Refrigerator recommendations needed...please and thanks.

[missy]

Ok so I come to PSers asking for your knowledge and experience and wisdom. Our Subzero has broken and in the meantime I need to buy a back up fridge preferably under 1k.

I would like a fridge/ freezer that has sufficient room to hopefully store much of what we need stored. I already threw out a fridge full of food but I need to get something that will tide us over till/if we can get our current subzero fixed. If it can't be fixed I'll deal with that when we know for sure. However no matter what I want a back up fridge.

To that end I'd appreciate any recommendations you might have for a reliable refrigerator/freezer. That's my top priority. Reliability. Cost is second concern. Space last as I'll find the space in another room (besides the kitchen) but I do need enough cubic feet inside the fridge to make sense. Obviously I'm not going to duplicate the space inside our 48" fridge/freezer now. It's just going to serve (hopefully) as a back up to the main one. My total guess is minimum of 20 cubic feet but honestly it's just a guess.

I don't care if it's side by side (what we have now and what I generally prefer) or top freezer or bottom freezer etc. I just want something that works and will continue working.

Thanks for your recommendations.

 

[tyty333]

Well, we have a Kenmore fridge that is about 17 years old. The less expensive ones are under $1k.

It did breakdown once when something burned out (fuse?) ...thanks to our power company the power flashes all
the time.

 

[baby monster]

Missy, feel for you. Such a hassle when fridge breaks down.
I wanted to replace our main fridge for a while so I have been researching and reading lots of reviews. it seems that reliability is a disappearing virtue in the land of appliances. Things are just not made well these days. If you have access to consumer reports magazine, they list out brand reliability and rate of repairs. I'll try find it if you don't have access.

I did end up buying a new refrigerator. It's a month old and already been replaced. I'm hoping the second one works out. It's Samsung french door counter-depth model. No water on door. Delivery guys told me Samsung fridges last 3-4 years so I guess I chose badly and definitely wouldn't recommend it.

In our previous house, we had LG french door counter-depth fridge that worked perfectly for 8 years but it wouldn't fit in current kitchen. I wish I could buy LG again but none of their models fit in current kitchen layout.

 

[missy]

Missy, feel for you. Such a hassle when fridge breaks down.
I wanted to replace our main fridge for a while so I have been researching and reading lots of reviews. it seems that reliability is a disappearing virtue in the land of appliances. Things are just not made well these days. If you have access to consumer reports magazine, they list out brand reliability and rate of repairs. I'll try find it if you don't have access.

I did end up buying a new refrigerator. It's a month old and already been replaced. I'm hoping the second one works out. It's Samsung french door counter-depth model. No water on door. Delivery guys told me Samsung fridges last 3-4 years so I guess I chose badly and definitely wouldn't recommend it.

Hi baby monster, I'm sorry you went and are going through something similar. Yes reliability re appliances doesn't seem to exist anymore sadly. I don't have access to consumer reports and would appreciate if you don't mind sharing the top brands recommended re CR. I will have to re activate my subscription I guess. So tired of this as I know you are as well.

It seems everything I have researched so far has crap reviews that make me rethink getting anything I have evaluated to this point. But I might just have to take a leap of faith and order something and hope for the best. I feel a fool for doing that but not sure what options I have.

Another complication is my dh is insisting we put it into his workroom (aka the garage in the apartment lol) and his door to the workroom is narrow so that leaves out a lot of options even with taking the door off the hinges. Men. I just want to put it into the library room or livingroom/dining room divide but he is being difficult about appearance yada yada yada. All I want is functionality yanno? Sigh.

OK thanks so much for weighing in and any other advice you have to offer. I appreciate it.
Hope your fridge issues are resolved fingers crossed.


Thanks tyty333 for your reply and I hope your fridge continues working.

 

[soxfan]

Are we twins? My oven died last night.

Can you go to a big box store? We got an awesome LG stainless steel fridge for really cheap because it was a dented floor model.

 

[Austina]

I've no idea how much it cost, but DS bought LG f/f after doing lots of research.

