Customer Reviews

Haier HC125FVS - 125-Can Beverage Center, Black

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am extremely disappointed in this refrigerator/beverage center, HC125FVS. I purchased it at a local "big-name" store. Firstly, the drinks on the top shelf never got really cold, and the temperatures varied greatly from one shelf to the next. I have 4 thermometers, and this is what the temperature degree results were at for the 7th (coldest setting) - 6th setting (2nd coldest):
Top: 45-55
3rd: 40-45
2nd: 35-40
small bottom shelf: 30-35

There was an ongoing variance of 5 degrees per shelf. Also keep in mind that the average refrigerator should be at 35-40 degrees MAX.

I called Haier and the agent told me that 125 cans is the maximum and they do not recommend filling the center to capacity to allow the air to flow freely. (Then why advertise it as a 125-can center???) I had it only about 2/3 full of cans anyway, and there is no fan in the unit to circulate the air, so how can the air flow freely? No wonder there is such a temperature variance. (Go figure.) I decided to hold onto it for a little while longer to see if I did get any satisfaction out of it. (The only thing that made me really happy was that it freed up a lot of precious space in my main refrigerator.) So, I held onto it for a few more weeks.

The straw that broke the camel's back is that it is also advertised on the box to have auto-defrost. After I had it for about 2 months, it developed a thick layer of frost, and it never auto-defrosted. The manual made no mention of the auto-defrost and how it is supposed to work. So, I called Haier America and asked why it had not defrosted yet. I spoke with two different agents and both told me that they did not see auto-defrost as one of the options on this refrigerator. (Go figure, again.)

Oh, one more thing. This center was constantly running. Although it has been a hot summer, my electric bills have never been above $190 in all the years that I have lived in this house. I was shocked when my electric bill went from $170 one month to $260 the next month after the first use of this center. My next electric bill should be coming soon, and I am bracing myself. Although I cannot say 100% sure that this center contributed greatly to the big jump in my bill, but when I turned it off, my electric meter's wheel slowed down quite a bit.

It is going back to the store this weekend. Thank goodness I can return it after 2 months to my local store...

Well, I hope you find this review helpful.

P.S. I just ordered a Danby Designer 4.4 Cu ft compact refrigerator that it is Energy Star rated. I have seen great feedback (4.63 stars out of 5)on the Danby from over 40 reviews, and I have my fingers crossed that it works better. It's also 0.4 cu ft bigger than the Haier...

UPDATE: After I stopped using this beverage center, my electric bill went back down to normal levels on my October 2008 bill. I got the Danby, and I am so much happier with the Danby. Its auto-defrost works and it is energy efficient, which is the opposite of this Haier.

UPDATE 7/9/09: It's the following summer, and I still love the Danby. My electric bills are still at their usual levels of $170-$190. Therefore, I am convinced the Haier is the reason for the jump in my bill last year. As I previously mentioned, the Haier was running constantly.

I shopped for several different brands and models of beverage centers in this price range and initially bought a Whirpool model from Lowe's. I was very disappointed in the uneven cooling as the unit had the thermostat sensor mounted on the bottom side. This wasn't acceptable and certainly seems a design flaw in the Whirpool.Therefore, the bottom would cool to around 42, but the top was 55 degrees! Be careful as it seems that some of these units are actually better intended for wine coolers than canned drinks since they don't cool as much as a refrigerator. All that seems to differ in some of those units is the type of racks for cans or wine bottles. I returned the Whirpool and got the Haier at Sams Club and can't believe the difference. It's made like a regular compact refrigerator but with more interior space. The thermostat is mechanical rather than digital so it is seems much better. Also the sensor is mounted in the top where it should be. The unit is cooling great and staying around 34-40 degrees fully loaded with it set on 6. The coolest setting is 7. At that temperature, it is safe to use as an extra refrigerator if you don't have many cans. The shelving is also handy with two that have flip tops to allow taller bottle placement. I couldn't be happier with this center. Please note the description below doesn't seem accurate and may be referring to a wine cooler or smaller beverage center. The unit weighs around 77 pounds.

