Refrigerators

[WiseOwlKnits]

Our fridge died last night - it started smoking and melted the temperature contol and who knows what else. We are going to buy a new one tomorrow, but I have no idea what to get or where to get it. Our old one was only 6 years old so I never thought I'd be replacing it so soon.

 

We want a side-by-side and we don't want to spend over $1,000 if possible. But we want something reliable. Our old one was a Frigidaire so I'd be hesitant to buy another one unless our experience was a fluke.

 

Suggestions?

[Melissa in New York]

My hubby surprised me with a Samsung refrigerator almost a year ago. It has 2 doors with a pull-out freezer below. I LOVE it and works great. I can't imagine that it was over $1000 'cause my husband would probably not pay that much for it.

 

Shop around and go to your favorite appliance shop with the best price. Nowadays, you'll get the asking price.

 

~melissa

[Dana]

You may want to check Consumer Reports. I think they have some online info for free. They reviewed fridges earlier this year.

 

Ours hasn't died completely, but we had a repairman out last week and he said the compressor is dying and we will need a new one. His recommendation was not to get any bells and whistles (we're going with a traditional freezer on top and an icemaker). He said the lifespan is dropping - he sees problems at only 5 years now when it used to be more like 10. He recommended buying from Lowe's or Home Depot rather than from Sears (he thought they have a lower profit margin on appliances and said Kenmore now could be manufactured by anyone). He also said "Get a name that's familiar; avoid LG, Samsung, etc."

 

We'll probably be buying one sometime this week - definitely in September.

Blech.

 

Hope you didn't lose too much food!

[RegGuheert]

We were refrigerator shopping recently because ours was acting up. Fortunately I was able to fix it with just a soldering iron!

 

Anyway, we found a couple of efficient 25 cubic foot side-by-side refrigerators for under $1000.00 that looked decent. IKEA had one for $800.00 and HH Gregg had one for $700.00. They both looked a lot like the GE that we have now, the difference being that we paid twice as much for ours.

 

Good luck!

[Mallorie]

We bought our Kenmore Elite with the french doors on top, freezer on bottom three years ago. No problems at all, and I love, love, love it. :)

[Pippen]

Ours hasn't died completely, but we had a repairman out last week and he said the compressor is dying and we will need a new one. His recommendation was not to get any bells and whistles (we're going with a traditional freezer on top and an icemaker). He said the lifespan is dropping - he sees problems at only 5 years now when it used to be more like 10. He recommended buying from Lowe's or Home Depot rather than from Sears (he thought they have a lower profit margin on appliances and said Kenmore now could be manufactured by anyone). He also said "Get a name that's familiar; avoid LG, Samsung, etc."

!

 

Mine said pretty much the same thing when I replaced my 30 year old Tappan a few years ago. The repairs for the digital controls on appliances are so expensive that people frequently choose to replace than repair.

 

When I was shopping I found a big quality difference in the traditional simple models and the big units with bells and whistles, particularly since I wanted biscuit and had space limitations due to living in a home that wasn't new and set up for a montster fridge.

 

I wound up watching and found a scratch and dent (in a spot that isn't visible) GE bottom freezer. I didn't get the warranty because I was livid that they were asking me to pay an extra $140 to keep my fridge running for four years when I was replacing a 30+ year old one. I regretted it when the ice maker broke--the part alone is $160.

[JFSinIL]

I agree with NOT automatically shopping at Sears for appliances anymore - our side-by-side Kenmore waited a couple years to get out of warranty and then the plastic sides where the plastic bins for veggies, etc. roll in and out started to crack apart - as parts of the bins have broken off. Grrr. I wish I could find a 'fridge with METAL bits where the bins fasten and slide in and out. like the appliances of my childhood that did last forever. But all I see anymore is breakable plastic. And my bins pretty much just sit on top of each other now, rather than slide in and out. At least the top bin, that is also the shelf for milks, etc. had METAL hooks to fasten it to a strip of METAL in the back of the 'fridge - so it is NOT broken! But the movable plastic bits are cracked or broken off everywhere else.