Viking Refrigerators

I purchased seven Viking Appliances in 2004, when I remodeled my kitchen. All but one has had issues, but the most egregious is the refrigerator, which builds up ice in the freezer, and then leaks all over the floor. The wood floor is damaged, necessitating a complete re-sand and re-finish. There is rust in the freezer compartment, and there is condensation and mold in the refrigerator section, most likely as a consequence of the ill fitting door and hinge issues. As others have indicated, after 3 months of "review", Viking offers me the same "discount" as those with hinge issues, i.e., a new unit for $3,550. Since I paid $4,200 for this, it doesn't seem like a good deal, and as I told the service person, if I spend $3,500 or more on a refrigerator, you can bet it will not be a Viking. I have written numerous letters to the President, Fred Carl, who has the gall to have a full page ad in culinary magazines, professing his "passion for quality". I receive a reply from Dale **, and I am referred back to the same slow moving service department that I can contact via an 800 number.

I have had a variety of different brands in my homes, as I have moved around, and I have never, ever had the issues I have had with this purportedly "professional" line of appliances. Anything can happen to any product, but what distinguishes companies is the way which issues are handled. I wouldn't have a Viking product in my home if they were free, and I cannot tell enough people to stay away from them. Shame on you, Viking. An American company, that is a disgrace. I agree with a previous writer, something serious should be done about them.

I purchased a Viking Refrigerator DTBB363R had several repairs. Now, I get a recall with the option to purchase at $3,600 plus tax. The Viking representative caught me off guard with offering a new refrigerator which is configured exactly the same with a new warranty at half the original price. My receipt from Sun Appliance shows we paid $4,490 on October 7, 2003. We are retired on a fixed income and feel this is unjustified. We feel we are caught between the eight ball. We do not want a defective product that could injure someone. And since the refrigerator has custom panels to match the custom kitchen design, we have no other choice but to purchase another one. Shame on Viking!

I purchased my Viking refrigerator along with my Viking stove and dishwasher with my new townhome in 2003. I had to have service within the first year for my Viking refrigerator and then again. I guess the freezer had shut down and water had been on the bottom of the freezer, then froze and had to try and scrap it off. I called the repair and he supposedly fixed it, but then it became rusted.

I had other problems which I won't get into. The list goes on, but now for the last year (8th year) there is a cooling problem and the alarm goes off constantly. Had the repair guy out here and so he said what I may need, which will now cost me $1000 but he is not sure that will fix the problem. My neighbor has put thousands dollars into theirs and now it is not even repairable.

Of course I have called Viking several times and they do nothing for me. My repair man came out again and told me what they were offering 1/2 off a new Viking, but who can afford another $3600 plus tax when the first one was expensive enough? I don't seem to have a choice because I don't know if I can fit anything else in my built in and match, etc. Something should be done about Viking. Pay up. That's all I have to say. I need a new refrigerator and they should pay for it. Let's do something. They are getting away with it!

We purchased a Viking ddbb36rss about 7 years ago. It never shuts off and we are manually defrosting it every 6 weeks. We have had Viking repair here 10 times with no results. Who has found an alternative to Viking that works without manually defrosting?

We have the built-in side by side Viking Refrigerator since we purchased our home new in 2007. The water dispenser never shuts off and anything on the top left shelf of the refrigerator freezes. The ice maker has no stopping point and fills the drawer until you can't remove it. The water dispenser stopped working a week ago and now doesn't make ice at all. Absolutely the worst refrigerator we have ever owned.

Our Viking built-in refrigerator door fell off, on top of my 8 year old son. The hinges that broke were actually the replacement hinges that were given to us by Viking after the initial door hinge recall in 2009. The replacement hinges were only in place only a year before failing. Has anyone else had a replacement hinge fail?

My 8 year old sustained some minor injuries. The door, which weighs a couple hundred pounds, damaged my tile and also dented one of my ovens. I am now without a refrigerator as I will not allow the door to be replaced a third time.

