Why I'll Never Buy Another Samsung Appliance Again
The $2000+ mistake I won't make again. Here's why I'll Never Buy Another Samsung Appliance Again.
I've thought about writing this post once a month since LAST December. Every time my Samsung fridge starts making airplane noises I vow to never buy another Samsung appliance again.
In May 2014 we closed on our first house. A foreclosure that was move-in ready although a little less than visually appealing.
The whole house things was a done deal as far as we were concerned before the end of February that year. The rest was just lawyers, inspections, paperwork - you know all the annoying parts of buying a house.
I was over the moon though, and started making arrangements for all of the necessities right away. Topping the list were appliances.
Having lived in rentals for years and years, I'd had a few appliances over time, but never anything very nice. Some rentals include a refrigerator, others include a washer but no dryer - there's no rhyme or reason to any of it. So we'd had to purchase a washer at our last rental property, but the dryer and refrigerator belonged to our landlord.
As a food blogger I was obviously SUPER EXCITED to shop for a new fridge and had a list of qualities I wanted in my new appliance.
- stainless steel
- french doors
- easy-to-organize freezer space
- ice maker!
- water dispenser
- at least 28 cubic feet of space
So obviously we could have gone in a million different directions. There are LOTS of refrigerators that fit these specs. Not having a brand preference at this point in our refrigerator-buying consumer career, we were open to options and shopped ... and shopped and shopped. We did our due diligence with price comparisons, and went around to all the stores so that we could open all the doors and drawers and look at the features in person.
After all the deciding we chose the Samsung RF28HFEDBSR. Here's my fridge y'all.
(Photo from the Samsung Website)
Looks good, right?
And it was good. Until December 2016.
So first, lets review the dates.
The sticker in my refrigerator says that it was manufactured in January 2014. I bought it from a local appliance store here in March 2014. We had it delivered and installed in our new house in mid-May 2014.
That means that my brand new $2000 appliance lasted exactly 2 years and 7 months before quitting.
What happened?
Just before Christmas last year the heating element in my stove went out. I had a bunch of client work due and was not super excited at the prospect of appliance shopping (except I WAS a little excited?!) in an emergency right before Christmas. But the stove came with the house and it had plenty of wear and tear before we moved in.
One $11 heating element from Amazon later and that crisis was averted.
One day later my Samsung fridge started making a loud humming noise.
The next day it go louder.
And then louder.
And I got a little worried.
It seemed like the condenser was freezing up. So I think okay... well this thing is barely 2.5 years old. So let's see what's covered under warranty.
I called Samsung.
And it was a predictable nightmare. It was like that time I called Verizon and all I accomplished was wine and anger.
I was on hold for an eternity. I got transferred 22 times. There was a language barrier. And! I have 1 million things to do that are not sitting on hold because of an expensive-ass broken refrigerator that at this point was as loud as the air compressor in the garage.
When I finally got someone on the phone though, he was the nicest guy. He walked me through the steps of defrosting the fridge. He called me back to check on me. I was like OKAY! It's good! This is all good.
I thought it was fixed.
Thirty Days Later...
It started all over again.
I wasn't too worried this time though, because The Nicest Guy ever was somewhere on the other end. Except this time HE WASN'T. I never actually reached a person that gave a damn.
Someone finally scheduled a serviceperson to come out [which is SUPER FUN when you have 6 dogs at home] but that was a whole other nightmare. It was going to be weeks and weeks before a certified technician could come to where we live. I was worried the fridge was going to quit completely and it was SO LOUD THAT I COULDN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK.
So I Googled the steps to put the fridge back into maintenance mode, defrosted the fridge and...
... have been doing that once a month ever since.
Once a month it sounds like I have power tools in my kitchen. Every 30 Days I have to put the milk in the freezer and thaw out the fridge. Then I have to worry that all the food is going to spoil and why did I buy so much chicken?!
I'll Never Buy Another Samsung Appliance Again
This all happened about the same time that Samsung phones were banned from airplanes. Exploding phones, frozen condensers, and if you take a look at Consumer Affairs we are all having the same Samsung Refrigerator issues.
I'll never buy another Samsung appliance again.
Currently seeking a new brand to love - give me your recommendations!
got fed up. went with a basic model Frigidaire. No icemaker, no water in the door, no fancy frills...just a fridge and a freezer. Absolutely no problems to date. That is my recommendation. You want some water to drink, use the kitchen sink...just like they did in the 60's. You want some ice, use the ice tray. Piece of cake really.
I bought a Kitchenaid because the parts and service are stateside!
Samsung appliances are horrible. My freezer stopped working 3 years in--the Samsung tech who came to my house said it's leaking freon and that a part was ordered--he was supposed to fix it today and never showed up (nobody bothered to call). I called to ask why and it turns out Samsung doesn't make the part anymore so I have to deal with freon leaking and making me and my pets sick (or roll it outside and push it onto the front lawn) and now spend $2,000.00 to buy a new unit. Their customer service is appalling. We are contacting our attorney and plan to sue them for failure to honor a warranty and for knowingly causing health issues. This is criminal negligence.
