SPT 12000 BTU Window Air Conditioner Energy Star WA-1211S

WA-1211S - Even better than expected!
The current Amazon description does NOT do this unit justice! What it tells you is the following:

Energy star Window Air Conditioner
12000 BTU cooling Capacity
3 fan speed
Washable Filter
Temperature Range from 62-86 F

Now, let me tell you what this unit REALLY offers!

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PROS:

First, it has a remote control. This is a big thing for us... we don't like to have to keep getting up and down whenever we want to change a setting... and settings it has! With the remote, you can not only change the temperature, but also set the timer, fan speed, sleep mode, and operating mode (cooling, fan, "drying" - which I'll get into in a moment..., or AUTO)

It has a timer! You can set your air conditioner to shut off after a certain amount of time - up to 24 hours in half-hour increments (one-hour increments after 10 hours). This is great for those of us who "accidentally" fall asleep while watching a movie or...

Outstanding AC unit and did I mention QUIET?
We've all been through the AC Jig ... you buy a fancy name brand, you install it, and the problems begin. Given that this was the year to replace the two window ACs in the house, I decided to "go rogue" and order the SPT instead of a Fedders or Frigidaire or the like.

I'm glad that I did.

This is an amazing AC ... it's actually relatively quiet - both on the compressor side and on the build side. Note that I did not say silent, but compared to other 10k-12k BTU units, it's like listening to ambient trance instead of techno. Nice. No longer do I have to walk over to the AC and slap it on the side to get it to quiet down - the poorly engineered housings of the other, name-brand units rattle and squeak and complain too much - and since I am no longer hitting inanimate objects, we're going to save a lot of money on therapy for me.

I like the remote (which you can use from 90 degrees to the side (apparently a miracle of modern technology that has escaped...

Worked for one summer
I purchased this AC last May and it worked all summer, which was great.

So today, when it turned 85 degrees in NYC, we powered it up and it does not turn on.
I can hear the compressor turn on but none of the fans turn on.

I get on the call with customer service at Sunpentown, which is based in CA.
Got through, they had to verify with their Amazon rep. My purchase checked out but the warranty requires me to ship the unit all the way to CA. Pay about $100 out of pocket to ship it there.

I'm told turnaround for repair is 2 1/2 weeks. So add that to shipping time and other overhead, I'm waiting nearly a month to get a warranty repair? I wrote back to the rep, who will hopefully get back to me tomorrow, to see what alternatives I have. If this is the only option what would you do?

Lesson learned so far, don't buy large and heavy items online if you need the warranty.
Should have bought local. Will Amazon do anything to help...

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