Bonnie: I don’t know when the love affair began.
For as long as I can recall, I’ve been passionate about sparkling water, AKA seltzer or club soda.
(An aside about club soda before I continue: It usually contains “salt” from the sodium additive—often sodium bicarbonate. Those watching their salt intake should choose other sparkling waters more often.)
When eating out, I’ll order Perrier before or San Pellegrino with a meal as the latter’s bubbles are smaller making it a better accompaniment to food. Seriously. I learned that at one of the water tastings held for food editors.
At home I drink sparkling water by the gallons, literally. I’d lug home quarts and ½-liter bottles of whichever of my favorite brands were on sale. As with other carbonated beverages, the fizz would often be gone before the liquid in the bottle was. There’s nothing worse than expecting fizz and getting flat as you begin to quench your thirst.
My sons were raised on spritzers, my blend of juice and carbonated water. No soda, pop or whatever you call it in your part of the country in our home, other than for parties as others always requested it.
I tried those siphons with cartridges, the ones that make just one quart. I found this process too expensive for the amount of seltzer we drank.
Back to lugging the bottles. Bags and bags of bottles. Heavy bottles.
And then I learned about Soda Club. Their countertop gadget works on the same principle as the siphons and cartridges I just mentioned, but instead of needing a cartridge for each bottle, Soda Club’s makes about 110 bottles, depending on how much or how little carbonation you add to your water. This gadget is also meant to make flavored soda as the company produces syrups too, but that’s of no interest to me.
I love my seltzer maker. It proudly sits on my counter awaiting the next bottle of chilled water to be made as fizzy as I like it. And that chilled water is always in my fridge, in Soda Club’s quart containers, ready and waiting to be fizzed. That’s any water. Tap water, filtered water, mineral or any other bottled water. The choice is yours.
Now when company asks for sparkling water, I ask, “How fizzy?”
Bryan: I will go ahead and toss myself in the lot of club-soda lovers here. Being raised by a dietitian has different angles. No cake (except on your birthday) is a drawback; being raised without the ubiquitous American addiction to soda is a giant leap forward. I ALWAYS have a bottle (generally the quart size that keeps carbonation better than larger bottles) of seltzer in my fridge. My favorite mixes for it are with heavy pulp OJ or just a dash of (real) cranberry and lemon juice. Artificial soda is one of the worst things you can put in your body (period). Parents—stop giving your children sugar water! Do them a favor and mix up some natural ‘spritzers’. The countertop seltzer maker is an amazing product that allows easy access to sparkling water anytime…
Eric: Mother, don’t deceive your adoring readers, I think my first introduction to weight lifting during my teenage years was lugging the 20-pound bags of on-sale soda water brands from the car to the house; so don’t over exaggerate about the “heavy” bottles. How you must miss honking the horn when you drive into the garage (my signal to come help) followed by hearing the pitter-patter of feet running down the stairs to carry the bags back up to the kitchen. However, I must give credit where it is due; you started me on my love affair with sparkling water. The soda maker is one of my favorite appliances to ever grace the kitchen counter in my mother’s house, and to this day I still love the ability to play with the amount of carbonation I can add to the water. If you’re a soda water fan, then I can tell you nothing makes better than this machine. Its simplicity, ease and size just add to its value.
Win One!
Click here to enter!
Hi FMW, Hi Morris –
Thanks for leaving feedback about your customer service experience. On behalf of Sodastream, I apologize for any delivery difficulties you may have had. Our delivery estimates will differ based on where you live, and generally we are able to deliver within the timeframe specified in the order confirmation email. New machines usually arrive within 7-10 business days of placing an order, and orders for the consumable products (gas, bottles, flavors, etc.) will take anywhere from 3-7 business days depending on where you live.
Like most eCommerce businesses, we ‘authorize’ your credit card at the time the order is made to ensure there are available funds, but we do not actually charge the card until the merchandise has left our warehouse and is out for delivery.
Our customer service center is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-763-2258, and emails to supportusa@sodastream.com are usually answered within one business day of receipt. If you are having trouble getting through, or have not gotten a response within an acceptable timeframe, please feel free to contact me directly at kristinh (at) sodastream (dot) com and I’ll do what I can to help.
