# Beware of new LG French door refrigerators.



## Seasoned Oak (Sep 12, 2013)

I purchase an LG 31 CU ft Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator about 15 months ago. RIght out of he box it did not cool enough,took 2 days to go down to 50. THe store Home Depot gave me the option of swapping it out for a new one. I declined as the delivery guys about tore the door way out trying to force it through without taking the doors off. Told them just send someone to fix it. Well 2 months and 6 service calls later and after replacing every moving part and electronic component it finally starts working correctly. Then 2 weeks after the 1 Yr factory warranty expired the ice maker quit. Luckily i had the 4 year extended warranty offered by home depot at the time for $99 on it. Different repair company but again after 6 service calls  and 2 months that is now working again. The service tech told me it would have been about $350 out of pocket if i didnt have the warranty.
So well worth it for $99 and 4 more years of coverage.
Last but not least,the SS exterior is PAPER THIN and any time you bump into this fridge even slightly you leave a dent. There are dents and dings of various sizes all over this thing in just 1 year. It looks like it was in a bombing.  Weve had 2 other brands of SS fridges in the past 20 years and never had this problem before.
Warranty says if it takes them more than 3 tries to fix it they will replace it so if that ever happens ill opt for the replacement. 6 service calls are exactly 3 attempts cuz its 1 call to diagnose and one to replace parts.


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## blujacket (Sep 12, 2013)

Lucky Goldstar and Samsung are junk.  Good for my business though


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## billb3 (Sep 12, 2013)

Just got rid of a GE Profile french door next door that required a new relay board every year.
Needed gaskets, freezer drawer slides and the replacement  relay board that was a week old had to keep getting reset.


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## blujacket (Sep 12, 2013)

I sell many GE boards, and yes they go bad all the time


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 12, 2013)

billb3 said:


> Just got rid of a GE Profile french door next door that required a new relay board every year.
> Needed gaskets, freezer drawer slides and the replacement  relay board that was a week old had to keep getting reset.


I was under the impression that GE was tops in quality and dependability. AM i wrong? I have a GE side by side for 20 years now and still works good.


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## blujacket (Sep 12, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> I was under the impression that GE was tops in quality and dependability. AM i wrong? I have a GE side by side for 20 years now and still works good.



maybe 20 years ago


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 12, 2013)

blujacket said:


> maybe 20 years ago


Good point.I just bought a GE top o the line,top loading washer but just in case i got a 5 yr extended warranty from Home Depot. I shop warranty as most retailers have exactly the same price or match each others price. Seems nothing last long anymore. My bosch dishwasher quit after 4 years .Whirlpool i replaced it with at at half price has lasted twice as long already.


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## blujacket (Sep 12, 2013)

I only buy Frigidaire & Whirlpool appliances myself, but like you said, nothing lasts long anymore.


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## heat seeker (Sep 12, 2013)

I have an Amana bottom freezer fridge. It's been good except for the control board, which I replace myself for $100. The warranty service sucked - told me I'd have to wait 5 working days for service, all while my food was spoiling. I've had it 6 years, otherwise trouble free.


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 12, 2013)

blujacket said:


> I only buy Frigidaire & Whirlpool appliances myself, but like you said, nothing lasts long anymore.


I bought a SS set of frigidaire a few years ago .DishWasher,  Microhood, an  side by side fridge. Not a one of these made it through the second  year. All were replaced with other brands by their 2 year anniversary Replaced with Whirlpool, and  LG fridge. THe 2 whirlpool MH & DW are great but the LG is just as much if not more trouble.


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## Gary_602z (Sep 12, 2013)

We have had the LG for a couple of years with no problems and have not had any dings or scratches. Had a few problems with Home Depot and LG (the company) but not the fridge itself. I would have to check the cubic feet of it but I thought we were going to have to take the roof off the house to get it in!

Gary


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 12, 2013)

Gary_602z said:


> We have had the LG for a couple of years with no problems and have not had any dings or scratches. !
> 
> Gary


Actually i wanted the black version but several reviewers for this same fridge on the HD website commented that the paint peels and chips easily so i went with the SS.


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## jharkin (Sep 12, 2013)

My Dad has an LG fridge that they have had lots of trouble with - the light fixture would melt.