 

[chemgirl]

Had a Miele repair guy in yesterday. He says he has a Samsung fridge and no issues.

Odd but cool.

 

[rainwood]

I don't know about staying under $1000 or what capacity you need in the interim, but I've had good luck with KitchenAid side by side (main fridge with no issues for 13 years) and 6 for a KA French door at the beach house (KA is made by Whirlpool) plus a Whirlpool cheapie from Lowe's in the garage. No repairs to any of them.

 

[Arcadian]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Maytag-3...less-Steel-Counter-Depth-MSC21C6MFZ/301066300

I have that one. I didn't choose it, previous owners did they used it less than 6 months so basically new. I have a 10 year warranty on the compressor. (thankfully I have all the paperwork for it!)

I had maytag in Massachusetts and liked it.

 

[ericad]

My GE Monogram built in has been a hot mess - that's all I have to contribute lol.

 

[missy]

Thanks for the suggestions and comments. We are still in Subzero hell. Last night my dh went to Lowes and picked up an inexpensive top freezer Frigidaire to keep in his workroom as a back up. He had to take all our room doors off the hinges for the fridge to fit through them to get to his room and also had to take the fridge door and freezer door off to fit it in his workroom. But he did it.

Are we twins? My oven died last night.

Can you go to a big box store? We got an awesome LG stainless steel fridge for really cheap because it was a dented floor model.

LOL Soxfan, yes we are. I am sorry about your oven! Well I just reached my uh oh no no breaking point last night and we ordered a cheap fridge online and at 10PM my dh went to pick it up himself. It's surreal we have an expensive subzero with 2 different repair companies now involved and they are still guessing at what is wrong and may I add many hundreds of dollars later cause nothing they do is cheap at Subzero. Oh wait nothing but the quality of their fridges.

Did you get a new oven yet? What are you going to choose?

Austina I hope you are happy with your LG. I checked those out too. I just went with the cheapest fridge I could get at Lowes that had over 20 cubic feet storage and a top freezer as I read and was told those tend to be most reliable. Plus we went with no fancy electronic readouts and no ice maker. Fingers crossed it works.

Chemgirl, so do you have a Miele Fridge? My parents have a Samsung (like your repair guy) fridge and they loathe it but you know I find it varies wildly. I came here just because even knowing that I also find others experiences helpful. Hope your fridge continues working well.

Rainwood, side by side fridge/freezer are my favorite and what we have now with the Subzero. Last night we just got a cheap top freezer. And you know the challenges Greg had getting it through both doors OMG. But as you predicted he didn't give up like I wanted him to. LOL. But he did manage taking the doors off the hinges and taking the fridge and freezer door off the Frigidaire but he got it where he wanted it to go.

Arcadian thanks for the link and info! That looks great that they promise if they cannot fix it they will replace it. Yeah! OK so if we have to replace the subzero I will look into Maytag. Glad it is working well for you and thanks very much for sharing the link.

My GE Monogram built in has been a hot mess - that's all I have to contribute lol.

Oy I feel you ericad I really do. It is so frustrating dealing with appliances that cannot be fixed or at least easily diagnosed and I wonder if we need a show Mystery Diagnosis -Appliances from Hell... You know, like that show Mystery Diagnosis (for people that I love watching haha).


So the authorized repairman for Subzero (may I add the only authorized company in all of the NYC and surrounding areas) finally came last night about 7PM and was here for a long while and he just isn't sure. He did a diagnostic and thinks (not sure) that we need a new Sealed System and that will cost us a few thousand not including labor. And he couldn't say with complete confidence that is the problem. Later after he left there were other issues and I called him and he picked up (thank you Felipe) and he thinks we now also have a sensor problem. So it is an ongoing diagnostic for which I feel no relief. 3 repair visits and no closer IMO to figuring it out. I am just holding my breath our freezer continues working. I have so much in our freezer. I don't want to switch to the new freezer yet because first of all it is half the size but more importantly it has only been plugged in for 7 hours or so as of now and we were supposed to leave for the weekend by now already. So that's the update so far.

Thanks all who shared their story and recs. Much appreciated and wishing all may your appliances continue working.

