Well, my total appliance cycle is now complete. Four months ago, I would have said : "Yes, all my appliances are new." Silly me, I thought that because everything was no more than five years old that everything had at least another five years left.. ..

Instead, since November my range, washer, dishwasher, outdoor grill, and now my refrigerator has bitten the dust. ( Also, but not included included in the list, you can add my weed trimmer, blower, and power washer, and a few other minor appliances) . I've become really dismayed that in spite of research and paying for good "name brands", nothing seems to last any longer than a high priced extended warranty... about four or five years. So, is that the new standard?

So, now I need any help I can get on a new refrigerator decision, and I won't hold it against you if that  doesn't work out well later.

My big expensive Maytag side by side quit cooling after giving off a brief electrical burn smell. I have yet to call repair because the model seemed to be repair prone anyway and my warranty expired about six months ago. I'm still trying to decide if it's worth paying $80 for a service call. ( Of course, my wife just wants it gone).

Today, I looked at the #2 rated Kenmore Elite #5896 that is on sale ( 20%) off plus I have a coupon for 10%. It drives the list price down from $1769 to $1275. That seems like a good deal, but the service plan ( not an extended warranty as I was told, but I don't know what the difference is) for five years is an additional $400.

So, I'm a bit dazed, & confused, not to mention running out of money and I'd really appreciate any insight on my decision going forward.

Thank in advance,

Bill

William,

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with appliances. The best advice we at CR can offer is to buy that is highest in the Ratings along with the best repair record. This will give you the greatest odds for a quality appliance. Try not to give in to the urge of having all appliances made by the same manufacturer simply to have them match. Also, buy them from the most reputable dealer. If they are honest, they will steer you away from repair-prone models.

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

my kenmore elite is a huge disappointment, from the get go the gasket was wrong and the repair person said basically i was wining...well, i hate the thing for other reasons. food taste bad from freezer, and it is a head banger if you dont think about bending over to get the celery. this was cr's first in the toilet recommendation...

Sears Kenmore Elite

 

Judging by the date of your post I am sure you have made your refrigerator choice and moved on to buying lots of other new things by now that will only last a few years as well, but I wanted to chime in the Sears Kenmore Elite. 

 

I went through two of them in 6 years 5 months.  Yes two of them.  The first one was a slightly dented floor model and after 5 services calls in less then 12 months Sears gave me a new one.   Well the second one – a brand new one-- just died.  The compressor went out at – get this – 5 years and AND 5 months.  Just long enough to skate past the warranty.  Repair cost:  $689.  We fought with them and got it down to $431, but that’s with only a 90 day warranty and considering my track record with Kenmore I wasn’t to comfortable plopping down another $400+ bucks.

 

Kenmore is really just a label Sears sticks on whatever brand Sears is currently contract with.  Mine according to the repair guy is actually a Whirlpool and he was surprised that the compressor had quit.  In his experience that is rare with Whirlpool.  In any case I am shopping for a frig again.  I can’t believe they can get a way with this on a $2,200 appliance.

Fellow Customers:

Beware of bottom freezer, french (double) door refrigerators by Kenmore,. I bought one in the spring of 2005, and past November the fan motor died. I called and got broken motor replaced the same day. I was happy, but for a very short time. "What's this noise?" I thought soon. Surely enough it was tne new motor. The noise was high pitch whining and getting on everybody's nerves, so I called Sears Repair Service again. This time it took much longer to get a technician - couple of missed days at work, and nobody showed up. After many phone calls to call centres (di d you know that there is one in Bowmanville, but also one in Montreal and Regina?) finally the repairmen showed up and replaced the motor, only this new one was as noisy as the prevoius one. At this point I was told that Kenmore had many problems with the orignal motors, so they replaced them with these whining, but working motors. Apparently this is "normal" noise level. Well, all I wish that whoever rated it as normal had experienced it on every day basis. It's dustirbing to people not only in the kitchen, but also in the family room. My dishwasher  by Bosh is much more quiet than my fridge by Kemnore! I didn't give up yet and I'm still trying to get through very secret net of Sears repair service centre. I made several appointments for Senior technician to come and take a look. Mostly people answering your call are polite and even sympathetic, but at he ned nobody shows up for appointment, and when I call them, after putting me on hold and reading my growing file they come back to me and say that senior technician can not do anything for me, so they will not come. By the way, when they replaced my motor first time I was told that it is under warranty for 3 months (free part and labour ) if anything goes wrong.