Best,
Kristin Harp
Marketing Manager, Sodastream USA
Thanks for being engaged on this and getting back to me so quickly, Kristin.
FMW – you are welcome! Anytime. Glad everything worked out 🙂
Don’t do it!!!!!
I bought SodaStream soda water maker partially because of Bite of the Best’s positive review of it. My experience on getting refills for the gas has been terrible and others need to know what is involved in trying to get the gas cylandars refilled. I bought the 3 carbonator package from SodaStream as a Christmas ‘08 present for my husband, Peter. We are very unhappy with the product because when we bought it we purposely bought the 3rd extra cartridge so that we would not have to go without soda water while getting 2 carbonators re-filled by the company (which is how they advertised it then). Now they have increased the minimum and will only accept a refill order of at least 3 carbonators???? Now they expect me to buy yet another one or go without the gas while shipping back and forth??? This is very bad business. Further, I called in to their phone number about a week ago and was told that for sure Kohl’s (a big chain of department stores) had exchange carbonators and yesterday I drove 20 miles out to Kohl’s to find out that it was not true. So I checked on line on the SodaStream site and today they claim that Williams Sonoma has exchanges. I just spoke to Williams Sonoma in Emeryville, CA (the closest to us) and they said that it would be at least 30 days until they MIGHT have exchange carbonators!!!! They said that SodaStream does not keep up with their orders at all! They said that customers are waiting and are very mad. Also, when at Kohl’s yesterday, I saw that the whole new set-up like ours was much cheaper than the one that I bought from SodaStream last winter by about 35%!!!! It cost’s a fortune to ship to SodaStream. The amount of Co2 required should cost very little (a few cents) at a normal refill station. We did research and found that the cylanders are fitted with European heads so that they cannot be refilled at camping, scuba, etc stores for a fair price for the gas. We did see that some people are making new heads for the cylandars so that they can be refilled for a fraction of the price that Soda Stream is charging.
Two emails to the company and no response. Very discouraging.
Slurp
Hi Slurp –
Thanks so much for taking time to post your feedback on your experience with Sodastream. I apologize that you are having such difficulty getting your exchange carbonators. It’s always frustrating for us to hear stories like yours…because you obviously like the product (or you wouldn’t be looking for refills!)
For a full list of retailers near you, I encourage you to check out our store locator at http://www.sodastreamusa.com/where_to_buy.aspx
We generally advise customers to call stores first to make sure the item you want is in stock. With our rapidly growing success, many retailers have been surprised by the rate at which the product is selling out (Williams-Sonoma included…) The retailers are adjusting their orders to ensure future product availability, but in the meanwhile, a lot of stores are out of stock of exchange carbonators and popular flavors.
As for the web – I am not sure which machine you have, or where you live, but if you’d like to contact me directly by emailing kristinh (at) sodastream (dot) com, I’d be happy to advise you on which carbonator bundle to order online, making sure you get the most economical package and shipping rates. On an ongoing basis, sparkling water made with a Sodastream home soda maker will work out to about 22 cents per liter or less…shipping could add 5-6 cents per liter, depending on where you live…still much cheaper than store prices.
One item in your note above is actually very concerning. Whatever you do – please do not have your carbonator filled by an unauthorized source, or attempt to replace the proprietary head. The Sodastream policy surrounding the filling of our CO2 carbonators exists for two purposes: quality control and consumer safety. Unauthorized filling of the carbonators could possibly introduce toxins into your carbonator (and into your drinks, as a result.) Moreover, improper pressurization could result in failure of the carbonator valve, resulting in freeze burns, suffocation, impact and explosive injuries…among other mishaps.
Your health and safety is our top priority.
We are actively working to stop the proliferation and sale of any dangerous filling devices. If you have further information to share, or would like to discuss the matter in more detail, please feel free to call 1-800-763-2258 or email supportusa@sodastream.com
Thanks again for your feedback, and I look forward to hearing from you so we can get your exchanges worked out…and so *you* can get back to enjoying your fizzy water!!