Funny thing is against his warning we bought an LG french door Fridge 4 years ago and its been flawless.  It might be relevant that ours is the smallest they make (31" wide) and doesn't have any fancy options.

We also are on the second GE stove with no problems and have a 5 years old Samsung LCD TV that's never had an issue.


Knock on wood they don't all break tomorrow now that I said that!


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## begreen (Sep 12, 2013)

blujacket said:


> maybe 20 years ago



We have a GE french door, freezer bottom. Got it about 5 years ago.  It's been great. Reviews rated this model as having the least number or repairs reported.


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## Treacherous (Sep 12, 2013)

My father still has an old 1940 Frigidaire by GM running in his garage.  It is mainly the beer frig these days though.


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## Dix (Sep 13, 2013)

blujacket said:


> I sell many GE boards, and yes they go bad all the time




WR55X10942??? Those boards are dropping like flies ... no core fees, either.


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## DuelburnJake (Sep 13, 2013)

blujacket said:


> Lucky Goldstar and Samsung are junk. Good for my business though



I've had a Samsung french door fridge ss for two years now with no issues? What are the things you see happening? It cools quick and is easy on power (for a fridge). I will complain about the thiness of the stainless though. It dents when you look at it... but thats why I got it from lowes for 50% off, had a door dent!


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 13, 2013)

In the door ice makers are problematic. I dont think iv ever seen one go 5 years trouble free. In this area Home depot and lowes offer the longest and most inexpensive extended warranty. (About $150)  Sears is the worst at up to $750 for the same warranty. I paid $90 for  5 years on the LG and have already used it for $350 worth of repairs.


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## DuelburnJake (Sep 13, 2013)

That is a good deal seasoned oak! Sucks you've had to use it, but awesome you have it. I got the model without the ice maker in the door. . I didn't opt for the warranty as it was pricey. But it was two years ago, can't remember what it was now. Too many cold ones taken out of it to remember! haha


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## blujacket (Sep 13, 2013)

DuelburnJake said:


> I've had a Samsung french door fridge ss for two years now with no issues? What are the things you see happening? It cools quick and is easy on power (for a fridge). I will complain about the thiness of the stainless though. It dents when you look at it... but thats why I got it from lowes for 50% off, had a door dent!



Ice makers, boards, motors. They use an evaporator coil in the refrigerator compartment which has a defrost heater attached to it. When the heater fails, you have to have the evap coil replaced!


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## DuelburnJake (Sep 13, 2013)

That's no good.. Hope mine holds out for awhile. Thanks for the info blujacket!


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## fbelec (Sep 21, 2013)

it's funny this thread appeared. i just left a customers house this past week that had a LG fridge. a year into it and the compressor let go. the piece of work tech that came out burnt the hardwood floor soldering in the new compressor. from what i hear about LG from owners of them they wouldn't buy a second one. he renamed the company. LG = Low Grade


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## stee6043 (Sep 21, 2013)

If you search the interweb hard enough it seems you can find very similar problems with almost all brands, can't you?

I fear the day when my fridge gives it up.  It's 10 years old now...a GE profile.  I've got friends with GE, Samsung, LG and whatever else and it seems to me that hardly anybody around me has been able to just go out, buy a fridge and be happy.  They've all had something go wrong.  Worst being damaged flooring from a Samsung that sprung a leak or defrosted (I don't recall).  

I may just upgrade to a 1940's or 1950's unit when the time comes.  Who needs in-the-door water anyway?


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## jharkin (Sep 21, 2013)

A fridge from the 40s will probably outlive you. I hold onto my early 60s stereo for the same reason.

A real power hog however.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 21, 2013)

I would never take out an extended warranty. Now I do. I have my Panasonic plasma 55" (55VT50) which I bought in 2011 as it was a CNET top of the line picture recommendation. Well, at 23 months it crapped out and it is now at the repair service. Seems the Y board and or power supply crap out at 24 months on average. Didn't find out until I checked all the reviews two years later and this is a major problem. They are still selling these 2011 models at over $2k because it has such a great picture. The warranty was $300 and it was worth every penny. BTW, I called up and they are still waiting for parts, almost a week later. 

Bottom line is that no matter how good something is they are so complex now, and so shoddily built, that you have to factor getting the extended warranty as part of the cost of home appliances and entertainment equip.


