Are all refrigerators complete junk these days?

[Disneefun]

We've got a 16 year old kenmore that is starting to make death rattles so I know it's time to think replacement. I've been to the stores, done some research, found some that I like. But every time I start researching them more in depth, it seems like they are all just hunks of junk waiting to break.

I've yet to find anything that gets glowing reviews. Ice makers go bad, compressors break, the thing rattles or moans or screams, water dispensers shoot water all over the place, fridge won't cool (or it will but stops after 2 months), and sometimes everything that can go wrong, does, all within six months.

I get it. I know that a certain percentage of any appliance will come off the lines are irredeemable lemons. But this doesn't seem like what I'm seeing. What it looks like to me is that everything, from every manufacturer, is cheaply made junk. I know they don't make 'em like they used to, but really?

Does anyone have a fridge that they purchased recently (say, the last year or so) that has worked great, given them no problems and that they like? If so, I'd love to hear about it. I don't want to pay a boatload of money for something that's going to up and die in three months. Even if it's in warranty, that's just more hassle than I want to deal with.

 

[swilshire]

I think yes. We got a Frigidaire that was delivered on 8/4. It stopped cooling on 8/29. Got bad information the first call to service. Finally got a serviceman out yesterday who had to order a part. Due in sometime next week.

Sheila

 

[furb & dez]

Checking for online reviews only reveals bias... people happy with their refrigerators don't post glowing reviews, they have no reason to do so. People unhappy with their refrigerators have every reason to post about it.

Hence, most reviews are from unhappy reviewers.

 

[punkin]

It's called "planned obsolescence." If it breaks in 3-5 years, you are forced to buy a new one. Otherwise, you would replace appliances once every 30 years like your parents did.

 

[ncbyrne]

We have a new Samsung with French doors and bottom freezer. We got it at Sears. It was a bit pricey but worth every dime! Have had it for several months and I just love, love, love it!

 

[trip]

I don't have any suggestions but we have....

A GE freezer on top that we purchased in 1980- we keep it in the basement. Comes in handy for oversized things that won't fit in our side by side.

A GE side by side purchased in 1989 when we moved into a new house. It now resides in our garage. Mostly to store beverages.

A GE side by side purchased in 2004 when we redid our kitchen. It's stainless (never will get stainless again)

I guess we have had good luck with GE because I don't remember having issues with any of these.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We have a French door Samsung with a bottom freezer and a pull out middle drawer purchased 15 months ago (Sears Model# RF4287HARS) and have had zero problems. It has been a great refrigerator.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We have a French door Samsung with a bottom freezer and a pull out middle drawer purchased 15 months ago (Sears Model# RF4287HARS) and have had zero problems. It has been a great refrigerator.

ditto - we got a Samsung similar to this one from Lowe's on Black Friday - seriously I love this fridge!

On the flip side we're in sort of the same boat as you with our Kenmore washing machine- had it for 15 years and I have a feeling it's on the way out. So got to start looking at new ones....sigh

 

[Shagley]

I know it wasn't the most energy efficient, but our GE fridge from 1959 just gave out this spring. It was in the house when we moved in and we just never replaced it. We were heartbroken when it finally gave out because it was such a classic.

 

[LBIJim]

We've always had good luck with Kenmore appliances. Bought a new fridge about a year ago to replace a mid 90s model. So far it's working great.
I'm happy if any appliance gives good performance for 10 years.

Jim

 

[Colleen27]

It's called "planned obsolescence." If it breaks in 3-5 years, you are forced to buy a new one. Otherwise, you would replace appliances once every 30 years like your parents did.

Yup. We purchased all new appliances in '04 and every one of them has died or needed major repairs over the last 2 years - the fridge and stove both blew parts that cost more than buying a whole new appliance, so those are gone. Fortunately my DH & I are handy and we've been able to repair the dryer (twice) and the washer so we're still stalling on replacing those.

 

[Junebugwv]

We have a built-in that is 11 years old and has been repaired 3 times. Our repairman is very knowledgeable and I have decided I will ask him for advice when it is time to replace our refrigerator.

 

[angwill]

I bought an innexpensive Frigidaire 3 years ago after I had it with my 20+ year old fridge, of the same brand, parts breaking and falling off. I have not had any problems with it at all yet I read some pretty bad reviews as well as good ones when looking. I too could not find any that had mostly good ratings.

 

[staciepm]

I have an older Samsung and HATE it! It is about 5-6 years old. It is a side by side. I have had problems since the first year. If the door is left cracked it takes around 48 hours to cool it back down, so everything is lost. Doors are heavy, so it routinely gets left cracked with kids. sigh. Several times it has just stopped working only to start back up a couple days later. The water filter was leaking so bad that I had to disconnect the water, so no ice or filtered water.

