refrigerator "repair" vent!

[HunnyPots]

Wednesday morning we wake up to a strange sound coming from our refrigerator and - guess what! - everything's starting to thaw! So I get on the phone and get someone from our local appliance service to come out. he says it is a bad "relay switch" (whatever, I have no idea) and that the compressor is fine. So he replaces the switch and $169 later he is gone and everything seems to be fine. Until last night. I hear the noise again! I try to tell myself its my imagination because everything is still cold and everything in the freezer is still frozen. So I don't think about it again until this morning when I poured some luke-warm milk over my cheerios!
Now I sit here waiting on him to come back and wondering what is going to happen. This fridge is only seven years old and was not cheap! I'd rather not have to replace it right now but I also don't want to keep shoveling money into it and still not be able to depend on it. Grrrrrrrr...!
Anybody with similar experience? Refrigerator problems?

 

[CathrynRose]

Wednesday morning we wake up to a strange sound coming from our refrigerator and - guess what! - everything's starting to thaw! So I get on the phone and get someone from our local appliance service to come out. he says it is a bad "relay switch" (whatever, I have no idea) and that the compressor is fine. So he replaces the switch and $169 later he is gone and everything seems to be fine. Until last night. I hear the noise again! I try to tell myself its my imagination because everything is still cold and everything in the freezer is still frozen. So I don't think about it again until this morning when I poured some luke-warm milk over my cheerios!
Now I sit here waiting on him to come back and wondering what is going to happen. This fridge is only seven years old and was not cheap! I'd rather not have to replace it right now but I also don't want to keep shoveling money into it and still not be able to depend on it. Grrrrrrrr...!
Anybody with similar experience? Refrigerator problems?

No - but my husband owns an appliance repair with his brother, and at their company - if they diagnose you with a bad relay switch (or bad compressor), and replace such - and just a few days later it ends up being the opposite (the relay switch and compressor work off each other) - they have a warranty and will 'fix it correctly'.

The only charge which might be made to you (in their case) is - lets say the relay switch part costs $10 - and the compressor costs $20 - they would ask you pay thatpart difference. But no new service charge, etc etc.

Good luck. My husband ends up at a LOT of unsatisfied other companies houses.

 

[HunnyPots]

Thanks for the info. I am hoping they will offer me something like that. They have a very good reputation in the community. I'm just really frustrated at having to go through this twice and when the fridge is only seven years old. What happened to refrigerators that last 20 years or more?!? Our last fridge was used when we bought it, at least 10 years old, and it lasted us another 15!

 

[HunnyPots]

UPDATE: He just left. The compressor is fried. The cost to repair would be around $500. So, guess what, I get to buy a new fridge. Not what I wanted to spend my tax refund on but at least I have it to spend. Not a great day...

Come to think of it, not a great week. I also have to go and get an estimate to repair the damage to my van I acquired yesterday. I was parked at walmart and my van gets hit by the driver door of a truck parked next to me and now I have an 8 inch dent in the rear panel.

I need a bubble bath...

 

[Married2theYeti]

UPDATE: He just left. The compressor is fried. The cost to repair would be around $500. So, guess what, I get to buy a new fridge. Not what I wanted to spend my tax refund on but at least I have it to spend. Not a great day...

Come to think of it, not a great week. I also have to go and get an estimate to repair the damage to my van I acquired yesterday. I was parked at walmart and my van gets hit by the driver door of a truck parked next to me and now I have an 8 inch dent in the rear panel.

I need a bubble bath...

I'm so sorry! Sometimes there are days like that and they stink. Sending pixie dust your way!

 

[disneysteve]

What happened to refrigerators that last 20 years or more?!? Our last fridge was used when we bought it, at least 10 years old, and it lasted us another 15!

If your fridge is more than 10 years old, you should seriously consider replacing it due to energy efficiency. It will cost less to replace it than it will cost to keep it running. They have gotten that much more efficient. I would never consider buying a used fridge for that reason. It will actually end up costing you more than a brand new one.

This got illustrated just recently. My cousin's fridge died. It was about 20 years old. The new one was $450. His electric bill dropped by $30/month after getting the new one. So in 15 months, it will have paid for itself and he will continue saving $30/month after that.

