Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
Choosing the right wine cooler, wine cabinet or wine wall can be overwhelming due to the many types, options and features available to you. Despite this, we have all the information you need to help pick out the best appliance for you and your family.
Before purchasing your wine cooler or wine cabinet, we recommend you check:
Electrical Connections
- The electrical supply must be within one metre of the resting place of the wine cooler
Dimensions
- Make sure the appliance will fit in your chosen location
- For integrated or semi-integrated installations, make sure your kitchen units are able to house the new appliance.
- Access - please ensure the delivery team will be able to fit the unit through door ways and if required, take the unit down or up stairs, safely.
Placing your order
You can place your order 24hrs a day through the website, however if you would prefer to speak with one of the team - we can be reached Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and one of us will usually be on Livechat from 8am right through to 10pm at night.
We need all orders by 10am in the morning for delivery within 2 working days, the items need to be picked from our warehouse and sent to the local depot on the day of picking. This is only the case for stock items.
Our standard service for UK mainland is a 2 person delivery, which includes the room of choice, unpack, position and removal of packaging. Please let us know if there will be any stairs or access issues as we may have to make other arrangements.
You can select different time slots at checkout for UK mainland deliveries, our normal delivery hours are between 9 and 5pm but you can select an AM/PM delivery or a specified two hour window as well.
Yes, please contact us at info@elitefridges.co.uk and we will get this over to you!
We list the dimensions of every product within the specification, however if you are unsure please contact us on 0333 577 6466.
Please remember that the dimensions will not include the handle within the depth.
The images displayed are for illustrative purposes only, we have made every effort to show you the product in as much detail as possible. However, the item may look different in the flesh or it may have been updated/upgraded since the photo shown on our website was taken. Elite Wine Refrigeration withholds the right to change the specification without notice.
Lead times and expected delivery dates are available on every product page. In the unlikely event a product is out of stock, we will contact you with an alternative or the expected lead time.
Orders are usually confirmed within 24 hours, some manufacturers take slightly longer to confirm but we will be in touch to keep you up to date on the status of your order.
If you are not happy with your product, please contact us within 14 days of the delivery date to arrange something. We cannot accept returns for items that have been ordered in especially for your order and any unwanted items need to be unused and not installed - all of the original packaging and accessories must be present as well.
If you do install or use your item, we can levy at least 50% of the cost of the item as we won’t be able to re-sell this as a new item. For more information, please visit our terms and conditions page.
In the unlikely event the item arrives faulty, please first check the troubleshooting page of the manual to ensure it hasn't been set-up incorrectly.
If the fault can't be remedied, please contact us and we will come back with a solution as quickly as possible. We will ask for a description of the problem, the serial number and photos of the unit installed to check it has been installed correctly.
We will offer you a resolution in line with your consumer rights, within the first 30 days you are entitled to a refund or we can repair or replace the unit. After 30 days then you are only entitled to a repair or replacement item, depending on what is the most cost effective option.
Yes, in most cases the manufacturer will offer a warranty on their products. This may be 1,2 or more years - please check with one of our team for each item as you may need to register in order to be eligible to the warranty conditions supplied by the manufacturer.
Paying for your items
You can use Visa, Visa Debit, American Express, Master card and Apple Pay
Yes, our bank details are as follows
Bank: LLOYDS BANK
Account Name: Elite Wine Refrigeration Ltd
Sort Code:30-92-92
Account number:36848560
Before making any payments - please contact us so we have the correct billing and delivery details to be able to allocate your payment correctly.
Paypal, ApplePay, ShopPay and GooglePay - this can be selected at checkout
Yes, our checkout is encrypted to protect your payment card details - not even Elite Wine Refrigeration will have access to them - this uses standard SSL technology.
Just give us a call on 0333 577 6466 and we can put this through manually
Business customers who want to pay via invoice, please contact the office to arrange this.