DFSB483D 48" custom door refrigerator was purchased in 2005. We have had ongoing problems:

6. Water leaking from the ceiling in the garage, directly under the refrigerator.

The appliances were installed in July, including a built in refrigerator and freezer, a six-burner stove top, a double oven, a warming tray, a dishwasher and a microwave oven. Three service calls to fix unbalanced ice drawer in freezer. Three service calls regarding the dishwasher which is not yet repaired. I am awaiting a part for the refrigerator, which is leaking onto a brand new floor and brand new wood cabinets. Viking is stating that that part is on "back order" and they have no information as to how long it will take to get it.

Do you have any Viking issues? We've had too many to count.

Our refrigerator door actually did fall off. The service company then repaired it. Then came the formal recall because the service company did such a hack-job. They couldn't use the new repair kit that was issued for the recall. I had to order a new door. It took months with REALLY bad follow-up from Viking. A new door was installed, and there are visible repair marks all over the hinges. I cringe anytime the door swings open to the stop point.

In addition, we had to replace the heat unit on the electric glass range top we have. It now burns pots on one burner, and does not heat on one other.

Viking says I have to replace the whole front control board (at my expense), just so I can have readable controls (convection bake, bake broil and et cetera), as well as the temperature settings on the other dial. They are completely worn off. The Viking units were purchased in 2005.

Our ice maker also broke; hottest days ever in NJ, and it has taken two months to get parts from Viking (via Dan Marc Appliance in Fairfield, NJ , the service company and Carl Schaedel, the distributor). Also, I called one day before the warranty expired, and Dan Marc wrote up the service order charging me for some items even though they are under warranty. They claimed you need some harness kit for the ice maker that's not covered. You have to be kidding? In order to replace a warranty item, you need to order non-warranted products to install the new unit.

Really?

They also want to charge me $12.50 for a screw that keeps the door from swinging open too far. The screw happens to be in the same area where they replaced the hinge unit that was recalled. You'd think they'd cover it since it was probably damaged in the two repairs of the hinge.

I spent one hour and ten minutes on the phone with the distributor (When you call Viking you are automatically forwarded to the local distributor. This is probably to avoid any accountability or to frustrate the consumer into just paying for things versus wasting as much time as I did). The distributor could not even find my products serial number in the Viking system (even though I had numerous service calls where I had to be in their system). So, the distributor put me on hold for twenty minutes to call the service company directly. Ah, then they suddenly found my information.

The whole Viking product, service, distribution systems is a disaster.

My father bought a 48" 'top of the line' Viking refrigerator several years ago. Since the start, the fridge had issues -- one after the other. My father passed away; and the condo has been recently rented. Since the beginning of May, we have been trying to get Viking to fix the unit as it is not properly holding temperature. The refrigerator is still under warranty for major issues. The call to Viking for repair was re-routed, without our knowledge, to a separate company who then gave the name of the tech company who was to work on our unit -- supposedly, one that is familiar with these units. 5 visits and many dollars later (for non-covered items), the fridge was still not working.

I called Viking again on June 9, 2011 and spoke with Sally **. She said she called Carl Schaedell Company, their 'master tech' service center, and that they would go with our original tech to correct the issues. As of 6-24, nothing had happened with this. I called Carl Schaedell Company myself and they claimed that no one from Viking had called them about this. I called Viking and let them battle it out. We then found another Service company, authorized by Viking. Mr. ** came out and was clearly upset that he was not the tech called in for our issue, as he had worked on this unit for my father several times in the past -- attitude! He then proceeded to tell us that everything the previous tech did was wrong, and that the tech didn't know what he was doing, etc, etc.

By this time, 6 weeks had gone by. He came on a Thursday and said that 'thermisters' were needed, although the previous tech had ordered and installed them; and this had not corrected the problem (Did I tell you that I have had to reimburse the tenants for frozen and/or defrosted groceries three times?). He also mentioned that he was not certain as to whether this would correct the problem or not. He repeated this to me the following week. He left, with the tenant thinking the fridge was ok to use, only to have everything in the fridge frozen when she returned from an outing. The fridge was 12 degrees Fahrenheit, and didn't even know it could get that cold! Now, it's the Monday before the fourth of July. I called Viking and insisted that they get the "master technicians" out to our condo to fix this issue before the holiday.