I have never been happy with it. Sounds like they may have fixed the problems with the newer models.

I have an old 2nd hand Kenmore that we bought from people in 96 for $25 that we use for drinks and extra freezer space that is running great. ( I have no idea how old it really is. They used it in their garage for drinks before us LOL)

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We got a whirlpool from Lowes probably last year. I only got the no frills model with the bottom drawer freezer. No outside ice maker etc. so we wouldnt have problems.

The salesmen told us these things are designed to only last 5-6 years max. Dh has a technical background and totally agrees.

Well a few days ago the ice maker died. I dont know if its a major problem or not. Maybe just needs to be defrosted. Oh well, my dh is on a business trip and will be home tomm.

I am going to look at the receipt to see if it is still under the 1 year warranty. With our luck it is probably not.

 

[Katy Belle]

Ive had my fridge nearly two years. The only trouble I've had is that a little thing came unhooked on the door, which made it hard to close, but I fixed it myself.

Its a Samsung 28.5 cu ft, french doors, freezer drawer on bottom. We got the finish that looks like stainless steel, but doesnt show fingerprints. I dont remember what it was called...maybe platinim? I love this fridge! I do lose things in it, because its so large! But with 3 teenage boys, we go through a lot of food!

 

[MeggerasMa]

I can't say what you should buy, but can comment on the one I bought 2 years ago, and would never buy. It is a Sears "Kenmore" (however, I've come to learn it is really Whirlpool), bottom freezer, glass shelves, no ice maker or water dispenser. We also purchased the "Sears" extra warranty. Big Mistake with the choice of refrigerator and the warranty. The refrigerator section of this monster decided to slowly stop cooling. I kept turning the temperature dial up gradually as well to keep things colder. I attributed this to the humid temperature we had been having. Arriving home after work, found it decided to have a melt down, and found not only the whole thing to be room temperature, but that it had leaked all over and through our kitchen and down into the rec room below with a finished ceiling and was dripping onto furniture! Long story short - It was 15 days until sears could have a repairman out to take a look! No offer of replacement; no suggestion what to do to stop the leaking; and insistence that it must be our water source. Remember I said we didn't have an ice maker or drink dispenser in this model. The warranty did pay for the part replacement (probably the least expense in all this). But, the food loss (because you have to keep the spoiled food!), the damage to our floor and ceiling which is still under discussion (you can''t believe the hoops you must jump through!) and a loss of a days wages (because naturally they can't tell you what time they will arrive) has taught us never to buy a warranty again. Sorry for the rant, but this really frosts me. It also is a recent sore spot.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have a Frigidaire (from Lowes) and I absolutely hate the thing! It has been a big problem since we got it. I am soooo glad we got the "extended warranty" because I am getting ready to call them out here again.

The problem is, the drip pan won't evaporate, and it stinks. The whole kitchen area smells like stagnant/nasty water. The water stagnates, then when the refrigerator runs, it blows that smell out into the kitchen.

It took me a long time to locate the smell. I pulled everything loose in the kitchen, crawled around on the floor with a flashlight smelling everything unti I noticed it was my 4 month old refrigerator being the source of the foul smell.

Lowes has sent the repairmen out here like 3X already, who just cleaned it and once replaced the drip pan... that solved the problem for a couple months, now it stinks as bad as ever.




*yes the reasonable person would say, clean the drip pan yourself, but it is a "non-removable" drip pan. They have to jack up the refrigerator, bust some knuckles unscrewing stuff to get it out of there.

Frigidaire's engineering geniuses came up with that idea.

 

[Pembo]

Just had to have a fridge repair this week. The repairman suggested a Frigidaire (the basic freezer on top model) or a Whirlpool...but make sure it is whirlpool (he said to look at the part list.) Amana and Kenmore used to be good but went to crap in the early 90's. He also said that the more fancy fridges have motherboards in them that cost a minimum of $200 to repair.

I'd suggest calling your local appliance repair for their opinion.

 

[spacemountainmom]

My kenmore fridge is about 17 years old and still going. Our old one that was in the basement gave up the ghost about 4 years ago and that one was over 40 years old. The new ones are just awful I guess. My co-worker had some issues with her 5 year old fridge and the repairman told her that most are designed to last 7-10 years now. I am not looking forward to replacing the fridge. I've been pretty happy with it.

The thing that annoys me is the newer stoves. My kenmore is about 16 years old and was working great until about three weeks ago when the oven just up and quit working. I had the guy come out and see if it could be fixed. Thank goodness it could. I hate the fact that everything is digital on the new stoves. I want my oven to have a dial. The repairman told me that the digital boards go bad quickly and often. I guess I will keep this one as long as I can!