Long time lurker, first time poster. i own a Frigidaire Gallery refrigerator (bought in 2015) that has not worked well over the years. Parts have been replaced numerous times, fixes for issues have been applied, but the most recent failure has been deemed by a certified repair company as the last straw for a flawed design, and the unit is not fixable. Frigidaire will be contacting me regarding a replacement, and I am told they will offer me something toward said replacement, but the repair company could not, or would not, specify what that would be. Does anyone on these forums have thoughts on what is realistic to expect from Frigidaire? Should I appeal if the offer is obviously low? I do not have an extended warranty on this unit, since I do not believe they generally have adequate value, but I find myself wishing, just this once, I did. Any thoughts this community might have so I can manage expectations would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Lemon Frigidaire refrigerator
- Thread starter Richard_W
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We have no idea what to expect but it’s a now 6 year old out of warranty refrigerator so keep that in mind for expectations. And hope you can get a new refrigerator right now- appliances are backlogged due to a Covid and import issues.
The old adage “they don’t make them like they used to” has never been more true than now. It’s disappointing to see appliances we used to have for 20 years turned into almost throw away products now.
Our daughter needs a new range - she was at four stores yesterday that wouldn’t even take her order because they have none in stock and don’t know when they will get any into their warehouse.
The old adage “they don’t make them like they used to” has never been more true than now. It’s disappointing to see appliances we used to have for 20 years turned into almost throw away products now.
Our daughter needs a new range - she was at four stores yesterday that wouldn’t even take her order because they have none in stock and don’t know when they will get any into their warehouse.
In addition to Neil's advice, I can recommend from experience an extended warranty for refrigerators, washers, and dryers. The latter two have moving parts that can fail and are expensive to repair/replace. And in the case of refrigerators, those plastic trays can crack easily and the replacements are upwards of $250.
The only appliances for which we do not purchase an extended warranty are ovens and microwaves, as our units have never failed and they are largely electronic.
Something for you to consider for your new refrigerator . . .
The only appliances for which we do not purchase an extended warranty are ovens and microwaves, as our units have never failed and they are largely electronic.
Something for you to consider for your new refrigerator . . .
Never been a fan of extended warranties but we bought one for a stacked washer/dryer figuring it might be more complicated to repair. The timer went out on the dryer after an electrical strike and it was fixed with no questions asked. I am sure the repair would have been more than the warranty cost and we still have 3 years left on the warranty.
We have been waiting about 6 weeks for a new Maytag refrigerator. Fortunately this was not an emergency replacement. Thinking seriously of an extended warranty for this appliance, too.
We have been waiting about 6 weeks for a new Maytag refrigerator. Fortunately this was not an emergency replacement. Thinking seriously of an extended warranty for this appliance, too.
I also highly recommend purchasing extended warranties. I just moved into a new construction home with new appliances. All of them are Whirlpool and each of them only have a one year limited warranty for parts and labor. The most notable aspect of the warranties isn't the meager one year time limit, its the fact that any damages caused by electrical surges are not covered! Modern appliances contain an enormous amount of electronics that are not impervious to electrical surges. We purchased a washer & dryer from a local appliance store and included their "House" warranties for the set. The warranty from the appliance store does indeed cover electrical surges so it is definitely money well spent.
Thanks to all for the replies. Interesting the respect given to extended warranties in these cases; it almost seems to offer less motivation to companies to provide a quality product. Regarding the difficulties in finding a replacement, we at least have a backup fridge, a bare bones model that we have had for 15 years now; guess which one was built better? I will post here again when I hear from Electrolux (the parent company), in case people might find the details of value.
I agree with everyone generally on extended warranties, but regarding the title of the thread, true there were issues over the years however a 6 year old item that eventually fails isn't exactly a lemon. This was a troublesome product of course, but if all these events occurred over a period of say 6 months, then Yes I would call it a true lemon. Otherwise it's just unfortunate.
