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Thermador - Great Indoors nightmare

cincat
11 years ago

First, thanks to the forum for the insight to appliances. It has helped me as we have worked our way to our kitchen refresh project I have penned the "lipstick on a pig" project.

The simple project is turning into a nightmare due to the appliances. After spending time on this forum, I knew I wanted a bluestar cooktop, which would require a change in ventalation and cabinetry to accommodate the change. The rest of the appliances I was somewhat ambivalent about, as long as they would work well and fit with the appliance improvement. I have a builtin Viking oven and convection-microwave oven, Thermador DW and French door refrigerator all purchased from Great Indoors on 4/2/12. The appliances were floor models, and all have been installed and are working well, with exception to the refrigerator. The freezer worked, but not the fridge. Service was called, and the tech said it was a sealed system failure that he was not qualified to repair. We were very upset, and went back to the store manager, who agreed to replace the item with a new in box appliance. Trouble was, the new fridge would take a while to get out of the vendor warehouse. We have waited 4 weeks, with deliver scheduled for today, and we have lined up the installer for tomorrow.

Trouble is, now that the stories closing, Thermador will not ship this item. Unfortunately, thermador did not cancel the item till late yesterday afternoon. Great Indoors will provide a new in box GEMonogram in exchange for the Thermador. We di not like that fridge as well as the Thermador. The other option is to have the "major sealed system failure" repaired and move on.

We got a decent deal, about 30% off, and have invested 2 months into this problem. Fact is, if I had known it did not work, I would not have paid 50 cents for it. We have delayed completing the project and have taken out cabinetry to install this monster, and will have to uninstall and find a replacement. Quickly.

I have been in contact with the thermador rep who says they will not replace, only repair.

Does anyone have experience with a sealed system repair? would you send it back and pay full price for something else? Any fast help is greatly appreciated.

Comments (5)

  • peaches12345
    11 years ago

    JMHO, with the caveat that I know nothing about refrig repair, much less a sealed system repair, whatever that is, which sounds serious since the regular service techie isn't qualified to fix. I would send it back and either accept the GE Monogram in exchange or buy something else full price. The last thing I would want to do is start out with a frig with a problem that may or may not reoccur that needs service directly from the manufacturer. It's a refrig- an appliance you would want immediate repair down the road if another problem occured. I wouldn't want to have the worry and aggravation when you can get something that works right now and start out fresh.

  • mojavean
    11 years ago

    It's a warranty repair, why not have Thermador just come out and fix it? I know it's a pita, but it sounds like you are satisfied that a (correctly operating) Thermador suits your requirements. A truly qualified tech can easily replace the compressor for you. And it will still be under warranty. A good technician is your friend in these situations. Offer him or her some coffee, and in a friendly manner have them explain exactly what's wrong. Most techs are happy to explain such things, whether the failure mode is common, etc. Just beware them replacing the refrigerant until they have done a thorough inspection if the problem was a leak.

  • weedmeister
    11 years ago

    my interpretation of 'sealed system' is the compressor-evaporator-condensor system for the fridge part. This is assuming this is a dual compressor system (like some of the higher end GEs).

  • lee676
    11 years ago

    All I can think is:

    1.) Talk to the TGI manager and explain your situation and see if you can get further there

    2.) Although The Great Indoors is closing, it is owned by Sears which is still in business and has an appliance department - maybe if Thermador won't ship to TGI, they will ship to Sears. Sears doesn't sell Thermador, but they do sell their sister brand Bosch which is made by the same manufacturer and I assume is handled by the same distributor. And Sears does sell and install at least some built-in refrigerators (Bosch has some, but evidently not the individual refrigerator-only columns).

  • cincat
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestion. I have been in touch with the sales rep for Thermador, and he has not been helpful with this situation. He said Thermador's policy is to repair, never replace a defective product.

    I called 2 other authorized repair shops, ans the one that is highly recommended cannot come out for 3 weeks. The other has put us on the list.