Category: Vending Machines

How to Fix Crane Coffee Model VOCE

by adminUncategorized / Vending / Vending Machine / Vending MachinesLeave a Comment on How to Fix Crane Coffee Model VOCE

I have a location in a public school and normally i service it every 2 weeks. To my surprise the Crane Coffee Model VOCE had a problem on vending the french vanilla selection.

I tried to dispense some french vanilla but the whole machine did a whirling sound and suddenly shut off and shut on unexpectedly.

The problem is the motor inside the machine is not functioning properly anymore. If the motor is broken it will cause a short thereby powering off the coffee machine.

Shown are the pictures and removal of the selection and how the motor looks like.

I just have to black out the french vanilla selection until the motor is replaced.



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Bus Ticket Inside My Vending Machine

by adminUncategorized / Vending / Vending Machine / Vending MachinesLeave a Comment on Bus Ticket Inside My Vending Machine

It is amazing on what people tend to imagine to put inside the vending machine.

I have a location that called me on the weekend and taken down some notes to fix the snack machine.  I always encounter simple problems which I know that all the vendors tend to fix by themselves which is relatively easy even for a newbie in this business.

I just turned the power off and remove the coin mechanism assembly and remove the jammed coins

I included some pictures on the coin jam.

This is a classic problem that everyone in the business is always facing

and it is imperative that you should know how to fix it yourself or else you get charged by a taxi meter if you opt it to be fixed by a service technician which you don’t ever need one.

To my surprise after having many years in servicing vending machines for a full time living as a self-employed person.  It is my first time that I found a bus ticket inside my vending machine.

Keeping Composure at all times is the key.

People wanted to get free stuff.

Location on the east side of the town likes free stuff with the exception of schools and universities.

Young customers likes to cheat and try to get their hand on how to get free stuff by trying all sorts.   Keypad random sequence to dispense free stuff.

I just hope that they think about the situation of vendors on making an honest living and trying to keep up.  Always putting up a show for everyone to provide a mutual and beneficial relationship.

Some customers that think maybe the machines are crappy and need to be changed.  Actually it is the customer’s fault not knowing on how to use the vending machine properly.

It just needs a simple cleaning with water and tissue paper on the coin path.

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How To Repair Coin Return Button When It Gets Stuck On Your Vending Machine

by adminUncategorized / Vending Machine / Vending MachinesLeave a Comment on How To Repair Coin Return Button When It Gets Stuck On Your Vending Machine

This is just an update and you don’t have to overthink and get parts for repair and it always works for me, there are variations on how to do this on any kind of machine.

You don’t need to change a spring or buy a lube to make the coin return button spring back like a charm, all you have to do is to grab a hold on your empty cardboard box and simply adapt it according to your needs. Ill show you how this works and this is an post that i have covered here on a link : https://vendingproservice.com/… ( There are occasions when the coin return button doesn’t go back )

to its default or original position when you depress it, or when one of your customers depressed it super hard and it got stuck.

Here are also pictures to show you how to do it yourself in fixing the coin return button in most cases and it works about 100% of the time when im doing my vending machine business.

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Vending Machine Maintenance Routine

by adminVending Machine / Vending Machines2 Comments on Vending Machine Maintenance Routine

Anytime a large purchase is made, such as a vending machine, there is a definite amount of care and maintenance that goes along with it. Just like purchasing a home or a vehicle, vending machines are an investment and should be treated as such. Improper usage and neglect will cause a decline in the productivity of a machine and will fundamentally lead to a loss of revenue.

There are number of things a vending machine business owner should regard as when developing a vending maintenance schedule in order to keep their machine running successfully. Our own special technician here at the Discount Vending Store has taken the time to list some of the most important habits for machine conservation.

 

Refrigeration Deck

Clean the refrigeration air intake coils every 2-4 months. The condenser is normally located at the very bottom of the machine and accessed from the front, however some models it is accessed from the back of the machine. First, you will need to take out the protective metal kick-plate that is easily identified by the air intake slits or holes. This plate usually just lifts off but may be attached to the unit with screws. Second, you can use a brush to remove any heavy accumulation of lint. Afterwards, it may be necessary to use compressed air to clear fine dirt/dust particles from the condenser itself. After cleaning is complete, you can remount the kick-plate to the vending machine.