Before wasting your time, you need to decide if you are willing to spend more money on a Frigidaire. If you are willing, then negotiate a decent credit towards a new purchase. If you are not willing to purchase another Frigidaire, then you need to walk away and purchase another brand. Frigidaire will not give you a new refrigerator.
Our experience with Frigidaire has been good with our current refrigerator in its 17th year without a repair or service, but we live in a cool-moderate climate. If you live in a warmer area your refrigerator will not last as long.
I'm generally not a fan of extended warranties, but I DO have contracts through my electric/gas supplier PSE&G through their "Worry Free" program. I have coverage on my furnace, AC unit and hot water heater (there's a discount if you take 3 contracts). It costs me about $26/month, and has paid for itself every single year because my AC almost always needs a service call every 1-2 years to have the refrigerant checked. Just to have them walk through the door would be $150, and the contracts include parts and labor. I also think that I get some priority on service calls because of the contract.
My current appliances (fridge/washer/dryer) were purchased back in '96 when appliances seemed to last longer. I'll be buying new ones when we have our kitchen re-done in the next six months and lament the newer ones which last a lot less. I'll likely add them to our Worry Free contracts just to cover those service calls I'm likely to have after 3-4 years.
By the way, my microwave? Believe it or not, it is a GE model purchased in 1989. It is the only microwave I've ever owned...31 years old and it still works. I'll be lucky if the next one lasts 10.
My current appliances (fridge/washer/dryer) were purchased back in '96 when appliances seemed to last longer. I'll be buying new ones when we have our kitchen re-done in the next six months and lament the newer ones which last a lot less. I'll likely add them to our Worry Free contracts just to cover those service calls I'm likely to have after 3-4 years.
By the way, my microwave? Believe it or not, it is a GE model purchased in 1989. It is the only microwave I've ever owned...31 years old and it still works. I'll be lucky if the next one lasts 10.
Consumer Reports publishes advice on when to repair or replace various appliances. If OP wants a new refrigerator (or wants advice on whether getting another Frigidaire is wish), Consumer Reports is a great resource for that as well.
I'm generally not a fan of extended warranties. Having said that, I have bought and successfully used extended warranties on our dishwasher and vacuum cleaner. Part of my concern with extended warranties is that getting service can sometime be problematical. For the dishwasher and vacuum, we have had issues over the years with prior models, so we thought it useful, and it has been useful.
I'm generally not a fan of extended warranties. Having said that, I have bought and successfully used extended warranties on our dishwasher and vacuum cleaner. Part of my concern with extended warranties is that getting service can sometime be problematical. For the dishwasher and vacuum, we have had issues over the years with prior models, so we thought it useful, and it has been useful.
I have a Maytag washer purchased in July 2019. The control panel has failed 4 times, every 6 months. Of course the part is always on back order. It failed last weekend. I wrote to first contact on list expecting it to be 2 weeks with holiday. They called me Thursday from executive customer service. Of course I wasn’t home so I am calling tomorrow. I asked for a replacement washer as each time it takes a month to fix. I did get extended warranty.
Extended warranties are like lottery tickets - statistically, they’re bad bets (and highly profitable for the vendor), but they do sometimes pay off.
I received a reply from Electrolux yesterday, but since it ended up in my spam folder, I did not see it until today. The company offered a 20 percent rebate on the purchase price of a new refrigerator, but with unsurprising caveats (has to be an Electrolux subsidiary product). Given the unsatisfactory reviews of Electrolux products I have found online (per a commenter’s point), my wife and I decided the offer was insufficient to purchase a new Frigidaire product. While, as a commenter noted, using the word “lemon” might not have been entirely appropriate, the technician that diagnosed the product called it “inherently flawed,” so I can live with my choice of words. I went ahead and responded to the email with our decision, and copied the customer service representative listed in the contact pages here.
Thanks to all that read this thread for their comments and insights. It helped the decision process.
Thanks to all that read this thread for their comments and insights. It helped the decision process.