Might as well just make a blind pick (appliance related)

[Disneefun]

I need a new washer and refrigerator. But as I'm researching, I find something that looks promising and gets some good reviews, only to find as I dig deeper that there are just as many bad reviews. And the opposite is also true. Things that on the first glance seem to get terrible reviews turn up after more digging getting good reviews. This applies to every price point and manufacturer, as well as things recommended by Consumer Reports.

There's nothing that I'm seeing that does better than about a 50/50 average. I might as well just walk into the store and pick something blindly. What happened to some mfrs. rising to the top? What happened to units that were designed to last more than five minutes? And good customer service? Apparently that doesn't exist, either.

I feel like I'm wasting my time trying to research and that I might as well just pick something because none of it is going to last longer than a couple of years (if I'm lucky) before it starts needing $$$ repairs.

Vent over.

 

[WizardLarz]

My Family has always stuck with Product from Sears. The main reason is the aviable Service and Repair contracts. Plus since they carry several Brands you can usually find an appliance that fits your needs at a fair price.

 

[CopperWife]

I need a new washer and refrigerator. But as I'm researching, I find something that looks promising and gets some good reviews, only to find as I dig deeper that there are just as many bad reviews. And the opposite is also true. Things that on the first glance seem to get terrible reviews turn up after more digging getting good reviews. This applies to every price point and manufacturer, as well as things recommended by Consumer Reports.

There's nothing that I'm seeing that does better than about a 50/50 average. I might as well just walk into the store and pick something blindly. What happened to some mfrs. rising to the top? What happened to units that were designed to last more than five minutes? And good customer service? Apparently that doesn't exist, either.

I feel like I'm wasting my time trying to research and that I might as well just pick something because none of it is going to last longer than a couple of years (if I'm lucky) before it starts needing $$$ repairs.

Vent over.

I concur. For every one good review, you find a bad one. And I agree nothing last as long as it used to, that is for sure!

 

[hlg22]

If you can find an excellent appliance store/salesman through word of mouth/reviews (i.e., one that's not just trying to sell you the most expensive item possible, generally the small family-run businesses that care about getting repeat customers), I have found that they will be honest with you about which items they get the most trouble calls about, what problems various brands are known to have, etc. When I was shopping for a new washer/dryer recently, I was considering one high-end brand that had mostly great reviews, until the salesman informed me that the brand had recently changed manufacturing locations/materials, and that they were seeing a lot more problems with the newer models.

I could not disagree more about the recommendation for Sears, however. In my last house, I wanted a new dishwasher, range, refrigerator and microwave. I chose Sears' Kenmore appliances based on their high reviews in Consumer Reports. Salesman was very nice and helpful, assured me that everything I had chosen was in stock and could be delivered/installed within a week, etc., etc....and then the service stopped as soon as they got my $5k. It ended up taking over a month to get everything delivered, with excuses ranging from things being out of stock to them just not showing up to "oh, I didn't realize your kitchen was on the second floor and I'm only one person so I can't get them up there" (order form specified that kitchen was on the second floor of a townhouse). Once everything was finally delivered the refrigerator's ice maker broke after two days. The guy they sent to fix it had less of an idea of what was wrong than I did, and it took three appointments (i.e., three mornings taken off work) for them to finally send someone who could make what ended up being a very simple repair. Oh, and they forgot to tell me they pulled a permit for the gas stove install and that I'd have to get that inspected, so I got a notice of noncompliance from the City about a year later. Upshot was that while the appliances were well-priced and good quality (once the ice maker was fixed), by the end of it I gladly would have paid double to avoid the horrible service issues. NEVER again.

 

[runwad]

I concur too. I had a high end Kitchen Aide dishwashwer that had good reviews and was recommended. It started given me problems before the first year warranty was up. I saw the writing on the wall so I bought the extended warranty and continued to use that for another 3 service calls. Finally dang near rebought the thing in repairs after the warranty was out and decided to just get rid of it. This time I bought the cheapest dishwasher I could find ($300 Whirlpool) and got a 5 year extended warranty. It's all crap everything that is made today. If you're going to make it disposable then make the price disposable too!!

