Please don’t feel bad for me – we’re fine with the loaner fridge. I’m just sharing this info so anyone who’s looking at buying a new fridge can know what “customer service” is like for some brands. Even though we’ve had this fridge for three years, the compressor has a five year warranty and we have an extended warranty, which for some reason, I think is good through 2031. So, one might think SOMEONE would either fix this fridge or replace it. I was optimistic for a while but now, I do feel like Vince and I are going to be eating the cost of this fridge and buying a new one ourselves. We paid about $3,500 for this fridge, plus the extended warranty so if you think we expected it to last longer than three years, you would be correct!
Monday the repairman who has been working on it, and who felt like a board that controls the crisper temps, might have been the problem. First, that board was working fine when the fridge first went out. Second, he had been here the week before to replace the compressor. When he left, the fridge worked fine for about three days and the board for the crisper wasn’t working when he was here then so I doubted that was the problem but . . what do I know?
Not sure what he did when he was here. He brought his container of freon in. Neither of us stayed in the kitchen. He said he didn’t add freon. I wonder! When he left, the fridge got down to about 38 degrees (it’s set at 36). I’m not happy with 38 but that was as low as it got.
Tuesday, a repairman came out. He was sent by G.E. He’s the one who said it was fine . . anything less than 45 degrees is fine. I disagree. I knew that since it had taken over 24 hours to get to 38 degrees, while it was set for 36 degrees, something wasn’t right. He found that when the compressor was changed, the filter should have been changed and it wasn’t so he ordered the filter and will be back in two weeks to change that.
The fridge worked Tuesday and Wednesday, staying at about 38 degrees. Yesterday morning, it was staying at about 39. Today, it’s 43 degrees. Repairman #2 will be back two weeks from yesterday so for at least two weeks, the fridge in the house is not working. That seems to be the new normal – fridge works for two days after the repairman has been here; then it doesn’t work for two weeks. He comes back. It works for two days, then it’s out again til he comes back.
Nothing we can do about it unless we’re ready to junk it and go buy another one. I think Vince is getting close to that point.
Sandi B says
Repairman is coming next week for yet another issue with the ice maker in the Samsung refrigerator. It’s 7 years old. Ice maker has been replaced at least twice and repaired more times than I can remember. It’s so frustrating!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
You may remember that we had a Samsung in Texas. After the second ice maker replacement, the repairman showed Vince how easy it was to change it. We would order them by the six pack and Vince probably changed them at least once a year, maybe twice a year. It’s ridiculous! How can these companies make things and just send them out, hoping they work? You know you are not the only one having problems with your ice maker. No one cares. We keep buying the crappy products so what do they have to lose?
cindy says
Does Missouri have a lemon law for appliances? i think i would be filing with the state if so.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
If we do, an attorney would probably have to get involved and I doubt many are going to want to do that. It’s one of those things we’ll have to just eat the expense and replace it. I think I can do more by sharing here and on Facebook about the quality and their refusing to replace it after five or six attempts to repair it.
JanetB says
You should call the news people. That seems to get results in my neck of the woods.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I doubt G.E. really cares about the local news here. If it was a local car dealer or even the appliance store but the appliance store has been good and we do have a loaner from them. I don’t want to do anything to make them look bad.
Paula Nordt says
Appliances and service these day pretty much suck. Pardon the language. When we first married, we bought a Sears refrigerator. It lasted over 25 years. Same with our Sears washer and dryer. Since their final passing, we’ve been through three different refrigerators and maybe four different washers and three dryers. Don’t even get me started on dishwashers!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Yes, you’re right. It’s crazy. The people we bought this house from had just bought new Maytag washer/dryer and didn’t want to move it. They told us we could buy it and they would buy the exact same set again. We did and it will be five years in October that I’ve been here and we’ve had no problems with them. I laugh everything I get excited that six year old appliances are still working. These things should all last at least 20 years but I doubt they do (and if they do, I probably won’t be around to know it!) 🙂
Nelle Coursey says
I think it is time to contact GE directly and let them know what is going on and tell them you want a new one~ This is not ok!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Vince has been talking to them. They’re the ones who sent Repairman #2 out. It was the repairman they sent that said so long as the fridge is no higher than 45 degrees, it’s safe and it is not! Anything over 40 degrees is not safe. He is the one who will come back in two weeks and change some kind of inline filter.
vivoaks says
And that is why I don’t generally buy the extra protection for appliances. If everybody had the same problems you’ve had, and are still fighting to get it working properly, I’d be ready to raise the roof with the company! The way things are made these days, I don’t expect anything to work past it’s guaranteed time span. Isn’t it a shame how poorly things are made now? Planned obsolescence….the new normal….
