Comments on: Appliance Hell: GE Refrigerator & Samsung Microwave

By: Eileen McDoniels

Eileen McDoniels — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:02:03 +0000

This is an update to my comment of 11/24/2008: I began writing GE in February 2009. My first letter went to Ray Graft, Customer Relations Manager, GE Appliances, Appliance Park, AP6, Room 129, Louisville, KY 40225, Thereafter Ms. Kelly Johnson (502-452-4205) from GE called responding to my letter to Ray Graft. She conveyed the following offers from GE to remedy the defective refrigerator I purchased on December 1, 2004: 1. GE would pay 50 percent toward a replacement refrigerator. I was told that a comparable model (GE no longer makes model GSS255QGPH B3) was model GSS25QGTBB, with an estimated retail price of $1449. I would be responsible for $749.89 which would include delivery, setup and taking my current refrigerator. 2. GE would pay for a service call and parts to repair my refrigerator; however, I would be responsible for the labor charges. (Note – I have had this same refrigerator “repaired” by GE numerous times in the past.) These offers were unacceptable for the following reasons: (1) I paid $1000 for my refrigerator and the offer at 50% was near to what I paid without GE’s involvement. If I were going to shell out $750, it wouldn’t be for another GE refrigerato based on history; (2) the labor charge is what ads up when you are dealing with GE.

On April 21, 2009, I decided to write to the top man: Mr. Jeffrey R. Immelt, Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Member of Public Responsibilities Committee, General Electric Co., 3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield, Connecticut 06828-0001. Guess who responded to this letter – yep – Kelly Johnson. Ms. Johnson who proceeded to advise that she had my letter to Mr. Emmelt. “Her” offer remained the same: greatly reduced new refrigerator or waiver of service call/parts but I would be responsible for the labor and no warranty. I asked Ms. Johnson if Mr. Emmelt would be responding to my letter or if this was his response. Ms. Johnson indicated “Mr. Emmelt will not be calling you. I take care of correspondence coming to this office.”
Kelly Johnson was extremely rude and unprofessional.

Bottom line: We all got ripped off – GE is a horrible company, making defective appliances and does not stand for anything much less their appliances.

By: bbum

bbum — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:02:29 +0000

Rose — Rock to your left, hard place to the right. Keep in mind that you can get a brand new refrigerator/freezer for less than $500 — less than $300. It likely won’t be the best in the world or the most efficient, but — if the chain of comments are any indication — it is going to last longer and perform better than the GE refrigerators from the last few years!

Heck — you could probably get a $300 refrigerator, pay $100+ for an extended multi-year no questions asked warranty, and end up with a refrigerator that’ll last longer than the GE, even if it does break down.

By: Rose Shoppach

Rose Shoppach — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:14:25 +0000

We just had our GE model GSL25JFPDBS 5 YR OLD refrig keep icing over the freezer. Then the water quit working in the door, and the refrig seems to run alot. Repair man came today and wanted to replace the relay board for $430. We have not let him, but it cost $75 for a 10 min diagnosis. What to do next?

By: Beth Murphy

Beth Murphy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:18:37 +0000

Same issues here….had motherboard and fan replaced 6 months ago on the GE Profile side by side mfg in 2006. …here we go again. Now the refrigerator and freezer are not keeping up…AGAIN. I found out that there is a letter dated on Nov. 7, 2006 from Richard Zutterman (a GE representative) to GE Customer Care Servicers stating that there is a defect in GE refrigerators made from 2005-2006 with defective motherboards and that consumers should be refunded if they previously paid for this repair to be made. There are TONS of models listed to be repaired at no cost to the consumer. My model is not listed as one of them but I know that it should be. How do we go about getting this information out and demanding that their defective pieces of garbage be fixed???

By: tracey strain

tracey strain — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:21:00 +0000

we bought a, ge washer ,dryer,gas range,microwave,dishwasher,and frig. got rid of 15 yr old washer and dryer ge.that worked great. the new on is two years old . and the washer dose not work any more needs nwe motor already!!!!! and ge service tech told us it would be more to fix washer than to buy a new one. this is crap . you know what you try to do the right thing and buy american and keep our country strong and this is what you get. another big corp that dose not care about what they sale you . just take your money and kick you to the curb like a peace of trash!!!!!!!!!!!!! well i for one will never buy any ge appliances ever again, nothing with ge on it or any other brands they owen. and i will tell everone i can come in contact with no to either. ge for got who made them who they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!! people like me , working americans !!!!!!! i hope they go broke !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tracey strain

By: bbum

bbum — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:33:28 +0000

Nope– no toes squashed. Full disclosure with useful information is fine way of driving traffic to your site. Thanks for posting!

By: John Thomas

John Thomas — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:31:37 +0000

I have a 3 year old GE side by side and it would not quit running. I went to my site of which I am an affiliate and found that the defroster element was a primary cause of this. The info I found said to check the back wall of the freezer section for frost. Mine had frost almost from top to bottom. The part that needed replaced was the defrost heater element. GE recognized that the single element that originally came with the refrigerator, was of bad design, so they have suggested using a dual element type. The dual element was cheaper than the original one, so I bought it. They recommended pulling the back freezer panel as part of the install process and when I did it was completely frozen over with thick frost and ice. This prevents air flow across the coils so that the cold air can get to the thermostat to satisfy it, and shut the refrigerator off.
Two days later, I had the new one installed and everything is working like it should. I need to say that I am not a tech or anything like that, but this was an easy fix. In full disclosure, I must say that I do have a website that sells refrigerator parts:
I hope I have not stepped on any toes here. If so, please let me know

By: Brian Papesh

Brian Papesh — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:07:24 +0000

I have to chime in too! Like all you others, GE has robbed me too. I have a GE Profile refrigerator and had temp issues also. Replaced the condensor fan, then the motherboard. That was in August of 07′. Now, once again, it looks as though I need to pay the piper again! It seems GE has designed a unit that keeps on paying themselves. Only a GE electrical engineer could have brewed this scam up. Motherboards burning up every twenty months or so! I think I will place a small CRT fan in place of the crappy overpriced/underpowered energystar condensor fan and run it continuously. Something along the lines of that. It seems the key here is to find a way to get a dependable cooling fan in place to keep the compressor temp under control, so the motherboard (strategecally placed right above) does not overheat and burn up. I’m tired of having to replace motherboards! Which by the way are about $150.00 now.

By: Twatiti Wogi

Twatiti Wogi — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:11:05 +0000

Just bought GE 12 cu. ft fridge, freezer smoked upon ten minutes of turning it on.(instructions were followed to adjust a degree at a time over a 12 hour period)…. now it won’t cool below 5 degrees celcius, If it does make it that far, the stink of burnt metal comes back??? what happened??
I would have rather dug a hole and had a cellar instead paying over a thousand dollars for this high buzzing gurgling peice of GE JUNK!!

BEWARE!!!!! OF THE GBC12GAXSS refrigerator!!!! BEWARE!!!!…….. a bloody dud in the mail is what you’ll get…..

i’d be a billionaire if I could design an energy efficient fridge that was dead quiet.
……..
Does anybody have any suggestions?

By: Dyson cleaner

Dyson cleaner — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:31:42 +0000

It sounds like some people have really had some nightmares!

[Ed: MMm... Dyson Spam. But.. have to say... the Dyson's do completely kick ass. We replaced the vacuum in this post with a Dyson and it not only works really well, but has survived a remodel -- vacuuming up all kinds of construction dust & debris with aplomb.]