SodaStream has an offer for owners of iced Keurig Kold
Owning a Keurig Kold may not have been the best experience for some consumers, but they might want to take some comfort in an offer from rival SodaStream (SODA).
The beverage-machine maker said it will give free SodaStream Fountain Jet sparkling water devices to Keurig Kold owners who snap selfies of themselves with the discontinued machines. Keurig Green Mountain said earlier this month that it's discontinuing the $370 machine, which was designed to make home-brewed sodas.
The stunt from SodaStream is a clever bit of marketing from a company that's also lost some of its sparkle. Shares of the one-time high flyer have slipped about 2 percent in the past year, although it's regained some lost ground since May. Sales are once again picking up for the company, and it said it plans to roll out a home beer-brewing system called Beer Bar.
"We have long known that the future of at-home carbonated beverages would not be single serve, sugary drinks but rather multi-serve, sustainable sparkling waters," said Doug Pritchard, president of SodaStream North America, in a statement.
Keurig Kold, in the meantime, fizzled after consumers complained that the machine was too slow, too big, and too expensive. The soda-brewing pods cost more than $1 to brew an 8-ounce drink, making it more costly than buying soda at the grocery store.
Owners of Keurig Kold machines can get refunds for the counter-top appliance from Keurig Green Mountain by going to its refund site. The company stopped selling the machine on June 7, although it will keep selling Kold pods at a discount until it runs out of them.
Keurig Kold owners who want to take SodaStream up on its offer should email their selfies with their machine, as well as their name, address, phone number and Kold machine's serial number, to info@sodastreamsupport.com. The company said it will then send a promotional code that can be redeemed for a free machine at its site, although Kold owners will have to pay for shipping and handling.