What was wrong with the fridge?
Under the ACL (Australian Consumer Law) a full refund is usually only provided for a major defect. The assumption is it was a significant fault that is not economic for Samsung to repair.
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The refrigerator has water running down the back of it, settling in the crisper drawers and running on to the floor. Also the water is pooling in the bottom of the freezer and sometimes stops the freezer door closing from all the ice buildup. I have had repair people out since the first month of ownership. I have contact Fair Trading in Queensland and they say I have to take legal action. Something that I do not have time or the money for. I have signed an agreement for Samsung to collect the refrigerator as it is faulty.
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The refrigerator has water running down the back of it, settling in the crisper drawers and running on to the floor. Also the water is pooling in the bottom of the freezer and sometimes stops the freezer door closing from all the ice buildup. I have had repair people out since the first month of ownership. Samsung sent their own repair person out twice to evaluate the refrigerator and it was deemed both times unrepairable. I did take out the extra warranty on the refrigerator through the Good Guys and did ask many times for a replacement but they said no.
I did suggest that I return the refrigerator to the Good Guys at my cost (which is what happens in most cases according to staff there) but Samsung were adamant to pick up from my home.
I have had to purchase another refrigerator as the unit was dangerous with water constantly on the floor.
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This sounds like the drain from the auto defrost is blocking.
What did the repair people say is wrong? What did they do?
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Have they provided the refund as outlined in your first post? I hope that they have and the refund wasn’t dependent on the collection of the faulty fridge.
In relation the collection/removal of the fridge, this would fall under the Australian Consumer law, in particular:
Provided within a reasonable time
Services must be supplied within a reasonable time, if there’s no agreed time frame.
What is ‘reasonable’ can depend on factors including:
- the nature of the services
- weather conditions
- availability of parts or materials.
What is a reasonable time will vary, but waiting for a faulty fridge to be collected since August 2022 is unreasonable. I would be going back to them and quote the above paragraph from the ACCC website. I would advise that the 8 weeks duration is far more than what a reasonable person would consider a reasonable time, especially when they indicated that they would be collecting it within 7 -10 days (which is the agreed timeframe under the ACL). Say if the fridge isn’t collected within 5 business days, you will be taking the matter further.
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It is the auto defrost drain that is blocking. Was so called fixed about three/four times before technician told me that it would never be fixed. Other things have had to be fixed like the water dispenser three times and other bits keep on falling off the inside.
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Both the ACCC and Office of Fair Trading don’t want to know about the issue, so the only other thing is obtaining legal advice at a cost to me.
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Contact Samsung again with the information outlined in my earlier post.
Have you received a refund?
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I am not suggesting you don’t pursue your refund but if you want to try to deal with the problem until you get rid of it I have a possible solution.
There is most likely some kind of trough inside the cabinet that collects the water that melts off the cooling coils during defrost. It will lead into the drain which then runs down to an evaporation tray underneath the cabinet. If you can get to the top opening of the drain you can put a pipe cleaner down it. No, not the fluffy wire sort of pipe cleaner, too short and too soft.
The best thing to use is plastic line from a line trimmer. Cut a length that will go right down the length of the drain pipe, it doesn’t matter if it is a little too long. Tie a knot or two in one end to give you a grip on it and to stop it disappearing inside. Push the other end down the pipe. You may have to jiggle and twist it to get it round any bends. Push it right down and pull it back up a few times. The fungus, sludge or whatever should end up in the tray and do no harm. If all goes well you will be rewarded by the pond backed up in the trough running away down the pipe. You may make a better tool by melting the end with a match or lighter and flattening it into a disk across the end until the disk is a little smaller than the diameter of the pipe.
This procedure isn’t very difficult and once you have made the tool and worked out how to use it cleaning out the drain every few months takes a minute. You can probably store it in the drain between uses.
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Welcome to the community.
I have moved your post and the answers so far to an existing topic which answers your first question
It may be worth looking back through this topic to get a better understanding of what you are up against with Samsung.
You might also have a look at the ACCC site Repair, replace, refund, cancel, particularly the sections on Major Fault, and Responsibility for returning products where it says: “Businesses are responsible for paying for the shipping costs or collecting faulty products that are large, heavy or hard to remove”. So ignore what the Good Guys say about you having to return the fridge. They are responsible.
In fact, as you bought it from the Good Guys you should be dealing with them and not Samsung. Find out who the owner/manager is and write them an email based on Choice’s “How to make a consumer complaint that gets results”. After waiting this long already, give them say two days to refund your money, and if you don’t receive a refund, if you paid by credit card, approach your bank and ask for a reversal of the transaction. It’s probably too late for the reversal, but it’s worth a try.
As you have realised, Fair Trading and the ACCC will generally be of no help. You might consider lodging a civil claim at your local Queensland court. That may urge them into refunding and picking up the fridge.
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No more Samsung for me, i don’t care how good or bad they are. TV and fridge failed at the same time. It would have been good if they were helpful, out of warranty, they were not. Maybe they are all the same???
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No they are not. Have a look at the Choice fridge reliability survey for 2021. This was published last August, so there must be a new one due soon.
There is a clear deliniation between how products perform in the reviews, and how reliable they are out in homes. It is always worth looking at both sets of information, if available, to make a fully informed purchase decision.
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I won’t go near Samsung again good or not, my customer experience was enough to make me come to that decision.
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I’m confused. Warranties are not where the liabilities of a manufacturer start & finish. They merely what manufacturers try to shove down your throat.
In this country, we have consumer protection laws. Goods have to be capable of performing for a reasonable period. TVs shouldn’t fail in - I would have thought - less than 10 years. Refrigerators, maybe even longer.
If I were you, I’d take this one up with Consumer Affairs, to see what can be done. Presumably you’ve now replaced the defective items. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get reasonable monetary compensation, to cover the difference between what Samsung SHOULD have provided and what they in fact gave you.
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In QLD it is The Office of Fair Trading, who @Saskabel has previously advised were contacted
Their procedure for assistance with making a complaint,
Make a consumer complaint | Your rights, crime and the law | Queensland Government.
The alternatives of seeking a legal remedy include for smaller amounts logging an application to QCAT.
‘Minor civil dispute process | Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal
The alternatives of applying for a court hearing are more expensive including the supporting legal representation and administrative costs.
The subheading ‘Legal Advice’ applies to taking legal action through the court as opposed to QCAT.
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Thank you for your valuable advice. I contacted the Good Guys where I purchased the refrigerator from and they have put the “heavy” on Samsung to collect the unit. Mind you I have to wait another 2 weeks but at least I have a pick up date!
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