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 21, 2013)

ELectronics,tvs, ipads, phones, are very well built and dependable. As a rule i dont get extended warranties on them and never got burned so far. 
Appliances are a whole different animal. Rarely does any of them last a year without some repairs.   One exception is my kenmore front loading washer purchase in 2000,made in germany. Lasted until this year. 13 years is a pretty good run for an appliance.


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## arngnick (Sep 21, 2013)

I had a GE normal style fridge bought brand new 4 years ago...Well it went this year forcing me to buy a new one. I ended up with the Samsung French door since they made the largest 33" model. I love it so far but against my normal buying practices they did talk me into the 5 year extended warranty for $150. It covers spoiled food, repairs, and power surges so it will be well worth it if I have a problem.


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## EatenByLimestone (Sep 21, 2013)

I just fired up this guy last night.  





On it's warmest setting it's holding 43F inside.  I need to do some cosmetic work on it this winter and maybe get to the Kelvinator next to it.  

Next year they are coming out with all new energy use regulations for refrigerators.  We'll be replacing our main one as it's old enough to be branded Montgomery Wards and uses around 100 Kwh/month.  Supposedly the new ones will be required to use 1/3 the power.  

Matt


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## arngnick (Sep 21, 2013)

EatenByLimestone said:


> I just fired up this guy last night.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

Story of my life...buy a new one and ones that are twice as efficient come out.


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## Dave A. (Sep 22, 2013)

Maybe the mfrs are sending a message. 'Okay you want energy efficiency fine, we'll give you all the energy efficiency you want, but forget about reliability.'


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## firefighterjake (Sep 22, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> I would never take out an extended warranty. Now I do. I have my Panasonic plasma 55" (55VT50) which I bought in 2011 as it was a CNET top of the line picture recommendation. Well, at 23 months it crapped out and it is now at the repair service. Seems the Y board and or power supply crap out at 24 months on average. Didn't find out until I checked all the reviews two years later and this is a major problem. They are still selling these 2011 models at over $2k because it has such a great picture. The warranty was $300 and it was worth every penny. BTW, I called up and they are still waiting for parts, almost a week later.
> 
> Bottom line is that no matter how good something is they are so complex now, and so shoddily built, that you have to factor getting the extended warranty as part of the cost of home appliances and entertainment equip.


 
Got a 50 or 52 inch Panasonic plasma . . . considerably less expensive than the one you mentioned though  . . . got it years ago . . . so far no issues . . . but sadly the way things are built today and with the changes that come along in electronics it almost seems as though it's "cheaper" to simply upgrade with new stuff unless you have the warranty.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 22, 2013)

firefighterjake said:


> Got a 50 or 52 inch Panasonic plasma . . . considerably less expensive than the one you mentioned though  . . . got it years ago . . . so far no issues . . . but sadly the way things are built today and with the changes that come along in electronics it almost seems as though it's "cheaper" to simply upgrade with new stuff unless you have the warranty.


Exactly. My son got a 60" LG plasma at Costco for less than $900 a year ago and has had no problems. And Costco give you a two year warranty for free. I guess everything is becoming disposable.


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## EatenByLimestone (Sep 22, 2013)

Agreed.  When that monitor top came out it cost $300, or more expensive than a brand new Model T ($260).  People would think you were crazy for buying a $15-20K refrigerator now.  Well, maybe it would be understandable if it made you a sandwich and then cleaned the kitchen.

Matt


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## jharkin (Sep 22, 2013)

Part of it is shoddy build, but a lot of it I think is that between efficiency requirements, rules like RoHS and building everything as compact as possible and to sell as cheap as possible the engineers just can't design them to be reliable. They know its not a consumer priority in this throwaway society.

They could design them to be rock solid, but then your TV would weight 500 lb and cost 5 grand. Nobody would buy it.


Kinda like certain German luxury cars that fall apart when the warranty expires... They know their clientele lease and value looks and flashy features over longevity, so that's what they deliver.


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 22, 2013)

They get he parts mass produced at very low cost .Its cheaper for them to keep replacing parts till they get a good one,than to up the quality of all the parts.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 22, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> They get he parts mass produced at very low cost .Its cheaper for them to keep replacing parts till they get a good one,than to up the quality of all the parts.