This is how Sears takes care of it's products service. Beware!

 

Hello to all, I am sorry to add my name to your 'Refrigerator Blues' list, but am also in shock that my brand new (well, 3 years is brand new in my opinion), LG 33 inch wide French door fridge has gone on the blink in the same way it did for my mother, but in less time.  The fact that this was the most expensive appliance we have ever purchased (and I promised my husband that it would last 20 years, thus justifying the cost), and that it was rated tops by Consumer Reports, which have ignored my emails and phone calls regarding this -- have been galling to say the least.  LG -- Lousy Goods -- have also bailed out by providing us with phony repair service telephone numbers.  My mother was able to purchase a back-dated or retro warranty from Sears and they came out and fixed her problem (had to replace the mother board), but now that it is my turn for the same repair problem, Sears is advising me that there is no such thing.  I have been so frustrated and angry about it and cannot yet psychologically accept the notion of chucking an almost $2K purchase -- feel like such a patsy, and I do blame Consumer Reports for giving LG the top rating at the time of our purchase -- for a new one.  Today we go to Home Depot and Sears and see if  it's possible to do a trade in, and this time, we look for a cheaper model.  If such a thing exists.  I understand that technology is constantly making better (?) features, but how about manufactures charge less so we can replace more frequently?  And feel good about it?
Finally, if anyone can recommend a 33 inch wide fridge with ice maker that is quiet, would recommend it.  Otherwise, will use the Consumer Reports repair history as a guide for a new one.
Thank you for slogging through my note.

Hi Margaret, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you are having with your refrigerator but as a repair person for a major retailer which I;am not at liberty to mention their name, I'm not surprised. Your Kenmore elite french door bottom freezer as you know was made by LG. Kenmore also has unit produced by may tag which recently has been taken over by Whirlpool. Unfortunately refrigerators aren't built to last 20 plus years like they use to and paying more does not give you better quality just more features and many times  more to go wrong. For instance, any of the bottom freezer models that dispense the ice through the upper refrigerator door is going to give you problems sooner or later, probably sooner, regardless of what band it says. Their aren't to many manufacturers making these unit just other companies slapping their name on it. If you like the bottom freezer I would suggest forgoing the dispenser through the door for a Icemaker located in the freezer where it belongs and to stick to Kenmore made by maytag, whirlpool, jenn-air, or amana they are all produced by maytag and by all means, try to keep it simple, rule of thumb is you want the least fancy middle of the line model. The more you spend the more you have features that can and will fail. A two thousand dollar refrigerator has basically the same compressor motor as a 7-8 hundred dollar one. Beware of new comers such Samsung, LG, Haier, etc, they are all produced in china and Korea. Unfortunately even American brands such as Frigidaire and even the probably the best unit today Whirlpool has unit made south of the border.The most reliable unit is probably a side by side, especially if you want the dispnser for ice and water, that is made by whirlpool which is also sold under the kitchiaid, maytag, jenair and some kenmore brands.  I can understand your frustration, even us repair people are stuck buying the same products as everyone else but at least we have a edge on knowing the ones that are really problem prone, and their are many, plus we can repair out own when they break because they all do these days, sorry for the bad news

I too have a Sears Kenmore Elite -- first it needed a new starter ($471). That lasted 20 days. Now it needs a new compressor ($900). I don't know why Consumer Reports recommends this refrigerator at all. It doesn't do job 1. I'm having a hard time figuring out which refrigerator/brand has the best reliability record. Prior to this one, I had an Amana for 17 years that never quit working it was just noisy & too small. Now, I wish I'd never let it go!

