Whirlpool Refrigerators Consumer Reviews - Page 3

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, OHIO -- Our less than two year old Whirlpool Gold Refrigerator stopped cooling in the upper fridge portion but the freezer works. So far the response from Whirlpool has been a runaround and blanket answer from customer service that they can't deviate from warranty regardless of the situation - but they could book the service appointment for us. I asked who I could escalate this to within the company since the fridge isn't old, is supposed to be a nicer model and appears to be a major defect in early in the lifespan of the appliance.

I was told I could speak to a manager and was put on hold. After waiting, the CSR told me it would be a long wait and I could instead have him call me back. I agreed and asked for the name of the man that would be calling me. The CSR said she couldn't give me the name because there is a "line" of managers and it could be anyone". Odd since the CSR specifically said "he" would call me. I agreed to the callback and booked an appointment since we need it fixed anyway. I didn't receive a call back that day but was told it could be the following Monday.

A service tech came and advised that the computer is defective. A basic search using Google show that the "Jazz board" or computer appears to be a known defect with these models, however Whirlpool has not issued a recall or service advisory. Moreover, this fix cost us $115 so far, we will be without the fridge for a week until the part can be ordered and received - about $150 for the part and then another service call to install the computer board.

This is a large inconvenience and both the breakdown of the fridge and response of customer service doesn't build my confidence in Whirlpool. I understand that appliances don't last forever and the purpose of (1 year?) warranties. But I also don't expect a major issue with an important appliance so early in the life of the product. How a company responds can make all the difference. They can stand behind the product or hang the consumer out to dry.

Reading other reviews of the Gold series I now know, it is possible that this fridge might have regular breakdowns. Since the kitchen is all Gold series appliances (dishwasher and stove) we will be disappointed if we need to replace the fridge. Based on our experience with Whirlpool so far, it will not be a Whirlpool replacement. I will update this after the fridge is repaired with details of the fix and any further responses from Whirlpool.

UPDATE 1 - Whirlpool offered to pay for the part only. That leaves me with over $200 in labor costs. Moreover, it's been over a week without the fridge and 8 days since the tech Whirlpool sent diagnosed the problem. They were to call when the part came in with an estimate of Friday and repair Saturday. It's Saturday and no update.

Since they need to give me 24 hours notice because the Board failed in two ways - one being that it won't defrost the freezer - and we need to unplug the fridge to let it defrost so they can do their work - this means at least another 3 days minimum before repair. Not having the fridge for two weeks is enough of an inconvenience let alone replacing the food that went bad. Coolers and ice only do so much. (Another expense.)

Update 2 - The company sent to fix the problem called in the morning on a Monday asking to come out between 11-1. It's a good thing I could pull it off. So much for 24 hours notice so it could be defrosted. The tech didn't even know what the prior tech had done to know it needed to be defrosted. Out more time and money - but it's running. Based on other reviews - it looks like I'll have more breakdowns to look forward to but I hope not. The bottom line is that while I appreciate that Whirlpool paid for the part, I'm still left not please with a majority of the costs of the repair, the time it took to get repaired (add lost food to the cost) and the initial customer service.

I had purchased a Whirlpool refrigerator 5 years ago for $1799.00. After two years the inside liner began to crack. I had an extended warranty from Sears and it was replaced since it could not be fixed. They gave me the price of the old one minus some money to find a new one. I picked another one for $1999.00 (Top of the line model) and paid the difference. At the time I could not afford to buy another extended warranty.

Well now it is a little over 2 years and now my other refrigerator is doing the same thing. I emailed Whirlpool and they told me to call a service guy that repairs Whirlpool to come look at it, which I did. I paid for the service call. He said the inside liner could not be fixed but the door that is cracking inside could be. He sent his report to Whirlpool. He called back and said they had contacted him and they have a patch kit for $170.00 that I would have to pay for the liner cracks. Nothing was said about replacing the door.

I called Whirlpool and explained this is the second refrigerator I have from them in 5 years and the liner and door is cracking again. I was told they are sorry I spent that kind of money and have a problem but my warranty is up on that defect. I began to tell them... "So in other words you have known this is a defect and in 5 years you continue to use the same material and couldn't care less about correcting the problem." They were quiet and then just said "I am sorry but your warranty for that defect is over."