Best,
Kristin Harp
Marketing Manager
Sodastream USA
We’ve had a penguin for three years and love it. We use it all the time and never have a problem.
I usually order 3 C02 cartridges at once so I don’t have to deal with the return/pick-up issue.
We have a second home-so we just ordered a second penguin.
Main benefit here is not so much saving money, as schlepping the seltzer bottles to/from the store. And the soda is great.
I bought a penguin soda maker some years ago and bought quite a few glass carafes over time. I recently replaced my broken penguin with a new one and the tops of the bottle are polygons instead of round like the original bottles. The tops of the new closures do not fit on the older carafes and I’d like to know if the closures you can order at sodastream will fit the old and new carafes. Anyone know about this?
Hi LS –
Sort of complex but here goes…
– the caps that came with the round-top bottles will fit both the round-top bottles and the hex-top bottles
– the caps that came with the hex-top bottles will fit ONLY the hex-top bottles
– the replacement caps sold at sodastream.com are the hex-type only and therefore will fit only the hex-top bottles
The hex-top was developed because a lot of consumers were having trouble with the round top closure (as it was a two-handed operation to tighten it down.) The new hex-caps are easier to use, but have definitely caused some compatibility conflicts.
If you need round replacement caps, please contact me at kristinh (at) sodastream (dot) com and I’ll see if we can scare some up around the office for you!
Best,
Kristin (SodaStream)
Wow! I’m delighted with your quick response and the solution of my problem. I will send you an email right away!
LS, we aim to please!! Our Bite of the Best team always reaches out to the company so see if we can expedite responses from them.
Soda Club is exceptionally quick! And they make a fabulous product – one that I can’t live without.
Aloha Kristen,
I live on Kauai and was about to order a machine. I read your post about the CO2 canisters not being shipped via air. Can you send them via USPS? It is slow because it’s by boat but should be safe.
Aloha Oooom –
Thanks for your interest in SodaStream! I wish I had better news for you, but unfortunately we cannot ship to Hawaii, even by USPS. The carbonators that power the soda maker are compressed gas, and because the contents are under pressure, they are considered hazmat by the USDOT. The postal service cannot accept them for shipping. UPS is the only carrier that will take our products to residential addresses and deliver them without a signature.
That said, I feel like we have a LOT of Hawaiians interested in getting soda makers…We’d love to get retail distribution there, so if you know any shops that might be interested in carrying the products, please let me know!
Best,
Kristin
i fell in love w/my sodastream and placed and order for refills….
still waiting. more than a month. have emailed, called, many many times, very frustrating. awful customer service. i have never posted something like this ever. sad.
I purchased a soda maker and also purchased 6 bottles of flavors without reading the ingredient list. When I got home after travelling an hour to Port Huron to purchase, I read the ingredient list only to find out that these flavors have many toxic ingredients in them. Two of the color dyes are outlawed in Europe and the artificial sweeteners are poison to people. I suggest people do research on splenda, sucralose and aspartame. I will not return these as it would cost me more in gas to drive to Port Huron and back. I felt very disappointed
I mix my carbonated water 1/3 to 2/3 Welch’s purple and white grape juice with no added sugar. Apparently the Welch company makes frozen juices without sugar in several flavors and they do not answer my inquiries. I am unable to find any of them advertised on their website in stores.
I do not recommend the Soda Club flavors due to their ingredients.
I placed an order for carbonators (order no 579047) last week. I then realized I still had an outstanding order that I was waiting for delivery on and sent an email to sodaclub to cancel the order. I never received a reply or any indication that the order was cancelled and when I log on to the sodaclub website, the order appears to be still outstanding. Could the sodaclub representative who monitors this website let me know if the order is still outstanding? If it has in fact been cancelled, I now need to place another order as I have yet again finished off my current carbonators. If the order has not been cancelled, please do not cancel it and I will await delivery.
Wow! A lot of comments here overnight!!
— To JENJT: The order you referenced (579047) was delivered June 1. Please let me know if you didn’t receive it. You can email me at kristinh (at) sodastream (dot) com. The previous order you mentioned was canceled before it shipped. We credited your account, and you should see a credit come through on your charge card very shortly.