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Oh, we have the extra protection. We paid for that on all the kitchen appliances we bought three years ago.
Sheila Meyer says
I have a 1970s Montgomery wards avocado green freezer we bought new !! Still going strong!!! They built quality appliances back then !!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
And they could do it again if they wanted to!
Katherine Toler says
Had similar issue with a kitchen aid. Took almost 2 years for finally replacing. Only had to pay sales tax. Fortunately had another fridge and freezer outside.
Katherine Toler
Took a quilt class from you in Baton Rouge years ago.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I don’t think we’ll make it 2 years dealing with this one. It works about three days after they’ve been here. I feel like it’s a freon leak, they come, they fill it up and three days later it’s all leaked out. They’ll be here again on June 5 and until then, we have no fridge in the kitchen.
We have other fridges and the appliance store has given us a loaner but it’s in the garage, not hooked up to an ice maker so while we’re not without, and I’m very grateful to have a backup, it isn’t the same as having a fridge in the kitchen with ice and water on the door and more – we paid for a fridge that should be working and it isn’t and no one seems to be able to make it work!
nalaxu says
There is a class action lawsuit against GE for their refrigerators not cooling.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
As far as we can tell, the class action is for people who are being charged excessive fees for diagnosing the problem, then having to pay for the “fix” that G.E. should have known was a problem from the beginning. Our compressor has a 5 year warranty and we also have an extended warranty through another company. So far, all of the repairs, including a new compressor, and multiple repairs of varying kinds, have not cost us anything so, again, as far as I can see, we are not in that “class”. G.E. has told Vince that as soon as one of the repairmen tell them the fridge cannot be repaired, they will replace it but these repairmen keep thinking the next fix is going to do it. My feeling is that after four full months and as many parts as we have had replaced, either it cannot be fixed or they don’t know how to fix it and we’re left holding the bag.
Deb E says
You might check to see if your state has a ‘lemon’ law — after several attempts to fix it the company then has to refund your money. Fingers crossed that you have that law — and let the company know that if they DON’T do right by you the next step is to post reviews on every available website just how lousy the products and service are at that company. Third thing? Call the governors office in your state. Each office has a “constituent representative” (or something similar). Their job is to listen to your hassle and then contact the company to HONOR your extended warranty. I’ve referred people to ours here in California numerous times & its ALWAYS worked for each person — from appliance problems, to solar system problems to a VISA problem for a client of mine….they got satisfaction! Good luck!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
We do have a lemon law but from reading about it, almost everyone has to get an attorney and I can’t imagine that an attorney would want to get involved with something that will take work and very little $$. G.E. says they will replace it once their repairman says it cannot be fixed but how long is this going to drag out? Vince is dealing with them and he usually gets more done on these kinds of things and he’s relentless so he’s handling this and I’m confident IF this can be resolved to our satisfaction, he will get it done. The problem we’re having is that as long as a repairman THINKS it’s fixed, even if whatever he does causes the fridge to work for two days and then it’s two weeks before they get back to work on it again, then G.E. considers it fixable until the repairman said nothing is going to fix it. If we tell the repairman to not come back . . we’re tired of dealing with you, then we aren’t cooperating and G.E. can close the case. We’re so lucky to have the loaner from the appliance store.
Thanks for the tips. I will see if we have some kind of constituent representative and let Vince know to try that route.
Cody says
We had some troubles with a lawnmower and a refrigerator years ago…both bought at sears.
My husband called customer service and kept asking for the next person higher up, and finally after being very persistent that he speak to someone in a higher position, he finally talked to someone that replaced the refrigerator with an upgraded model and we had our lawnmower replaced with the same model, and the guy delivered it on a weekend. Have Vince just keep asking for the persons supervisor, you’ll eventually get someone to help you.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
That was a good outcome. G. E. did offer to send us $225 today to buy ice and a small fridge. Please! Just fix my refrigerator or give me another one.
Vince will keep on. He will get this resolved one way or the other. I’m so glad he’s handling this one. I’d be losing my mind dealing with these people who really do not care, rarely call you back when they says they will and seem to think we’re just going to go away.