Why am I not surprised.

So, knowing this ,

You folks still want to buy appliances from these guys?

Stop whining and moaning about your broken or crappy appliance and vote with your wallet.

Buy another brand !

The Whirlpool conglomerate includes Maytag, Jennair and Kitchenaid. A lot of the KA line is still pretty decently made, but heaven help you if it's not and you need service.

Thanks for the link. Our refrigerator purchase has waited to last for many reasons including angst over WP.

I'm shocked and really disappointed to read this. We're WP fans from way back.

A good rule today is never rely on the good brand reputation of an appliance over five years old when shopping for new.

Another is a piece of junk fixed again and again under warranty after waiting ages for back ordered parts, is still a piece of junk. Get rid of it and buy something decent and more soothing to the soul.

2 years ago, I bought a brand new Whirlpool fridge. Over the span of 3 or 4 months, I had 6 (yes, SIX!) service visits to repair that piece of crap.

I used a local company for the repair visits. Whirlpool "customer service" was a joke. The only thing that gave me any comfort - and admittedly it was very small comfort - is that they spent more in warranty service than the stupid thing cost in the first place. That was not much consolation when I had to keep taking time off from work to wait for the repairman though.

Whirlpool flat-out just didn't care, and their customer service people were horrid.

Current mgmt. will not change things until enough people stop buying their junk.

When 800m drops to 400m or 200, then someone will start to look into what's wrong.

laat2- "A good rule today is never rely on the good brand reputation of an appliance over five years old when shopping for new."

So, US companies hungry and actively developing for refrigerator clientele are: GE (made in America and trying to turn around) and whom else? I've got to buy a CD 36" refrigerator soon (having a bit of a problem with door swing but that's my unlucky problem).

Btw, I officially decided against WP and its subsidiaries due to persistent doubts. Voting with my pocket book.

Whirlpool also makes the appliances for Ikea in the US.

If you have a problem with an Ikea appliance, you will be dealing with Ikea service, so it doesn't matter who actually makes it.

Also, figure in that hardly any manufacturers handle their own warranty service any more. Even GE, which is struggling hard to recover from a 25% defect rate after it outsourced its refrigerator production for several years.

A year ago, just as it starts ramping up its new re-opened plant in Kentucky the company announced that it was contracting its warranty service to A&E, the Sears subsidiary/spin-off. This is the same one that has been Whirlpool's primnary contractor. According to a long running thread here at GW, A&E has earned an abysmal reputation for lack of competence and customer abuse, See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: A&E Service

Another American company in need of a good PR firm. And to think that many peoples alternative is going to be GE?!

Jumpilomdm, GE isn't and won't be the answer to today's widespread residential kitchen mid-range appliance problems, unless they are hungry to capture the wide open market spot with RELIABLE, no plastic/wire components, reasonably affordable, great customer service and repair, and elimination of "no returns" market. Apparently, that is too complicated for many manufacturers in the mid-range market.

IF GE were smart, given their new (partially public) R&D/investment money, maybe they would consider payback for shoddy past underperformance by great customer service. It starts at the top with management, and if the top takes the GE name with top salary and bonuses typical to such, it won't happen. I am not holding my breath either.

I was responding to xedos' point that once the big appliance companies know they are top dog mid range market (starts with a W, ends with a P), consumers might be better served by companies trying to stage a comeback, which describes GE after many soured on it's overseas outsourcing & poor customer service and poor refrigerator QA.

For your viewing pleasure, here is the new, big, electronic board heavy GE FD refrigerator, available April 2013. Regrettably for GE, I won't be the one of it's first consumer testers, especially with GE's "no returns" policy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link:

sigh* After 25 years, my old whirlpool microwave/oven wall unit needs to be replaced. Interestingly enough, it's the oven sensor that croaked before the microwave. The oven only heats on high. Just the thought & continued research of having to locate a dependable replacement has made me a doppelganger for "The Scream".
Perhaps I should just get the sensor repaired....