“Customer Service” and American know-how do not exist anymore.
After many long years of faithful service, our Frigidaire refrigerator finally pooped out. Not quite dead, but too late to save economically. Fortunately, we have a friendly back-up in the basement, so we are doing our steps every day. So after researching ourselves to frustration, we learned a few things.
Major appliances are built to fail, some of them PFQ. Without spending mucho dinero, generally, the best Fridges are GE & Whirlpool. The worst for dependability were Samsung & LG. You want one made in the USA or Canada, not in Mexico. You do not want an R600 compressor. All this doesn’t mean certain brands might fail right away. It just means some are more prone than others, and that you shouldn’t expect 10-15 years anymore. The manufacturers have made it more expensive to own in the long term, with more maintenance (just like cars). If you have an old appliance (like our Kenmore washing machine), don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
So we hit all the main appliance stores in Greensboro, and then some (six), and went on line. All but one of the people we met locally did not know much about what they were selling, but only what was on their screen (which I already had). Phoning the online businesses was 100% fruitless, we never spoke with anyone.
We finally found someone to sell us a Whirlpool (with the usual 1-year warranty), so we were sure to add on the extra 5-year warranty. Doesn’t mean it will be trouble-free for six years, just that the service will keep it running at least that long. After that, we will buy a back up if we don’t have one.
All of this is based on my experience and research, you may find differently. Whatever, take the time to check it out.
Miller Forester
My niece interned at GE ( I believe it was Refrigerators). she noted how the modern appliances were designed for low cost Manfacturing, not designed for durability. Her mentor noted that GE exited the design for durability product space as vast majority of consumers purchased based on price and function versus durability.
You are right. Marketing 101: givum what they want.
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Miller’s right.
And don’t buy any freezers that are made in China unless you’re okay with replacing them every 3-4 years.
Really.
Right. I failed to mention China.
One more thing. All the electronic & plumbing gizmos you add to your fridge, the more likely they will fail. Buy analog controls if you can find them. Ice makers are the worst. No computers, etc.
Thank you for this. I’ve found it applies to all major appliances. The days when freezers run for 40 years (like the one I bought in 1983, still running) without an issue are long gone.
If you wish to be in the $5,000-$15,000 range, you can buy fridges that will last a long time.
It’s called planned obsolescence.
Miller is right.
We moved into a newer (15 yrs old) home last July and one thing we’ll never do is buy one of the black flat top stoves or refrigerators with all the gizmo’s on it. They scratch too easily and you can’t resurface them. Drop a hard object on the flat top stove, and you’ll have a crack. Thanks, but no thanks. We gave away our black one and bought a white ceramic GE model with 4 old-style burners, and love it. If a crack appears, there’s special paint you can buy to cover it. . .even has a YouTube video on how to do it. Also, we buy ice versus having the ice maker go on the blink with freezing water overflows since we had one go on the blink years ago.
Ice trays.
I used to know some people in Julian who knew the exact date they bought their Kenmore chest freezer, and who will never forget it.
As he was in the Sears store in Greensboro, it came over the PA system that there were reports that the President had been shot in Dallas. November 22nd, 1963.
Their freezer might have failed by now, but about twenty years ago it was still working fine.
That’s forty-one years of use!
I inherited my parent’s Kenmore chest freezer purchased a little over 30 years ago. I had to repair the defroster, but it is still running great. My father always said to buy something of quality, not price.