Not commenting on OP's specific situation, but I just want to clarify that the Freestyle machines actually do use a syrup, and are not premixed. They are loaded with base soda mixes (like Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc.) with nothing else added to them, and there are separate syrups that get added during dispensing. That's how they are able to get 100+ different combinations. IMHO, the Freestyle machine cherry cokes are fairly decent compared to the premixed ones and I'm quite picky about my cherry colas (<--being 100% serious here).