LG refrigerator failure - any hope of compensation?

[statman]

LG has settled a large class-action lawsuit over defective refrigerator compressors. Looking at the list of eligible models, the LFX28 series appears but the LFX25 series, which have the same compressor, do not. The compressor on my LFX25 series failed; on repair it was found that the coils had also failed. LG shipped the wrong coils to the service company. When the correct coils arrived, we had been without a refrigerator for 4 weeks. After both compressor and coils were replaced, refrigerator immediately failed to cool again. We gave up and have ordered a new refrigerator (not an LG obviously). The parts were under warrantee, but LG refused to reimburse labor or ruined food, presumably because my model is not in the class-action eligible list. It isn't clear to me why only some models using the same defective compressor are eligible for help. Any ideas on possible followup?

[hoofaman]

Is the LG fridge still covered by the LG warrenty? If so, I would read that and expect them to fulfill those obligations. Outside of that I would’t expect anything

[whodidntante]

I don't think any refrigerator warranty will cover food. It's not unusual for labor to be excluded. The class action is only relevant if you are part of the class. Did the service partner misdiagnose the problem? It sounds like it.

I think I would make a hobby out of getting a working refrigerator out of this. But you can probably find a more productive hobby.

[celia]

Is the LG fridge still covered by the LG warrenty? If so, I would read that and expect them to fulfill those obligations. Outside of that I would’t expect anything

Besides the regular warranty (one year?), did you, by any chance, buy an extended warranty? Did you buy the fridge on a credit card that adds an extra year of warranty for things purchased on the card?

[rockstar]

I had a repair guy out last week do repairs on my Whirlpool fridge. I asked him what brand to avoid. He told me to avoid Samsung and LG and any other brand that uses parts from them.

[shunkman]

I had a repair guy out last week do repairs on my Whirlpool fridge. I asked him what brand to avoid. He told me to avoid Samsung and LG and any other brand that uses parts from them.

What was wrong with your Whirlpool and how old is it? We just ordered a Whirlpool to replace our 16 year-old Kenmore that still works fine and has never been serviced.

[rockstar]

I had a repair guy out last week do repairs on my Whirlpool fridge. I asked him what brand to avoid. He told me to avoid Samsung and LG and any other brand that uses parts from them.

What was wrong with your Whirlpool and how old is it? We just ordered a Whirlpool to replace our 16 year-old Kenmore that still works fine and has never been serviced.

Bad board. Two years old. It was with the house when I bought it. I wouldn't buy one. The service guy suggested I pay up for a Bosch in the future.

[Bogle7]

Replace it with a Sub-Zero.
It will give you an excuse to spend $60K on a kitchen renovation.

[HomeStretch]

+1 to SubZero. Their customer service is excellent. I did receive reimbursement for materials, partial labor and food spoilage after a compressor failed a month after warranty expiration.

No, I don’t believe you will receive reimbursement for any costs (such as labor or spoiled food) outside of your written warranty from LG.

I had an out-of-warranty LG front loading washer that had significant mold despite drying seal after every use, leaving door open, etc. There was a class-action mold lawsuit that did not include my model. LG would not provide any reimbursement for the seal replacement. My next washer purchase was not an LG.

[Don_Qua]

Welcome fellow LG refrigerator sufferer! We had a Kenmore Elite made by LG and it fell prey to the now well documented LG design deficiencies. The refrigerator evaporator coil grew a giant iceberg and every 6 months I'd have to empty the fridge, take it apart and hit it for an hour with a hair dryer. But LG compressor disease caught up with it at 4 years, which I understand is pretty good longevity for an LG fridge. When the compressor gradually failed the internal iceberg on the evaporator coils gradually melted and warped some of our cabinets. I caught it before the fridge was too far gone and thanks to neighbors and a big ice chest we didn't lose too much food.

We replaced it with a GE from Costco. We went with Costco because they actually had a few fridges for delivery during the pandemic and Costco doubles GE/Haier's 2 year warranty. The delivery guy who delivered the new GE and rolled the LG's carcass out of the house told us in passing that he himself was waiting for a new fridge because his LG went kaput.

Lessons learned: Don't buy an appliance from Sears (our local Sears has since closed anyway). Don't buy an appliance made by LG. It's a shame, the best cell phone I've ever owned was an LG Nexus 5. I have an LG gram laptop and it's been a champ. But I'll think twice before I buy anything made by LG again.

