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marrilyn_gw

samsung french door frig--any opinions?

marrilyn
11 years ago

I will soon be purchasing a new frig. I want it to be a french door model in stainless steel.

I am liking the Samsung because I feel that the freezer door is easier to open due to the style of the handle.

However, after reading online reviews, I think they are all junk. :)

Does anyone agree or disagree? Any and all help/opinions will be appreciated.

Comments (24)

  • luv2putt
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have had one since december without issue ....I love mine ...

  • marrilyn
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks, luv2putt. Would you say it is loud? Louder than your previous frig?

    What model did you get?

  • chac_mool
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've had a Samsung French Door counter-depth fridge for just over two years now, and am very happy with it. So far, its been working well and has been reliable. Except for when ice drops down into some plastic thing, its very quiet -- you'll get used to the ice, eventually. I certainly like having ice and water in the door, and that has worked consistently for me. Samsung fridges have good ratings from JDPower, as I recall.

    My model number is RFG238-something, from Lowes. Has two ice makers, but I seldom need them both on so turned off the one in the freezer. [An RFG 237-something model, sold elsewhere, has just the one ice maker but is otherwise similar.] There are other models; it may be worth checking old threads here about some (cheaper ones) that were less sturdy and had problems with the tracks that the inside compartment doors slid on, I think.

  • pghgolfgirl
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Actually I bought a Samsung FD CD refrigerator (RF197ACRS) because it had such good online reviews. I did a LOT of research and Samsung seemed to be the "go to" brand for mid-range refrigertors. Mine is fairly small because I have a tiny kitchen, but I'm very happy with it and would definitely recommend it to others.

  • mboston_gw
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We bought a Samsung French Door about 3 months ago. It is a new model that makes 10 lbs of ice in 24 hours. I love the arrangement of the interior and the freezer - very eay to find things and plenty of room in the 26 cf. However, it is a noisy fridge - there is a humming sound that seems to routinely occur in the morning, about 6 am. Maybe a cycle it is going through. The ice dropping is also loud and the ice does not come out in whole pieces when you choose that choice. Some are whole and some broken. It not a big deal but it does bother my DH. Would I buy it again - not if I could find a quieter one that had the exact same design. As far as I know, no others have the exact same design so, overall I probably would.

  • willtv
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'll echo "chac_mool's" experience.
    We too have had a Samsung FD/CD fridge for 2 years.
    Ours is the RFG237 so it has only one icemaker.
    But it produces plenty of ice for our purposes.
    It is quiet and has performed flawlessly.
    The only thing negative I can say is that the ice is loud when it falls into storage bin.
    I'd definitly purchase this unit again.

  • gayl
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We have had a Samsung FD regular-depth fridge in a 2nd home for about 3 years. It has 2 ice makers and has been totally problem-free. The only noise I notice is the ice dropping when the house is totally quiet. But I have had that with every fridge with an ice-maker. We are very happy with ours.

  • powertoolpatriot
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Samsung is great at electronics, not so great when it comes to refrigeration, industry insiders will tell you.
    Plus they have been found guilty of unfair trade practices here and other countries.
    If you are interested, I can get you some technical info on KA and JA products. They seem to be better quality and the 4 door KA have a great warranty. Email me if you'd like the info.

  • luckymom
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm on my 2nd Samsung- 1st was the 28.5 when they 1st came out with awful ice makers. Just got a new CD one about 2 weeks ago. I like the looks of the Samsungs. I wanted to find a different brand, but most just didn't seem to fit my needs. Hardest thing I've experienced was the smaller space. Also forced me to get rid of a lot of stuff I didn't need both in fridge & freezer. I can actually FIND things. Only others I liked were LG's, but I ended up with a better deal on the Samsung.

    Now the down side. I also got a brand new GE induction slide in range this spring. Had the service man out for the oven. He told me Samsung makes their fridges, too. And they have lots of issues with the icemaker. Good news, it's am easy part to get, since they go bad so often. We got the extended warranty and figured what the heck. I read somewhere the current lifespan of an appliance nowadays is 9 years. Sad, isn't it?

    Oh and FWIW, the range I replaced was also a Samsung, couldn't get the part to fix it in over 3 months. I gave up. It was only 3 years old...

  • txjoyce
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We've had our Samsung FD model RFG 298 for two years and love it. It was highly rated by Consumer Reports at the time. Love the adjustable shelves, two ice makers (although we only use one)and dual compressors. The only thing we don't like -- the ice dropping is the loudest you will ever hear. The refrigerator itself is very quiet - just noisy ice.

  • abbey_cny
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have had my samsung french door cabinet depth refrigerator for only about a month, but I love it. It is very quiet, but I agree with txjoyce, the ice dropping is noisy! but that doesn't happen all that often so it isn't a problem for me.

  • jwvideo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    >>>"However, after reading online reviews, I think they are all junk. :) "My opinion is that we are talking about several different kinds of problems when a statement like this is made.