I called again and spoke to another lady ** who agreed to send out a repair guy who Whirlpool uses to replace the door and liner. The guy came out and said the liner cannot be replaced. It would have to be patched. I can't see a $2000.00 Refrigerator being patched. He said to get a new door and patch kit it was almost $1100.00 Dollars without parts. I asked him about the patch kit and he said the next house he is going to had the patch kit done and is now complaining and has to go back there. He said "this is a common problem with Whirlpool." Well I called Whirlpool again and said "I don't want it patched."

By the time that is done the cost is just about the same as replacing it. Again I was told "sorry." I asked to speak to the supervisor who also told me they do not replace them so sorry. The warranty was up. My last refrigerator was 25 years old and still working before I bought these other two. The only reason why I bought a new one was because the color was gold and we were going to white appliances. The repair guy ordered the parts and of course the door will be awhile but sent the patch kit which I was under the impression it was two new sides which would go over the old sides.

Whirlpool told me "you won't even know it is there." I assumed they were a molded part that just fit over the whole walls. Well the kit came and I opened it up. First of all they will not cover the whole sides. There are two sheets. Each sheet is the size of your common tag board paper and they are as thin and flimsy as the tag board. So in other words Whirlpool wants to do exactly that cut these sheets and glue them to the inside of my refrigerator. This is not a $500.00 Dollar refrigerator. It cost almost $2000.00. I have searched the internet and have seen many people who have written and going through the same thing.

I also have a neighbor having the same problem. Whirlpool needs to take responsible for these defects. It not only happened to me once but twice in 5 years. They are well aware of the defect and have done nothing to correct this problem. And they really don't care when you call. The same reply is "sorry your warranty for that defect is over." I will never recommend Whirlpool again to anyone. They do poor business!!

The repair guy has told me the cracks could cause problems even though Whirlpool told me it is just cosmetic. He told me to watch my food in the freezer part to make sure that the food doesn't start to over freeze with a lot of frost. Then the whole refrigerator is no good. $2000.00 Out the window again.

I have a 3 year old Whirlpool Gold stainless slide in range and matching bottom freezer refrigerator. When the fridge arrived the freezer drawer did not function properly and a service tech was dispatched. It didn't take the tech long to determine that the two drawer runners were not a matching set and neither were the right runners for this refrigerator! How does something like that happen, and more importantly how did this fridge get through quality control?

A week later the tech returns with a new set of runners and installs them. Now the door makes an extremely loud clank every time it is opened - great repair work indeed! We work around not opening the freezer after a certain hour for fear of waking up everyone.

The range is another story. In the three years we have had this unit, we have cooked two turkeys, and one roast in the oven, the only other use has been to reheat small things for durations of up 45 minutes or less. On two of the three instances when we attempted to run the oven for over an hour, it has had a serious failure (displaying E2 -F3- on the controls panel), which according to the owners manual, requires service. In May of 2009 I had a technician replace a sensor and had to foot the bill for the repair because the manufacturers warranty had expired. Of course when you call Whirlpool, the first question asked is "did you purchase and extended warranty".

That was a red flag moment, and speaks volumes about the companies approach to profits (selling extended warranties they know you are going to need) and customer service. If the products were better made and Whirlpool stood behind them, the extended warranty would not be such a necessity, unfortunately this appears not the case.
In spite of my attempts to resolve what is obviously a product deficiency, the best I was offered by the customer service center was a discount on the replacement parts.

Well the real cost of any repair is labor and not parts, so what Whirlpool offers is essentially a slap in the face, I couldn't care less about a discount on a $5 part when the total repair bill will be in excess of $150 bringing the repair cost total to over $300 on a range that cost $850 three years ago. At this rate I will have spent more to fix my Whirlpool range that I do on brakes for my cars, or in relative terms than I do on healthcare!

At this point I have given up on Whirlpool and regret having purchased their products. The only bigger regret is having to deal with what they call, their customer service department. My best recommendation is to shop around and buy up to Maytag or even Sears, at least they stand behind their products. Whirlpool has become the appliance equivalent of what Ford was before this latest rebirth. In other words they are to be avoided, there are much better options available.