On 10/02/03 I bought a Sears Kenmore "armoire" style fridge with a 3-year warranty.  I paid nearly $2000 for the "package."  The compressor died on 03/29/09.  Seems like I got LESS than 5 years' use, but, who is surprised, it outlasted my warranty!  Do they put these appliances on an automatic death timer or something??? I am so dismayed because the fridge we had before that one was a GE and after a year it broke and flooded my kitchen.  I need a new fridge but I don't know what to buy.  I always trusted Sears for their appliances but not anymore.  Does anyone have a good reliable recommendation.  Lynn

William,

If you haven't already replaced your Maytag refrigerator check the serial number.  Maytag has a large recall ongoing that effects Maytag and other brands in the year you listed.  I know we had a Jenn Aire (Maytag) that did the same thing.  Hope this helps.

William,

I used to live in a neighborhood with frequent power surges from the electric company.  (Do your lights ever briefly dim or get bright?)  I lost several expensive appliances within months of each other, some on the same day, until someone told me to put EVERYTHING on good quality power strips/surge protectors.  This includes refrigerator, microwave, television, stereo, answering machine, etc.  I've lost no new appliances since.  The computers inside the appliances are very sensitive to power surges. 

You may have simply had bad luck, or you may have bad power in your house.  I hope my solution is helpful to you in the future.  Good luck to you.

Julia

i too own a dead kenmore elite trio with a broken compressor - yes it is 5 months past the warranty expiration - the best part was the service guy told me the compressor was made by a company called Techumsa and they have since then gone out of business. it would be 750.00 to repair it.

i have a newly remodeled kitchen with all sears products in it - i am now disheartened by the poor quality that kenmore has bestowed - even the kenmore and sears customer service folks agreed it should have lasted longer - but bascially there is nothing they can do -

i will be punting my kenmore out the door - and will not be shopping at sears - not sure who to go with next - doing research until then

 

This forum seems to confirm my own observation, obviously not unique, that major appliances aren't  made to last like they once were.  The only reason I purchased a new refrig in my last house is because we outgrew the old one, which was still going strong in the basement when I sold the house after 18 years.  In my current house of six years I have a mix of builder provided and privately purchased major appliances.  I've already had major failures in both classes.  I've always used CR ratings in my purchasing process but these days it seems all the major makers are designing their products to last the length of the warranty and not a year more!  Extended warranties, out of warranty service, and outright replacement every few years seems to be the common business model.

I'm thinking that the replacement for my dead (compressor - just out of the 5 year warranty) CR-top rated GE will be the least expensive, least complex (no electronics, no ice maker) on-sale/discontinued box I can find, unless of course somebody has a 20+ year old model humming away in a garage somewhere that they would part with!  For the moment I'm getting by on a 1989 vintage no-name (made in Brazil) ex-college-dorm mini-cube that fired right up after I dusted it off when the GE realized it was time to give me the opportunity to part with a bundle of hard-earned cash to repair or replace it.

5 years, 5 months?  Sounds like a theme here -- the compressor on our Kenmore just went out, and we have had it for ...  5 years and 5 months!  Same repair bill. 

my new GE only lasted 5 minutes, not even actually. The freezer never did work! The Customer Service Rep had the audacity to say that if I had purchased the extended warranty ($350!!) that they may have been able to help me more and maybe would have reimbursed me for lost food. Give me a break! It never did work!! Needs a new mother board.
What a piece of garbage

I wanted to add my input to this forum. I have read problems folks were having and I have too. I purchased my Sears Kenmore Elite 26 cu. in. side by side on 1/2005, with a 5 year extended warranty, purchasing through my contractor when my home was built. Annual free inspections done every year per warranty and 3 service call later for the same problem, I sit here today with another service call place for the same problem again. Service call was made yesterday 6/23 they can't come until 6/29. The problem is with the freezer not defrosting properly and refrigerator temperature not being maintained. The refrigerator will get very warm and quit cooling. The electronics have been replaced more than once.