— To SARA: Thank you for taking time to post about your experience. Be assured that I share your aggravation and frustration; your experience is completely unacceptable. I am looking into what happened to the order, and also trying to figure out why it took such extreme measures to reach a real person. We have 24×7 phone coverage on our toll-free service line, and strive to respond to all emails within one business day. The fact that it has taken several weeks and a forum post for you to get a response is absolutely ridiculous!! At any rate, we have our top people digging into your order, and I have no doubt it will be resolved to your satisfaction very soon. Thank you again for your patience and persistence.
— To KALLIE: I am sorry that you are not satisfied with the sodamix flavors. To achieve the intense concentration and eliminate packaging waste, we do use artificial sweeteners in our sodamix, in combintion with sugar (no high-fructose corn syrup.) All of the ingredients we use — sweeteners, flavors, colors and the rest — are FDA approved. Of course, you are free to add whatever you like to your carbonated water. SodaStream does offer all-natural, unsweetened flavor essences (MyWater) for making flavored sparkling water. Juices and juice concentrates are excellent additions…or experiment making your own fruit or herbal infusions. And definitely let me know if you come up with something great – submit your concoction to kristinh (at) sodastream (dot) com and you could win $50 in SodaCash to use at sodastream.com
I won this item and what a great prize!!!!! I recived this today and we just tried it out. it is so easy little ones could do it with very little help ! And wonderful no batteries and it dosent have to be plugged in !( which is great so I dont have to worry about being close to a outlet or batteries running down ) we tried the Fountain mist soda and the berry water flavor . Both were excellant this is one great item and is worth the money and it takes just a matter of a few miuntes to make it up ( yeah no more running to the store when I want a soda ) thank you again for such a great product !
Hi Rebekah –
Thanks for the great review! I am so glad to hear you are enjoying your new soda maker. Happy fizzing!
I’m hoping Kristin or someone with a lot of experience can help me with portioning drinks by the glassful using sodastream-produced seltzer and their brand of syrups.
For example I’m looking at Lemon-Lime Natural flavored. The proportion in the instructions is one capful (2.0 oz.) to a bottle of seltzer filled to the line (31.0 oz.) Obviously that’s a proportion of 1 syrup to 15.5 carbonated water.
But on the front label it says that the total container of syrup (16.9 oz.) makes 12 liters of soda. When you do that math ((33.8140226 oz. x 12) -16.9) =388.87 oz. carbonated water which makes the proportion 1 syrup to 23.01 water. When you do the math by the nutrition info on the label (0.34 oz. syrup to 7.66 oz. carbonated water) you get 1:22.53, which is close enough to the front label, but miles away from the actual mixing instructions.
Now eventually we’ll set our own proportions, to taste, but I need a staring point. Is it 1:15 (mixing instructions) or 1:23 (nutrition and front label data)?
Thanks.
Hi Will –
Thanks for your note! The recommended ratio is 1:23. If you look inside the sodamix cap, you will see a line about 3/4 of the way up. This is the fill line for the sodamix (42 ml, or 1.4 fl oz.) You can experiment by adding more or less syrup, depending on your personal taste. In general, use 10ml (1/2 tsp) per 8 oz carbonated water.
Hope this helps!
Kristin
Thanks, Kristin.
BTW my wife sends her compliments to Pete. We used the small one-quart sampler for that, so we got the proportions right! I like the natural lemon-lime very much, though I think I’ve been a little heavy-handed and will try cutting back gradually to the 1:23.
Maybe it’s time for a re-design of the measuring cap?
Someday you folks should look at the delivery head. A ball at the bottom with dozens of small holes to deliver the CO2 to the water in smaller increments might make the CO2 dissolve more effectively and make smaller bubbles as it releases from the water.
Somewhere I read about adding a few ice cubes to the bottle for awhile, before zapping it, to get the water even colder to hold more CO2. I’ve been doing that and it seems to work. We do like our bubbles; we’re a five buzz family.