[shunkman]

We replaced it with a GE from Costco. We went with Costco because they actually had a few fridges for delivery during the pandemic and Costco doubles GE/Haier's 2 year warranty. The delivery guy who delivered the new GE and rolled the LG's carcass out of the house told us in passing that he himself was waiting for a new fridge because his LG went kaput.

We just ordered a new Whirlpool from Costco. Several people on this forum reported that they had an unsatisfactory experience with Costco's appliance delivery process. We decided to take a chance because of Costco's doubled warranty period and the 4% cash back (Executive member and using Costco Citi card).

[Sheepdog]

There have been several threads on LG refrigerators at Bogleheads and all were negative. Search on Bogleheads and you will find them.
In October 2019 I posted my saga ttps://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=292034d. LG Refrigerator/Freezer lack of service saga' Read it to understand. Because the assistance from LG was so bad with weeks (over a month) to get any resolution, even having a technician to visit, the local dealer worked withLG to get a refund of $160 for lost food. It was because of such poor service that they gave in and it was the dealer who got it done.

[Don_Qua]

We just ordered a new Whirlpool from Costco. Several people on this forum reported that they had an unsatisfactory experience with Costco's appliance delivery process. We decided to take a chance because of Costco's doubled warranty period and the 4% cash back (Executive member and using Costco Citi card).

I would've preferred a Whirlpool simply because Whirlpool is a US company and GE Appliance isn't anymore. We owned a Kenmore made by Whirlpool in the past and it was fine and long lived. But we wanted a large fridge, the dead LG was 28'cu so that limited our choices. Costco was out of stock in Whirlpools in that size. When I did my LG repair research I also read horror stories about Samsung refrigerators so they were out of the running. Home Depot said that they could deliver by Dec 21 but we we needed a refrigerator in early October and I wasn't going to wait for Santa to deliver the LG's replacement.

We only had 1 wrinkle with Costco's delivery process. A day or 2 before the scheduled delivery a machine called me to say that they couldn't make it as promised. The machine didn't offer a new date, it just left me hanging. I called Costco and they got everything squared away. We're happy so far but the GE is noticeably built more cheaply than the LG, the plastic drawers bind when pushed or pulled and it's not as configurable inside. But, if it keeps food cold and lives longer than the awful LG I'll be satisfied.

[Sheepdog]

I would've preferred a Whirlpool simply because Whirlpool is a US company and GE Appliance isn't anymore. W

GE appliances are American made except for compact laundry and smaller appliances from their Chinese parent, Haier. At least they are US made.

[lthenderson]

The parts were under warrantee, but LG refused to reimburse labor or ruined food, presumably because my model is not in the class-action eligible list.

Our Kenmore Elite (i.e. rebranded LG) refrigerator had the control board taken out in an electrical surge. It took SIX MONTHS before our replacement Kenmore Elite was delivered. We still have it but when it goes bad, I will never buy another LG again because you can't get parts for them without extreme waits. I will only buy something with local repair service and readily available parts.

FWIW, since ours was destroyed by an electrical surge, it and all the food it contained up to a certain dollar limit on the food, was covered by our home insurance policy minus the deductible.

[testing321]

I have owned a LG french door refrigerator, a LMX25, for 10 years and its been perfect so far. It's still very attractive even compared to current models. But when I was shopping with my mother last year for a new frig, I steered her away from the LG model that she wanted because of the difficulty that people have reported in getting parts for repairing these models.

[Don_Qua]

GE appliances are American made except for compact laundry and smaller appliances from their Chinese parent, Haier. At least they are US made.

Our new GE fridge: Hecho en México. Haier has a joint venture in Mexico with a company called Mabe so I assume that's who birthed ours. GE's more upscale models are indeed made in the USA. In fairness, some of Whirlpool's appliances that I've looked at are also made in Mexico. What's important is that our food stays cold.

[lazydavid]

Our LFX25 failed on September 20th, and we finally got it fixed on October 21st, 5 weeks (!!) later. The Compressor is covered for 10 years, and the sealed system for 7. Our all-in cost for the repair was $400--$169 for the initial diagnosis and return visit, $231 in additional labor for opening, resealing, and recharging the sealed system.

