Hi folks. I'm much more of a lurker here than a poster. We're renovating an old place in inner western Melbourne and I thoroughly enjoy - and get many ideas and tips from - your building stories.
I thought I'd post our cooling experiences as a consumer warning to all. Maybe it will spare somebody the same hassles we are having.
We have an evaporative cooling unit, installed on November 1, 2007. It is less than a month out of warranty. In three years it has required four service callouts. It broke down on New Year's Day 2008 (no service available for 14 days because of the holiday period); Black Saturday (hubby on the roof in 46-degree heat trying to work out how to get water into it) and went through a stage of turning on in the middle of June and July nights; and some other random breakdown that I can't remember the details of.
The company that builds and services these products has sent repair people out for each of our complaints. However, they refuse to consider replacing the unit. And, now that it is out of warranty, they won't send anyone to repair it unless we pay. It stopped working again twice in two and a half hours in last week's heat. So I don't think our problems are over.
We want the machine replaced. They won't. They are difficult to deal with - one customer service phone number, one customer service email (with a generic name). Their customer service people will not provide surnames or the names of any company management to complain to; they will not put calls through to superiors with the capability to make decisions. They will book service calls only - or provide a generic email (vicservice@... etc) for further complaints.
We have found them to be most unhelpful. We have lodged a complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria.
My reason for posting today is to warn others who are considering getting evaporative cooling. Ask your supplier who services their products. Most of them are done by this company, but some are not. I know which choice I would make if I had my time again.
[edited to remove company and trade names... but happy to supply details by PM - if that's allowed]