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The Electrolux refrigerator Gayle Douglas purchases doesn't work, and it never has. How many times should the company attempt a repair before it replaces or refunds the appliance?
Q: I bought a new Electrolux refrigerator last fall. The refrigerator has not worked right since it was hooked up. The temperature does not adjust right, and it freezes anything under the ice maker or anywhere near the back of any of the shelves and the crisper drawers.
I bought a set of refrigerator thermometers so I can see what the actual temperature is, and they range between 29 and 34 in the refrigerator, with the control set at 40 degrees. A sheet of ice is behind the crisper drawers, and ice is built up on the ice maker in the bottom freezer.
I've lost a Iot of food because it froze.
I have called Electrolux's warranty department numerous times. I have had eight visits to our house by two separate technicians to try to diagnose and or fix this refrigerator. They have replaced the rear tower twice and the seal that connects the refrigerator to the freezer five or six times, but it hasn't fixed the problem.
Electrolux sold me a lemon, and I feel I am just being strung along until the warranty expires. I would like to be refunded the $2,100 I spent so I can get a properly working refrigerator. Can you help? -- Gayle Douglas, Richland, Wash.
A: Electrolux should have given you a problem-free refrigerator. And if it couldn't, it should have fixed your appliance quickly.
But eight visits by a technician? Come on!
As I've noted in previous stories, manufacturers like Electrolux strongly prefer repairing appliances to replacing or refunding them. And the reason is simple: It's less expensive.
You should give an appliance manufacturer the opportunity to fix a problem with your new appliance. By "reasonable" I mean two or three chances. After that, you have every right to request a replacement or a refund.
You kept an excellent paper trail between you and Electrolux. It's painful to read. You repeatedly asked the company to fix your refrigerator, and it repeatedly offered excuses and delays. I really don't understand how or why Electrolux would test your patience like this -- unless, of course, it were profitable.
Sometimes, an appeal to someone higher up the food chain can yield better results. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the top customer service executives at Electrolux on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
I contacted Electrolux on your behalf. A representative responded directly to you.
"We apologize for the issues you are having with your current appliance," he wrote in an email. "We feel the best means of offering assistance would be to buy back your appliance on a prorated basis. Based on the purchase date and the original purchase price, we are offering to buy back your appliance for 100 percent of the original purchase price."
You received a full refund from Electrolux.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/
