Nice looking fridge, right?
Stainless steel finish. Had the fridge for 5 years and still looks new overall. Just 2 months ago, it went kaput. The fridge couldn't keep cool and stuff had to be thrown away 'cos they went bad.
It took 2 visits from the repairman before it was repaired. First time the repairman came, he took a quick assessment and said the compressor unit and fan needed to be replaced but he didn't have the parts (didn't they bring along the commonly used spares?) So another appointment was made. Coincidentally, the warranty period was just 1 day shy of its 5 years, so we were able to replace the compressor unit for free, though we forked out over $100 for other replacement parts not covered under the warranty.
Yesterday evening, as my wife was putting the groceries in, the top hinge broke. Entire door would've fell had she not been able to hold it up, but just barely. She hollered; I ran there. Helped to hold it up and clear the things from the door to lighten it. Turned out the metal hinge was fine. It was the plastic parts that supported the hinge that broke (see below images for comparison -- right image shows broken outer piece placed back for illustrative purposes):
The service centre advised that it will cost $500 to replace the door (half the cost of a new one). I don't mind paying for necessary repairs. That's not what frustrated me.
Tonight, about 2 hours ago, we found that stuff in the freezer melted. That's when we discovered the fridge wasn't working properly again (compressor problem? Wasn't that and other parts recently replaced?).
Just spent the last 2 hours frantically chopping up all the vegetables and meat we bought yesterday (2 or 3 meals worth) and made stew for tomorrow. Thank goodness for vaccum pots; at least they will keep food warm till tomorrow. But there's only so much that could be cooked. We ate our second dinner tonight -- 2 salmon steaks, quart of yogurt, 500g of cherries, a carton of fruit juice that couldn't keep. It was that or wait for the food to spoil. But other stuff will have to be thrown soon.
So I'm frustrated from the entire chain of events. Could Ariston have prevented it? I don't know. Maybe a better hinge design. Maybe some Ariston employee will do a Google or Technorati and find my blog piece. Maybe they will do something about the design.
But they sure won't hear it from me direct via their formal feedback channel (if any). Why should I when I'm not going to try my luck with another Ariston fridge again, no matter how good it looks.
Once bitten, twice shy.
And there's only so much second dinners that my wife and I can eat.
Do THEM a favour. Post them your blog. Seriously, if there is half a noodle in the brains of their management, they will (not should) respond. Afterall, ranting about it is one thing but what you want is a solution(or position) on the matter from them.
ReplyDeleteI think you should call Ariston to ask for some money back. Afterall, you had the compressor replaced not too long ago and yet the freezer is not working now. They may not compensate you, but it's worth a try.
ReplyDeleteI agree with skates, u r doing the company a favour, they've already lost your trust and that of anyone who reads your blog.
Good luck!
Thanks for the comments. I was angry and frustrated. I ranted (but factually). And now I've moved on. Just placed an order for a new fridge. Even if I were to write to the service centre or Ariston or whoever, it makes no difference now. Sorry, but that's business. If they were to pick up this post and contact me, then I'd be impressed and might consider their products in future. If not (and I don't expect them to), then it's "no more Ariston" for me. That's how it goes.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if I'm that influential -- I don't know if my post will cause others to lose trust in the product. That's not my intent at all. But if it does happen, then it's really true that businesses should either "Blog or Die".