In our case, we have an absurd number of refrigerators/freezers in our home, so we were able to re-home everything in the fridge worth keeping to our garage fridge, chest freezer, and my two fermentation chambers that I temporarily converted back into "conventional" refrigerators. So it was annoying, but we didn't lose anything.

Had we not had that flexibility, I would have bought a new fridge, then moved our current one into the garage once it was repaired.

[statman]

LG has at times reimbursed labor and lost food, according to the serviceman (who said his firm is replacing four LG compressors per day). So no harm trying. The service firm contacted LG with model/serial number and was turned down. Both compressor and coils are under warranty for parts, and that's all LG will do. Should they do more? Well, my refrige has the same compressor as many models for which LG is paying customers under the class action settlement. Have ordered a Whirlpool, hope Home Depot sticks to promised delivery. We are in a condo, getting by with a borrowed dorm refrige for over 4 weeks of failed service calls ($545 in fees). Wife has been patient, but finally insisted we buy new. That isn't so simple, with long COVID-related delays for many models.

[musicjay]

I had a 18 month old LG refrigerator fail in 2019. I purchased a 5 year extended warranty on the entire refrigerator from the big box store for this lemon. Good thing I did! Even so, it took 3 months of fighting, many service calls, and a loaner dorm refrigerator from the store to get this frig replaced ( no charge for replacement new frig ) with a Maytag from the big box store. Not fun !

[BogleFanGal]

LG has settled a large class-action lawsuit over defective refrigerator compressors. Looking at the list of eligible models, the LFX28 series appears but the LFX25 series, which have the same compressor, do not. The compressor on my LFX25 series failed; on repair it was found that the coils had also failed. LG shipped the wrong coils to the service company. When the correct coils arrived, we had been without a refrigerator for 4 weeks. After both compressor and coils were replaced, refrigerator immediately failed to cool again. We gave up and have ordered a new refrigerator (not an LG obviously). The parts were under warrantee, but LG refused to reimburse labor or ruined food, presumably because my model is not in the class-action eligible list. It isn't clear to me why only some models using the same defective compressor are eligible for help. Any ideas on possible followup?

welcome to my world - same story - repeated failures on a relatively new unit - labor not covered, food losses. Because it was a kenmore elite (made by LG) and not badged as LG itself, LG refused to honor their own revised warranty and claimed kenmore wasn't eligible. Then saw the Kenmore class action case - contacted attorney. They kept emailing me back with encouraging updates and telling me to get all my receipts ready, get an estimate from sears home repair to prove the compressor failure, etc.. only to find out my model wasn't included - even though it had SAME faulty compressor!

My impression was the attorneys just wanted to rush and settle quickly to get the case closed and collect their fees...maybe that was one of the concessions - LG didn't want to pay out to everyone, so they just cherry picked who they would reimburse and the attorneys agreed, just to close the case. Seemed so arbitrary and unfair to me...but I had to move on eventually.

My biggest aggravation is that I threw away $150 for nothing to get that useless estimate they said I'd need for documentation - plus a lot of time and aggravation wasted as well.

[TomatoTomahto]

+1 to SubZero. Their customer service is excellent. I did receive reimbursement for materials, partial labor and food spoilage after a compressor failed a month after warranty expiration.

I have had 2 built in SubZeros that I loved. I have 1 SubZero drinks fridge that I hate.

[HomeStretch]

+1 to SubZero. Their customer service is excellent. I did receive reimbursement for materials, partial labor and food spoilage after a compressor failed a month after warranty expiration.

I have had 2 built in SubZeros that I loved. I have 1 SubZero drinks fridge that I hate.

Is it a noise issue? I love my SZ built in. I have 2 SZ undercounter (a two-drawer unit in kitchen and a beverage/wine in bar area). Both small units work great with no repair issues, but I was surprised how loud (compared to other two) the bar fridge is when running.

[TomatoTomahto]

+1 to SubZero. Their customer service is excellent. I did receive reimbursement for materials, partial labor and food spoilage after a compressor failed a month after warranty expiration.

I have had 2 built in SubZeros that I loved. I have 1 SubZero drinks fridge that I hate.

Is it a noise issue? I love my SZ built in. I have 2 SZ undercounter (a two-drawer unit in kitchen and a beverage/wine in bar area). Both small units work great with no repair issues, but I was surprised how loud (compared to other two) the bar fridge is when running.

