Customer Reviews

NST Nine Stars DZT-42-1 Infrared Touchless Automatic Motion Sensor Lid Open Trash Can, 11.1-Gallon

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

My wife and I received this trash can as a housewarming present for our new home. The little ring inside the can has gotten thrown away with the trash bag TWICE by visiting company, who don't realize the ring is in there. Buying a replacement ring is an exercise in futility. A vendor gave me the phone number for Nine Stars, and they don't answer their phone. You get directed to voice mail, and the voice mail boxes are ALL FULL, so the system will not accept any messages. Rings purchased from suppliers on the internet are ever-so-slightly too large, so they must have changed the design. I'm not going to buy a new auto-open lid just so it will fit the bag ring! The manual "lid open" button stopped working after six months. We love being able to wave at the can and it open, and when it was new, it was great! It lost two stars because of the difficulty in locating replacement parts.

Let's me begin by saying this is a great system, and one you will quickly find yourself wonder how you ever lived without it. That said, here's my experience:

I ordered the 11 gallon can, but because of manufacturer delays, I had to wait 5 weeks for delivery. Not too bad given the price, but 5-6 weeks into using it, the little plastic ring that holds the bag in place split on me. I'm not saying it split as in left me like many other reviews have stated, I mean it actually split, as in broke on the seam. A simple manufacturing defect. I called Nine Star ([...]) and spoke with Angela, Manager of Customer Service. Her number is 626-839-1883, Ext. 10 (or 25 - both get her).

In speaking with Angela, Nine Star acknowledged that these parts WILL FAIL and due to a DESIGN FLAW (the same one that allows customers to easily throw out their rings too), they offer replacement parts in singles and doubles, but evidently, failures are NOT covered under warranty. Cost of replacement for a light-weight plastic ring: $11, or $16 for the twin pack. It's fair to note that the design flaw has been remedied in later versions of their trash cans (at least according to Nine Star).

Considering that this is the simplest (read: low-tech) part of the can, $11 seems kind of steep. Hell, the whole can was only $47 delivered. Nine Star refused to exchange parts and only offers replacement parts for sale, citing it is against company policy to offer free replacement part or warranty anything other than the electronics.

This may all seem silly to some, but to only warranty the most expensive part of the can system and not the cheapest doesn't make sense. I even asked Angela a hypothetical that if the metal can had split on it's weld, would they warranty that, and was again told that they only warranty the electronic parts and that Nine Star could offer me nothing other than the chance to buy replacement parts at 22% of the cost of the whole system, however she would ship them for free (yay, Nine Star!). I was also told that if I didn't like their policy I could speak with Nine Star's home office in China, and was offered their number (+01-86-0591-8305-0611). Angela also told me I would need to have someone who can speak Mandarin if calling.

I can understand if I had thrown it out like many of the reviewers have stated, but this one broke. And it's not like it's hard to put on either -- it only goes on one way. Frankly, if you can put the square peg in the square hole, I'm pretty confident you can master operating the NST DZT series just fine.

I don't know if this is was a planned thing, but it seems Nine Star has a pretty good business selling these parts and is enjoying some pretty healthy margins at the customer's expense. The ring isn't even a necessary part -- it just makes the can look better and holds the bag more firmly in place. As of this writing, I am requesting an RMA from the Amazon seller and returning the can. I can buy the same can from Walmart or Sears for under $50 as well, but at least there I can walk into the store and return it if any parts break.

Check prices here: [...])

Caveat emptor!

Loved it when I got it. It worked great for about 5 months. Then is kind of worked when it wants to. Now, when it actually does open (and that's only after I push the button - so much for touchless) it simply stays open (until I push the CLOSE button)!

I have it now for one year, and with the same battery. the touchless is so sensitive that when I turn on the kitchen light the lit opens.

42 liters is NOT EQUAL to 13 gallons. Do the math. 1 liter = 0.264172051 gallons. 42 liters x 0.264172051 = 11 gallons. The manufacturer (NineStar) sells both a 13 gallon and a 11 gallon model.The reseller (Postal Bay) knows this, but is advertising the 13 gallon model and delivering the 11 gallon (42 Liter) model.

I bought this for my parents and they loved it. Then the piece on the lid broke off and now it won't open. And you can't just buy the lid and replace it. Oh no, you have to buy the entire lid assembly which is $35. The manufacturer's customer service is not too friendly either.

I've owned my Nine Stars trash can for probably more than a year now and have no complaints. Granted, I do have space under my kitchen counter (that was intended for a trash compactor) so it stays pretty well protected from items falling onto it unintentionally so it's still in perfect condition. But with two kids and a lazy husband, this was the best decision I made when we needed a new can. I don't have to worry about touching the lid when I'm cooking with raw chicken or worry that my kids are going to get their fingers snapped like our old foot-pedal can did (which also seemed to send the lid flying up or down whenever I needed to throw something out).

Well, I guess to say that I have no complaints is not entirely accurate - both my mother and my mother-in-law were recently visiting our house and both asked for a Nine Stars trash can for the holidays. And guess who had to buy them?

When I got this trash can I was so impressed.... the smell doesn't leak... But after 2 weeks the sensor feature was broken..... I accidentally got wet while cleaning the top part and now it's not working anymore even after I let it dry :(

As with all the other reviews - it's great in the beginning, until it stops working correctly within a few months. Buyer beware!

The trash can came in quickly, Amazon sent it out in no time. However, the trash can will some times work and some times it seems as if its logic is stuck between opening and closing when the motion sensor is kicked off. I have to turn off the device and then turn it back on.