On all previous service calls these Sears repair folks show up with no parts to repair the refrigerator. The extended warranty is covering the repairs, but having to live out of ice chests for 1 to 1 1/2 weeks is unbelievable. My old Maytag purchase 20 years ago located in the workshop is still going strong.

Did I follow the CR ratings, yes. Did they prove reliable, no! And, to add to this write up, my daughter bought the same refrigerator 6 months before me on my recommendation due to CR and she is having problems also. Her repairman stated to her that this model was prone to problems. Hello!

Is there no reliable refrigerator out there. My thought now is to purchase from a good local appliance merchant who services his own appliances and stay away from Sears, Conn's, Lowe's or any other major outlets.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. BTW the mode no. is 46-55603.

Roland

I must agree about the Kenmore product.  Dealing with Sears for me has been a nightmare.  It started with the order of a filter, that was delivered in two pieces, they would replace it only after I ordered and paid for another one, and paid for the shipping to send back the broken one.  Our side by side has needed expensive repairs 1 week after the warrantee expired. When I called Sears their only remark was that I could call and ask a question for $29.00.  First the ice maker broke, then an expensive ice maker repair, then it stopped cooling...a new fan and thermostat, now it is running very loud.  I'm shopping for a new refrigerator, but will not deal with Sears again. I'm very discouraged.

Hi Roland,

My frig is exhibiting the exact same symptoms.  What did the problem turn out to be for your frig?  Did you get it repaired?

Fellow CR Member,

Tim

Hello - I am reading everyone's blog because our JENN-AIR side-by-side, which dispenses water/ice on the door, is on the SECOND COMPRESSOR which is going out.  This appliance, made by MAYTAG, had a recall for something in the compressor that made heat/fire danger a problem.  The first compressor went out within the 5 YEAR WARRANTY: it was replaced 13 months ago - and it is the replacement compressor that is 'going out' according to the repair person.  For about 6 weeks we found our dairy products not lasting through the expiration date only to realize the temperature is about 50-55 degrees.  So, although Maytag sent a notice to have the specific part within the compressor replaced -- all the repair people or the manufacturer can say about my 6 year old refrigerator needing a third compressor is SORRY. Now our question - after reading all of these blogs is - pay $700 for a new compressor or at least twice as much for a new refrigerator? In a rental house - we have a Kenmore that has been chugging along for over 30 years! So, I am wondering about adding Maytag to the "good list"!

"Our JENN-AIR side-by-side, which dispenses water/ice on the door, is on the SECOND COMPRESSOR which is going out.  This appliance, made by MAYTAG, had a recall for something in the compressor that made heat/fire danger a problem...all the repair people or the manufacturer can say about my 6 year old refrigerator needing a third compressor is SORRY.  So, I am wondering about adding Maytag to the "good list"!

Your JENN-AIR refrigerator was one of several problematic appliances made by Maytag that helped force that company to the  verge of bankruptcy.  Maytag was bought out by Whirlpool in 2006 and Maytag (like JENN-AIR) is little more than a nameplate brand these days.  By now I would imagine that Whirlpool has switched all Maytag and JENN-AIR refrigerator production over to its own designs. 

Before doing anything, you should first check out the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) government webpage on this JENN-AIR refrigerator recall: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09145.html  (1.6 million refrigerators in total) to see if your refrigerator was one of the covered models.  If it is, contact your repair tech and determine if the faulty relay that caused the fire danger was replaced or not, and whether that contributed to your compressor failures.   Contact Whirlpool customer service and email them a complete description of your model, serial number, model number, your (many) problems, and (this is important) your length of ownership and service history on your refrigerator.  If you do own the model covered by the CPSC fire danger recall, BE SURE TO MENTION THIS.  Tell them about your disappointment in a brand they now own, and request that Whirlpool provide some help to you.  It may be that Whirlpool will take care of the repair or give you some kind of rebate on a new model based on remaining expected service life - it's at least worth asking about.