
Rachel of Herzliya, Other on March 22, 2010
On June 28th 2007, we purchased a refrigerator Amana model AB2225PEKS made in USA. We paid for it about $1,700 (according currency exchange rate on that time). We choose to buy this specific refrigerator in order that we will have, as the salesman that sold us at Crystal (the Israeli importer) Sales Center, a good and reliable refrigerator for many years ahead. To our surprise, about 4 months ago, the refrigerator became out of order, about two and a half years after we purchased it. First, it seemed as an electronic fault.
We turned to service department and we have been told that the refrigerator is no longer under warranty, because the warranty was only for one year. We turned to the salesman who sold us the refrigerator and he said that if the fault caused by the compressor we will not be responsible for the payment, as warranty for the compressor should be five years.
When the service technician arrived, he found out that also after replacing the electrical circuit the refrigerator still didn't chill. He said it is required to check the gas. I paid him for his visit about $65 and he said that he will send someone else to check the gas. Two technicians arrived the day after. After a few minutes, they decided that the fault combines electronic, gas pipe and compressor and ask a price of $570 (in addition to the $62 we already paid for the technician visit), in order to fix the refrigerator.
It is not only that I was surprised that such an expensive refrigerator is breaking down in a way that all the essential systems dysfunction, but also was surprised that it is not under warranty. The Israeli chamber of commerce obliged the importers to give 5 years long warranty, for the compressor and cooling system just since. Unfortunately we purchased the refrigerator on the end of June 2007. On May 2008, the chamber of commerce obliged the importers to extend the warranty up to five years, and there is a reason for it as it is not reasonable that such an expensive product will be a short warranty period for one year. Despite that we were unlucky to buy the product prior to May 2008, we expect that a company that represent herself as a company with reputation, that sell a reliable products and provide her customers the best service, will take responsible on the fault and will not hide behind a claim that the warranty is no longer available.
We are desperately disappointed that all the essential systems are fault in such unreasonable period, without any reason but a faulty and unreliable product. It doesn't make sense, that after such a short period all the refrigerator's systems will become out of order. We expect that the importer will give the best service and in this case to replace the refrigerator! Even the importer would take full responsible at first and take upon itself the full cost of repair, considering the experience we had with this refrigerator we can't be quiet about its function and we afraid from further problems in the future.
Instead of that, the importer asking me to pay, after discount $460 -- this amount is as a result of many phone conversation with several representative of the importer. From the responds that I received by now, the importer use the situation when he shirk one's responsibility by that the law was applied just after I bought the refrigerator. A quote from the answer that we received is: "As you probably know nature of technological system to required maintenance, it get spoiled and it requires sometimes to change spare parts from time to time".
My question is: should it happen after two and a half years? When I bought the refrigerator the sales man recommended me to buy this specific refrigerator "a good and reliable refrigerator for many years ahead!" Is it reasonable that a refrigerator that should work properly for many years breaks down in such a way, in a short period? Without a doubt, at least, this specific refrigerator is filthy. It doesn't make any sense that we need to expend considerable amount for repairing a refrigerator that is equal to value off two standard refrigerators!
Since the refrigerator got out of order we use a Mini Bar, we don't believe that if we will spend the high cost for repair it, we can rely that it will keep working for many years ahead as it should, also we are not getting and warranty maybe just for a few month. In our despair, we tried to sell for fixing and second hand but no one would buy it. We were offered for this expensive Amana refrigerator US$27! Yes, it is not a intake--twenty seven American dollars! And last thing--my neighbor bought five years ago a Beko refrigerator, the same size and function made in Turkey, paid less than 40% got warranty for five years and it is still working. As it should!