On September 2004 my wife and I purchased a side by side refrigerator from a multi-store in Athens, Greece.
Serial number : S25B RSS31€“ A/G Type: SB 715W €“ Refrigerator/Freezer: Class N-ST Service: 856 166 01010 11 0326 017517

The brand and origin of product was our primary reason to choose from among dozens of brands of refrigerators that we ve been looking around. So we decided that a brand like €œ"Whirlpool"€ which was "made in USA"€ was our perfect choice, rather than purchase some European or Asian brand whose guarantee, lifespan, and quality would have been unknown to us.

However, the first problems began: No sooner had we settled in our new home (Sept. 2004), than we started hearing some strange noises (ticking sounds) coming from the refrigerator quite frequently and throughout the whole day. So we called the Greek service department, which sent a technician and replaced the faulty electronics chipset which controlled the ice and water dispenser at the front panel. The faulty chipset was replaced and it was within the guarantee time we've been given. But we were astonished initially by this, because it was supposed to be a brand new model at that time.

On June 2008 strange noises (ticking sounds) began once again. This time it was the back main chipset which controlled the refrigerator in general. We called the Greek service department, which told us that they had to apply for this special chipset in Italy. So it took about 10 days to arrive in Greece. (At least this is what they told us).

Lastly, one month ago ticking noises began once again. We didn't want to believe that it was another faulty chipset. So the ticking noises continued. Time passed and last week (11-17 Jan 2010) we realized gradually that the fridge did not keep the food as cool as it should be. Day by day food began to feel warm so we end up realising that our fridge was out of order! Above all, we have a new born baby in our family and the fact that our fridge was out of order for days made us upset about the whole thing once again.

We called the Greek service department, and the next day a technician brought the abovementioned chipset and replaced it with a new one. On our question why is it that so frequently those spare parts are out of order, we got the reply that "every electronic equipment and their spare parts, nowadays, is produced to last no more than a year and a half."€

All in all, we regret to say that your product failed our expectations for reliability, quality and long-range operation. And comparisons with friends and relatives, who own several side by side refrigerators of various brand names, make us believe that either we've been sold a faulty product all along the very beginning or the standards of your products for some reasons have been reduced. PS: Exact names, dates and our full contact details is at your disposal whenever you might need them.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA -- I purchased a refrigerator from Best Buy on Black Friday!! Worst mistake ever. After 2 weeks of been delivered started to have issues with this appliance. All my food gets frozen at the lowest temperature level. I called 4 times to Whirlpool but their solution is keep fixing the same part over and over again and they refuse to replace the unit. I will not buy anything from Whirlpool and Best Buy for selling junk ever again. FYI this appliances are made in Mexico!!!

SPARTA, ILLINOIS -- Purchased Whirlpool refrigerator model WRF767SDHVOO. Had it for less than one month and stopped working for no reason. Called Whirlpool and I am still waiting for someone to call me back and schedule someone to repair it. Going on 48 hours now and all my food and my insulin are bad. Called Whirlpool several times and received nothing but bad attitude from supervisor named Megan. Would not recommend any Whirpool products because of service alone. Plus products are of very poor quality.

SUMMERVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA -- Purchased Whirlpool refrigerator May 2018, already needs an Evaporator fan. Talked with Customer Service they can't help me. My bad experience. Will not buy Whirlpool again

MICHIGAN -- Product delivered with rust. Gave me the run around for over a year. Whirlpool refuses to correct problem.

PAINESVILLE, OHIO -- 3 month old refrigerator needs new evaporator and compressor. The parts on back order for 3 weeks since it's brand new. They will not replace the unit. I would not recommend buying any Whirlpool refrigerator.

MICHIGAN -- Purchased a replacement under counter KitchenAid ice maker. The compressor and evaporator failed in August 2018- within warranty. It is now November and I am still getting the runaround on the status of the parts and the repairs by THEIR certified technician. I have to spend 30 minutes on hold to talk to a Whirlpool representative that have no incentive to help a customer. BY FAR THE WORST SUPPORT EVER. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER WHIRLPOOL OR KITCHENAID PRODUCT AGAIN.