Since yours was 7 years old, you will probably also see your electric bill drop a fair amount which will cushion the expense of replacing the fridge.

 

[HunnyPots]

If your fridge is more than 10 years old, you should seriously consider replacing it due to energy efficiency. It will cost less to replace it than it will cost to keep it running. They have gotten that much more efficient. I would never consider buying a used fridge for that reason. It will actually end up costing you more than a brand new one.

This got illustrated just recently. My cousin's fridge died. It was about 20 years old. The new one was $450. His electric bill dropped by $30/month after getting the new one. So in 15 months, it will have paid for itself and he will continue saving $30/month after that.

Since yours was 7 years old, you will probably also see your electric bill drop a fair amount which will cushion the expense of replacing the fridge.

Oh I know the old models used more energy and I would not buy one now but when you're young and newlywed and POOR, that $150 refrigerator looked pretty good! And we got 15 years out of it!

My point was simply, old models had a much longer life expectancy than the new costly high tech models. If they can make a refrigerator that saves you in energy costs, why can't they make one that lasts more than 7-8 years? By the way, the model we are replacing was supposedly "energy efficient" according to the spec sheet. Some savings! Whatever we saved, we are now re-investing in another refrigerator and the landfill will have one more huge chunk of metal and plastic.

OK - vent over for the moment. Go back to whatever you were doing...

 

[ctinct]

I feel your pain. My first fridge lasted about 25 years. My current fridge is only 5 years old and barely chugging along. I had to have it repaired when it was just 1 year old, and twice within the last year. It stinks, but I can't see pouring any more money into it...I've already paid almost half of its original price over again just in repairs.

 

[Chris]

If your fridge is more than 10 years old, you should seriously consider replacing it due to energy efficiency. It will cost less to replace it than it will cost to keep it running. They have gotten that much more efficient. I would never consider buying a used fridge for that reason. It will actually end up costing you more than a brand new one.

This got illustrated just recently. My cousin's fridge died. It was about 20 years old. The new one was $450. His electric bill dropped by $30/month after getting the new one. So in 15 months, it will have paid for itself and he will continue saving $30/month after that.

Since yours was 7 years old, you will probably also see your electric bill drop a fair amount which will cushion the expense of replacing the fridge.

WOW. I haven't seen a fridge for 450.00 in years!! Maybe cause I always have to look at the "large" model!

 

[NMW]

If your fridge is more than 10 years old, you should seriously consider replacing it due to energy efficiency. It will cost less to replace it than it will cost to keep it running. They have gotten that much more efficient. I would never consider buying a used fridge for that reason. It will actually end up costing you more than a brand new one.

This got illustrated just recently. My cousin's fridge died. It was about 20 years old. The new one was $450. His electric bill dropped by $30/month after getting the new one. So in 15 months, it will have paid for itself and he will continue saving $30/month after that.

Since yours was 7 years old, you will probably also see your electric bill drop a fair amount which will cushion the expense of replacing the fridge.

Where in the world did he find a fridge for only $450? My husbands beer cooler fridge (Kenmore) cost like $300! Oh course as my husband points out all the time "That thing pays for itself with the savings I get buying 1/2 kegs instead of cases of beer." My husband is all about savings!

 

[disneysteve]

WOW. I haven't seen a fridge for 450.00 in years!!

Where in the world did he find a fridge for only $450?

I'm not sure where he bought his, but I just searched at Lowes.com and they have quite a few. It looks like the largest one under $450 is 18.2 cubic feet which is a decent size, and I'm sure you could catch a larger one on sale for that price. He is single so doesn't need a huge fridge.

 

[HunnyPots]

Yes, you can get one for that price if you don't need a large unit or an ice maker. The one "frill" I insist on is an ice maker. I actually consider it a necessity, as I am the only one in my household with the skills required to fill an ice tray .
The model we are looking at is around $578. Not too big or too small, top mount, energy star rated, no frills. Of course, it's out of stock everywhere within delivery distance.
So it looks like we'll be without a fridge for a few days. Should be interesting...