15 month old Whirlpool refrigerator... not field repairable.

mrsilv04

mrsilv04

Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
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Location
Illinois
15 months ago, bought a new Whirlpool refrigerator. Earlier this month, it was declared "not field repairable", and I received most of my money back, to replace it.

This was my first Whirlpool, and unfortunately, I've been far from impressed. This one was a dud from the start. When Whirlpool sent me an email about a month after buying this thing, to try and sell me an extended warranty... I took them up on it immediately. It was that $44.95 entended warranty that is paying out to replace this dud.

So... where do I go now? I bought this one at the beginning of the pandemic, and I bought what was available at the time. This one is still running (although it is all screwed up), so I think I have some time to perform some research before buying its replacement.

I see that the manufacturers such as LG and Samsung offer inverter compressors, which from what I read have the ability to adjust the speed that the compressor runs to match the needed load, and are much quieter. Much quieter is a good thing, as my living room is right next to my kitchen. Plus, the inverter units seem to have much longer warranties on the compressor (1 year for my old Whirlpool compressor... 10 years for LG compressor)... as well as a longer life.

But I'm not sure about buying an LG or a Samsung apppliance... as far as service goes.
 
We've had an LG inverter fridge for almost 5 years now. Barn door top with a pull out freezer below. It is incredibly quiet and we've never had an issue with it.

Looks identical to this model. It can be special ordered with a paint finish instead of stainless steel.
 
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One of my best friends owns a VERY successful high end appliance repair business. He has the contracts for everything high end from Greenwich CT, Rockland NY, Westchester NY, Orange NY, Putnam, Dutchess, and expanding into the borough of NYC. Between him and his friends who service the non-high end appliances....the consensus is to stay away from LG and Samsung especially. I have an LG that the trays were so flimsy I had to replace and moved it to the basement.

They also report that the key is less tech is less repairs. What was kinda surprising, at least to me, they report that most companies like Whirlpool, GE, Frigidaire, etc...use the vert same compressors. About 4 or 5 years ago I asked what fridge.....they recommended a low frill GE or Frigidaire. I went GE and besides a little loud it has been excellent.
 
LG recently settled a class action lawsuit re: compressor failures.

Home | LG Refrigerator Settlement

www.lgfridgesettlement.com www.lgfridgesettlement.com

My 23 year old 18.2 cu ft Whirlpool refrigerator has been giving me some early warning signs of trouble ahead, so today I ordered a top freezer Frigidaire from Home Depot ( could not find any in stock Whirlpool 18-19 cu ft models for sale). In a recent article from Consumer Reports, the top freezer Frigidaire received high marks for reliability. In another online article, I read that the average lifespan for a recently manufactured refrigerator is only 12 years.
 
SubLGT said:
www.cnet.com

Repair pros tell all: Whirlpool, Maytag make the most reliable appliances

A new survey of appliance repair technicians offers insights on refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers and dishwashers.
www.cnet.com www.cnet.com
Click to expand...
I don’t think so. Whirlpool ranges are horrible. Frigidaire beats them hands down.
Whirlpool makes excellent dishwashers and clothes dryers. GE is also a strong contender.
Whirlpool makes horrible clothes washers. Their direct drive system is the biggest negative. GE wins the class.
Freezers and refrigerators: Frigidaire and GE.
When I talk about Whirlpool, I mean every brand under their umbrella.
 
When recently shopping refrigerators at a local major furniture store, I discussed reliability with the salesman, as I had been told that I should absolutely avoid LG. He stated that if you don't like the reliability of the LG, you really won't like any of the rest of them either. His opinion was that even the domestic refrigerators no longer had the reliability that they used to have, and that most all refrigerators are made to be disposable instead of repairable.

Your question made me curious to see what Consumer Reports says about refrigerator reliability. LG is rated average (3 of 5). But that is the highest that any of the manufacturers scored. Samsung and Frigidare score 2 of 5, and Electrolux scored 1 of 5. It doesn't look like anyone should expect reliability from a fridge. Unless you go with a model that isn't loaded with features. No ice maker. No in door water. No clever glass doors.
 
I have a Whirlpool refrigerator and a Maytag refrigerator in my home. Both are about 20 years old. The Maytag has never been repaired. The Whirlpool had the water dispenser solenoid valve replaced a few years ago, but I suspect that was my fault from using a cheap off brand water filter, resulting in a piece of charcoal getting lodged in the solenoid.

I totally realize that the reliability of my older refrigerators is no indicator of the reliability of current refrigerators. And I blame we consumers. We all want more features, but we want to pay less for it. That doesn't come for free. The result is appliances that have to be designed to be inexpensive to sell, at the expense of serviceability.
 
Made in China Whirlpool refrigerator spotted at Menards:

IMG_0912.JPG
IMG_0911.JPG
 
www.consumerreports.org

Most and Least Reliable Refrigerator Brands - Consumer Reports

CR can help you find the most reliable refrigerator brands and the best combination of storage capacity, temperature control, efficiency, and more.
www.consumerreports.org www.consumerreports.org

...As part of our annual member surveys, we asked CR members about more than 130,000 refrigerators (with icemakers) they’d purchased between 2010 and 2020. The results inform CR’s predicted reliability and owner satisfaction ratings in our refrigerator ratings charts. They’re grouped by refrigerator type—top-freezer, bottom-freezer, French-door, side-by-side, and built-in. The brands in the survey include Frigidaire, GE, Kenmore, KitchenAid, LG, Maytag, Samsung, and Whirlpool.

One major takeaway from the survey: Brand reliability varies by configuration. For example, Frigidaire top-freezers earn an Excellent rating for predicted reliability, but Frigidaire French-doors receive only a Fair score....
Click to expand...
 
I wrote " In another online article, I read that the average lifespan for a recently manufactured refrigerator is only 12 years."
Correction: should read 14 years, not 12 years.

Appliance Life Expectancy Chart | Mr. Appliance

As your appliances age, knowing their average lifespan can be helpful for budgeting and repair decisions. Get the details on our appliance life expectancy chart!
www.mrappliance.com www.mrappliance.com
 
Once an appliance is out of warranty and it breaks down I'll buy a new on .
 
in laws had samsung fridge.. it had 4 repair calls in 3 years then the service company said they wouldnt be out again it was magically out of their service area....Kent, Ohio they were based from ravenna(right next door)...it was still in extended warranty..but they had to junk it.

LG not much better. The oft repeated advice is avoid Korean in the kitchen.

OTOH they have a samsung electric stove and besides one of the burners being nearly on/off with no adjustment. been pretty reliable including the convection oven etc.

If I was shopping I'd buy at costco using their costco visa.. gives you 4 years warranty.. that usually is long enough for early death on appliances.
 
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