 

[Queenie60]

Ok so I come to PSers asking for your knowledge and experience and wisdom. Our Subzero has broken and in the meantime I need to buy a back up fridge preferably under 1k.

I would like a fridge/ freezer that has sufficient room to hopefully store much of what we need stored. I already threw out a fridge full of food but I need to get something that will tide us over till/if we can get our current subzero fixed. If it can't be fixed I'll deal with that when we know for sure. However no matter what I want a back up fridge.

To that end I'd appreciate any recommendations you might have for a reliable refrigerator/freezer. That's my top priority. Reliability. Cost is second concern. Space last as I'll find the space in another room (besides the kitchen) but I do need enough cubic feet inside the fridge to make sense. Obviously I'm not going to duplicate the space inside our 48" fridge/freezer now. It's just going to serve (hopefully) as a back up to the main one. My total guess is minimum of 20 cubic feet but honestly it's just a guess.

I don't care if it's side by side (what we have now and what I generally prefer) or top freezer or bottom freezer etc. I just want something that works and will continue working.

Thanks for your recommendations.

Missy: Yes, your subzero can be fixed. I had mine repaired about 3 months ago. It was quite pricey however much less than purchasing a new one and dealing with the wood panels and all. It is still very nice on the inside after 19 years of use, raising children and heavy entertaining. I am very glad that we had it repaired, to the tune of $5,000 but much less than the $13,000 ++ to replace it.

 

[missy]

Missy: Yes, your subzero can be fixed. I had mine repaired about 3 months ago. It was quite pricey however much less than purchasing a new one and dealing with the wood panels and all. It is still very nice on the inside after 19 years of use, raising children and heavy entertaining. I am very glad that we had it repaired, to the tune of $5,000 but much less than the $13,000 ++ to replace it.

Queenie I'm so happy for you they were successful in fixing it. Can you please share what was wrong with it? Sounds like they replaced a lot of parts. Did both compressors need replacing? Thanks!

 

[Karl_K]

Thanks for the suggestions and comments. We are still in Subzero hell. Last night my dh went to Lowes and picked up an inexpensive top freezer Frigidaire to keep in his workroom as a back up.

That is what our landlord buys for the apartments and they hold up well.
Much better than the expensive stuff.
When it comes to fridges the more basic the better.

imho the one appliance everyone should have is a chest freezer, not a frost free model.
Do not get a frost free model.
Keep it on the cold side and meat will keep up to a year and they don't cost a lot to run.
I keep ours at -40F. We ate a chicken that had been in the bottom of it for 5 years and it was just fine.
You can buy in bulk when you find a good sale and save a ton of money.
5cu ft is a good size and only costs around $200 and will last for a very loooong time.
For a family of 4 a 7cu ft might be a little better if room allows.

 

[missy]

That is what our landlord buys for the apartments and they hold up well.
Much better than the expensive stuff.
When it comes to fridges the more basic the better.

imho the one appliance everyone should have is a chest freezer, not a frost free model.
Do not get a frost free model.
Keep it on the cold side and meat will keep up to a year and they don't cost a lot to run.
I keep ours at -40F. We ate a chicken that had been in the bottom of it for 5 years and it was just fine.
You can buy in bulk when you find a good sale and save a ton of money.
5cu ft is a good size and only costs around $200 and will last for a very loooong time.
For a family of 4 a 7cu ft might be a little better if room allows.

Thanks Karl. Yes that is what my dh suggested and then a smaller fridge only but decided to go with a full size (albeit smaller than our primary fridge) back up for now. Will keep this in mind for the future.

Queenie I forgot to ask you one more question. Were your subzero service repair people able to diagnose the issues all in one visit? Because it seems to me that our guy isn't sure and just going about it systematically after he ran a diagnostic. IOW I don't feel complete confidence in their diagnoses as he already changed a couple of things he now wants to fix on it. And our first repair person came back this morning (for his third visit in 1 week to us) to change the sensors.

 

[azstonie]

Yay for backup fridge in successfully!

LOL, my requirement for my next house is that the front door be double-doored for ease of moving things and people in/out!