 

Bill Validator

The Bill Validator should be cleaned every 30 to 60 days, depending on use. Always remove power to the vending machine before cleaning. Start by removing the cash tray on the back of the unit. Clean the tray with a clean dry cloth. Next, remove the sensor tray, located above or below the cash box. This will normally pull out by depressing the two tabs on the sides of the tray. Clean the sensor tray with a clean dry cloth. If it is extremely dirty, you can dip the cloth into soapy water, wring out completely until damp and clean the tray. Always dry the tray when complete.

 

Surge Protector

Always plug your machine into a surge protector and not just a power strip!!! Most surge protectors will have a resettable test button or switch. Test the protector every so often to make sure it is working properly. If your protector has a test button, press it to make sure it trips. If it has a switch, turn the switch off to make sure it cuts power to the vending machine. When testing either of these two cases, if power to the vending machine is not cut, replace the surge protector.

 

Coin Units

The Coin unit tubes should normally be filled 2/3 full for best operation. The Coin units should be cleaned every 30 to 60 days, depending on use. Always remove power to the vending machine before cleaning.  Clean the coin inlet with a clean dry cloth. If it is extremely dirty, you can dip the cloth into soapy water, wring out completely until damp and clean the tray. Always dry the tray when complete. Clean the coin run on mechanism side and door side. Always check for broken or missing parts while cleaning.

 

Snack Vending Mechanism

Check for proper drink/snack vending operation every time you load a new product or every 60 to 90 days. Enter the machines service mode and perform a motor test to vend your product to ensure there are no issues. Normally there are little to no issues with vending snacks. Drinks may have vending problems due to bottle/can size and the total weight associated with the drinks when fully loaded. Always test vend with 1 to 3 bottles/cans before fully loading the machine to ensure no issues. If drinks don’t vend properly, check the delivery mechanism for binding, use of proper shim, product loaded properly, sold out sensors, or motor issues such as failure or stripped gears.

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How to Set Up Your Vending Machine

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If you purchase a vending machine from a reputable company, it should come with the manufacturer’s User Manual/Operation Manual.  In some cases, these can be very user friendly and walk you step-by-step through the most common questions/issues you’re going to have with your machine. In other cases they can be very scientific and difficult to understand.  Make sure to read over your manual for the set-up instructions.  If your machine didn’t come with a manual, you can usually find these online by searching by the make and model.

 

Once you have your machine unpackaged, you’re going to want to move it with a pallet jack or utility dolly to the exact spot you’re going to place it in your location.

You will need a power strip with a surge protector to get the machine powered up at your location.  Once plugged in, most machines will start correctly up to automatically.  If your vending machine is refrigerated, you may need to adjust the thermostat.  Reference your Owner’s Manual for instructions on how to adjust the temperature.

Next, you’re going to want to choose your products and determine your prices. You’re going to want to enter the “Programming Mode” for your machine.  Follow the instructions on your user manual to do so.  The programming mode is where you program the prices for each product selection on your machine.  Set a price for each selection and then load your products into your machine. If you’ve purchased a credit card reader for your vending machine, you’ll need to call or email the manufacturer of the device to set up an account and get your unit ready to accept credit/debit card purchases.

 

Finally, you should conduct several test vends to make sure that everything is working properly on your machines. This will ensure proper functioning of the unit and prevent the machine from rejecting payment due to inability to produce change.  If everything checks out, then your machine is ready to start making money!

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How are The Discount Vending Store prices so low?

by adminVending Machine / Vending MachinesLeave a Comment on How are The Discount Vending Store prices so low?

Being in business for many years has awarded us time to develop associations and set up business practices that actually work.

The most important area of savings begins with our purchasing. Creating relationships with vending machinist who are exiting the vending business allows us to avoid in most cases purchasing straight from manufacturers. Also, taking the time to research shipping carriers and finding the best deal contributes to savings, which we can then pass on to our client.

 

Occasionally, when circumstance do require us to buy from a manufacturer, we more often than not avoid purchasing any unnecessary embellishments.

When buying straight from a manufacturer, you will be tempted with extended warranties, training, technical support, etc. While we buy our machines already discounted, we are able to offer similar options to our customers, but at a significantly lower cost.

 

 

Most often when a purchase is being made, buying in bulk will ensure the biggest bargain. Such is the same for buying vending machines. The “new” healthy vending machines we buy are typically 1-2 years old, have never been used before. They have been stored in a facility and are still in the unique packaging.   The preowned vending machines we buy are quality preowned machines that still have plenty of life in them and are warily examined by our technical department. All of the machines we buy are sold in full working situation.

