[Danberg]

Our refrigerator is 28 years old, making "funny" noises.  I would rather do research and see what is available before having to rush out and purchase one.

Lots of info on the internet regarding new refrigerator / freezers, but a lot seems contradictory when it comes to reliability of various brands.  Any 1st hand knowledge / experience would be appreciated.  The general conscious is that "new" refrigerators are very poorly engineered and do not last a reasonable amount of time, in comparison to the "older" units.  Is is realistic to expect 15 to 20 years use out of one of today's refrigerators? 

I am leaning towards either Whirlpool or Samsung, based on my research so far.  Your opinion, regarding various manufacturers would be appreciated.

Anyone purchase an item like this "on-line?  Is there any savings involved, or does that come at the risk of potential "warranty" issues?

[datman]

I just purchased a small freezer online from evvive.com.  When it came in dented, they picked it up immediately and another should be here this week. Superior customer service. I purchased from them because the particular freezer I wanted was not available locally.

As for warranty issues. An appliance's warranty is between the manufacturer and the purchaser. If you purchase online from a DEALER, not a trans shipper  there should be no problem.

I don't know if it is worth buying a large appliance online right now.  I am in Los Angeles and there are amazing deals on appliances from EVERY retailer that sells them. I would be surprised if the online price would be significanly better.  The major applince business is VERY competetive right now.

As for "the old oness were better built", I don't think that is true at all.  Trechnologies have changed tremendously in 28 years. 

A new refrigerator/freezer uses about the same amount of electricity as a 100 watt light bulb. I can guarantee your 28 year old unit is nowhere NEAR this efficient. Also, with the dramatic improvement in insulation technologies, modern refrigerators have substantially more room in them than older units.

Newer designs seem to work and work well for a long time.

[andy_c]

I'm getting ready to get a new refrigerator in about a month's time, after I move.  The only research I've done so far is read the review of 160 refrigerators in the July 2011 Consumer Reports.  Do you have that issue?  I picked one out that has a very high overall rating and also has their best rating for low noise.  It is an LG LFC25776 (French door upper fridge portion, bottom freezer).  I did find it online, and I meant to call the place up to find out what the deal is with warranty service, but have not done so yet.  The other option is that Home Depot sells them, and my local Home Depot has them on sale.  But this was only the stainless steel version, which is more expensive, and I've heard stainless steel is murder for fingerprints.  If you can't find the mag, feel free to PM me.

[jdoris]

Can't help you with a fridge specifically, but I just bought a range online. 

My experience was good: competitive price, no shipping cost, no sales tax.  One downside is that places like this tend to "drop ship" -- meaning the item is left at the curb and you have to get it into the house.  Also, they tend not to be accommodating about time window for drop.

For me, it was definitely worth it (my vendor was AustexHD, who has both their own page and an eBay presence; there are many others).

I would not be surprised if any warranty issues that arise are hairballs.  But I'd expect exactly the same from the "local" big box store; they often have notoriously poor service (the big one here in St. Louis does), and will have trouble  competing on price, even without sales tax.  Only advantage is delivery and installation (may or may not be important to you). 

All in all, I'd do the web, unless you have a very good local vendor (or scratch and dent place).

John

[jkelly]

I purchased a Samsung French Door style last year and I am still
very pleased with it.  The Amana style door (center support) is
one of the better designs for sealing the doors. 
I was able to get it at 25% (or 30%... forget) off from Sears.

Jeff

[John Casler]

Also just purchased a small (5.1 cu ft) freezer "online".  Being a bit of a traditionalist, I first checked out SEARS since I have a KENMORE washer and dryer that have done me well since 1992.

As well the online price for the unit was $199 and I could pick it up locally at a SEARS store made it pretty easy choice.

Sears also has many of the other top brands to choose from.  I assume in refers too, so it could be worth a look.

[Steidl Guitars]

After fussing over it, I bought a Samsung fridge a few months ago which had consistently good reviews.  It's quiet, energy efficient (estimated $49/year, dig that compared to the old days!), and all of that.

Not sure where you're located, but I wound up buying it through Lowes, where they go on sale a few times a year. 

[WGH]

A couple of months ago my fridge died on a Monday morning, heck of a way to start the work week, so I didn't have the luxury to do research or shop online. It was time to trust the salesman at Tucson Appliance Company. I got a brand new Frigidaire FFTR1817LW ($599 retail) 18.2 cu.ft. white fridge with glass shelves for $429.95. The fridge is relatively quiet and the estimated yearly operating cost is only $41.

