AngryChris Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I have a potential customer that is not happy with their current vendor (very well known, commonly discussed company). After talking to one of the employees there, in addition to a service tech, I was informed that the machines don't work right (mostly change-related problems) and the snack machine doesn't keep snacks cool even though it is "supposed to." I could tell that the snack had no chiller at all and the newest machine was a 501e. There is a local company with an AP 123 with a chiller for $1800.. does that seem like a good deal? If so, are those chillers easy to service? The good thing is that it's not the end of the world if the chiller stops working but I don't want to buy a machine that is a PITA to change the deck. Can anyone recommend anything else? I am estimating that this account will do about $190/week for soda and snacks. I personally saw the driver load 3.5 cases of bottles and a box of snacks that looked to be worth maybe $50 tops, but maybe more... The pricing is good but I don't think I can justify brand new equipment here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 You'd probably be better off with an AMS chilled snack that parts are easy to get for. The 123 chillers were much like a 320 frozen cooling unit but just smaller. The most common failed part like in the 320s was the evaporator fan. This smaller fan may not be available now but you can call Crane and ask if it is. Make sure you call the parts department and not tech support or you may have to pay to get an answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Out of curiosity, do you think the new AMS machines are better, for the money, than an alpine? The only reason i ask is because a local distributor talks down about the AMS despite the fact that they sell AMS. They claim i should just stick with USI and Royal, or crane if i am into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Yes, the AMS is better. Strange that a distributor is dissing their own products unless there are some issues with the newer models now. It coud also be that they just make more money from the other brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 2 hours ago, AZVendor said: Yes, the AMS is better. Strange that a distributor is dissing their own products unless there are some issues with the newer models now. It coud also be that they just make more money from the other brands. You got that right. The Alpine is about a grand more. The refrigeration deck DOES look really really easy to remove on the alpine, but they claim the AMS's are inferior and keep needing service techs. This account isn't worth $5-6k for a chilled snack. And for about 4 cases/week, i'd be running myself to death to keep it stocked with one machine. I'm estimating this account to do 8-10k/year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bvending Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 We have had 2 of the AMS chilled and one USI for a few years each. No problems out of any of them to this point but I would recommend the AMS for the best bang for your buck. Only reason we have the USI is from a buyout. I have been impressed with AMS machines as a whole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Probably can't go wrong with either. I have a couple of the Alpines and they are nice, zero issues so far. A bit more expensive but also nicer looking IMO. I see both of these machines often on used market with a healthy vending wrap - sometimes for cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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