I have a new Samsung refrigerator freezer. Within the first two months the ice maker started freezing up so I had to hit it with a hair dryer every week or so. Shortly after that, the shelves on the sides of the doors started cracking as if the plastic wasn't meant for a refrigerator but for a phone. Now we can't even use the shelves on the refrigerator doors . I'm texting this on a Samsung phone but it will be my last Samsung phone ever, it will be my last Samsung product ever. I've hesitated on calling them because I've heard the horror stories from people like you. Mission Impossible. Hoping for a product recall or a class-action. In the meantime I'm shouting from the rooftops to everyone I know do not buy a Samsung product. I even tell people at Best Buy that other stores that are looking at Samsung products. F****** hate that company., I can't believe a lawyer hasn't picked us up yet
I have a whole Samsung black stainless kitchen. So far I have had my ice maker replaced after it kept freezing up and not by Samsung because I purchased an extended warranty and THEY sent someone out to fix it. When the guy was there repairing it he mentioned not to use the self clean on my oven, because it would probably fry the boards in it, of which there are many and that appliance was already out of warranty because Samsung warranties are short due to the fact that they know their appliances suck. Today it was my dishwasher which chimes and blinks numerous times after I start it, then finally washes the dishes. I ran the diagnostic cycle myself and got an error code 7C which is the waterwall beginning to fail. The appliance guy told me if he could even get the parts it would take 2 guys 4 hours to replace them and it would be cheaper to just buy a new dishwasher. And of course won’t match because every black stainless in a different manufacturer is different. You didn’t think I’d actually buy another Samsung appliance did you? I feel your pain.
Samsung refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers are ALL CRAP as far as I’m concerned! I’ll never ever never buy another Samsung appliance! The government should hold this company responsible to replace all of them with the consumers choice. Also, where are all the lawyers with a class action lawsuit??? Appliances should last LONGER than four or five years. JUNK!
Samsung appliances three years old
Dishwater leaves dark particles on dishes. Oven overheats unexpectedly, burns food, and sets off alarms. Refrigerator icemaker went bad. Had to replace. Samsung appliances will not be in my future putchases.
I bought a Samsung front loading washer and dryer during the pandemic in 2020, the washer has been leaking for 3 months now…junk! Never ever again! Samsung sucks
Absolute GARBAGE! I feel your pain. Very similar situation. Moved into a new home July, 2014. Have always had Frigidaire Gallery/Professional series in my other homes, never a problem. Unfortunately, a week before my move in date and appliance delivery, I am advised that the Frigidaire plant that makes my fridge caught on fire and there’s no stock…..so the salesman gives me a good deal on a 26 Samsung French door with ice/water maker. What a mistake. Same problems as you. About once a month, I need to do a defrost as my ice maker completely quits and freezes up. Water in the crisper drawers that freeze, all sorts of Jabba the Hut noises of stunting and groaning. That’s it! I pulled the POS apart and discovered the ice all built up behind the twin coil panel where the evaporator is. I finally broke down and ordered a new Frigidaire Gallery side by side.
Will put this crap Sam-Dung to the curb with a FREE sign on it. I just want it out of my sight.
I will never buy another Samsung product. TV, oven and refrigerator all had problems. Most of which I fixed with replacement parts myself at my expense.
Oven got two years before digitals went out.
But the refrigerator is hopeless. It freezes up every couple of weeks at best. Tech support is worthless and when I did get a call it was ten minutes before 5:00PM at which time they leave. When I returned calls no one would answer or I would be in Que and no one would ever pickup. Loser company! Be forewarned and buy American!
Never was able to even schedule a repair visit.
Never ever again will I buy a Samsung appliance. I paid way to much for a Samsung Dryer 3 years ago. It has had to be repaired 5 times in the last 3 years. Worst Dryer ever!!
Problem with Samsung is they have grown too fast. 15 years ago Samsung meant quality and they were more a niche manufacturer. Now they make everything and nothing very well. Besides some core electronics they still make very well, better stay clear. Samsung appliances for example, are utter, cheaply made junk.
So it is simple. You just buy a replacement ice maker and then when the fan freezes up behind the ice maker, you remove the new unit and thaw out the fan to stop the noise and keep the ice frozen. Do this every month or so. Samsung was so kind to make me a refrigerator repairman and it only cost me a few thousand. Samsung is junk and when you call them they tell me that they never heard of any issues. I said it is all over online. They tell me they don't have internet. Korea? Really? DO NOT BUY ANYTHING SAMSUNG. Their rich kid CEO just got out of jail and I hope he tries to chill his champagne using the ooooops no ice! They have no shame and no pride.
I'm with you, Joe!
2.5 years seems about the lifespan of Samsung appliances. Built new in 2018. Samsung range was doing some craziness where it kept tripping the breaker earlier today. The freezer has been freezing up for months and finally the fridge took a dump today. Yay
Ugh. That REALLY sucks. Update: I bought a Kitchenaid.
@Heather Tullos, How long ago? Review?
Built a brand new house and we really liked the look and style of samsung appliances plus the black stainless steel fit our theme perfectly. HOWEVER.......ill never ever buy a samsung product ever again. We bought all new in october 2018.
New washer dryer combo, new fridge, new cooktop, new dishwasher, new wall oven/microvwave combo. Spent like 12-13 grand on appliances and every single appliance has had issues starting withing a year of ownership. 2.5 or so years later and the washing machine will not do a quick wash (25minutes) it will just keep going for hours, ice maker completely froze up on us on the fridge so the whole fridge had to be thawed out, wall oven touch screen has failed, dishwasher has been leaking water to where we have to put down towels.....its just one problem after another. No one should ever buy samsung. I cannot stress that enough.
So sorry this also happened to you! I finally replaced mine - Kitchenaid ?
I agree completely. Samsung products are junk. Samsung should be put out of business because they are crooks. My 6 month old BRAND NEW Samsung range cost me $1099.00 and just died today. It was not even hooked up until 4 months ago and is bearely used. Samsung says it will take 2 days for a company to call to schedule someone to look at it, 2 weeks before they can come out to look at it and I suspect 2 to 3 weeks to repair. The should replace it no questions asked but they won't. I had to deal with their repair techs for another new yet broken Samsung product and they don't really seem to know much. DO NOT BUY SAMGUNG APPLICANCE. THE COMPANY TAKES YOUR MONEY AND GIVES YOU CRAP. If you think it won't happen to you, think again.