Tucson Appliance sells open box slightly scratched and dented units but once the unit was slid into it's space all the dents were hidden. You may have a similar appliance store in your area.

Right now is probably the best time to shop, the 4th of July sales are just starting. I would be nervous about buying something that shakes, rattles and rolls like a refrigerator online, it would be too big of a hassle if you got a noisy one.

Wayne

[thunderbrick]

Last fall I bought a discontinued Samsung from Lowes.  50% off, down to $1000 or so.  Sold my old fridge and freezer for $100 each, so $800 out-of-pocket.
The nearest one in white was 100 miles away, they delivered it on time, into the kitchen, late at night, in the rain for NO CHARGE!!!  And the guy refused all efforts to give him a $20 tip.
I never liked side-by-side doors, but I really got comfortable with this design, and now I wonder why I didn't do it sooner.  Very happy so far!

[Photon46]

Under no circumstances would I ever consider buying a 'fridge online after our year long saga. We purchased a $2200 Samsung side by side from Sears that was a model highly rated by Consumer Reports. Within a month, the ice maker quit. After two and a half months without repair parts and Samsung claiming they had no idea when required parts would become available, Sears replaced the unit under their store policy. The replacement unit soon started malfunctioning as well. The freezer compartment would not maintain temperatures lower than +4 F. and the temperature would fluctuate between +4 and +25F. during the day. I knew this because I was monitoring the temperature with a remote probe lab thermometer buried in a stack of frozen vegetables. At first Sears didn't even want admit the unit had a real problem and then it took three visits from repair techs before we got a senior tech that knew anything about electronics. It took six visits and repeated attempts at replacing part after part before Sears threw in the towel and said they couldn't fix it. All the Samsung repair diagnostic sequences and the units' self diagnostics were useless. I got to know the repair guys like old friends.They admitted Samsung had a very poor history of product support and that Sears was considering dropping the line from their retail stores because of these difficulties. Sears gave us a voucher for $1800 and we bought a Sears Kenmore Elite that's a re-branded KitchenAid (Whirpool product.) In fairness, I also should mention that we'd purchased a Samsung electric stove in the same price bracket earlier that has performed flawlessly and is a great stove/oven. In light of my experiences and conversations with repair techs, I personally am going to avoid all Korean made major electronic purchases because of poor factory support policies. (The techs said that Samsung has been so quick to drop availability of repair parts after a product has ceased being manufactured that they've had to start an in-house program of rebuilding circuit boards and other items to assure future availability of repair parts.)

[ctviggen]

I'm getting ready to get a new refrigerator in about a month's time, after I move.  The only research I've done so far is read the review of 160 refrigerators in the July 2011 Consumer Reports.  Do you have that issue?  I picked one out that has a very high overall rating and also has their best rating for low noise.  It is an LG LFC25776 (French door upper fridge portion, bottom freezer).  I did find it online, and I meant to call the place up to find out what the deal is with warranty service, but have not done so yet.  The other option is that Home Depot sells them, and my local Home Depot has them on sale.  But this was only the stainless steel version, which is more expensive, and I've heard stainless steel is murder for fingerprints.  If you can't find the mag, feel free to PM me.

You know, I bought a flat top range once based on a Consumer Reports review, and that thing would barely boil water (and one of the reasons I bought it was its supposedly high power burners) in a large pot.  And it had multiple problems as soon as I picked it up (range was supposed to turn on light when you opened the door; that happened only every once in a while).  I also bought a Bosch washer that CR dinged because it did not allow you to add bleach, but that thing was fantastic.  A note to CR:  You don't need bleach with power wash and super hot wash.

I have all stainless steel appliances and absolutely hate them.  They're impossible to keep clean. I will never again buy stainless steel, and the sole reason I'm keeping these is because I'm going to sell this house and people like stainless steel.  In my next house, I'll not have stainless steel. 

[jdoris]

Sounds like Photon's experience is more a cautionary tale about Sears and Samsung than buying on line!

I also had a bad experience with Sears service: wouldn't tell me the name of a dishwasher part, because they wanted 200 to install it.  Took me literally 5 minutes, once I figured which part.

I do not like my current side by side fridge; deep narrow compartments means food gets "lost."

Stainless steel fingerprints, and scratches very easily.  I like it though, and the stainless steel cleaners help.

"gardenweb" is a great online source for info on appliances and other home related things.  Main source of research for my stove purchase. I prefer it to the hit or miss Consumer Guide (would you use CS for audio?  )

John

[JohnR]

Fridge magnets.