Payment for your order
Elite Wine Refrigeration will only capture the payment made by the customer when the order has been accepted by the supplier or scheduled for delivery from our own stock. This may take a couple of days so please do not worry if the payment isn't taken straight away.
All transactions are conducted in GBP £ STERLING. All payments are requested in GBP £ STERLING regardless of your local currency.
KLARNA
Klarna is a Swedish payment service provider that takes end-to-end responsibility for your payment. Klarna is the provider of smooth payments to more than 200,000 online stores. Over 85 million consumers worldwide have trusted Klarna to securely handle their payments.
Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments will allow you to spread the cost of your purchase over 3 equal payments. The payment for each instalment will automatically be collected from the debit or credit card you entered at checkout. Your first instalment will be collected when your order is confirmed by Elite Wine Refrigeration and instalments 2 and 3 are scheduled 30 and 60 days later, respectively. You can always monitor your payments’ schedule in the Klarna app.
To use Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments you must be at least 18. Whilst this option is widely promoted, Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments is subject to your financial circumstances. When choosing Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments, our assessment will not affect your credit rating.
Klarna is unique and offers Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments based on a number of factors such as the order value, previous order history and item availability. If you are 18 or over, you can improve your chances of being offered Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments by ensuring you provide your full name and accurate address details and shipping to your registered billing address. All orders are assessed individually. Just because you have been accepted for a Klarna payment method before does not mean it will be offered for every order and in turn, as it is denied does not mean it will be denied for all future orders.
If you want to make a purchase with Klarna using Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments, you'll need to provide your mobile phone number, email address, current billing address and a debit or card card. The mobile number is required in case we need to reach you. All communications will be sent to your email address. It's very important that you give us the correct details, as otherwise you will not receive your payment schedule and any updated order information
Klarna may run so-called unrecorded enquiries (or soft credit searches) that do not affect credit scoring and are only visible to you and Klarna, but not visible to other lenders. Neither Klarna nor Elite Wine Refrigeration run credit searches against you that could impact your credit rating.
Although Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments is widely promoted it is not always universally available. The Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments payment option is automatically generated by algorithms that are dependent upon a number of factors including address details, cardholder details, amount of order, the online store, previous order history and item availability.
Payment for your Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments will automatically be collected from the debit or credit card you entered at checkout. The first payment is taken when the order is confirmed. The second and third instalments are collected 30 and 60 days, respectively, after the first instalment. You can always monitor your payments’ schedule in the Klarna app.
As soon as Elite Wine Refrigeration have accepted your cancellation/return, Klarna will cancel any future scheduled payments as well as refund any amounts due. The return will be reflected in the Klarna app immediately.
Klarna will automatically attempt to collect your payment for your Pay later in 3 interest-free instalments purchase at Elite Wine Refrigeration from the debit or credit card you entered at checkout. If we are unable to collect your payment on the scheduled due date Klarna will make one further attempt to automatically collect payment two days later. Should this last payment attempt fail, Klarna will issue you a statement for the full outstanding order amount which will become payable 15 days later. Klarna shall notify you when a payment is due two days in advance of attempting to collect your payment and you can always monitor the due date in Klarna app at your convenience. Your credit score will not be impacted by using Klarna’s ‘Pay later in 3 instalments’ product even if you have failed to pay on time.
You can view all of your Klarna purchases and payment schedule in the Klarna app or by logging onto Klarna.com/uk.
Payment information is processed securely by Klarna. No card details are transferred to or held by Elite Wine Refrigeration. All transactions take place via connections secured with the latest industry standard security protocols.
Yes. Just go to the Klarna app or log onto Klarna.com/uk and pay off early.
Klarna will notify you via email and push notification from the Klarna app when a payment is due and when this has successfully been collected, or in the unlikely event of your payment failing. If a payment has been collected but you have not received payment confirmation, you can always check the status of your order and payments in the Klarna app or by logging in at www.klarna.com/uk.