Just to let folks know, I put in an order with SodaStream for exchange of gas refill canisters on August 1, and I got a notification on August 4 that SodaStream is currently experiencing “growing pains” and that, “Due to a technical anomaly, your order is shipping outside of our normal delivery time. You can expect to receive your order within the next 7-10 business days.”
The longer-than-usual time lag is disappointing, but I am encouraged by the improvement in actively keeping me informed of the status of my order.
I’m glad to hear that the company is doing so well, and at the same time I hope that these essential efforts to improve delivery efficiency are imminent and successful.
I just ordered exchanges this week and was told 7 – 10 days before shipping as well.
However, I was told at the start that you should place your exchange orders when you begin using your last canister. That way you always have CO2. It was suggested that you start with two canisters, beyond the one that came with your unit, then swap them out as you begin the last canister.
Someone posted about putting a bit of ice in the bottle to aid in the carbonation. It works, you don’t need as much CO2 to get the desired amount of carbonation.
We are certainly loving our SodaStream – wish I had gotten one a long time ago. I haven’t purchased soft drinks from the store for a long time – and when I do drink a canned soda, it doesn’t taste as good.
I do wish my dogs wouldn’t bark when I make soda – it alerts the entire house that I have just made a refreshing drink, that I had hoped to enjoy alone :o)
Hi fmw, hi mb –
Thanks for posting, and thanks for your support! Very exciting times here at SodaStream. All-new website to support our rapidly growing business, and it has come with its share of quirky challenges for our tech team. Rest assured, we are working agressively to get all of these orders out the door, so you have them within the next 7-10 days (…or 6-9 days, as the case may be…)
MB – are you sure you don’t work for the company?? 🙂 Great tips! Have you considered ear muffs for the dogs? Might work to stop the barking, and would surely be an excellent photo op.
What size did you order and were having difficulty with. I recently got two of the larger bottles (not available in stores)in a reasonable time.
Hi,
I had a Soda Stream when I was in Germany.
Now I live on Hawaii and I would love to have on again.
Any luck yet w/ a distributer here on Oahu?
Why does Whole Foods not carry it????
I think that would be a great idea…
Thanks,
Julie
I gave my husband a Penguin for Christmas and we all love it! However, I placed an order July 28th and still have not received it. I’ve called a few times and this week the guy said we would receive our order Friday. Friday came and went and no delivery. We’re pretty disappointed.
Hello,
My husband and I are big time seltzer drinkers. I have wanted us to stop wasting all of these plastic seltzer bottles (we get them from Publix for $.79 each) and invest in a home seltzer maker.
After doing a couple days of research I happened upon this very helpful thread. I would love some advice on what exactly to purchase because when I went to the website, there was some confusion with the value pack. In the advertisement (the link is: http://www.sodastreamusa.com/catalog/fountain-jet-value-kit?oid=173) (prior to adding it to the cart) it says:
Fountain Jet Value Kit
1 x Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker
(Includes Soda Maker, 110 Liter Carbonator & Two Carbonating Bottles)
Plus:
1 x 110-Liter Carbonators (Licensed)
1 x Twin Pack Carbonating Bottles
This makes TWO carbonators and FOUR carbonating bottles, if I count correctly and am interpreting the word “plus” correctly.
Once you add it to the cart, the $129 stays the same but now it says:
Fountain Jet Value Kit
1 x Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker
(Includes Soda Maker, 110 Liter Carbonator & Two Carbonating Bottles)
Plus:
1 x 110-Liter Carbonators (Licensed)
Suddenly, I am TWO bottles short!
Lastly, it has these last minute deals:
1 Ltr. Bottle with Stainless Steel Accents
$12.99
2 x 60-Ltr. Carbonators (Spare)
$49.99
Tonic Soda Mix
$3.99
Well, from reading the comments here, I would need 2 x 110-Ltr. Carbonators extra, not 60-Ltr. for my family’s use (we drink a lot and don’t want to bother always sending carbonators back once a month)! As well, why are the 60-Ltr. ones so expensive…I thought it was like $21 per carbonator…or is that just to refill them, and they are only pricy to purchase? How do I purchase an extra THIRD 110-Ltr. carbonator? Can that only be done when I am ready to exchange the two? I cannot find a single one for purchase, just for exchange.