    Problem one is that fridges generally seem to be made for short life-spans. Consumer Reports and ConsumerAffairs.Com have both said that 5 to 7 years is the life-expectancy trageted by most manufacturers these days. Kind of like the phase car-makers went through in the mid-to-late 1970s. In this sense, almost every fridge these days could be said to be junk. It is particularly telling to me that very few brands have sealed-system warranties that go beyond thre to five years. My recollection is that Kitchenaid goes out to ten years while Subzero and Lieberr go out to 12 years. (There may be others, but you get the idea that this is not common.)

    Problem two is that almost all manufacturers and many extended warranty providers have out-sourced their warranty service to low bid bozos who provide terrible service. These companies seemed be set up for the purpose of abusing customers. One of the biggest offenders is the Sears spin-off, A&E. GE was one of the last hold-outs for in-house warranty service but, earlier this year, they announced that they have decided to compound their abysmally poor reputation on quality control by eliminating GE warranty service in favor of using A&E, instead.

    Now, any line of fridges will have some problems, but abusive warranty service turns minor issues into the kinds of major problems that result in scathing diatribes from the abused customers. Read enough of those kinds of reviews, and it looks like everything is junk.

    Problem three is that some fridge makers seemingly decided to jettison quality control, the old Maytag (pre-integration into Whirlpool) and the current GE fridges being particularly egregious examples. (CR's last years's membership survey showed GE FD fridges having something like a 25% failure rate in the first six years of ownership. The most recent survey shows that GE's defect/failure rate for FDDs has dropped to 16%. That is moving in the right direction ut still high.)

    For what it is worth, three of my friends have had Sumsung FD fridges for two to three years. All report being very happy with them. Fourteen percent of Samsung owners reported major problems in the first five years in the most recent CR survey results. Whirlpool owners had the fewest problems (8%) with Kitchenaid coming in at 10%. (KA comes in higher because a greater propertion of the KA fridges have ice and water systems that are the most likely components to fail and the biggest source of complaints.)

  • corgimum
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have had a Samsung FD fridge for 2+ years. The ice maker isn't perfect. Ice tends to freeze together so it doesn't want to come down the chute. Hate the deli drawer on the inside of the fridge that makes you open both doors to access it. No repairs so far.

  • marrilyn
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for all the opinions!

    JWVideo, do you think Kitchenaid is a better product/buy because of their longer warranty of the sealed system? I agree that many of the complaints do seem to be centered around the service from the warranty service providers. My husband never wants to buy the extended warranty with any product.

    I just really like the way the freezer drawer is easier to pull out with the Samsung. LG seems to have a couple of models with the same easier pull handle, but at a higher price point than Samsung. Hopefully that handle isn't the source of any problems...

  • jwvideo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    >>"JWVideo, do you think Kitchenaid is a better product/buy because of their longer warranty of the sealed system?"No.

    I asked that same question a couple of months ago when I first started looking for a bigger fridge. (A bigger fridge is the only reason I am looking into a new fridge.) I was unable to find any reliable list of specific components used in Amana, Whirlpool, Maytag, Whirlpool Gold and KA fridges. I resorted to secondary sources: two long-term employees of two reputable local vendors and our very knowledgeable local appliance repair company. All three told me that Whirlpool had recently standardized sealed system components for all five lines.

    The differences between the lines are mainly in the internal components (i.e., the quality and design of drawers), features and some cosmetics. For example, the 21.7 cu. ft. Kitchenaid KBFS22EWWH and Whirlpool GX2FHDXVQ are the same chassis and sealed system components. As best I can tell, the differences between the WP and KA versions are these: (a) the KA model has an interior water dispenser while the WP does not have a water dispenser of any kind; (b) the KA has slightly heavier-duty bins and drawers for the crispers etc. and the freezer compartment; and, (c) if you look at the stainless steel version, the KA has a nicer finish on the doors and grey-metallic sides while the WP/G has black-painted sides and a not-so shiny finish on the doors.

    To me, it seemed as though price difference between the KA and the WP models was for the water dispenser and an extended warranty on the KA sealed system components.

    In researching extended warranties, many struck me as old-fashioned 14-carat bamboozles because many companies' warranty service seems so bad. In my area, I would never buy an extended warranty from Sears because the local branch of their service company has such a terrible reputation and their extended warranties are twice as expensive as others. (Why pay more for less?) Some local folks have given me positive reviews of about service from the local Lowe's. (All of them, incidentally, being folks who bought another brand of fridge and now own Samsung FD units. Samsung has a reputation for hostile warranty service personnel and a difficulty in obtaining replacement parts.) If I could get an extended warranty from WP that would allow me to have service from the appliance repair company in the next town, I might consider one. Unfortunately, when I contacted WP customer service, I was told they would not answer any questions unless I had actually purchased an appliance. Several friends have told me that WP is using the same group of inept low-bid service companies who handle Sears' warranty service. (Call and make an appointment that will be two to four weeks away. This is for somebody comes out to verify that you have a warranty problem. They may or may not show up. Then make you wait another two to three weeks to get an appointment from somebody who does not know how to fix your fridge, etc. etc.)