Once Elite Wine Refrigeration has received the return (partial or full) and you have received their confirmation of this, an updated statement with an adjusted payment schedule will be sent to you by Klarna if you've made a partial return. With a full return, we shall refund any payments collected and cancel any future scheduled payments. You are always able to monitor the status of your order in the Klarna app.
In the event that your goods have not been received please call Elite Wine Refrigeration to check on your order and delivery status. You can also contact Klarna’s Customer Service so that we can postpone the due date on your payment or put the order on hold in the Klarna app while you wait for the goods to arrive.
As soon as the store has registered your cancellation or your return, the refund will be processed within 5-7 business days.
Refunds shall be issued back to the debit or credit card which was originally entered at checkout
You can log in the Klarna app or at www.klarna.com/uk, where you will find all of your orders and payment schedule information.
Visit Klarna app or Klarna’s Customer Service page for a full list of FAQ’s, live chat and telephone options.
Discount codes
Voucher codes usually have a time limit for use, if they have expired then they will no longer be able to be used sorry. You may have made a typing error to the code.
Absolutely, just let one of us know the code at the time of ordering and we will add this to the order.
Unfortunately not, only one discount code can be used - we recommend using the code that provides the highest level of discount as they can't be used in conjunction with one another.
Unfortunately not - we will happily honour whichever option gives you the biggest discount but unfortunately we can't discount our price match prices any further.
Some codes are generic, so feel free to use them time and time again. Some codes though, may be time limited and restricted to one purchase only as they have been designed specifically for you.
On the checkout page, there will be a section at the bottom of the page to add the code which will take the value of the code off the total automatically.
We send these out via email, so subscribe to our newsletter. Or there are generic codes that can be found on social media or can be triggered on different areas of the website.
Prior to delivery
At Elite Wine we want every delivery to go as smoothly as possible. Before placing the order, please consider how our delivery team will access your property and how the wine cooler/wine cabinet will reach its final resting position. This includes, doorways, stairs and other obstructions - if there are any obstacles please let us know prior to delivery so we can assess and make other arrangements if need be.
When the delivery is due, we recommend moving your car off the drive, moving any furniture that may get in the way or damaged during delivery.
We offer our 2 person delivery to the room of choice across the UK mainland, excluding the highlands and Northern Ireland. We may be able to offer this service if you are in the highlands or more remote areas but please contact us prior. If we can not deliver with our 2 person service, we will be able to deliver to the kerbside using our freight network.
For the following postcodes, delivery costs may be higher and we will need you to contact us prior to order: BT, GY, HS, IV21-24, IV26-27, IV40-56, IM, JE, KA27-28, KW15-17, PA20-23, PA28-31, PA34 5*, PA 34 4*, PA41-78, PA80, PH33-50, SI, TR21-25, ZE.
We use a 3rd party logistics provider who offer a specialist 2-person delivery service across the UK. For smaller items and spare parts these will be via DPD or Hermes.
The delivery will be performed by 2 fully trained people and will prepare your wine cabinet ready for use.
Wine cooler and wine cabinet and wine wall deliveries will be between 8 and 5pm, traffic dependant - sometimes traffic restriction may push the deliveries back but we will keep you informed of this. If you require an ETA, please contact us on the morning of delivery and we will be able to assist, the driver will also call ahead to let you know they are on their way to you.
On the odd occasion, there may be issues out of our control that means we cannot deliver, such as: vehicle issues, traffic, staff illness, bad weather etc.
If this happens, we will contact you as soon as we know to let you know and then rearrange the delivery with you to suit your calendar.
£15 for our standard 8-5pm service, £35 for an AM/PM delivery slot, £78 for a specified delivery slot.
Highlands and northern Ireland are £78 for KERBSIDE deliveries only.
Yes, you can change the delivery date right up to the day before delivery - unfortunately we cannot change the delivery on the day of delivery without a cancellation charge of £95+VAT
Will you charge for changing delivery date?