 

[Austina]

LOL, my requirement for my next house is that the front door be double-doored for ease of moving things and people in/out!

Mine too, after carting my stuff across the ocean, it's got to get through the door!

 

[Queenie60]

Hi Missy: Go to the Subzero sight or google subzero repair in my area. The person who came to my home was able to diagnose the problem and fix in 2 visits. It was quite the project however it works just as new. Yes, both compressors were replaced as well as various other parts. I will find my invoice tomorrow and give you the complete low down. If you find the right person, it can be fixed to last another 10+ years. Call subzero and ask them for a reputable service company in your area. I found that the company you use will be certified by subzero which is an insurance policy in itself. Good luck to you and let me know if I can answer any other questions. This is why we purchase the high end products - we want to be able to repair them so that they can give us more years.

 

[missy]

Hi Missy: Go to the Subzero sight or google subzero repair in my area. The person who came to my home was able to diagnose the problem and fix in 2 visits. It was quite the project however it works just as new. Yes, both compressors were replaced as well as various other parts. I will find my invoice tomorrow and give you the complete low down. If you find the right person, it can be fixed to last another 10+ years. Call subzero and ask them for a reputable service company in your area. I found that the company you use will be certified by subzero which is an insurance policy in itself. Good luck to you and let me know if I can answer any other questions. This is why we purchase the high end products - we want to be able to repair them so that they can give us more years.

Thank you Queenie! You are a sweetheart and yes I would appreciate the complete lowdown of what needed to be replaced. I agree with you if we can fix it we certainly will as it is worth the cost. As you wrote a new Subzero will cost north of 13K.

This past Thursday evening we were able to finally get the authorized repair service (only authorized subzero repair service in all of NYC and surrounding areas if you can believe it so frustrating as they are low in manpower for the entire region!) to come and evaluate our subzero but I felt the service guy was guessing at the problem. He said he *thinks* it is a sealed system issue (basically need new compressor evaporator and a few other things) but after he left late that evening the temp started going crazy so I called him (it was now after 10:30 at night) and he picked up and he said now he thinks we also need new sensors. But there was no way he could get to us before mid next week or later since they were so overwhelmed with backlogs etc.

So long story short (haha too late LOL sorry!) I called the first (non authorized) repair guy (who came 11 days ago when the problem started happening) who came first thing yesterday (Friday AM) and replaced the sensors. Not sure that will keep it working (and we are not there for the weekend and left for the shore house as soon as the repair guy left) but in the meantime the authorized repair guy filed his paperwork and we are on schedule for next week (fingers crossed) for all the other new parts to be delivered and replaced by the authorized repair company.

But OMG it was a battle. The authorized repair guy had been working 12 hours by the time he saw us Thursday night and he hadn't yet filed the paperwork for our job as of Friday afternoon so I had to call the company and then I decided to call Subzero to put the pressure on the company who was being less than cooperative because they were so inundated with work.
I will add that both repair guys were literally 20 and 21 years old. I sure would feel better having a seasoned repairman but seriously there is such a shortage of repair people for the subzero where we live.

Anyway I was able to get Subzero (I called them yesterday several times saying I felt we were being held hostage by the only authorized repair company in our area) to convince the authorized repair service to order the necessary parts and we are now on schedule for Tuesday. However I am not sure it will happen that fast but we will see. And in any case I do have some doubts that will fix the problem but we will see.

I mean refrigerator/freezers are an area my dh and I know nothing about so we are doing our best in a situation where we have little knowledge and must rely on the so called experts. I know it is sometimes challenging to diagnose these things but we have had I think a total of 4 visits now (3 from non authorized repair guy because he was the only one we could get ASAP and he has been wonderfully responsive and I am grateful to him because he did get the fridge working at least temporarily though I am not sure it is going to continue through the weekend and who knows what we will come home to Monday but we are doing the best we can) and that visit just 2 nights ago from the authorized repair service. But it was a struggle to get them to come and a struggle to get them to file the necessary paperwork to order the parts and schedule the appointment to replace the parts and hopefully fix our Subzero.