 

In summary, there are many factors that are involved with how well we price our machines. All these aspects combine and give us the ability to offer great, affordable vending machines with warranties to our customers all at a discounted price.

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How to Implement Healthy Vending

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Recently my wife was visiting our local community center noticed that they did not have a snack vending machine. So she seized the opportunity and asked the director if it would be ok to install a snack or snack/soda combo machine near the restrooms of the center. She was told that if we could provide healthy vending options, they would consider it, but that they did not want to promote junk food.

Just last week I was feeling philanthropic & I called the Director of the County Parks Department to see if they would allow me to place a small bulk candy machine in the nature center, and I would donate all of the proceeds to help fund the new nature center expansion, for which they are still soliciting funds. The definite answer has not come back yet but it appears that they too do not want to promote candy, even if it generates $200 per year in revenue for them without any work on their part.

Stories like these are nothing new and they are only going to increase as society is placing a higher value on health, which is a good thing, right? So does that means that Vendors across the nation are going to suffer as schools & other organizations are demanding healthier products? If we do not offer healthy vending choices in our machines, then yes, & we will not weather this new health craze storm. I hear some vendors say that they would stock the healthy stuff if the people would purchase it. And then we hear the people say that they would buy the healthy stuff if the vendors would stock it. So how do we break this stale mate?

I have found that it does not have to be an all-or-nothing approach. You do not have to go out & buy a new vending machine that has photos of strawberries, and fruit juices plastered all over the machine. You do not have to stock the machine entirely with nutritious foods & give up all the chocolate. What you can do, if your clients are asking for it, is to dedicate 30% of the selections to healthy options. This will be enough so that those individuals who still want their traditional snacks and carbonated soda drinks can have them, but those people who want healthier choices may also have them. You don’t need to go out and buy a new vending machine- in the majority cases your existing machine will work fine.

In 2007 the National Automated Merchandising Association (NAMA) launched FitPick, which is a system that utilizes stickers for vending machines that make out nutritious products. What they recommend is placing a large healthy vending sticker on the vending machine which shows their customers how to pick more nutritious products. Then the vendor should also place little FitPick stickers next to the selections which are healthy as defined by the FitPick rules where the product must have no more than:

  • 35% of total calories from fat
  • 10% from saturated fat
  • 35% from sugar by weight

Healthy vending business

A study by Vendingtimes.com shows that when you switch 30% of your vending products to healthy products & you group those items together, and advertise them with the healthy vending sticker, then your sales can actually improve by 20%. If you want more information on the FitPick program or to order stickers for your vending machine, you can visit them at www.fitpick.org.

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Why is My Vending Machine Leaking Water and What Can I Do About It?

by adminVending Machines2 Comments on Why is My Vending Machine Leaking Water and What Can I Do About It?

Everyone wants to ensure that their machine vends cold beverages, especially during the warm summer months. In high humidity areas you may find some condensation building up on your vending machine. This can happen even if it is located in an air-conditioned building. You may see water leaking out from under your vending machine. We would like to offer you some ideas to check if your machine is having an issue with excess condensation & some solutions to help you fix the problem. You don’t always need to run out looking for new vending machines for sale. Chances are you can get to the bottom of the issue with a few quick checks.

The primary causes of excess condensation are:
1. An air leak from a damaged door gasket
2. A loose door
3. A worn out T-handle or missing parts
4. Missing or broken delivery flap
5. Mis-aligned door or Mis-aligned inner door
6. Low air flow from the fan or a very high humidity environment
7. A compressor issue

the compressor issues can range from low Freon causing excess frost on the evaporator to a short cycling thermostat that does not stay turned off for more than a minute or 2 which can cause excess condensation.

One thing you should check is if you have over tightened the door. Over tightening the beverage compartment door can damage the seal used to keep the warm air out and the cold air in. These small gaps will create a mixture of warm and cool air to combine & can possibly produce condensation.

To prevent this, turn the locking handle until the gasket around the door is flush. Then turn the handle another half a turn to secure the connection to ensure you do not over-tighten the door.

You will want to check for any gaps in the inner door as well. Look at the inner door and make sure the lower edge of the gasket is not sagging below the door. Make sure that it fits snugly and that there are no places where the cooled air can escape.