 

[j's m]

I'll second not ordering from Sears. We had a treadmill delivered, they drove the truck right through the lawn, so we refused delivery.

Made the mistake of ordering a TV for delivery from Sears. They confirmed by phone and e-mail FOUR times with date and time range. DH came home from work, waited the 2 hr window and they never showed. When he called the TV was out of stock with no known delivery date.

We have found that the Best Buy in our area has the best delivery people ever. We got a TV delivered from them and old one taken out from 2nd floor. Last week we bought a new washer and dryer, excellent delivery, again to the second floor. It was amazing to see 2 little guys pick up the old appliances and carry them downstairs and bring the new ones in.

Anyway, I looked at the choices of washer and dryer at Best Buy, had already decided on Whirlpool since my last set lasted 25 years with no repairs. I got the middle price range for both. My appliance repair guy said the best was with the slide out lint trap and that the Whirlpool family were easiest to repair and get parts for and didn't recommend LG or Samsung. Just my opinion.

 

[rewardsinlife]

I will second Sears!

As far as washer/dryer we have never had luck. Though we get it from sears and had the warranty so didn't have to pay a dime.

For refrigerators...we had a GE for over 27 years with no problems. Now have a kenmore and happy with it as well. Both were from sears.

 

[Fire14]

Not saying they are best or worst as I have no clue but DH works at Lowes and used to do a lot of calling to get parts for appliances and he said he seemed to have to call a lot for service/parts on Samsung and things took forever to come in. SAid had best luck with kitchen aide products. Also gen aire used to cause lots of griping from him.

 

[twinboysmom]

I am not a fan of the recent (2 years ago) appliances or the service we received from sears. The refrigerator came with a nice dent and let's just say they didn't own up to it. Also, I hate my washer but that's another thread. I was listening to talk radio in the car the other day and it was something about appliances. I am not in the market for any right now so I didn't pay complete attention but they man said the best bet was to buy appliances in the mid range and gave a lot of reasons that made sense. It was something about repairs, etc. like I said, only half listened. So my ext purchases will be mid level price range.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I got a Samsung refrigerator a few years ago, and I love it! Beep beep, it's cool. I went for it because I wanted a counter depth unit. It really does help my smallish kitchen seem bigger, because of the location of the refrig. I got a Samsung dishwasher too...... I love that it is REALLY quiet. But thank goodness I bought the warranty on it (Best Buy) because I did have some problems with it. Now that they replaced everything in it, it seems great again.

My stove and micro are a different brand, which annoys me, but too bad for now. They are Fridgedaire.

The refrig requires a new $40 or so filter every 3-4 months. ACK! I wait for the warning light to hit red before replacing.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Anyway, I looked at the choices of washer and dryer at Best Buy, had already decided on Whirlpool since my last set lasted 25 years with no repairs. I got the middle price range for both. My appliance repair guy said the best was with the slide out lint trap and that the Whirlpool family were easiest to repair and get parts for and didn't recommend LG or Samsung. Just my opinion.

I was warned about the electronic washer dryers. Once out of warranty, if those computer/digital boards go,the repair costs are out of sight.

(Which is a bummer, because I LIKE the electronic type, and the new front loader washers.) I told myself, maybe next time, lol. And got the ones with the knobs, and the washer is a top loader again.

 

[Ametista]

I just use best buy and check their reviews online, wait for a sale. There are frequently extremely good reviews for certain models and bad for others.

But yeah, overall, its all junk anymore. As in, a washer used to last 20 years, now it last 3 to 5. Its a racket, and its not even made here any more. cheapo plastic and made in China.

 

[Disneychix]

OP: I feel the same way. We are moving and we have to purchase a new washer/dryer. I've been to the stores numerous times and I just keep leaving without buying because it's all so confusing/annoying/indifferent! I just feel like giving my money to the salesman and waiting to see what shows up on the truck would be easier!

 

[Poohbug]

OP- I hear you and agree. I found the same when researching for a new over the oven microwave. It didn't matter what brand or how much it cost, reviews were all over the place. I finally decided to look for the features that I actually used and just bought the cheapest one I could find. If I am going to have to replace it in a couple of years, at least I didn't spend a lot for it.