The bright spot in all this is Subzero is graciously and generously covering all the parts (which total over 2K I believe) and they are also covering $625 of the labor (which is unbelievable) so we might only be paying around $400 additional. (We have already paid about $450 for the service visits and some relay switch replacement or something like that from the first repair company the week before).
And that is amazing because our Subzero is from early 2004 so it is over 13 years old. I mean that just blew me away that they are covering so much of this repair. Now I just hope it can and will be fixed.

If you read this far Queenie thank you! I am sorry. Just getting it out and hoping this fridge can be fixed because it is just ridiculously expensive and while I have no intention of purchasing another Subzero it is the only fridge that will fit right in our custom space in the kitchen.

Thank you so much for sharing more details and if you don't mind I would like to hear more about what specifically needed to be replaced so just in case our repair guy cannot get this fixed I can share with him what else might need to be replaced. At this point I don't care what we have to spend to get it right as it is still cheaper than a new Subzero and plus, all the repair people have told me the older sub zeros are superior by far to the newer models. So hold on to what you have!

 

[ringbling17]

I have a subzero and I had it fixed last year as well. Ours is about as old as yours.
We used a local company that specializes in these types of brands called Long Lane based in South Jersey.
I can't remember what they fixed but we originally called them bc the fridge was getting hot and making a loud noise. It never stopped working tho.
I think they replaced the fan and something else. I tried to look up the receipts but I can't find them.
On another note, my Viking exhaust fan is not working and I got an estimate to replace the motor for $800. It's covered by my home warranty but they gave me the option to get a new one (any brand I want) and I would have to pay the difference. It is about as old as the fridge.
I called Long Lane for a second opinion and they said definitely get the motor fixed. The guy told me these units are supposed to last forever and my unit would cost me $3500 to $4000 to replace with like model.

 

[rocks]

Thank you Queenie! You are a sweetheart and yes I would appreciate the complete lowdown of what needed to be replaced. I agree with you if we can fix it we certainly will as it is worth the cost. As you wrote a new Subzero will cost north of 13K.

This past Thursday evening we were able to finally get the authorized repair service (only authorized subzero repair service in all of NYC and surrounding areas if you can believe it so frustrating as they are low in manpower for the entire region!) to come and evaluate our subzero but I felt the service guy was guessing at the problem. He said he *thinks* it is a sealed system issue (basically need new compressor evaporator and a few other things) but after he left late that evening the temp started going crazy so I called him (it was now after 10:30 at night) and he picked up and he said now he thinks we also need new sensors. But there was no way he could get to us before mid next week or later since they were so overwhelmed with backlogs etc.

So long story short (haha too late LOL sorry!) I called the first (non authorized) repair guy (who came 11 days ago when the problem started happening) who came first thing yesterday (Friday AM) and replaced the sensors. Not sure that will keep it working (and we are not there for the weekend and left for the shore house as soon as the repair guy left) but in the meantime the authorized repair guy filed his paperwork and we are on schedule for next week (fingers crossed) for all the other new parts to be delivered and replaced by the authorized repair company.

But OMG it was a battle. The authorized repair guy had been working 12 hours by the time he saw us Thursday night and he hadn't yet filed the paperwork for our job as of Friday afternoon so I had to call the company and then I decided to call Subzero to put the pressure on the company who was being less than cooperative because they were so inundated with work.
I will add that both repair guys were literally 20 and 21 years old. I sure would feel better having a seasoned repairman but seriously there is such a shortage of repair people for the subzero where we live.

Anyway I was able to get Subzero (I called them yesterday several times saying I felt we were being held hostage by the only authorized repair company in our area) to convince the authorized repair service to order the necessary parts and we are now on schedule for Tuesday. However I am not sure it will happen that fast but we will see. And in any case I do have some doubts that will fix the problem but we will see.