Yes. It is loud, and it seems to run forever to maintain 38 degrees, even without the door being opened. I expected better for the price.

Another nit pick about the full fridges, you can’t get a SZ without an ice maker, unless you get a huge commercial unit. I never use the ice so I’ve turned the ice maker off and put frozen food in the drawer

[thrifty_one]

I had an LG (model LMXS30776S) bought in 2014 and in 2016 it failed due to a 'sealed system' issue (no extended warranty was purchased). It was determined that no service companies existed in my area at the time that could service my refrigerator after multiple calls and almost daily discussions w/ LG. Not sure how much it helped but not long after i logged a case w/ the Missouri Attorney General's office, LG agreed to reimburse me for the full purchase price of the unit.

[criticalmass]

It isn't clear to me why only some models using the same defective compressor are eligible for help.

There were likely no lead plaintiffs who owned your model.

Any ideas on possible followup?

Try to find others in the same situation as you. Contact a trial attorney who specializes in class actions, share your problems and damages, and inquire about being a lead plaintiff in a class action for your LG model. That is how class actions begin.

Or attempt your own individual civil action, citing Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act,15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq. Contact FTC and your state attorney general consumer protection office as well.

[lazydavid]

I have had 2 built in SubZeros that I loved. I have 1 SubZero drinks fridge that I hate.

We have a pair of undercounter Perlicks--one dual-zone wine fridge, and one 2-tap keg fridge--that have been great for us. Some noise early on that was corrected by a service visit.

Another nit pick about the full fridges, you can’t get a SZ without an ice maker, unless you get a huge commercial unit. I never use the ice so I’ve turned the ice maker off and put frozen food in the drawer

I think it's hilarious how different people are. You disabled the ice maker in your fridge, while ours doesn't work fast enough so we bought a supplementary ice maker that sits on the counter, and would like to one day replace that with a floorstanding commercial unit.

[jlawrence01]

For the record, whether the appliance is produced is the United States or Mexico, many of the parts are produced in China. For years, manufacturers like Whirlpool and GE have followed the lead of the automotive industry in forcing price cuts from their suppliers in lieu of managing the labor cost of their own employees.. I have seen the production of one particular appliance part move from Pittsburgh to Alabama, to Cuidad Juaruz, MX and then to China.

As for LG, it is quite predictable. I have told all of my friends to ignore all of the appliance advertising out there and Consumer Reports. If they want to find out the quality of your appliances, talk to several appliance repairmen. They will tell you the truth and the whole truth. And when it comes to LG Electronics, their language will be very salty. My local trusted repairman goes "Leo Durocher" when you mention LG. He had a customer with a $2000 Kenmore refrigerator produced by LG. We needed to do warranty repairs on it. He called Sears to get the schematics. They did not have them. They gave him the number of LG Service which was ... based in Korea. After two weeks, they sent him the drawings needed to repair it - in Korean.

Meanwhile my 1980s appliances keep plugging away with minimal repair interactions.

[TomatoTomahto]

I have had 2 built in SubZeros that I loved. I have 1 SubZero drinks fridge that I hate.

We have a pair of undercounter Perlicks--one dual-zone wine fridge, and one 2-tap keg fridge--that have been great for us. Some noise early on that was corrected by a service visit.

We has SZ service out; they said that’s how loud they are. Helpful

Another nit pick about the full fridges, you can’t get a SZ without an ice maker, unless you get a huge commercial unit. I never use the ice so I’ve turned the ice maker off and put frozen food in the drawer

I think it's hilarious how different people are. You disabled the ice maker in your fridge, while ours doesn't work fast enough so we bought a supplementary ice maker that sits on the counter, and would like to one day replace that with a floorstanding commercial unit.

If you use ice that quickly, the ice maker could be useful. We don’t, and when we wanted an occasional ice cube (for the dog, or to cool off hard boiled eggs to peel them, or a rare drink that hasn’t been in the fridge long enough) we would find that the ice “cubes” had shriveled to 1/2 size and usually were a frozen all together. So, ice cube trays, which is even more hilarity.