    There may be other extended warranty services or plans. I've seen several posts here where folks report being happy with SqaureTrade warranty insurance. I'll be checking into that, but, at this point, I'm with your husband on this one.

  • ashik
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have had a Samsung -I am sorry but I don't remember the model - I can come back with it tomorrow - I loved loved loved it when I first got it - I used to refer to it as my BMW in my kitchen! The same footprint of my old fridge with so much more space(and if you purchase an extra freezer divider it is really great for organizing!). I have had problems for the entire time I have had it - reducing me to tears while trying to deal with Samsung, having had repairmen in for the same issues for the past three years - as recent as today! The icemaker is AWFUL - even after it has been replaced! And water constantly accumulates under the pantry drawer which then ices up and makes pulling the pantry drawer out very difficult until the block of ice breaks and slides out from underneath the drawer. So terribly frustrating dealing with Samsung - even felt abused! Today A+E came out - and the guy felt strongly positive that he would be able to be fixing it. I find it hard to share his confidence! We will see. Be aware, the unit's height caused me issues of needing to cut the overhead cabinets down -- be careful of the front top hinges - they are higher than the flat top of the rest of the unit. It created problems for us that we hadn't realized when we purchased it (even after measuring it ourselves!)

  • chac_mool
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ashik, I'm sorry to hear this. Please do let us know the model number of your problematic model. This information will be very helpful for others here.

  • dadoes
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I posted this in another thread recently ...

    Friends of my sister & bro-in-law had a Samsung. I don't know the model or style (SxS, French door/bottom freezer, etc.).

    A problem of some ilk came up on or near Fri July 6th. They were having a weekend party (for July 4th, which occurred on Wed).

    The unit was under warranty. I don't know if the factory warranty (i.e. during the first year of ownership), or an extended warranty (i.e. if the unit is perhaps 2 or 3 years).

    They panicked regards to having no refrigerator for the party, so my helpful sister offered them use of my spare/garage refrigerator ... which was OK because I didn't have much in it anyway. :-)

    Multiple repairs were attempted, from control board to compressor replacement, over a period of TEN WEEKS, to no avail. There were missed appointments involved and hard-to-get parts and angry phone calls and much frustration.

    They gave up and bought a new refrigerator, delivered on Sept 12. The new unit is a Kenmore Elite ... which I brought to their attention that it could be another Samsung, being as Kenmore products are sourced from other manufacturers. They didn't realize and were alarmed at the possibility. I haven't gotten the model number of the new unit to confirm the source.

  • ashik
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My fridge is RFG297AA - stainless.

  • justmakeit
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My Samsung french door is about 4 years old, and has the same problem as ashik's. Ice forms under the produce drawers and leaks out to form puddles under the fridge. The ice also shortens the life of the items in the produce drawer. I've tried to have it repaired several times, but unsuccessfully. I'm looking forward to getting a new fridge when we remodel the kitchen, even though this one isn't very old. (Our model number is RF26V.)

  • jwvideo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I missed this, but it seems that GE has taken steps to remedy the QC problems of the last several years.

    GE started in-house production in a new plant in Louisville, KY at the end of July. It had been outsourcing its production, some of it to LG.

    Apparently, retailers are going to be receiving stock sometime between now and mid-October.

    I also note that the latest CR survey data has been released. Whirlpool's fridge problem rate has increased from last year's 8% up to 11%, the same as Samsung's (which is down from 12% from the 2011 surveys).

    For two reasons I'm not sure how significant the CR changes are. For one thing, CR says in the fine print that variations of 5 percentage points or less are not statistically significant. For another, the increased problem rate might be something as simple as more customers deciding to buy fridges with through-the-door ice and water dispensers. Ice and water dispensers are problematic for all fridge makers. If this year's product mix has a larger proportion of fridges with through-the-door units, your problem rate is going to go up.

    Anyway, the new GE fridges may be worth looking into if you do not immediately need a new fridge.

    Here is a link that might be useful: New GE Refrigerator Plan in Louisville, KY

  • ashik
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Samsung has offered a 60% refund to me after acknowledging that the issue is unfixable. I don't know what to do - live with the iced pantry drawer or take the refund and put more good money after bad.

  • Ann Marie Spinner
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am interested in getting feedback on the stainless steel Samsung french door CD refrig, no water or ice through the door also. I was all set to make a decision and I just read the old thread revived, attached below.
    Samsung FD Fridge Water Pooling Problem

  • zfrankle
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a Samsung RF266, which has the one ice maker in the freezer compartment, nothing through the door. Aside from one problem with that ice maker (its water level sensor fell out) which was replaced under warranty, I've had no problems. It's the best fridge I've ever had, and keeps both produce and meats at ideal temperature. It's very quiet except for ice dropping into the bin. It's been about 2 years. Despite the one problem I'd buy it again.