Refrigerator dying a slow death

My refrigerator is slowly dying.  While the freezer is hanging in there, the fridge doesn't cool things much.  I took most of the stuff out of it, put most of that in a cooler with ice, and put everything outside.  The temperatures are great: lows in the 20s and highs in the 30s.

So the past few days Tammy and I have looked at refrigerators in various stores.  My current refrigerator is the common type: freezer on top, standard doors.  For my new refrigerator Tammy and I wanted the freezer to be on the bottom.  After all... what do you use the most... the fridge or freezer, and do you want to bend or not?

We wanted the standard door and not the french door.  That was in the mistaken belief that all french doors had water and ice in them and I didn't want that. Water and ice in the door are not needed and seem to me to take up too much space.  Believe it not, the style we wanted was not common.  Each store had only one or two models. Not much to chose from.

Then at Lowes I saw a french door model without water & ice.  Aahhh!   My refrigerator is 19.5 cubic feet (cf) in size. The non-french door models we had looked at were 21.8 cf in size.   This french door model was 25.7 cf.  I like!  I want a larger refrigerator as Tammy mentions all the time how I fill it after my grocery shopping trips.  Bigger is better.

The french door non-water & ice also are not common.  Again the stores had only one maybe two models each.

So I did research online.

Tammy's daughter has had nothing but trouble with their LG brand of refrigerator (and other appliances).  The Sears saleswoman told us that the Kenmore brand was made by LG.  Several store personal warned us the Samsumg brand has no authorized service rep in the Valley and they felt the people in the Valley who did repair refrigerators seemed not to have an interest in becoming a Samsung service rep.

I focused in on a Whirlpool (same brand as my current refrigerator) and a Maytag.

The problem with online reviews is that most are either love it or hate it.  The "love it" reviewers just got the refrigerator and gush at how wonderful it is.  The haters are people who have had a problem.  It is tough to get an idea how pervasive a problem is or whether that refrigerator was a lemon.

I kept going back to the Samsung.  Something about it I liked.

Thursday Tammy and I again visited a number of stores and re-looked at the refrigerators I was interested in.  It was difficult as no store had them all and I couldn't do a side-by-side comparison.  But I again was drawn back to the Samsung.  While most all refrigerator have the same look, I think the Samsung's handles had a better feel.  I also liked the shelves.  They seemed a little more sturdy and cleaner looking.  The drawers had a cleaner look.  I know... its a refrigerator - who cares about the look?  But in the look I saw an attention to detail and that means quality to me.  Once I get the refrigerator I'll see if it is true.   The bottom drawer - the "Cool select pantry" - has its own temperature control.   I also thought the Samsung doors closed better.  It also has an "open door left open" alarm.

And Lowes was having a sale! I had read that the best times to get a refrigerator was during the Black Friday sales or the Presidents Day sales. And Presidents Day is just around the corner!  In addition to getting a rebate gift card for $180, the refrigerator was on sale at $400 off.  Instead of $1999, it cost $1599.  I know... that is expensive for a refrigerator.  I could have gone with the freezer on top style and paid well under $1000.

The Samsung refrigerator I bought is model:  RF260BEAESR.   It is a stainless steel model.  I originally planned on getting white appliances for the kitchen to lighten the room up, and white and black are cheaper than stainless steel, but once Tammy and I saw the white stoves I changed my mind.  I can handle a white refrigerator but not a white stove.

Here is the refrigerator I bought:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_186006-149-RF260BEAESR_4294857963__?productId=3773537&Ns=p_product_avg_rating|1#BVRRWidgetID

The Sears web site is nice as they also have interior views of the refrigerator.  Note, Sears sells the "stainless look" which is stainless steel with a "Stainless Platinum" covering.  One can stick magnets to this door.  Not a feature I had to have.

http://www.sears.com/samsung-26-cu-ft-french-door-refrigerator-w-internal/p-04682036000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1


The model in the Lowes store was black.   They would have to order a stainless steel model for me.  While this normally takes 5 to 7 business days, the warehouse is out of this model.  The salesman checked and 34 of them right now are on a boat traveling from Korea.  So I should have the refrigerator by the end of the month.  I guess we'll be eating out of a cooler a little while longer.

Now to decide whether I want to buy the extended warranty plan from Lowes.

Lastly... remember where I earlier mentioned this was a larger cubic feet sized refrigerator? That also means that french door models are larger physically.  This french door model is 35.75 inches wide.   My current refrigerator is 32.25 inches wide and the counter and cabinets are built right up to the refrigerator.  In my kitchen remodel plan I had decided to move the refrigerator to a new location.  Until I do the remodel this refrigerator can sit in the dining room.  It will work - it just won't be hooked up to a water line to make ice.