Another thing to check is for any leakage of water into the machine or below the machine from the drip pan. This can be remedied by adding a sponge to the drip pan to help it hold more fluid, and evaporate. You could also place an inexpensive baking dish or tray below the vending machine to catch any water that may escape.

Once you have checked a few of these things, get a thermometer and put it inside the machine drink compartment so you can confirm the temperature. You are looking for approximately 38 – 43 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to feel inside and see if you can feel the air flow and vibration of the fans. If you can feel the air flow but it’s not getting cold, you may have an issue with the fans. Many problems that you are having with your cooling deck require a specialized technician to troubleshoot. A technician should be called to work on this area of your machine.

You may also want to check where the cooling line enters the tray and if there are any gaps you can seal those with plumber’s putty. A small hole could be drilled for an additional drainage line if your collection pan is not big enough to hold the excess condensation. That way it can drain down in to a pan placed under the machine.

Finally, cleaning the condenser coil is vital to the lasting success of a vending machine, which along with a few precautions can insure that your machine vends cold product consistently. When placing a vending machine, it is important to make sure that the vending machine is located at least 4-6 inches away from the wall to assure proper ventilation for units that have a refrigeration system. It is recommended to clean it at least once a year, and possibly up to once every couple of months depending on the location. A factory location will naturally have more debris in the air than an office setting, and therefore require more attention. A small vacuum, a rag, or a can of compressed air will go a long way to insure that your vending machine goes the distance.

All machine is different & you will want to check the owner’s manual for your machine. The manual should have information about how to set the temperature in your machine. It may also have a diagram to help you see the inner workings of the cooling deck. It may offer some troubleshooting techniques you can try. It is always a good idea to go to your manual first when you have any issue with your machine.

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Improved Customer Experience Through a Vending Machine Mobile App

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Customer experience is a big factor in vending sales. If they have a good experience, they will be looking for more vending machines for sale & come back to purchase again. One way you can improve your customer’s experience is to offer a discount or have a sale on certain items. You can do this through the Monyx app for the Nayax credit card reader, the 365 Pay mobile app for AirVend or through the USA Technologies E-port Connect program and its More mobile app. Especially important for today’s growing smart phone-oriented generation are features such as machine location services, couponing capabilities and more. These will help you differentiate your brand & build customer loyalty.

Nayax Monyx App

The Nayax Credit Card Reader can connect customers with its Monyx mobile app. This app allows your customers to easily use their smartphone to make purchases at your vending machines. No wallet required. You can give them special discounts and run promotions wherever your machines are located.  Why should you promote the use of Monyx?

Your customers will have the following benefits:

  1. The ability to pay with varied cashless payment methods, like debit/credit card, prepaid card, PayPal and more, without carrying anything but their smartphone
  2. Receive discounts, special promotions at participating locations
  3. Track their purchase history
  4. Send gift products to their friends via their smartphone

You will be able to connect with your consumers to deliver vouchers and loyalty cards that increase sales and the number of returning consumers. A location- based sales system map can show all your machines based on consumer purchases, and offer sales per location. These options will be coming soon to the Monyx app and will hopefully be available by the end of the year.

You can also reduce operational costs while ensuring customer satisfaction by sending instant refunds to the consumer’s phone via SMS from the Nayax management system. An easy to use management platform puts automated machine operators in the driver’s seat and allows them to design and publish different sales by location and more. Monyx allows machine operators to communicate with their unattended consumer, enabling endless marketing possibilities. So how does Monyx work?

 

There are 4 simple steps:

  1. Pick a Payment:
    1. Wallet-upload money in advance
    2. Voucher or Loyalty Card (Buy 4 get the 5 for free! – coming soon!)
    3. PayPal and Credit/Debit Cards
    4. Customizable Pre-Paid Cards
  2. Choose the Machine:
    1. Manually (entering the machine’s number)
    2. QR Code (scanning the machine)
    3. Recently used machine list
    4. Proximity Map (coming soon!)
  3. Pick the product from the machine
  4. Pay!

 

USA Technologies MORE App

USA Technologies is empowering the self-serve and unattended retail industries to meet growing consumer demand for cashless payments. They have an advanced interactive media, content delivery system. In addition, it is providing new consumer engagement services through USAT’s MORE™ mobile app. The company is helping drive the next phase of mobile and cashless payments. They will help you move beyond a simple transaction. You can use payment information to engage with the consumer in the moment, at point-of-sale, driving increased and recurring revenue.

