"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. " -Helen Keller

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Hey Mister, can you spare a dime?

Or more precisely, can you spare 16,000 dimes? Over a year ago, Vic and I repaired our $150 Craig's List special fridge. The repair cost about $100 and we were pretty satisfied with that because for only $250 total, we had a working 26 cu ft fridge. Well, the damned fridge has broken again Do NOT buy a Wirlpool Side by Side fridge. We have a Whirlpool Side by Side fridge (the interior looks exactly like this one) and, behind the two dials in the fridge that control the temps for both the fridge and freezer, there are two pieces that tend to have ISSUES. These issues are well known...well known enough that I could find repair instructions online. When these issues start, they cause the freezer to randomly shut off. Eventually, they give out completely and the cooling fails entirely. Thank God we have and extra fridge in our den and a chest freezer on our back porch. Their existence meant I was able to cram everything in. It will be a pain in the ass until next Friday but it is doable. Next Friday is when the federal government has said our tax return will be in our bank account (WOOHOOO for early filing). So, instead of the myriad of other things that need doing, next Friday I will be shopping for and buying a new fridge. So, I guess if the damned fridge had to break, the timing was ok because we will have the money to replace it shortly.

Speaking of fridges, I am lusting after the 28.5 cu ft GE Profile fridge but I'll probably end up with something like either this GE or this Samsung. I just can't justify over $2200 for a fridge right now. Anyone have any recommendations or sad tales of appliance problems?

11 comments:

Lollipop Goldstein said...

That sucks that you have the money coming in and then it has to right back out. Hope the new fridge is pretty and is stress-free for years and years at least.

Big Mama T said...

Two words- floor model. Go someplace where they have lots of displays, they're bound to be wanting to move one of the older models out. If you can deal with a dent or two, it's the way to go.

Also, I really like Frigidaire brand appliances. Everything I have is that brand, and (knock on wood, of course) I've never need a repair man for a single one (fridge, stove, dishwasher). And as compared to other brands they're pretty reasonable. I think the original price on my side-by-side was 1300ish... (but I'm cheap, so mine had a slightly bent (easily fixed- by me) handle and one little ding on the side, but it was 700, lol)

MrsSpock said...

We have an LG french door style on top, freezer on bottom, that we love. Have had it 5+ years now with nary an issue.

Beautiful Mess said...

Get the fridge with the freezer on the bottom! That's what we have and dear Lord do I love that thing! We have all Frigidaire appliances. as well. The only problem with our fridge is that the ice gets stuck in the metal part of the ice maker, but we just have to reset it and it's all good. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's quirky.

I hope you get a fancy new fridge and love it SO much!
*HUGS*

areyoukiddingme said...

I don't understand the appeal of the bottom freezer. I'm a side by side kind of girl. Keep shopping - I second the floor/scratch & dent model.

I hate my dishwasher. It's less than 5 years old, and the soap dispenser door stopped working about 2 years ago. Also, it was supposed to be quiet and it sounds like a freight train running through my kitchen. I think it's a Frigidaire.

kell said...

girl, we have to replace all the appliances in our kitchen...they're all 10 yrs old, but they're all crap. We have the same frige I think (same brand, and the inside looks just like that picture lol) So far the only issues we've had is the frige side will randomly get very cold, even without the temp controls getting moved. The dishwasher is so loud and doesn't always clean the dishes. The ceramic stove top has a big ding in one of the back burners...looks like something melted it, it's weird. . I'm ok with them needing to be replaced though...we have always had to be stuck with what came with the house, so of course now that we finally own a house we want what we want...and it'll take a couple years, but we'll get there. Income tax return is going to take care of the dishwasher and frige...don't know what I want for a dishwasher yet, but we're leaning heavily toward the Samsung french door one. We got the Samsung front-loading washer and dryer when we bought the house and they were so worth the investment!

Mrs. Gamgee said...

I hate appliance issues! Last fall when our stove gave out... that sucked. All because no one made replacement parts anymore for our old stove. Ugh!

I share the lusting over the first fridge you listed, but I think they're all good options. And I second what T Lee said... floor model all the way. Save a ton of money that way!

Jen said...

you know mine...dorm fridge for almost 3 weeks lol we got ours finally from lowes, nothing fancy like you showed,but its working and it matches the stove

Kakunaa said...

Let's see. Even though we rent we decided to splurge and get a fridge and chest freezer which we will be able to take with us. The one here was 20 years old.

Anywho, the fridge and freezer are both Kenmore. We kept them separate to make the most out of our space. The fridge only is nice because it's plenty big inside without being 8 feet tall. The chest freezer was a dud, but once we worked out the replacement, it is working fabulously.

Sorry for the appliancet problems :( Sucks when money can't be used for fun, always life life life. Gotta laugh or you'll cry.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. Thanks for the advice about the Whirlpool side by side. We have an ancient, wheezing fridge that we are going to have to replace sooner rather than later. Good luck in your search!

battynurse said...

I'm not a big fan of side by sides but do like the bottom freezer. Another suggestion I would have is to check for ding and dent centers if you have any near you. I got a $1400 fridge for like $600 back when I had my house.