Now, we are up to almost 6 weeks with our tenants living with no working refrigerator. I demanded to speak with someone above Sally, only to get Bonnie who is absolutely the worst and most condescending individual I have ever encountered in trying to resolve an issue. She claimed that Mr. ** (the 2nd tech we called; and yes -- he insists that we call him Mr. **) was the only technician who could come out right away, and that he had ordered parts; and that Viking can't rush things due to a holiday. I reminded her that we had been working on this for 7 weeks already; but, that meant nothing. Mr. ** then called me. He said he could come out to the condo on Tuesday, June 27th, but he would have no parts. He said he ordered them (but did not say when). They might be in the next day, or might be in the day after that.

I was clearly upset at this point and asked why the parts were not shipped out on Thursday when he discovered the issue or at the latest on Friday. He said that 'things don't work that way.' So now, because I couldn't get anyone to actually fix the refrigerator after 7 weeks, I had to buy another 48" refrigerator ($6,800 + tax, delivery, installation = approximately $7900) so that our tenants could actually have a working refrigerator. Now, you think it couldn't get worse? It does. This 'customer service' representative and I are in the middle of a battle, with me seriously contemplating flying down to Viking headquarters to meet with the president of the company and drag this arrogant...

I can't even think of something to call her that would not be offensive to the reader of this e-mail. I now will be trying to sell this refrigerator after it is finally fixed. I have a perfectly good GE refrigerator that I am appreciating more and more. As I cannot take off from work 4, 5 or 6 days or more as needed for the technicians to finally fix this unit, I requested that the tech be allowed to pick up the refrigerator and bring it to his shop so he can take the time needed to properly fix the unit. I thought this was rather generous of me. Guess what? It was no deal. Viking insists that the refrigerator be installed in my home. I do not have space for a 48" refrigerator; and I do not have a garage. Nor do I have the time to keep taking off to be there for these repairs. Please let me know if there is anything that can be done to resolve this to our satisfaction. Can you possibly help? If not, to all those who read this, do not ever, ever purchase a Viking appliance.

I bought a Viking fridge with a pull out drawer with the graphite doors. I was so excited about the fridge it was beautiful. It turned over with my 4 year old grandson standing in front of it putting his water bottle in. I can't even look at it (doesnt work anymore anyway). I want to warn others how dangerous this was. The fridge is obviously top heavy.

i have not had my viking refrigerator s ice maker working since i bought the frig..so 6 years later and no help from viking as they now have let the warranty expire. Viking was called hundreds of times by myself and the repair man but to no avail they ignored and hung up on me on all call, stating someone would get back to me well im sure it will snow in hell before someone calls me back. Now i am told by the repair man that viking states they will not help no matter what ..so advise don't buy viking refrigerators or stoves..a big waste of money...i am bumming ice from neighbors who bought sears and they have an abundance of ice and no problems...oh and don't use the self-cleaning option on your viking stove i was informed they burn through their hinges and viking does not warranty the hinges so i am now cleaning the oven by hand again go to sears...lol

I have a 2-year-old Viking 48-inch built-in refrigerator/freezer. There are 3 drawers in the unit, and all 3 have either broken or cracked. Amazingly, there is only a 90-day warranty on this kind of parts! In my opinion, it's a manufacturing defect. Do they care? No! What will Viking do to help? Nothing, except tell me where I can purchase replacements.

I purchased $35,000 worth of Professional Viking appliances for my new dream home. The refrigeration appliances have been on self-destruct for over 2 years. They do not continuously provide service.

The microwave door does not open when the button is pushed to open it. Two service calls later, it's still not working as it should. The microwaves from Viking are made by Sharp. I have the exact microwave in my motor home, only difference being the hood ornament. The cooking equipment has worked properly. The refrigeration equipment sucks. Do not expect any service from Viking, They don't have a Service Department.

It is my opinion that they should not be allowed to continue business until such time as they market a product demonstrating some degree of quality.

I purchased a Viking 48" side by side refrigerator. Had to have it replaced with the first 2 months, the second refer has had nothing but problems. The ice-maker is faulty, the water line freezes thereby causing an overflow of water all over the floor. We have hardwood floors that have been ruined.

