Dear Claudienne,

In August 2017 my wife and I purchased an LG 24 cu ft stainless steel French door refrigerator from Singer in Village Plaza for $216,917.47. We have had no ends of trouble with the refrigerator, and it is even a bigger problem trying to get the company to take it back and give us a reliable refrigerator. For the most part, they have ignored our pleas. They do not respond to e-mails and verbal communication is difficult.

Six months after we bought the refrigerator, the freezer drawer became stuck and they had to send a technician to repair it. About 10 months after purchasing it the compressor went and they gave us a “loaner” refrigerator to use while they replaced the compressor over a two-month period.

The freezer drawer would get stuck repeatedly, and each time their technician would come and repair it. The compressor failed for a second time, and they again replaced it as there was a 10-year warranty on it. We also had to pay $15,000.00 to replace the motherboard as it had been damaged by ants, we were told. When the drawer got stuck, again, the technician who came to repair it removed a couple of pieces as he said the refrigerator did not need them. (see attachment).

However, after he removed the parts it became stuck again in early December 2020, and was not repaired until the 28th or 29th of December 2020. So meat that we had wanted to cook for the holidays could not be removed from the drawer until after the holidays. When the technician had to fix the stuck drawer in February 2021, and again in March, he told us that the gasket and the tracker for the freezer needed to be changed. He said that until they were changed the problem would continue.

After the drawer of the refrigerator got stuck again in May 2021, and could not be opened, we reported it to Singer and the technician came but was unable to open it. The company informed us that we would have to pay for the parts needed to fix it as it was no longer on warranty. We had refused to pay for any parts because of the ongoing issues we were having with the refrigerator. The technician left and the drawer stayed closed for about six weeks.

We sent e-mails to the general manager of Singer and the human resource manager outlining our problem but received no response. We even got a lawyer to write to them, but he also got no response from the company.

When we could no longer deal with the inconvenience, we paid the Singer technician to open the freezer and to give us the estimated cost of the parts needed and his fee to repair it. He said that the parts would cost $38,000 and that his fee would be $15,000. However, we were eventually informed by Singer that they would repair the refrigerator and a couple weeks later they sent the same technician to fix it. Because he had a challenge taking off the freezer door, he left the parts and told us that he would return on Saturday to complete the job. He did not return and the parts stayed on my verandah for over one month. During this time the freezer drawer could open only a quarter way and we were only able to squeeze small items into it.

On September 9, 2021, the technician turned up at my home totally unannounced saying he was here to repair the freezer drawer. He came, we emptied the refrigerator and he took out the drawer. To our dismay, after about 90 minutes he told us that it was the wrong part and he needed to go and get the right part. This is after having the parts for one month sitting on the verandah. It gets even worse. He went to get the part and has not returned or called to say if he is coming back or not. All the things that were in the freezer were on the counter waiting for the freezer to be repaired. We had to reach out to family and friends to put up all we had that needed to be refrigerated. We were not able to get storage for everything, so some things had to be thrown away.

We called the company and on September 10, Singer brought a “loaner” refrigerator for us to use until they decided what they were going to do. To this day (December 8, 2021) the loaner is still being used and not a word from Singer to let us know what will happen. The company pays us no attention. The parts are all over the house as the workman had left them. Christmas is here again, and the refrigerator is out of use more than it has been this year.

We are at the end of the road. We have tried. The general manager did not see us as important to even acknowledge receiving the e-mail. All we want is to have this refrigerator replaced with one better and of the equivalent value to what we had spent. We have not had one year trouble-free since we purchased it. We hope you can help us to bring an amicable solution to this issue as you have done with many others.

FW

Dear FW

Tell Claudienne has been in communication with Singer and received the following e-mail from the company on February 16, 2022:

“The matter of FW as advised previously has been resolved and Singer has agreed to provide a replacement refrigerator. The customer has visited the store and selected a different item and we look forward to concluding the transaction.”

Tell Claudienne notes that you have selected a Whirlpool refrigerator and have agreed to pay an additional cost of $56,000 to compensate for the value.

We wish you all the best

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876- 936-9436 or cell # 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail:edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.