I mean refrigerator/freezers are an area my dh and I know nothing about so we are doing our best in a situation where we have little knowledge and must rely on the so called experts. I know it is sometimes challenging to diagnose these things but we have had I think a total of 4 visits now (3 from non authorized repair guy because he was the only one we could get ASAP and he has been wonderfully responsive and I am grateful to him because he did get the fridge working at least temporarily though I am not sure it is going to continue through the weekend and who knows what we will come home to Monday but we are doing the best we can) and that visit just 2 nights ago from the authorized repair service. But it was a struggle to get them to come and a struggle to get them to file the necessary paperwork to order the parts and schedule the appointment to replace the parts and hopefully fix our Subzero.

The bright spot in all this is Subzero is graciously and generously covering all the parts (which total over 2K I believe) and they are also covering $625 of the labor (which is unbelievable) so we might only be paying around $400 additional. (We have already paid about $450 for the service visits and some relay switch replacement or something like that from the first repair company the week before).
And that is amazing because our Subzero is from early 2004 so it is over 13 years old. I mean that just blew me away that they are covering so much of this repair. Now I just hope it can and will be fixed.

If you read this far Queenie thank you! I am sorry. Just getting it out and hoping this fridge can be fixed because it is just ridiculously expensive and while I have no intention of purchasing another Subzero it is the only fridge that will fit right in our custom space in the kitchen.

Thank you so much for sharing more details and if you don't mind I would like to hear more about what specifically needed to be replaced so just in case our repair guy cannot get this fixed I can share with him what else might need to be replaced. At this point I don't care what we have to spend to get it right as it is still cheaper than a new Subzero and plus, all the repair people have told me the older sub zeros are superior by far to the newer models. So hold on to what you have!

Is the non authorized repair service "Aaron's refrigeration"? We have two subzero's and had a malfunction in the city....Aaron's was the only service I could get to come in a reasonable amount of time.....and they were great.

As for the north of $13k price, we had to replace our 48inch fridge at the beach. (Nightmare....we had a 15 year old architect series kitchenaid builtin....nominally cheaper than subzero.......repair moron came three times (no show for the first appointment....insisted that they called.....didn't) unprepared to do anything......after pursuing them for another a week he finally told us that the parts were no longer available.....that is why you buy a subzero...). If you end up needing to replace and are in Suffolk county try "Hampton houss". We got a 48inch stainless steel with water and ice maker thru the door (didn't really want it....) for about $9500 delivered and installed....new, full warantee from subzero. They sell "open box".

 

[missy]

Is the non authorized repair service "Aaron's refrigeration"? We have two subzero's and had a malfunction in the city....Aaron's was the only service I could get to come in a reasonable amount of time.....and they were great.

As for the north of $13k price, we had to replace our 48inch fridge at the beach. (Nightmare....we had a 15 year old architect series kitchenaid builtin....nominally cheaper than subzero.......repair moron came three times (no show for the first appointment....insisted that they called.....didn't) unprepared to do anything......after pursuing them for another a week he finally told us that the parts were no longer available.....that is why you buy a subzero...). If you end up needing to replace and are in Suffolk county try "Hampton houss". We got a 48inch stainless steel with water and ice maker thru the door (didn't really want it....) for about $9500 delivered and installed....new, full warantee from subzero. They sell "open box".

Hi rocks, thanks for your advice and suggestions and I am glad your appliances are all working now.

The non authorized company who came at first isn't Aaron's refrigeration but I will keep them in mind because of your high recommendation next time we need someone. I am just hoping that won't be too soon LOL. In fact the authorized repair guy is here right now and I am stressed as nothing is going right. Authorized perhaps but not impressive IMO. I won't bore you with the details.

It is super frustrating though.

I just re subscribed to CR online and magazine so at least I have a resource if I need it.


Hi Kayla thanks for your comments. Hope all is running well for you now.

 

[AdaBeta27]

Get something from a local rent-to-own place might be an option?

I have basic white Frigidaires from Lowe's. Both 18 cubic foot. The "good" one in the kitchen has glass shelves, and the auxiliary fridge in the laundry room has the wire shelves and was a scratch-and-dent from Lowe's. I don't have nor use ice makers. But these fridges are 3-5 years old now and have worked flawlessly. Simpler is better, in my book. I recommend one as a temp that could later be an aux.