[msi]

For the record, whether the appliance is produced is the United States or Mexico, many of the parts are produced in China. For years, manufacturers like Whirlpool and GE have followed the lead of the automotive industry in forcing price cuts from their suppliers in lieu of managing the labor cost of their own employees.. I have seen the production of one particular appliance part move from Pittsburgh to Alabama, to Cuidad Juaruz, MX and then to China.

As for LG, it is quite predictable. I have told all of my friends to ignore all of the appliance advertising out there and Consumer Reports. If they want to find out the quality of your appliances, talk to several appliance repairmen. They will tell you the truth and the whole truth. And when it comes to LG Electronics, their language will be very salty. My local trusted repairman goes "Leo Durocher" when you mention LG. He had a customer with a $2000 Kenmore refrigerator produced by LG. We needed to do warranty repairs on it. He called Sears to get the schematics. They did not have them. They gave him the number of LG Service which was ... based in Korea. After two weeks, they sent him the drawings needed to repair it - in Korean.

Meanwhile my 1980s appliances keep plugging away with minimal repair interactions.

And GE Appliances, of course, are actually made by Haier, a Chinese company.

[HomeStretch]

I have had 2 built in SubZeros that I loved. I have 1 SubZero drinks fridge that I hate.

We have a pair of undercounter Perlicks--one dual-zone wine fridge, and one 2-tap keg fridge--that have been great for us. Some noise early on that was corrected by a service visit.

We has SZ service out; they said that’s how loud they are. Helpful

My loud/long running SZ bar fridge has a wood-trimmed glass front. I believe the loudness/temp loss is due to the glass. If you ever need to replace yours, consider a two-drawer model. Mine is very quiet. Drawback is that it doesn’t have wine bottle racks.

[jlawrence01]

For the record, whether the appliance is produced is the United States or Mexico, many of the parts are produced in China. For years, manufacturers like Whirlpool and GE have followed the lead of the automotive industry in forcing price cuts from their suppliers in lieu of managing the labor cost of their own employees.. I have seen the production of one particular appliance part move from Pittsburgh to Alabama, to Cuidad Juaruz, MX and then to China.

As for LG, it is quite predictable. I have told all of my friends to ignore all of the appliance advertising out there and Consumer Reports. If they want to find out the quality of your appliances, talk to several appliance repairmen. They will tell you the truth and the whole truth. And when it comes to LG Electronics, their language will be very salty. My local trusted repairman goes "Leo Durocher" when you mention LG. He had a customer with a $2000 Kenmore refrigerator produced by LG. We needed to do warranty repairs on it. He called Sears to get the schematics. They did not have them. They gave him the number of LG Service which was ... based in Korea. After two weeks, they sent him the drawings needed to repair it - in Korean.

Meanwhile my 1980s appliances keep plugging away with minimal repair interactions.

And GE Appliances, of course, are actually made by Haier, a Chinese company.

All brands contain a significant number of parts made in China. MOST of the GE appliances are made in the US and Mexico even though Haier has purchased the company.

[Horologium]

I wish our LG would fail just so I could get rid of it.

It has been a piece of **** from the day we got it. We had 5 service calls in the first year. I tried to get LG to take it back, but they refused and kept sending out a tech to work on it. It has *worked* since then, but the ice maker is so poorly designed that ice cubes pile up behind the door. Consequently, every time you open the freezer door, a number of cubes spill out on the floor.

I’ve told the wife that the next tome something goes wrong, no matter how minor, I am sending it to the dump.

Not a very frugal approach, but my experience with LG *got my Irish up*.

[BogleFanGal]

I wish our LG would fail just so I could get rid of it.

It has been a piece of **** from the day we got it. We had 5 service calls in the first year. I tried to get LG to take it back, but they refused and kept sending out a tech to work on it. It has *worked* since then, but the ice maker is so poorly designed that ice cubes pile up behind the door. Consequently, every time you open the freezer door, a number of cubes spill out on the floor.

I’ve told the wife that the next tome something goes wrong, no matter how minor, I am sending it to the dump.

Not a very frugal approach, but my experience with LG *got my Irish up*.

Don't worry - you'll be on the winning side of that bet - you can look fwd to a dumpster trip likely soon.

[Horologium]

Don't worry - you'll be on the winning side of that bet - you can look fwd to a dumpster trip likely soon.

I have no doubt. I've even volunteered to "clean" dust off the back (with a sledgehammer), but the wife suspected I had an ulterior motive.