In With the New

Those of you who have been here for a few years know that I have a love-hate relationship with my fridge. I love that it ... um ... I mean ... well, I don't love anything about it. I hate it. I have spent a fortune getting it repaired, and then every now and then it still goes on the fritz. We've now gone several days without it springing back to life as in past episodes, so we finally bit the bullet. Yes, we went to the mall on a Saturday!

Sears seemed to have the best selection and prices the last time we threatened to replace the old model, so we went there. We were very impressed with our sales clerk, who really seemed to know all of the the products inside and out. We decided to get one of those new styles where the freezer is a big drawer on the bottom. Then, instead of one big door for the fridge on the top, it has two French doors that open up to one large compartment. (That is, it's not like a side-by-side where you get only half the width of the whole unit each for the fridge and freezer compartments.)

When we bought our last fridge (and dishwasher and Viking range), we got stainless steel, mostly just for the look. They do get smudgy and they don't take magnets, both drawbacks but not deal-killers. Well, now there is a whole slew of silvery finishes that are cheaper than stainless, easier to clean, and magnetic. We got "platinum." I asked the sales clerk why anyone would choose to spend more for stainless, knowing that it takes fingerprints but not magnets, and she said that "platinum" will not match my other stainless appliances perfectly. I care about that exactly nada, and this one was 25% off too. Then I opened a Sears charge for an extra 5% off, and I qualify for a $50 rebate from my utility company for buying an energy saver. 

We opted not to get the ice and water dispenser on the door. It would be really convenient, but there are two big drawbacks. First, Consumer Reports says that those are usually the first part to break—and the sales clerk confirmed this. She said to replace the whole thingy would cost about $800—more than half the price of the entire appliance! They have fancy-shmancy ones with electronic touchpads, but I just know that it would take abuse at the hands (or fingertips) of my kids. The second reason is that the motor uses up a pretty big portion of the door, so you lose two shelves' worth of space inside. We are already crammed for space as it is, so I wasn't willing to sacrifice any more. However, the model we chose (a Samsung, by the way) has a cold water dispenser inside, which draws from the same filter that the ice maker uses, but it doesn't take up any extra room, and there are no additional parts to break down. The kids think it will be awesome—and if not, no big loss.

All Sears appliances come with a limited 1-year warranty, but I didn't know whether to spring for the additional "master service plan." It costs just over $100/year, and you can get a 3-year or a 5-year plan. It covers one service visit per year just to check that everything is working, open up the bottom and clean all the dust from the coils, etc. If anything goes wrong, anything at all, it will be fixed for free. If it needs to be fixed 4 times in any calendar year, or if it can't be fixed, it will be replaced. On the one hand, nothing is likely to go wrong with it in the first few years; on the other hand, like a car, the better you take care of it, the less likely it will break down in the future. What do you think? I have 30 days to decide whether to purchase this additional coverage. I normally don't ever consider such plans, but I sure wish I had done it on the fridge I'm replacing.

It's being delivered tomorrow morning (Happy Valentine's Day!), and I will share photos then.

Comments

[ricky]

The only thing you buy with an extended warranty is an explanation of what's not covered by your extended warranty.

The product comes with a warranty. Lean on the retailer and the manufacturer to make sure it does what it's supposed to do.

[scott]

Extended warranties are for suckers. I'd never get one unless I knew for sure that a) I had to have the item working and b) I absolutely could not afford to replace it it if the unthinkable happens.

[Lorena]

We love our ice and water dispenser on the door, BUT it was the first part to break at 1 yr and 12 days...so not covered under the 1-year warranty. Grrr... and yes, we had it fixed at $600 - about half the cost of the fridge! I am one of those that is happy that stainless does not hold magnets -I really hate fridges covered with "stuff" and prefer a clean look.

[Lew]

I agree with Ricky and Scott. Extended warranties are big money makers for the manufacturer or the retailer. Better to pay for repairs when needed. How long did you have your last refrigerator before it broke? In the long run you probably paid less to repair it than the warranty would have cost and then you decided to replace it.

Enjoy your new one.

[Katy]

I read in Consumer Reports that most warranties are not worth the paper they're printed on. If I can find that article I will pass it on. Good luck! And post more Bat Mitzvah pictures please!

[Lona]

We don't buy extended warranties with anyone or for anything other than appliances from Sears because the come and do maintenance and a check over once a year as part of their plan. Please keep in mind this is a heck of a deal for us as we live 200 km from a major center and so for us to have someone come and and check our stuff out as part of a plan saves us huge in the long run. We have found they have caught things and repaired the minor things before they became big things as we were were out an appliance on the road hauling our appliance to a repair shop.

[Susan]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Susan

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