 

[LLJsmom]

Hi Missy, just checking in to see how the fridge situation is going.

 

[kenny]

Our Kenmore bottom freezer is 18 years old and still working perfectly, no repairs ever ... but I DO religiously brush/vacuum/clean the coils monthly ... mostly to save electricity to be more green.

The job of the coils is to transfer heat from the interior of your fridge to the room.
When coils are encrusted with insulating dust it takes longer for them to transfer the heat, so your refrigerator's on cycles have to be longer.
I believe the very clean coils mean our refer just worked less for 18 years then the usual fridge had to.

I've heard some people say they've never cleaned their coils, or even knew it was needed.

My contractor friend tells me Sub Zero is one of the most expensive, yet least-reliable, brands.

 

[missy]

Our Kenmore bottom freezer is 18 years old and still working perfectly, no repairs ever ... but I DO religiously brush/vacuum/clean the coils monthly ... mostly to save electricity to be more green.

The job of the coils is to transfer heat from the interior of your fridge to the room.
When coils are encrusted with insulating dust it takes longer for them to transfer the heat, so your refrigerator's on cycles have to be longer.
I believe the very clean coils mean our refer just worked less for 18 years then the usual fridge had to.

I've heard some people say they've never cleaned their coils, or even knew it was needed.

My contractor friend tells me Sub Zero is one of the most expensive, yet least-reliable, brands.

Kenny I agree. Subzero is not reliable and is one of the most expensive brands. All my fault as in 2003/2004 when we were gut renovating our apartment my dh chose everything in the kitchen but the fridge because I insisted on a true counter depth 48 inch fridge and that was the subzero. I was not yet internet savvy (haha like I am now right- NOT lol) so I had no idea about reliability as I didn't do my homework. I could have researched it on CR and other avenues but I did not. My bad completely. We had the Subzero break down three times since 2004 (and within the first few months it broke down) and this makes time 4. But since it is such an expensive fridge/freezer and since it fits perfectly in the space we had made for it I am reluctant to get rid of it if it can be fixed. Fingers crossed. But you are correct. If I had to do all over again I would NOT buy a Subzero! Lesson learned.

And my dh vacuums the condenser/coils every few months and you are right. That is critical to keeping it running smoothly and efficiently.

LLJsmom thanks and so far so good.

AdaBeta27 if you read the posts above yours you will see I already bought a back up Frigidaire from Lowes that has about 20 cubic feet storage. It is in my dh's workroom and it is giving me peace of mind. No ice maker or anything extra as simple is better re reliability and less to break down. It is an ugly big box fridge but I don't care as long as it works!

 

[PierreBear]

Catching up with this thread and glad that things are working well so far. Fingers crossed that it continues to function properly!

 

[baby monster]

Missy, were you able to get your subzero fixed?

I'm returning the replacement Samsung fridge. It seemed to work fine at first but got progressively noisier over the past 3 weeks. So definitely don't recommend Samsung. Going to buy LG.

 

[missy]

Thanks PierreBear and baby monster!

baby monster, ugh I am sorry about your Samsung troubles. One thing I am realizing as I read and research about this is the simpler the better and in general (and in comparison) the more recent models are made to fail within a relatively short time.

Thanks for checking in with me and as of now it has been fixed and fingers crossed it stays that way. I am impressed at Subzero's customer service and feel they went above and beyond for us in covering the parts on a 13 year old fridge and even covering part of the service work.

I am not impressed with the service company that Subzero has authorized for the NYC area and unfortunately they are the only authorized NY repair company for Subzero so it is what it is. However since it is working right now I am a satisfied customer and I am hoping it stays fixed.

I hope your LG replacement is better than the Samsung and do keep us posted please. We now have a back up fridge top freezer Frigidaire in my dh's workroom/office/home garage. It was inexpensive and doesn't have an ice maker or water dispenser and I am hoping that proves to be a good extra fridge/freezer for our apartment. Will keep you posted if that stops working or gives us any issues.

Hope everyone is enjoying a smooth running fridge and freezer. Sending good and (just the right amount of) cold vibes everyone's way.