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Do not purchase Whirlpool products
Refrigerator - Complaint
Review by nebraskam on 2013-03-01
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In 2007 I purchased a Magic Chef Refrigerator model: CTB1821ARW. The refrigerator is not six years old yet, and it looks like new. I never had any problems with the refrigerator until recently; the defrost heater stopped working. I called a service professional to fix the problem, and this is when I ran into another problem; defrost heater part is not available anymore.
I cannot find a defrost heater part # 63001387 for my refrigerator which would cost me approximately $30, so I have to dispose of my refrigerator which costs $600 and buy a new one, preferably one of the Whirlpool’s family; this is what a Whirlpool customer service representative suggested. Do you think it would be reasonable to throw away five or six years old refrigerator? I don’t think so, but Whirlpool corporation’s customer service representatives think it’s a great idea.
Whirlpool Corporation acquired a company which was producing Magic Chef Products, but it is obvious they forgot to acquire their liabilities. Searching for defrost heater online I discovered that I am not alone in this frustration. Many other consumers who purchased Magic Chef Refrigerator five or six years are having the same problem. When consumers purchase costly products they do not expect the assembly parts for their products to be discontinued in the next five years or even sooner. I have to question, “Is this how Whirlpool Corporation makes their profits?”
Because I couldn’t accept the fact that I have to buy a new refrigerator just because of a small part which is discontinued, I sent a letter to CEO Mr.Fetting asking him for help. Two weeks later I received a phone call supposedly from the executive office, and Mrs.Jennifer was trying to explain me that Whirlpool corporation is not responsible for not having parts for Magic Chef refrigerators; instead, she offered a 30 percent discount of suggested retail price on my choice of the Whirlpool brand refrigerator.
Anyone who did a research before purchasing a costly appliance knows that Whirlpool products are more expensive and lower rated compared to Frigidaire or Kenmore products. 30 percent discount on a Whirlpool refrigerator still doesn’t match a regular price of Frigidaire or Kenmore.
Later, I got another offer in the mail which said that I can purchase an extended four year warranty which will cost me $356. The agreement states that if a refrigerator cannot be fixed it will be replaced with a new one (sounds great), but there is a little trick. For refrigerators such as mine which are 5 years old only 40 percent of its cost will be replaced. Any reasonable person who can calculate will see how foolish this offer is. I already know that my refrigerator cannot be fixed due to discontinued part. Whirlpool Corporation wants me to pay $356 for extended warranty which will make me eligible for a refund of 40 percent - approximately $240. Where is the logic? Do they really want to help their customers? I feel as if they slapped me on my face.
Here are a couple of quotes from the Whirlpool site, “Whirlpool Corporation is committed to building products that consumers around the world can depend on to meet their daily needs. This commitment to quality begins in the concept stages and continues throughout the lifetime of the appliance. The result of these efforts is a sustainable and competitive advantage for the company.” “Our vision reinforces that every home is our domain, every customer and customer activity our opportunity. This vision fuels the passion that we have for our customers, pushing us to provide innovative solutions to uniquely meet their needs.”
I cannot find a defrost heater part # 63001387 for my refrigerator which would cost me approximately $30, so I have to dispose of my refrigerator which costs $600 and buy a new one, preferably one of the Whirlpool’s family; this is what a Whirlpool customer service representative suggested. Do you think it would be reasonable to throw away five or six years old refrigerator? I don’t think so, but Whirlpool corporation’s customer service representatives think it’s a great idea.
Whirlpool Corporation acquired a company which was producing Magic Chef Products, but it is obvious they forgot to acquire their liabilities. Searching for defrost heater online I discovered that I am not alone in this frustration. Many other consumers who purchased Magic Chef Refrigerator five or six years are having the same problem. When consumers purchase costly products they do not expect the assembly parts for their products to be discontinued in the next five years or even sooner. I have to question, “Is this how Whirlpool Corporation makes their profits?”
Because I couldn’t accept the fact that I have to buy a new refrigerator just because of a small part which is discontinued, I sent a letter to CEO Mr.Fetting asking him for help. Two weeks later I received a phone call supposedly from the executive office, and Mrs.Jennifer was trying to explain me that Whirlpool corporation is not responsible for not having parts for Magic Chef refrigerators; instead, she offered a 30 percent discount of suggested retail price on my choice of the Whirlpool brand refrigerator.
Anyone who did a research before purchasing a costly appliance knows that Whirlpool products are more expensive and lower rated compared to Frigidaire or Kenmore products. 30 percent discount on a Whirlpool refrigerator still doesn’t match a regular price of Frigidaire or Kenmore.
Later, I got another offer in the mail which said that I can purchase an extended four year warranty which will cost me $356. The agreement states that if a refrigerator cannot be fixed it will be replaced with a new one (sounds great), but there is a little trick. For refrigerators such as mine which are 5 years old only 40 percent of its cost will be replaced. Any reasonable person who can calculate will see how foolish this offer is. I already know that my refrigerator cannot be fixed due to discontinued part. Whirlpool Corporation wants me to pay $356 for extended warranty which will make me eligible for a refund of 40 percent - approximately $240. Where is the logic? Do they really want to help their customers? I feel as if they slapped me on my face.
Here are a couple of quotes from the Whirlpool site, “Whirlpool Corporation is committed to building products that consumers around the world can depend on to meet their daily needs. This commitment to quality begins in the concept stages and continues throughout the lifetime of the appliance. The result of these efforts is a sustainable and competitive advantage for the company.” “Our vision reinforces that every home is our domain, every customer and customer activity our opportunity. This vision fuels the passion that we have for our customers, pushing us to provide innovative solutions to uniquely meet their needs.”
Comments:
Posted by Dakota1015 on 2013-03-02:
The part you need does seem to be no longer available, however several parts websites offer an alternative, which would simply require that the connectors be changed ( you would simply use the old connector and solder the wires). It looks like this part was used on Magic Chef, Amana, and Maytag, all Whirlpool owned brands. By the way Whirlpool has owned Magic Chef for far longer than six years and for them to say they are not responsible to produce replacement parts for Magic Chef sounds pretty irresponsible.
Posted by flgazdave on 2013-05-08:
Lame product ultra lame company! I'm dealing with the same problem on my magic chef :( I would like to know the alternative part so I could fix my fridge.
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