[andy_c]

You know, I bought a flat top range once based on a Consumer Reports review, and that thing would barely boil water (and one of the reasons I bought it was its supposedly high power burners) in a large pot.  And it had multiple problems as soon as I picked it up (range was supposed to turn on light when you opened the door; that happened only every once in a while).  I also bought a Bosch washer that CR dinged because it did not allow you to add bleach, but that thing was fantastic.  A note to CR:  You don't need bleach with power wash and super hot wash.

With the popularity of "open plan" kitchen layouts in newer homes, a quiet fridge is a must, yet there's really no way to know how quiet a fridge is without taking someone else's word for it.  I have found some online review sites and that helps some.  It seems people's experiences with CR recommendations are a mixed bag, but I'm not sure how else to proceed.  I'm checking out that gardenweb site, so hopefully they'll have something.

[Photon46]

Sounds like Photon's experience is more a cautionary tale about Sears and Samsung than buying on line!

I also had a bad experience with Sears service: wouldn't tell me the name of a dishwasher part, because they wanted 200 to install it.  Took me literally 5 minutes, once I figured which part.

I do not like my current side by side fridge; deep narrow compartments means food gets "lost."

Stainless steel fingerprints, and scratches very easily.  I like it though, and the stainless steel cleaners help.

"gardenweb" is a great online source for info on appliances and other home related things.  Main source of research for my stove purchase. I prefer it to the hit or miss Consumer Guide (would you use CS for audio?  )

John

If you look at the rate of problems owners report to Consumer Reports, all brands of refrigerators with icemakers have repair rates of over 10%. While Samsung has one of the highest rates of repair problems, none of them are so problem free you can discount the probability of needed repairs in your calculus of risk when buying online. I would carefully investigate whatever brand I was considering for online purchase and the warranty repair procedures I'd have to follow if a problem arose. As to Sears service, they have recently re-branded themselves and are now operating as the primary warranty service providers for pretty much every retail outlet in our area (central Florida.) From what I understand, this is increasingly true in other area of the country as well. While Sears service was initially slow to recognize a real problem existed, once the did, they did seem committed to solving the problem.

As to reliability of new of new 'fridges, any repair person that's been in the game for many years will tell you the new ones are more problematic because they are so much more complicated. All the electronic control panels, mother boards, & sensors that make today's features possible are more failure prone than the less complex 'fridges we used to be satisfied with. The basic refrigeration components are well made and durable, it's the icemakers and electronics that are failing for the most part.

[Photon46]

With the popularity of "open plan" kitchen layouts in newer homes, a quiet fridge is a must, yet there's really no way to know how quiet a fridge is without taking someone else's word for it.  I have found some online review sites and that helps some.  It seems people's experiences with CR recommendations are a mixed bag, but I'm not sure how else to proceed.  I'm checking out that gardenweb site, so hopefully they'll have something.

This is a REALLY vexing part of refrigerator shopping. Low noise was our number one priority, which is why we bought Samsung. Samsung, Bosch, and LG are the only really quiet 'fridges by Consumer Reports standards we could buy locally. They are also the only brands that address noise issues as part of their marketing to my knowledge. (Unless you're stepping up to $5k and $6k designer gallery 'fridges.) Problem is, Samsung and LG are the most trouble prone brands according to Consumer Reports and they have p*ss poor customer support if I'm to believe the repair techs that have been in our home. We would have bought a Bosch, but their door design just didn't work well in our kitchen layout. There are no coordinated noise standards for the appliance industry, so making comparisons is impossible. The Kenmore Elite we bought isn't nearly as quiet as the Samsung it replaced, but after lining the compartment the refrigerator sits in with acoustic foam, it's acceptable.

[andy_c]

Well, I had almost decided to get the LG LFC25776 fridge.  But then I googled "LG refrigerator service" (without quotes) and found this thread on gardenweb, and also this youtube video.  Those were enough to scare me away from LG.

Other fridges with good overall ratings and their best noise rating are the Samsung RS265TD (side-by-side) and RF266AE (bottom freezer).  The bottom-freezer types seem to have a better record for reliability than the side-by-sides, so I'll probably go with the RS266AE if it's readily available.  Also, the Samsung units seem to have a better reliability record than LG.

[jackman]

We've had our fridge for about 4 years or so (maybe 3.5, I can't recall the exact date) and so far, it has performed perfectly.  I seems to be relatively quiet and looks cool.  It is a stainless Kitchen Aid and I don't recall the model number.  I bought locally, Grant's in Aurora, IL, and they gave me a great deal and took off $50 for a slight ding on the side of the fridge that was not visible when it was installed.  We got a counter depth model which worked perfectly in our kitchen.  The space for the fridge was perfect for a counter depth.  It looks like a custom built-in without the expense.