Kind of like they do with cars. GM at one point could change out 10 automatic transmissions on a Chevy in the 90s and still be in profit on the vehicle. The the transmissions were built in Mexico. They didn't even bother to tear down the defective ones to see what was wrong.


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## jharkin (Sep 22, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> They didn't even bother to tear down the defective ones to see what was wrong.



Automatics are so complex these days that a lot of companies are doing that now, the dealer just does a swap and the trans goes back to get rebuilt at the factory.


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## save$ (Sep 22, 2013)

stee6043 said:


> If you search the interweb hard enough it seems you can find very similar problems with almost all brands, can't you?
> 
> I fear the day when my fridge gives it up.  It's 10 years old now...a GE profile.  I've got friends with GE, Samsung, LG and whatever else and it seems to me that hardly anybody around me has been able to just go out, buy a fridge and be happy.  They've all had something go wrong.  Worst being damaged flooring from a Samsung that sprung a leak or defrosted (I don't recall).
> 
> I may just upgrade to a 1940's or 1950's unit when the time comes.  Who needs in-the-door water anyway?


 
 Who you say,  My wife!  That and the in door ice maker that uses up all the room in the side by side freezer so much that we had to get a small freezer to go with it.   As for wanting to keep the older model.  Get yourself a Kill-A-Watt and ck the electricity consumption.  I had a frig not 10 yrs old that was sucking power.  I gave it away. I now have this newer one that has a lot of plastic drawers that have all broken and had to be replaced with the same cheap quality.  This is one appliance to get the extended warranty on.  Ck to see if your state is currently offering energy rebates for appliance upgrades.  That can save a whole lot of money.  Our state had it.  It was intended to last 3 years with its funding, but I was told it ran out in 8 months.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 22, 2013)

jharkin said:


> Automatics are so complex these days that a lot of companies are doing that now, the dealer just does a swap and the trans goes back to get rebuilt at the factory.


No, I meant that it was sent back to GM, and they didn't do the teardown to figure what was wrong, they just replaced them. They were never rebuilt at that point.


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## Dix (Sep 22, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> Exactly. My son got a 60" LG plasma at Costco for less than $900 a year ago and has had no problems. And Costco give you a two year warranty for free. I guess everything is becoming disposable.



Check that. That TV might come with a 2 year from LG, some of them do.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 22, 2013)

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:


> Check that. That TV might come with a 2 year from LG, some of them do.


If it does, Costco adds an additional year to make it three then.


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## Dix (Sep 22, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> If it does, Costco adds an additional year to make it three then.




True, but they are telling you 2 years, when it runs concurrent with the manufacturers warranty (maybe). Some thing to watch out for, be it electronics, appliances, etc.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 22, 2013)

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:


> True, but they are telling you 2 years, when it runs concurrent with the manufacturers warranty (maybe). Some thing to watch out for, be it electronics, appliances, etc.


I understand that, but they do extend the warranty one year after all manufacturers warranties have ended. I got a JVC LED for the bedroom and they added one additional year on that. I think it has it on their website. They also offer the Square Deal extended warranties if you desire longer terms.


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## Dix (Sep 22, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> I understand that, but they do extend the warranty one year after all manufacturers warranties have ended. I got a JVC LED for the bedroom and they added one additional year on that. I think it has it on their website. They also offer the Square Deal extended warranties if you desire longer terms.



Gotta watch the under writer companies on the extended. Last time I looked, NEW was the under writer for Costco. 

NEW is Best Buy.

Interesting, isn't it?


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## NortheastAl (Sep 22, 2013)

Really?  Yeah, that is interesting. I guess companies have to diversify.


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## Seasoned Oak (Sep 22, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> Kind of like they do with cars. GM at one point could change out 10 automatic transmissions on a Chevy in the 90s and still be in profit on the vehicle. The the transmissions were built in Mexico. They didn't even bother to tear down the defective ones to see what was wrong.


Must be in cars your referring to. Iv been driving GM trucks for 35 years and never had a tranny problem. Current wood hauler is a 95 HD GM Tk.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 23, 2013)

Seasoned Oak said:


> Must be in cars your referring to. Iv been driving GM trucks for 35 years and never had a tranny problem. Current wood hauler is a 95 HD GM Tk.


This was in reference to the Chevy Lumina.


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