Viking knows of this problem but has done nothing to correct it. The refrigerator is out of warranty so now we have to deal with this. I will never buy another Viking product again.

I have owned a Viking built-in 48-inch side-by-side unit with ice and water dispenser for 6 years. This has topped the list of bad decision I have ever made. The ice and water dispenser has been repaired at least half a dozen times and it would have been more had I not adjusted my expectations and level of tolerance. I now unclog the ice dispenser at least once a week by sticking my fingers up inside the out spout or opening up the ice drawer and moving the dispenser mechanism that way. I also have to keep a finger behind the water dispenser push plate to make sure it moves forward so the water does not overflow and cover my floor when I pull a glass away. I have just given up calling Viking and getting someone out at $75 a visit and have been putting up.

Approximately 2 years ago, my 42 inch side-by-side with water dispenser unit stopped cooling. Yet another part needing replacement (serpentine coil) and as you would expect the spoiled food was my problem. I am currently having a cooling problem again and the answer (which is now recurring) is you are out of warranty. Also, the customer service representative I spoke to made it clear that she was the only one I could speak to and her answers were final said in the nicest way but firm. I finally got Viking to agree to pay for the parts (circuit boards needed to be replaced at $700. I believe they had been replaced once before) and I paid (as usual) for the labor. So equally in a nice way, I am saying I truly believe that Viking has let me down.

Now, we have a recall for the door hinges as the doors might fall off. I called immediately and scheduled the parts to be delivered. It finally got done months later. You would have expected Viking would know the number of parts they would need. Perhaps they thought not everyone would call. With two small children opening these very heavy doors, you can imagine how anxious we were to get this corrected.

I feel it is important to make sure everyone knows my story since spending $7,000.00+ on a refrigerator plus $2,000.00 for the panels should entitle the buyer to an excellent experience. My suggestion is until Viking starts to produce a unit that truly works as good as a $500, one you can get at the local appliance store, look else ware. Just my opinion.

I purchased a Viking Refrigerator and had it installed in December of 2006. Thankfully, I put the unit under a 5-year extended warranty. I have had nothing but problems with this unit. The unit leaks water onto the floor. They have replaced the evaporator fan, the thermistor, repaired seals around the freon lines, replaced the power board, high voltage board and low voltage board. They are coming again to replace the drain pan kit. Different diagnosis every time they come but the same problem continues to occur.

In addition, because of the excess moisture in the unit, I have a continual problem with mold growth inside my refrigerator. Just what everyone want - air born mold circulating around their food. I have contacted an attorney and am exploring if I have enough information to file a claim. This unit is a lemon and should be replaced. I tried to talk to Viking about replacing the unit and have gotten no where.

Poor quality product for a very high price. After reading about many similar problems I wonder how Viking continue to get away with this. Has anyone pursued a Class Action Suit against Viking?

Bought a 36" bottom freezer Viking refrigerator as part of a remodel. Compressor stopped working 2 months out of warranty. They covered the part; labor repairs will cost $1200. The door bins cracks, the freezer door doesn't close properly and the refrigerator door hinge needed replaced. Would not recommend this $6500 refrigerator to anyone. $1500 dollars worth of ruined food. $1200 dollars labor repair. 2 months without a refrigerator. Buy a Kenmore or a KitchenAid for a third of the pricethey last for decades.

In nine months, three door shelves in the 48" refrigerator broke, the ice drawer in the freezer broke and now that I am out of warranty and the butter dish door came off ($161 ) and the veggie drawer cracked ($111) . This is the first time I've written complaints but truly, do not buy Viking.

This is newer version of my problem. We have Viking refrigerator that we paid almost 7000 dollars 4 years ago. We had service for this product seven times first two years. We also had Viking Oven problem two times within a year and fixed it but it makes loud sound when baking. They replaced the whole freezer door to fix the problem at the end but the seal of the door is still a problem and it does not close completely. The door seal is not good and the 2 side by side doors are not flushed. They are not straight. They are recalling the same model and year refrigerator right now according to the Consumer Affairs but the Viking said our made date is different (3 month difference). It's the same year, same model, same size with the recalled item and they can't do anything about it.