By seamlessly integrating into existing USAT technology, MORE™ works with credit, debit, NFC, mobile, and prepaid payment methods. You can get a complete kit containing promotional materials, detailed instructions, and loyalty cards to be distributed across your network, from the USA Technologies website. They have made it super easy to add this to your business. Using an interactive mobile application, consumers can link the information from the web-based consumer portal to get information on new products, advertising and special offers via their smart phone.

How are rewards earned? It’s up to you! You can opt to offer your customers anything from a one-time cash bonus for activation, cash-back on each purchase to specific, time-bound incentives to establish new purchase patterns. You do it all with a simple, web-based operator interface. Consumers can track their rewards as they earn them at your locations. They can choose to redeem rewards for credits or free vends. Consumers can find participating machines near them, or via search, using location services, and view by map, augmented reality or list. You can learn more about the E-Port MORE™ app at their website:  https://getmore.usatech.com/index.html.

365 Retail Markets 365Pay App

AirVend and 365 Retail Markets have introduced their 365Pay mobile app which can connect with all their AirVend devices via a scanned QR code. Consumers use the 365Pay app with their mobile devices to connect with the hardware device to access product and nutritional information. They can send cashless credits to the vending machine. They can reload funds to the account balance within the app. Additionally, they can contact operator via email with any issues or feedback.

Any issues that the customer may have with payment will go directly to AirVend and they will handle all refunds for you. AirVend and 365 Retail Markets are currently testing a loyalty program in machines all around the country where customers can receive points based on their spending and then they can redeem those collected points for items from the vending machine. They hope to have that program available before the new year. Currently customers can use the app to make cashless payments via the AirVend on a machine and to see their transaction history.

Media Link Connection

With all these great options available to you as a vending machine operator, you can really adding to your income by utilizing them. You can use one of our Media Link digital advertisers to push this information out to your customers, letting them know that they can download an app to connect them to your machine. You can use social media to run contests with the prize being a discount or a free product & then you can easily give access to the prize via one of these mobile apps.

Point of Contact Rewards

These options can also help you keep up good relations with the Point of Contact at your location. If something goes wrong with a vend, they are going to find the nearest person to complain to and this is usually your POC. They will be the ones taking down names and notes on any issues the customer may have. They can help the customer feel like their input is important and their business is appreciated. Having a good relationship with that Point of Contact will help make the customer’s experience better. Showing gratitude for them by offering them a discount or giving them a virtual punch card to use at your machine can go a long way. They can also be great references for any future accounts you may have. You definitely want to keep up a good relationship with them.

Happy customers are repeat customers. If they feel appreciated, that can really help your sales. We hope you’ll add a credit card reader to your vending machines and capitalize on the added sales you’ll receive by doing so.

Contact Information

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More information on any of these options can be accessed at any of the following websites or by calling the companies using the provided phone numbers.

Nayax: www.nayax.com  (410) 666-3800

USATechnologies: www.usatech.com  (800) 633-0340

AirVend/ 365 Retail Markets: http://www.air-vend.com  (888) 365-7382

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How are The Discount Vending prices so low?

by adminVending MachinesLeave a Comment on How are The Discount Vending prices so low?

Quite often we are ask the question,

“How are you able to offer such money off on your machines?”

Being in business for many years has awarded us time to develop connections & set up business practices that really work.

The most important area of savings begins with our purchase. Create relationships with vending operators who are exiting the vending business allows us to avoid in most cases purchasing directly from manufacturer. Also, taking the time to research shipping carrier & verdict the best deal contributes to savings, which we can then pass on to our customer.

Irregularly, when situation do require us to purchase from a manufacturer, we more often than not avoid purchase any unnecessary accompaniments. When buying directly from a manufacturer, you will be tempted with extended warranties, teaching, technical support, etc. Since we purchase our machines already discounted, we are able to offer similar options to our customers, but at a significantly lesser cost.

Most often when a buy is being made, buying in bulk will make sure the biggest bargain. Such is the same for purchase vending machines. The “new” healthy vending machines we buy are typically one-two years old, have never been used before. They have been stored in a facility, and are still in the original packaging.   The preowned vending machines we purchase are worth preowned machines that still have plenty of life in them & are carefully examined by our technical department. All of the machines we buy are selling in full working condition.

Read More: Stealing On My Vending Machine

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