My only advice is to get a counter depth if your kitchen space will accomodate.  They are more expensive and have slightly less space but are very cool looking.  My neighbor has a similar kitchen, with less space than ours and he skimped out and get an LG, normal size fridge.  He wanted the extra couple feet of storage and it looks really bad.  There is a large open space between his fridge and cabinet and it sticks out at least six inches further than ours.  This is really bad in his kitchen because the fridge is located near the edge of his island and space is VERY limited.  Bad decision...

If you do a search on any brand (pick one) you will find an army of people PO'd they bought it.  Every company seems to have issues.  The Kitchen Aid people have been great.  When our range-top/microwave handle was defective, they immediately replaced it.  Everything has worked perfectly so far (knock wood).  I'd always buy from a local store (versus on-line) because I want them to fight for me if there is a warranty claim.  They gave us a great deal and were pleasant to work with. 

[andy_c]

If you do a search on any brand (pick one) you will find an army of people PO'd they bought it.  Every company seems to have issues.

Yup, that's what I'm finding too.  The CR reliability data show that bottom-freezer types have a better reliability record than side-by-sides.  So that made the Samsung RF266AE look good, as it also got the best noise score possible from CR.  But looking at online reviews of it, the one thing people complain about most is the noise!  The noise is apparently from the icemaker, so I guess CR does its noise tests when the icemaker is not running.  But people also consistently complained about the icemaker in the Samsung RS265TD side-by-side as well.  Heck, I don't really even want an icemaker.

So I decided to take a chance with the LG LFC25776.  That one is a bottom-freezer type, and it has a switch that allows the icemaker to be turned off.  I have a separate drinking water tap with filter in the kitchen sink, so I'll just manually fill ice trays from that.

The first online vendor for this fridge that I looked at was appliancesconnection.com, whose web site had it listed as "available".  But when I called them up to ask about some details of the installation (for which they charge $100), the sales guy told me it was backordered.  Apparently the installation does not include the icemaker hose, for which they want $20.  I haven't been in the home since the seller moved out, and I don't know if they left the hose there or not.  Probably not.  The sales guy told me that the installers don't have the hoses, so if there were none present when the installer arrived, I'd be out of luck.  The sales guy suggested that I buy a hose locally if needed before the installer got there.  This seems pretty dumb, paying $100 for installation and still needing to run around town to get the icemaker hose.

Since they didn't have the unit in stock, I tried HomeEverything.com.  They claimed to have several in stock.  I hope that's true.  They charge $110 for installation, but they include the hose, so installation ends up being $10 cheaper than appliancesconnection.com if you don't already have the hose.

Due to the above experience, I'd recommend calling the sales department to check on availability of the fridge, and ordering by phone rather than their web site.  At least for appliancesconnection.com, the web site gave false information about availability.

The fridge is going to be delivered in early August, so I'll update this with my experience after I get it.

[andy_c]

Yikes!  It turns out that HomeEverything.com is a huge scam.  I ordered my fridge from them on July 12, and they charged my card that same day, so I assumed it had been shipped.  I had specified Aug 7 as a delivery date.  Still no fridge on August 10 and no word from them, so I called them this morning.  They said it was due to ship next Monday, August 15, with a tentative delivery date of August 30.  So they charged my card a month ago without shipping the fridge.  Total scam.

I am not living out of a cooler for another three weeks, nor will I put up with their phony delivery dates ad infinitum, so I cancelled the order with them.  I had already paid the amount charged, over $1300, since it was on the previous month's CC bill.  They did not credit my account after I cancelled the order, so I filed a dispute with my CC company - my first ever.

Do not buy from HomeEverything.com under any circumstances!  The reviews linked directly from Google were pretty good, but last night I checked out resellerratings.com, and there are a large number of people to which the exact same thing happened.  They charge your card immediately for backordered items, which they claim are in stock, then string you along indefinitely with no delivery.  You're basically loaning them money, interest-free, for as long as they can manage to string you along.  I might be willing to put up with this for inexpensive non-essential household items, but a fridge is a necessity, and an expensive one at that.  Live and learn.

So today I went to Lowe's with a 10% off coupon I got from my real estate agent.  I ended up getting a Samsung RS263TDBP side-by-side, which, after the 10% coupon, and with a 2-year extended warranty and installation and sales tax, still cost less than the online price for the LG.  It's being delivered Friday, two days from now.  I'll report back on whether it's really quiet as claimed by CR.