We have another bigger problem and that is with the mother board (or computer board to make the cool air to the compressor) and our refrigerator is not functioning right now. We can't eat at home for last few weeks and Viking said it's not cover under warranty (warranty is two years) so we have to pay $600-$1000 to fix this problem. Maybe the loose door seal caused this problem because the door does not shut completely causing the refrigerator working harder to make the mother board go bad faster or it could be just a defected computer mother board.

This is not right. We can't afford to pay this much money for the defective product and if problems keep happening, we have to keep spending a lot of money to fix it. We can't trust this product and it can happen again. If the warranty of this part is only two years even if we replace the part this time, it could break again after few years. It's only 4 years old and we are afraid other problems could happen. But at least Viking should help us fix this problem instead of avoiding. We are finding out about the lemon law to protect the consumers like us. We are gathering information about the consumer laws and looking for people to help us.

It's three times more expensive than other American brands and supposed to be a very good quality appliance. At least, a better customer service. I hope someone could help consumers like us. We'll keep looking for the ways to win over this matter. I can't believe this great country can be this unfair for the consumers like us. We just cannot believe this. This will hurt everybody including the Viking's image. I can't believe the company like Viking can be this unfair and unreasonable and irresponsible. I really think that Viking has to consider a better customer service than this. We are going to fight with this matter until we find help for this defective appliance to be replaced or fixed.

I sent complain about Viking Refrigerator earlier and I just found out the same Model Viking refrigerator is recalling right now because of the seal and hinge of the door and I also found out LG refrigerator Class action suit because of the motherboard breaks after few years and make the light won't turn off.

I have both of those problems for my Viking refrigerator right now. I had service 7 times in first 2 years for this Viking refrigerator because of the door of the freezer so we replaced the whole door after all that service. My refrigerator door seal is not working properly. Refrigerator door sticks out little bit not flush each other and it's not shot completely. Also my 4 year old refrigerator broke down because of the computer mother board and we don't have refrigerator right now. If the LG one has the same problem and going to class action I think we have to do the same with Viking, too. Please help us.

We have a Viking Refrigerator/Freezer that broke after 4 years. It was an almost $7000 refrigerator and we believe this product is a defective item. We had service 7 times within 2 years for this refrigerator and this has another problem right now and it's not working at all. We talked to Viking and they said warranty for the broken part of this refrigerator is only 2 years and we have to pay $600 to fix this problem. We really think this product is defective from the start and we really believe Viking has to take care of this problem. Is there any help we could get? Please help us.Thank you.

In December 2005, I purchased Viking products from the professional line to complete a remodel in my kitchen. This included a 42" refrigerator/freezer (VCSB423), a 36" stove/oven (VDSC3676) and a separate single oven (VESO107CSS). They were installed by a Viking Certified installation company Executive Appliance Services in May 2006. I have had nothing but trouble with the freezer unit and stove top. The same problems continue to occur, and the products are no longer under warranty. By August of 2006 I was forced to make my first call for repair, and eight subsequent calls have been made. The following is a list of dates and reasons for repair calls:

4/10, Ice maker checked after freezer door not sealed properly, Appliance Masters of Southern California, Inc.

Each time a repair technician was called out in 2007, a "new part" was available to fix a design flaw in the ice maker and ignition system in the stove. This tells me that Viking knew it had produced substandard products, and there were enough complaints to necessitate the development of "fixes." Due to what I consider to be Viking's excellent reputation, I allowed the continued parade of repair technicians through my kitchen to finally get what I had expected: a stove and a refrigerator/freezer that would service my family. What I have are appliances that are sucking me dry of my high school teacher's salary on a regular basis. I did not take advantage of the "Lemon Law" in California because each time repairs were made, I believed that would be the last time a technician would be needed.

I am extremely disappointed in the quality and durability of my Viking appliances. I should not have to feel cautious when cooking nor relieved when each item lasts one more month without having to make a repair call. I spent a great deal of money to have the kitchen of my dreams; one that would allow me to practice my culinary skills and look great as well. I deeply regret not researching my kitchen appliances more carefully. I now believe that I let my vanity get the better of me, and I am stuck with an intermittently functioning kitchen for many years to come. I would never consider buying another Viking appliance nor recommending it to friends and family.

