Fridge with in-door ice maker

[scbelleatheart]

Does any one have one of these? It's a Whirlpool Gold and I hate it! It's 14 months old. The ice maker clogs if using crushed ice and it is impossible to get the bin off the door to clean it.
Out of 5 service calls while it was still in warranty we were told "don't use crushed ice", "dislodge it with a long wooden spoon", and 2 more times "don't use crushed ice"! Now that the year is up on service, I'm stuck with this peice of garbage. I had another WP fridge for 20 years with the ice crusher not in the door and I never had issues with it. I moved it to the garage and dump ice in there just to get crushed ice. It's still going strong.
Why would you buy a fridge with this feature if you are not going to use it?
Any suggestions on how to avoid the clogging issue would be appreciated.

 

[hercamore]

No advice.

Appliances seem to be made so cheaply now arent they.

 

[Toy Story Fan]

I don't have any suggestions on how to fix your problem. It reminds me of the time my dishwasher was leaking and not working the way it should, and the repairman asked me if I use my dishwasher everyday. Of course I said "yes", then he says "well thats your problem right there. Dishwashers aren't meant to be used everyday"

 

[scbelleatheart]

Yes and yes to both answers.They are made cheap and we have brilliant engineers who make changes to the appliances! I remember when they decided it was a great idea to build the garbage disposal into the dishwasher. What an idea that was! And the full agitate on washers. It tore up so many clothes. I could go on and on.
DH is an engineer but he's on the contractor end and installs the systems that actually paint the appliances. He's seen so many dumb ideas but because of that we have to buy Whirlpool.
If they would only put together a panel of people (women) who actually use their appliances they could actually have something that appeals to the average consumer.

 

[Gigi22]

OP--can you disable the ice maker? Seriously, years ago I read in Consumer Reports that ice makers in refrigerators are prone to break down, so I never buy fridges with that accessory. I have ice cube trays.

 

[Mommee]

We've had one for 6 years and never had any issues. I know I was told not to use filtered water in the ice maker (only the filter on the fridge) but I don't remember exactly why-just that it was bad for the ice maker.

 

[Plumeria9]

I have one, bought it in Dec. '05. The problem I have w/ mine is I think the ice gets "warm" because it's on the door instead of inside the freezer, so the ice has always gotten jammed and clogged. I have to open the freezer door and bang on the ice bin to get ice to come out sometimes. Sometimes the ice gets so stuck in the bin I have my DH take the bin outside and just bang on it and dump the ice in the pool and start all over again w/ the ice. I guess it's just a design flaw.

 

[lunalibre]

We've had one for over 2 years now, and I agree with you -- I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT! I am NEVER buying another Whirlpool fridge. We've always used the water filter with it -- doesn't help. The ice maker clogs up and sprays water all over the inside of the freezer, so we end up with ice chips all over everything. If we keep the fridge cold enough to keep the milk cold, other items in the main part of the fridge practically freeze. Anything we keep in the drawers ALWAYS freezes, unless we keep the fridge so warm that we risk all the other food going bad.

We've already figured out the thermostat on the icemaker is bad. It started failing just after the factory warranty was up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. We'll limp it along until it truly dies, I guess. The part is pretty expensive, not covered under warranty, and not something you would expect to replace when the fridge is barely a year old!

If I could have returned this sucker under some sort of lemon law, I would have done it within 3 months of purchase.

I had an Amana fridge for 18 years that was absolutely wonderful. LOVED IT. Never had a single problem with the ice maker or the in-door water dispenser. Of course Amana got bought out by Whirlpool, which was part of why we got that fridge.

NEVER. AGAIN.

If anyone here is connected to Whilrpool -- I have other Whirlpool appliances I'm perfectly satisfied with. But - I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER WHIRLPOOL FRIDGE IN MY LIFETIME.

Sorry, this turned into a vent.

 

[scbelleatheart]

Well if there a few you as upset as I am I guess I'm not crazy. Banging it on the wall, jamming a spoon up the ice shoot, waiting for DH to come home to get the bin out. I thought because ours was new, still under warranty, after 5 service calls they would replace it. Nope, and existings problems do not extend the warranty.
I do not want to use Ice cube trays. I want crushed ice.
I'll dig into WP corp and I will find a person to contact. As I said, we are contractors for WP, 4 plants, so I will find out how to fix this.
I am so mad that I spent major bucks on a fridge that is so crappy.