Not if the delivery is changed before the delivery day. If you cancel on the day of delivery, there will be a re-delivery charge of £95+VAT
Unfortunately not, the time slot has been planned for the most economical route in terms of fuel saving and time. If you need the wine cooler, wine cabinet, wine wall delivered at a specific time - please choose one of the additional delivery options at checkout
Yes, just give us a call before the day of delivery and we will be able to change the delivery address for you. For smaller items such as spare parts etc, the delivery address cannot be changed
We will try to coordinate the delivery so all items are delivered together - with smaller items such as shelves, spare parts etc these will be shipped from various warehouses around the UK and will be delivered separately to the wine cabinet or wine wall through a trusted supplier, such as DPD, Hermes
On the day of delivery - please contact us on 0333 577 6466
Please contact us on 0333 577 6466 and you can speak with one of the team - some items may not be returnable due to being special order items. We will happily try to accommodate any return requests, return delivery costs will apply though.
Yes, our standard delivery service is to the room of choice, unpack, position and removal of packaging. The appliance will be set up correctly, feet adjusted as required and the packaging then removed ready for you to turn it on after a few hours.
Usually deliveries will take no more than 30-45 minutes on site
After you have ordered and the product has been delivered
If you want to exchange your wine cooler, wine cabinet or wine wall - please bear in mind that most of our items are special order and wine walls are completely bespoke so are non-returnable. There are exceptions to this so please contact us to discuss your options. Please ensure the goods have not been used or unpacked and all accessories are still with the item.
Yes, as long as it is not a special order item - there won’t be any charges apart from the delivery/collection costs. Special order items can incur up to a 50% charge which is applicable to items that have been used or installed as well, since we will no longer be able to sell this as a new product.
If you have any other issues, please contact the office - below you will find more information on the different types of products we offer.
Click on the topics below for some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to wine coolers.
1. Freestanding vs. Built-In Wine Coolers
2. Thermoelectric vs. Compressor-Based Wine Coolers
3. Single Zone vs. Dual Zone Wine Coolers
4. Wine Ageing and Humidity
5. Cleaning Your Wine Cooler
Freestanding vs. Built-In Wine Coolers
1a. What is the difference between a freestanding wine cooler and a built-in wine cooler?
A freestanding wine cooler is designed to stand alone while a built-in wine cooler is designed to be built into existing counters and cabinetry as they include a front vent that expels heat away from the unit.
b. What would happen if I installed a freestanding wine cooler under my counter?
A freestanding wine cooler is designed to dissipate heat from the back, so this heat cannot escape from an enclosure and eventually will overheat the unit. This overheating will in turn noticeably decrease the cooler’s ability to maintain its internal temperature and cool your wine. The unit’s compressor will attempt to overcompensate for the overheating unit and may eventually burn itself out. At the very least you run the risk of shortening the cooler’s overall lifespan as the compressor is continually overworked. You also run the risk of invalidating the manufacturer’s warranty by operating a freestanding unit in a built-in space.
c. Are there any options that will allow me to install a freestanding unit under my counter?
Yes, if you allow sufficient space around the unit for the heat produced during operation to properly dissipate you will be able to install a freestanding unit into a built-in space. We strongly suggest leaving a gap of 2 to 3 inches on all sides of the cooler as well as on top and in the back to create the needed airflow around the unit.
Thermoelectric vs. Compressor-Based Wine Coolers
2a. What exactly is thermoelectric cooling?
Many smaller wine coolers uses thermoelectric cooling instead of using a traditional compressor and refrigerant. A thermoelectric wine cooler contains a cooling node consisting of a ceramic tile that has electrical current passed through it. As the electrical current is passed through the cooling node the outside of the tile will heat up and the other side (the side facing into the cooler) will cool down. Typically, a thermoelectric wine cooler will contain small fans inside the unit which help to evenly distribute the cool temperatures being created by the node throughout the interior of the unit.
b. What are the advantages of thermoelectric wine coolers vs. compressor-based coolers?
