Bought a new refrigerator and not happy with it. Need buying advice, please.
 

I just bought a Kenmore "Trio" with the bottom freezer and dutch doors up top. As hot as it's been in NorCal, we needed more ice and we discovered that this big, expensive fridge cannot keep up. Also found out that it does not chill water as the tank sits very close to the compressor so the best it will do is "cool" it to lukewarm. Of course the salesman didn't tell us this and we didn't think to ask since our 15 y/o Kenmore side-by-side had a great ice maker and water chiller. Who ever heard of a water lukewarmer anyway?!

So, I'm going to bite the bullet and return this motherfucher even though I'll probably get stuck with a restocking fee. I still need a large refrigerator though. Can anyone recommend one that is at least 25 cu ft with a great ice maker/water chiller on the door? It doesn't have to have dutch doors but my preference is a bottom freezer, if possible. Thanks.

Maybe talk to some restaurant guys? In general the disparity in quality between residential and commercial products is pretty large. If you don't mind having commercial-type equipment around, there are probably some excellent products available in that segment.

One of my buddies is a appliance repairman. He always says stay away from Sub-Zeros and those other high end makes. He said they are garbage with a very high repair rate.

I doubt that commercial options will have the water/ice dispenser in the door. Usually restaurants have separate ice machines.

I think the Korean makes, like LG are in the process of taking over the high end appliance space in the US. Go to a Fry's Electronics near you & check their stock.

maybe it has a bad thermostat.

I got a Sears fridge that was defective and it cost me a couple hundred bucks worth of groceries and a lot of headaches. They decided to do the right thing when I offered to back a truck through the front of the store and dump it in the middle of the showroom. Took a few months.

HomeDepot sent us 4 Maytags before we were marginally satisfied. Maytag told us to GTH, luckily HomeDepot took care of us.

$ubzero. Only way to go.

That generation of Trio you bought was manufactured by LG for Sears (Kenmore). As a general rule, if you're looking for water system performance stay away from the Korean and European manufacturers as they're just now getting into water systems. The American manufacturers have been doing it for 20 years.

The previous generation of Trio, manufactured by Amana/Maytag/Whirlpool, cools the water much better since the tank is in the fresh food compartment. I have one in my kitchen (and I designed portions of the system) and it cools my water to teeth-tingling temps. The one "problem" it has is that it doesn't deliver the water to door. The dispenser is inside (which I prefer) and you have to get your ice from the bucket in the freezer.

I'd stick with an Amana or Maytag-branded Whirlpool if you decide to go American.

My friend had a high end LG. It didn't last a year. Repair man said her problem was common.

we exchanged a fridge from Sears. My wife wanted the counter depth model after finding out that the one we got stuck out a little too much. They came and picked up the old one and gave us the new one. We paid the difference in the cost but there was no extra charges or restocking fees.

The knowledge base on this BBS astounds me. I'm asking a refrigerator question of a bunch of car guys and I get answers. Thanks fellas.

Get the Amana with the bottom freezer but no double doors. They take up too much space, single door has more room.

There are some genius MFers hang out around here.

I bet you could ask any question on any subject and get the straight dope within 24 hours.

samsung are pretty good

I just got all new GE stuff, don't they make jet engines? imagine what this fridge will do then?

We've had our Sub Zero since '91 and it's been no problem. Maybe we're the exception?

Consumer Reports.

I bought the GE Momogram Series for the refrigerator and freezer. Two matching units. Both leak water out the bottom front. Both are crap. Really expensive and both crap. Internet is full of horror stories. I would suggest going commercial and get a stand alone ice maker.
ymmv.

Be careful and read about the models on the internet. The more compuerized the model, the more likely it will fail. Compressors and the like are nearly bullet proof, but the computers and electronics are the weak point. The control board died in my GE Profile Arctica last year, and they said it wasn't covered, even though there was a recall for the same model, with the same board, just different time period, by a couple of months.

AND GE is looking to drop the applicances lines