As well, how much (INCLUDING SHIPPING AND TAXES to Tampa, FL- being a major metro area) will it cost to exchange two carbonators? I would like to be clear on my investment before I jump in.
Thank you very much! We are very excited about this.
Hopefully hydrated,
Ana
Hi Ana –
Thanks for your interest, and your comments! I will try to explain everything as best I can on the thread here, but you might want to call our toll-free support line 1-800-763-2258 for clarification…
If you’re a dedicated seltzer drinker, you are going to save a ton of $$$ (not to mention a ton of empty bottles…) by using SodaStream. On an ongoing basis, SodaStream seltzer works out to less than 25 cents per liter including shipping and taxes.
The Fountain Jet seltzer value kit offered on our site right now includes:
– Fountain Jet soda maker
– 2 x 110L carbonators
– 4 x carbonating bottles
– sample flavors (sodamix and MyWater essences)
We’re currently experiencing a bug in our website as you described (the extra carbonating bottles disappear from the cart for some reason.) We’re working it out, but in the meanwhile, the packages are in fact SHIPPING with the extra two bottles, even though it doesn’t appear in the cart contents.
The 2 x 60L carbonator package ($49.99) is for SPARE carbonators (i.e. includes one-time user license fee, like a propane tank you might use for your grill) On an ongoing basis you would buy EXCHANGE carbonators. These currently cost $12.99 for the 60L size ($25.99 for a 2-pack) and $21.99 for the 110L size. You can buy a SPARE 110 by going to the ‘gas refills’ tab and then clicking ‘spare carbonators.’ Scroll down, and you should see a single SPARE 110 carbonator for $34.99 (includes the license fee.) You can use promo code CHEAPGAS to save $15 off the price of the spare carbonator!
With three carbonators in the rotation, you’ll be able to exchange two at a time (free shipping!!) while the third is in your machine. This will definitely be your most economical option in the long run. So if you’re exchanging 2 110L carbonators at a time, you’ll pay approx $44 and get free shipping, plus whatever state sales tax (I think in FL it’s 7%?) Your area is served by a local courier service…when you order new carbonators, you’ll put your empties out on your doorstep and the courier will pick up the empties when he delivers the new ones.
Anyway – I hope this answers your questions!
Happy fizzing,
Kristin Harp
Marketing Manager
SodaStream USA
kristinh (at) sodastream (dot) com
Kristin,
Thank you for the helpful reply. This is already the best customer service I’ve seen in a long time!
We are definitely purchasing the black and stainless Fountain Jet along with the spare carbonator.
Yay!
Thanks again,
Ana
My husband purchased me a soda stream value pack for our anniversary in August. Yes, it took forever to arrive, but the big surprise was that we were charged a foreign transaction fee on our purchase! Nowhere on the website was he warned of this, and the fact that he purchased from Sodaclub USA, with it’s offices in the US, did nothing to lead him to believe that he was purchasing overseas. Our bank told us that the charge came directly from Soda Club.
Of course, my e-mails to the company have gone completely unanswered. Sigh.
Hi Genevieve –
Thanks for your purchase, and your patience…We just launched a new website, and a new credit card processing system along with it. They are based overseas, and as such some customers have been erroneously charged this foreign transaction fee. SodaStream is of course refunding those fees.
I am sorry to hear that you have not received a response to your emails. Meanwhile, I encourage you to contact Shellie in our accounting department – she will be happy to assist you with the refund. 856-755-3438 or email shelliec (at) sodastream (dot) com
Happy fizzing!
Kristin Harp
Marketing Manager, SodaStream USA
THis is the old soda maker, there are much better ones out in the market now, I am an avid soda drinker and bought a Penguin maker and drink endless supply of soda.
Thanks to this site http://www.makeyoursoda.com for introducing it to me. I love the bubbles and the savings!
Joanne, You are correct that the photo is of the older Soda Club (now Soda Stream) soda maker, as that was the machine offered when we originally posted in 2007.