Several calls have been made to Viking Headquarters in Mississippi looking for a permanent solution to the issues in my kitchen. While Charlotte ** was kind enough to give me a free repair call in March 2010 to service the stove, no acceptable solution has been reached that will prevent future problems. Although I would dearly love to replace my kitchen appliances with more reliable ones, I cannot afford to do so, nor should I have to. I would like for Viking to take care of the cost of any and all future repair calls regarding the problems that have existed in the past. I would also like to sit down face-to-face in my kitchen with the head of Viking Corporation to discuss the above repair issues.

Travelling a lot, I had the opportunity to see a lot of announcement from Viking, and so I decide to buy a VORD 144DSS model, a fridge model VGSB 152TLSS, a frigobar model VUAR 143CRSS, and a plate model VGGT 240. I spent my entire vacation (30 days) with the both fridges whistling, sweating, and staining on the outside. The plate become rusted, and after anything we had grilled appeared again the rust stains, even with a diary cleaning.

The Brazilian technical assistance were in place 3 times, each time with a different story, until the last, more honest, told me that the thermostat will have to be changed. Now, at the end of my holidays, after 60 days, the thermostats have been replaced, which solve a part of my fridge problems (the doors are still stained). About the plates, they said that it needs 120 days to be changed. I find that this deadline is absurd, that's why I ask for an urgent exchange.

I have two Viking Appliances, a 48" frig/freezer which the two doors have never lined up properly and the 30" Professional Double Ovens, which have been a problem since the day I bought them. The upper door on my oven has been replaced by Viking once already (14 months ago) since it never shut all the way and the light would stay on.

The door is doing the same thing again! It won't shut all the way and during Thanksgiving, I was forced to remove the turkey from the upper oven and cook it in the bottom one. It is not in warrantee and I can't get through to customer service...my call gets routed to a distribution office.

I WILL NEVER BUY VIKING AGAIN! I use to have Thermadore appliances and for 28 years, they worked great. Viking "Professional" Products are definitely a rip off! It will cost me hundreds of dollars to remedy this problem and their is no guarantee that it won't happen again.

It first started out with the fridge warming up and then 2 weeks later the freezer quit. In the meantime, we called Viking and they pushed us off to Carl Schaedel and Co., Inc. and they never answered (after calling a lot). We called Viking again, they then gave us a local repair company to use. This repair company was awful. They came 5 times and never could find the problem. Viking sent a 2nd company out - he found the problem, but Carl Schaedel and Co., Inc. took 3 weeks to ship the parts. The 2nd company fixed it and told us we should be receiving a new fridge because of the botched up job the 1st repair company did to it.

Then a recall on the hinge of the door. I called the recall # and the parts for the hinge were back-ordered 3-5 weeks. The parts were shipped to me after 4 weeks. A 3rd repair company was sent in to repair the hinge. It is now not even a week later since the hinge was repaired and now the door doesn't shut. Called Viking and told them we've been very patient (7 months) and the customer service rep told us to use a cooler. We said we wanted a new fridge and they refuse because it can be fixed. I use the term "fixed" loosely. Our next step is the Attorney General. We told them we were doing that and it didn't phase them at all.

So, everyone, please file a complaint. They need to be stopped. I have a Viking Range too that doesn't light and a dishwasher that has a panel that is coming off.

I have a 48 Viking, Pro Series refrigerator. About 3-4 years into service, small cracks started to appear in the plastic mullion that serves to separate the freezer section from the refrigerator section. At this poing, the cracks have increased in size and the problem is no longer just cosmetic.

As a result of the crack, the refrigerator door will not remain closed and the cooing system has developed a leak. I am told that the crack cannot be repaired and that if I replace the coiling element that are leaking (at a cost of $1400-1500), the work is guaranteed for only 3 months and that the problem will most likely recur. In addition, the cracks in the mullion cannot be repaired. Viking states that the unit is out of warantee.

Upon further investigation, I have learned that there is a heating strip that runs behind the mullion that most likely cause the crack to form. As such, this leads to the suspecion that this is a design flaw and as such, perhaps others are having the same problem.