Due to the lack of a compressor, thermoelectric coolers will produce fewer vibrations which in turn will equal fewer disturbances of the sediments within the wine bottles. Please keep in mind that thermoelectric wine coolers are not completely silent as the internal fans needed to distribute the cold air within the cooler do produce some noise. However, they are usually quieter than compressor driven models. They also consume less energy than compressor units, so they cost less to operate.
On the other hand, thermoelectric coolers are limited in that they can generally only produce temperatures about 6°C lower than the temperature outside the unit. Compressor-based cooling does not have the same limitation.
c. Which is type of wine cooler is right for me, thermoelectric or compressor?
If you keep two cases or less on hand, the room where the cooler will be kept doesn’t get too warm, and you want a freestanding wine cooler, then a thermoelectric wine cooler is probably a good choice for you. For warmer rooms and larger collections, you’ll be better served by a compressor-based cooler. Also, most built-in models feature a compressor.
Single Zone vs. Dual Zone Wine Coolers
3a. What’s the difference between single and dual zone wine coolers?
Single zone wine coolers have one temperature control and the storage space is undivided, so the whole cooler is set to the same temperature. This style is best if you tend to keep only white or only red wines, since they don’t have the same optimal temperatures. Dual zone wine coolers have two temperature controls and the storage space is divided into sections which may be set to their own temperatures. This style is ideal for keeping both reds and whites without resorting to two wine coolers.
b. What is the best way to store white and red wines in the same cooler?
Typically, white wines should be stored in the temperature range of 7°C to 13°C and red wines will be stored between 14°C to 20°C. The best way to accommodate both wines within the same unit is to purchase a dual zone wine cooler.
A dual zone cooler will allow you to maintain two distinct and separate temperature zones within the same cooler. Many times a dual zone unit will offer a larger storage capacity for one style of wine over the other so be sure to purchase the unit that best suits your individual drinking preference. You may of course store both red and white wines together in a single zone unit. By placing your red wines in the top shelves of the unit you will be storing them in the warmest section of the cooler. There is usually only a 5 to 8 degree temperature difference between the top of a single zone wine cooler and the bottom so ultimately either your red wines will be too cold or your whites too warm depending on how you choose to set the master thermostat of the unit.
c. May I use a wine cooler to store my other beverages?
The average wine cooler will not offer temperatures below 7°C degrees. Due to this limitation we suggest purchasing a dedicated beverage cooler or traditional refrigerator if you wish to store beverages other than wine.
Wine Aging and Humidity
4a. What are the optimal conditions for aging wine?
Wine ages through a complex process of subtle chemical reactions that require specific conditions for optimal results. These conditions are a stable temperature around 13°C, a relative humidity around 70%, and protection from direct light. Even short exposures to temperature extremes can cause wine to age poorly as unwanted chemical reactions are created. For these reasons, a cellar is the ideal environment for aging wine.
b. How can I achieve the best aging results from my wine cooler?
The most important thing you can do is to keep the temperature at a stable 13°C – it’s crucial to eliminate variations in temperature. Look for a cooler with UV-tinted glass to minimize light disturbance to your wine, and store the cooler in a dark place. To maintain a humidity around 70%, look for a wine cooler that features humidity control or heavy insulation to help maintain a constant humidity. At the minimum, humidity must be kept at 50% to prevent corks from drying out.
Cleaning Your Wine Cooler
5. What’s the best way to clean my wine cooler?
- Unplug your cooler. Remove all items from it (wine bottles, shelves, etc.)
- Clean the inside surfaces with a mild cleaner. We suggest you use either warm water alone, or a baking soda solution (try mixing 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a quart of water.)
- Clean the wire shelves/trays (if you have them) with a mild detergent solution.
- Clean the wooden shelves/trays (if you have them) with a soft cloth and wood cleaner.
- Wash the outside of the cooler with a mild detergent solution.
- Dry any wet parts with a soft cloth.
Caution: Make sure to minimize the exposure of water to any electronic or control parts.