The machine at MakeYourSoda.com is the from the same company. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve had this product for a couple weeks now and we just love it.
For us, the convenience is incredible. No more driving down to the store to buy soda.
We got it thru http://makeyoursoda.com and saved $10 using a discount coupon code
We have been enjoying our old Soda Club machine for about 2yrs. It recently started giving us trouble and just didn’t carbonate even when we changed cylinders. Called the company and they sent us a new one!! Can’t beat that kind of customer service!!
Definitely the best soda seltzer product around, you have to try it and will be instantly hooked, its so simple and easy to use including a fun factor. I love making my own soda!!!
I usually just use old water bottles with my soda syphon I got over at SodaSiphon.net. Their recipe on that site for Ol’ Fashion Cola is perfect for me seeing as how I always have plenty of coffee and tea. Just filling it via a funnel into old 20 oz bottles works just fine for me. But I can see how having it fresh upon first opening would be appealing. I guess I just prefer the hobby side a little more and mix my own ingredients.
Hi Joey B –
I bet your homemade cola is fantastic! That recipe sounds really interesting…
You might consider an upgrade to SodaStream, as it has several advantages over the old-fashioned soda siphons:
1. instead of the tiny chargers you use with the siphon, SodaStream uses large carbonators that will make 50-110 liters of fizzy water before the need to be replaced.
2. on a per-liter basis, the fizzy water made with SodaStream comes out to about 22 cents. I have seen a box of chargers on Amazon for $7.99 per 10-pack, which comes out to about 80 cents per liter. SodaStream is MUCH cheaper.
3. with SodaStream, you can make the water as fizzy as you like it (as opposed to the siphon, with its one-fizz-fits-all carbonation level.)
4. when SodaStream carbonators are empty, we take them back, clean them, inspect them and refill them so we can send them out to other customers. It has much less environmental impact than the small chargers.
If you’re interested in an upgrade…call our 24-hour customer service hotline at 1-800-763-2258. We have a program where you can trade-in your old soda siphon and receive a $40 SodaStream credit!
Fizzily,
Kristin Harp
Marketing Manager, SodaStream USA
Hello from Hawaii! I would love to try your product! Would it be possible to get your product over here by boat? I understand that you are not able to fly the carbonators, because it is against regulations.
So far, I have only found one shop who carries something like the Soda Club carbonator, but it doesn’t get as many liters per cartridge. It is the Isi carbonator. I would prefer to join your soda club, and get your product. Please let me know if your product will be available in Hawaii!
Thanks,
Anita
This is such an amazing product!
The shame is that probably only 1% of Americans have heard of it.
I also got mine through http://makeyoursoda.com
Sam, thanks for the tip.
I just ordered mine from http://makeyoursoda.com
Hi,
Does anyone know how long it typically takes to get new cartridges? I placed an order on Sept 29 for a new one and a refill for our exisiting cartridge. It’s been sitting by our front door since then, and I’m a little worried about it getting taken or something – just seems a long time to have to leave it sitting outside.
Thanks!
Hi Marisa –
Your new carbonators will generally arrive within 5-7 business days. We had a physical inventory Oct. 1-5, so I believe the orders were allowed 7-10 business days for arrival during the inventory period (it really doesn’t usually take that long…)
Your new carbonators will hopefully be there today or tomorrow!
We advise setting out your empties on the second business day after you place your order. While we allow ourselves 5-7 days, deliveries are often made even sooner that that. If you are concerned about the safety of your empties, consider having them delivered to a business address, or contact customer service at supportusa@sodastream.com to advise special instructions (e.g. ’empties on back porch’ or with doorman or whatever.)
And a little insider tip…The delivery driver will still leave the new ones even if your empties are not waiting on the doorstep. You can always have the empties picked up with your next order if necessary!
Happy fizzing,
Kristin Harp
Marketing Manager, SodaStream USA
Thanks, Kristin, we got ours on Saturday and are now happily fizzing away!