We use this beverage center for displaying/selling soda at our business. Its small enough to sit on the counter at eye level and holds a ton of soda! Keeps them cold too! Make sure to read the instructions regarding temp levels and you should be happy with its cooling capabilities.

The first beverage center we received was broken. The drip tray was broken along with the inside plastic that held the racks, the door was off, and the side was smashed in. Amazon shipped us another one and this was fine except for a small dent on the side, but after seeing the delivery man dragging it down my front steps I understand why. Otherwise we have enjoyed having this machine stocked and keeping drinks cold. You cannot turn it all the way up because it freezes the cans but keeping it on the normal "5" setting keeps the drinks cold enough. I would recommend if you can find this item locally go and pick it up yourself to avoid the delivery man dragging it down the steps.

Took a little longer than expected to receive and when it showed up it was upside down. There were no clear markings on the box to let the shipper know it should not be turned over or which side was up. Unit never worked from day one. Not expecting a problem and looking for the easiest way to get the unit out I cut the box and threw it out. Now I have no way to pack it up and ship it back plus I don't want to pay the shipping which is a third of the cost of the unit. Lesson learned? Do not buy products like this on line.

ONLY IF you trust Haier's products and think you do not need an exchange, go ahead and order their products. Otherwise, like us, we paid $15 for exchange fee, plus mailing fee of the exchange documents, plus 2+ months not being able to use a product that you purchased where Haier should hold the responsibility for the damage.

Their support service is terrible. They ask us to have shipment tracking for our exchange documents, but they do not have their shipment tracking for the appliance delivery. Their system sucks and cannot provide any information to you except saying, "you will receive the new appliance 7-15 business days after we approve all your exchange documents", which, however, is absoultely not true since it never happens, so far.

I was looking for an economical wine fridge, and this would have totally met my needs except...
1. When I opened the box, the door was stainless steel rather than black as described on the site and shown in the picture. I know a lot of people like stainless steel, but I just redid my kitchen using oiled bronze accents. I needed it to be black like it said it was. I just wanted the product, so I decided I could probably live with stainless steel, but...
2. The bottom hinge on the door was busted. I could get the door to close still, but I had to pull up on the door as I pushed it shut. Otherwise it got caught on the lock. It made it difficult to close and at the end of the day, since I had just paid over $200 with shipping, I just wanted something that worked correctly. Based on the packaging, I think the unit had been returned before it was sent to me.

The positives were that even though I only had it plugged in for about 10 minutes before boxing it back up to return it, it seemed to be cooling down well. Amazon responded to the return quickly and efficiently which was very much appreciated. If I had the option of exchanging it for a different fridge (especially one with a black door), I would have been all over it. I didn't have that option though, so now I'm back in the market for a wine fridge.

I bought this for our garage ("man cave") we had just finished. The packaging looked fine when it arrived, but after I opened it it was clear the fridge had been dropped because the bottom hinge was bent and the door wouldn't close properly. Luckily for me my husband is handy; he was able to fix the problem (which is why I opted for the 3rd star~ it works now, so "it's ok"). If I had to do it over again, I would've purchased the more expensive one I had seen in one of the "big box" stores; it was defiantly higher quality. In this case, you pay for what you get. :o/

I have this Haier HC125FVS for less than five years old. It stop working, The unit makes click noise but the compressor does not start and its very hot. I think the compressor is bad. So I called customer service for the warranty service, but they will not come and check the compressor which has five years warranty. They want me to call Appliance repair company and pay for the opinion that the compressor is bad, than they will send the compressor and I have to pay for the compressor installation, which will be more than the actual cost of buying new unit. So, technically this company warranty of the compressor for five years is useless. I will never buy any product made by this Haier company.

I bought this beverage cooler at Sam's. At first I was pleased with it, until I realized that some cans were warm, some cool, some cold and some frozen. It never defrosts. The kicker for me was when I determined it was increasing my electric bill around $70 monthly! Just not worth it to me. Can't return it now, so I only use it when I'm entertaining large crowds. Looks nice though.