave) in the US at 1-800- reference number D44365108, and been told that parts were ordered, it would be taken care of, and that parts would be shipped to the service provider by the end of June. To this date, no parts have been ordered, nothing has been resolved, no one ever calls me back, and I have over $3000 worth of high quality wine that has been sitting out on my counter top for 5 months being improperly stored, with corks drying out, and wine getting ruined.

I have spoken to the following individuals in Canada multiple times: Diana, Erica Roxanne, and left two messages for Laura the manager.I have called on the following dates: 3/15/2010, 3/26/2010, 5/3/2010, 5/10/2010, 7/12/2010, 7/20/2010, 7/19/2010, 8/5/2010, 8/6/2010, 8/10/2010 on multiple occasions I have been put on hold indefinitely or transferred to an errant number, the ridiculousness of this situation just goes on and on and on.

At this point, I want this resolved and if I have to get a lawyer involved to do it, fine. I am also planning to write the president of Danby to see if I can get resolution through him, but based on the other complaints on this site, that doesn't seem very likely either. I have over $3000 worth of wine that has been sitting on my counter for over five months and is slowly turning to vinegar because of improper storage. The cost of the refrigerator was over $1,600. Please have someone get in contact with me to help me find resolution to this long overdue problem.

I also bought dual zone wine cooler for a kitchen re model in 2008 The warranty stated that there was two years on parts and labor and 3 years on the "sealed system" The unit was delivered in March 2008 and installed in Late April 2008. This March (2010) the unit started malfunctioning withone side overheating then the other. Then the thermal breakes would cut in and shut down the compressor. I called Danby not sure whether I was under warranty or not. After a lot of talking I convinced them to pay for a service call. They gave me a number of a local Danby service center.

A week later they arrived and told me that they didn't work on sealed systems I would have to call someone else. I called Danby to let them know. I was given another service center to call but they couldn't come for 2 weeks as Wednesday was the only day someone was home. Two weeks later these people told me the sealed system was shot and the unit needed to be replaced. I called Danby to let them know. They wanted me to FAX the servicemans reprort to their headquarters in CANADA. You'd think they could do that.After allit was their approved technicians that came down. I FAXED it and heard NOTHING for 3 weeks. It was then I decided to call. They told me Oh! the defective unit needs to be picked up.

Danby did nothing for 3 weeks and waited for me to call after I sent them the report they asked for. I told them OK but it needs to be picked up on Wednesday. They said they would arrange that with their transport company CONWAY. Guess what?Theyshowed up on Tuesday, I just happened to be home with the flu. Otherwise I would have waited at least another week for pickup. I called Danby and said now what and told them again Wedneday is the only possible delivery day. They said OK and would call me when they had information on the new unit. Days went by and I heard nothing. However this past Monday I noticed some papers on the lawn when I got home from work. To my surprise Conway had tried to deliver a new unit without checking first.

I called Conway and told them that they were supposed to phone first. Conway told me that Danby never told them to call nor did they specify Wednesday delivery. Conway told me they would re deliver on Wednesday. Wednesday came and Conway showed up with the unit. There was an orange label affixed to the box of the wine cooler saying it had been damaged in transport. Sure enough there was a big gash in the bottom of the box where the fork lift had gone through. I refused delivery and first called CONWAY. They knew the unit was damaged when they tried to deliver it 2 days earlier. That's when the put the DAMAGED label on it and they had the nerve to try and deliver it. I called Danby and was furious. They didn't want to hear it. I told them CONWAY was never told about the Wedneday Delivery by Danby like they were supposed to and they tried to deliver damaged merchandise.

After some searching I managed to reach the assistant to the president of Danby and explained what had been going on . She listened and said she would get back to me.

Five minutes later the customer service person called back and again offered a refund less my home delivery charge. SHe said she was going to send me the check. I told her not to do that at least 5 times during the call. I told her they need to replace the unit at their cost. We kept going round and round. Finally I said I will not accept the check and ended the converstation.

Don't waste your time buying anything from this company. If there's a problem with the unit you'll be very sorry.

We purchased the Dancy 54 Bottle Wine Cooler in stainless steel and within four months of operation. The unit ceased to cool and one side overheated. As Danby claims to have a one year warranty, we called Danby and found that since we had purchased the cooler at the beginning of our remodel and did not install the unit until the renovation was complete. The warranty would not be honored as we were a mere two weeks past our warranty expiration date. We let Danby know that the unit had only been in use for under four months, whereupon we asked if Danby would not honor the warranty, would they at least sell us another unit at cost? At which point, Danby stated that they would not. "Too bad, so sad, you'll just have to fork up another $900 for another unit."

Please note that you cannot get Danby wine or beverage coolers serviced, states Danby customer service, as they are "contained units" which means the entire unit has to be replaced under warranty, not just the cooling elements. If it breaks during the first year, they will ostensibly send you a new unit. But who knows if they will even honor their one year warranty, based upon their reluctance to handle the simplest of customer service issues with us. It took days to get to a representative and even then they completely refused to stand behind their product.

After several tries with Danby customer service to no avail, we contacted the president of Danby, whom we were sure would make this situation right but were completely ignored. I'll bet he gets a lot of calls and mail about this very thing. Do yourself a favor and save on shipping. Put $900 in a pile and burn it rather than buy any Danby product. Better yet, buy another brand, as we did. Our new cooler works just fine and it can be repaired if it breaks, as it is 21st century technology. Our new unit was cheaper too and is better looking.

Come on! It's a little fridge, not rocket science, and they can't get a $900 wine cooler to work for more than four months without breaking down? I'd be interested to hear from any other Danby wine cooler purchasers as I have a suspicion that these units are manufactured to meet planned obsolescence of approximately one year as a means of bilking the consumer.

Yes, you heard me, Danby, if you read these reviews: Your customer service reps were too practiced in their denial of warranty coverage for us to believe that this is an uncommon occurrence. We'd also like to hear from you, Danby, since we've not received a reply to any of our communications for several months now. Caveat emptor! I lost $900, time and trust in American capitalism. I see a lot of negative reviews on other sites as well as this one. Any attorneys interested in a class suit in regarding planned obsolescence for Danby's wine coolers?

This will be my first and last Danby product! Right now (Dec 2009), I'm in the process of faxing my 3 previous invoices to Danby, plus my original purchase invoice to see if they might cover a 4th condenser fan. The wine cooler is currently humming and buzzing. Ugh!

I purchased through our builder a Danby Silhouette wine cooler in July of 2003. It is used 6 mos of the yr as this is not a primary residence. While still under the 5 yr warranty I have had the refrigerator serviced 3 times to the tune of $300 in service calls and $20 in parts. While still under warranty I purchased a Condenser Fan Motor in May of 2008. It was back-ordered and was not mailed until June after we had gone North for the summer and was not installed until Nov 2008. The part lasted until May of 2009 when it again burned out.

Our repair person was on vacation. We unplugged the unit and left to spend the summer up north and when we returned our repairman diagnosed that it was the fan motor again. I called the company and they refused to do anything about it. This refrigerator is 6 yrs old but about 3 yrs old in useage. The replacement part lasted less than 6 months. My expectations were that the company would at least offer to ship me another motor (cost $5.16 plus shipping). They offered me no satisfaction. I will not replace the part if it is only going to last 6 mos.

I will not purchase any products from this company again and will not recommend them.