I am truly conflicted about this product. The carbonator gadget itself is great–unique design, produces refreshing sparkling water. But in order to use the product you must purchase CO2 cartridges. On the face of it, this scheme seems great. You order replacement cartridges from SodaStream USA and in 5-7 days you swap out your used cartridges for new via home delivery. IT NEVER WORKS THIS WAY. SodaStream USA charges your charge card at the time that you place your order but delivery is never timely. There is always an excuse for why they hold your money for 2 to 3 weeks before delivering your replacements. One time is was “we are upgrading our computer system” but they were able to charge my card. Another time they charged my card 2 weeks prior to shipping the product because their warehouses were closed for inventory–a claim their local delivery driver stated was patently false when the cartridges finally showed up. It would be a terrific product and value if the service side of the company could perform up to any sort of reasonable standard.
To be honest, I think their best course would be to admit that it typically takes 10-15 business days. If I had been told that when I placed my order I would have had more appropriate expectations about the speed of delivery. If they also added a system for updating clients about their expected date of delivery no one would be confused or disappointed.
Think about the way online purchases typically work: you place your order; sometime later, you get a notification that your order is shipping, and your credit card gets charged. At that time, you get a tracking number or an expected date of delivery (generally, you get both). Your order arrives; you are happy and got the expected level of service from the company.
As a side note, the comments on this blog are the only forum for addressing these concerns, which seems ridiculous. Perhaps sodaclub could add a forum to their site?
Hi Kenneth –
Thanks for your comments. I apologize for your experience with SodaStream service, and I want to respond to your payment concerns. SodaStream.com – like all ecommerce sites – ‘authorizes’ your card at time of purchase. This means that we check with your credit/debit card bank to make sure you have an account in good standing, available funds, etc. At that point we put the funds on hold – a sort of escrow, if you will. We don’t actually ‘settle’ – i.e. transfer funds from your account to ours – until our warehouse confirms shipment of your product. Sometimes this is as soon as the next day, and sometimes it takes longer…possibly as long as the 2 weeks described above, if your order was placed while we were conducting a physical inventory. (FWIW – we just had an inventory Oct. 1-5. While the warehouses are not actually CLOSED – they are unable to process our orders until we open the system for transactions. This usually happens 2-4 times a year, generally the first week of a new calendar quarter.)
SodaStream processes hundreds of orders a day through our network of delivery services and UPS. According to the service reports we use for evaluating our 3rd party couriers, about 98% of all orders are delivered before the 7 business day window (and many are even delivered before the 5-day window.) If you are routinely experiencing delays with your orders – as it sounds like you are – I encourage you to take the time to contact supportusa@sodastream.com and describe your experiences. The president of the US office reads every single customer email that comes through our support email box. Your comments will certainly be heard and addressed.
Happy fizzing,
Kristin Harp
Marketing Manager, SodaStream USA
I’d like to echo Marisa’s observation regarding the use of this forum as a means of communicating with Customer Service. I give kudos to Kristin for monitoring this channel so closely and for being responsive to inquiries and complaints. That said, it does not exactly inspire confidence that Sodaclub relies on this highly indirect means of communicating with its customers. Why won’t Sodaclub “own” this dialog on its own domain, where customers can more easily find and participate? It’s really odd and somewhat discomforting that they have taken this approach to customer communications.
Hi Marisa –
Thanks for your note above. Our general shipping timing is as follows, and as I noted to Kenneth above, we fulfill this promise about 98% of the time:
7-10 business days for machine orders
5-7 days for consumables (mixes, gas refills, etc.)
I appreciate your suggestion, and we frequently adjust our order timing communications when we know to do so ahead of time. In fact, we had a period earlier this month where we gave a 10-14 business day window (due to inventory), but that is now completed.
If your orders are delivered by UPS, we do send a shipment notification email with tracking ID. However, the courier services we employ in major US metro areas are generally not integrated into an automated shipment notification system…Therefore, we are generally not able to provide systematized tracking for these shipments (although, customer service representatives will *always* call the courier and personally inquire about the order status if you email or call with your order ID.)
We offer several ways of contacting the company, by phone and by email, on our site and on our parent company site. You will find these contacts on the ‘Contact Us’ page at sodastream.com and sodastreamusa.com
Best,
Kristin