This is why I have not replaced my oven yet. I have remodeled my kitchen and all my other appliances are newer. The oven doesn't really match and it is 15 years old but it still works and I don't think I can replace it with anything that is going to last that long.

 

[bpesch]

Stay away from Whirlpool. We had to scrap a $500 machine after months of problems and no help at all from the company. I will never buy another one of their products and am quite vocal when someone asks me about them.

 

[wallawallakids]

OP I agree. It seems pervasive and honestly, like there is no rhyme or reason to it. I don't think there is one brand that is better then the next any more. You can look at one refrigerator by Samsung that gets 5 star reviews, and the next Samsung gets 1 star. It's crazy. Appliances just are not built as well as they used to be. The more bells and whistles something has, the more likely it is to break. (Or so it seems). I just bought all new appliances for our new house and it was killing me to go through and read every single review and have everyone have at least some negative ones. I ended up just going with what I could get the best deal on based on the positive reviews I have read. I know I will probably have to replace them long before I will want to. It's crazy because my mother still has a 1950's ice box in her summer home. Thing still works great. (Bad for energy costs and the environment I am sure, but that thing has a motor that just keeps on going!) She also has a washer and dryer from 1970. She bought it when they got married. I have been married for 13 years and have had more washer and dryers than I care to add up. Each time the repairs have been more $$ then buying a new machine and none of them were the same brand. I refuse to buy big fancy machines now. One that washes clothes and is reasonably priced sounds good to me. Good luck!

 

[Arielle22]

DH and I use a small local store run by a family. The slogan is the is always a family member to talk to. The salespeople there do give advice on which appliance is better than another. It is not upselling since the appliances are all in the same price range. We also buy the extended warranties which run about $100. The service is great. Although I am less than happy with our stove. It is electric and the top shows the rings from using the burners.

We did buy our frig from Sears because it was a fantastic Black Friday deal.

 

[kim929]

I bought a brand new Kenmore from Sears it wasn't cheap. I bought it in Nov, in Dec the following year it starts leaking water out of the bottom of the freezer. Of course the warranty ended the month before. I have had nothing but problems with this thing.
My sil bought one around the same time, same exact thing happened to hers.
Just to come to the house Sears was going to charge 100.00

I will never ever buy another Kenmore.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

My Family has always stuck with Product from Sears. The main reason is the aviable Service and Repair contracts. Plus since they carry several Brands you can usually find an appliance that fits your needs at a fair price.

No disrespect, but I wouldn't buy a dog collar from Sears because they are so typically in desperate need of chronic repair.

I grew up in a mostly Sears appliance household, right down to the freezer, fridge, and garage door opener. Today, total number of Sears-sold appliances in my home? Zero. Whirlpool is the OEM for most of Sears Kenmore-branded appliances, and Chamberlain made most of their garage door openers.

Places like Lowe's have a better selection with better prices and, in my experience, have bent over backwards to accommodate delivery schedules/requirements.

Be very wary about any refrigerators right now. From what scuttlebutt I've heard from some appliance types, most of the newer units have these first- or second-generation higher-speed compressors that are NOT very reliable with the differing kinds of refrigerants required, and are conking out to the tune of a several hundred dollar repair.

In general, I think LG and Samsung actually have pretty decent reputations right now in the large appliance business.

Good luck.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

I bought a brand new Kenmore from Sears it wasn't cheap. I bought it in Nov, in Dec the following year it starts leaking water out of the bottom of the freezer. Of course the warranty ended the month before. I have had nothing but problems with this thing.
My sil bought one around the same time, same exact thing happened to hers.
Just to come to the house Sears was going to charge 100.00

I will never ever buy another Kenmore.

Water leaking beneath a freezer is usually related to moisture arising from a defrost cycle. Most fridges have a drain pan to collect the moisture, which just evaporates. If dust or bugs or whatever gets in the pan, it might cause it to overfill and leak as your describing. You might check your particular manual, but you might/should be able to pull the bottom kick plate/grill from the front, slide the pan out, and see if it is dirty or perhaps has a small leak that could be plugged with some duct tape or putty. Worth a shot, and a darned sight cheaper than calling out Sears.