Does anyone know of a good, free place to read reviews on kitchen appliances? We're remodeling our kitchen and are replacing all of our appliances. I've shopped around town quite a bit and have found a Frigidaire set that looks good and is the best overall price, but am not 100% confident in the brand. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Brand is something that you should look less and less at. Most "brands" contract for their manufacturing to be done by some random company overseas. Many of these competing brands even use the same manufacturers.

My advice would be to go with the product with the best price and set of features. Quality should be about the same.

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There are quite a few review sites here is a decent vague for alot of different consumer electronics (do a google search also to find more specific review sites always comes out decently for me)...

http://www.epinions.com

I agree with Midtowner, I used to sell appliances back when my company sold appliances.

Whirpool and GE make most of the appliances found in appliance stores these days. The first thing you need to consider is your budget and stick to that. Next look at the models with all the bells and whistles, then figure out which features you can do without. Shop for the model that fits your budget and needs not what the salesman tries to talk you into buying.

If your looking at spending good money for quality products go to Metro Builders Supply.
They are located on Reno and Rockwell. They sell nothing but appliances and they have everything from the average appliances to the high quality applicances like Sub-zero.

Whatever you do stay away from Wal-Mart.

One thing to also consider is quality. If you buy a piece of junk (Frigidare for example) you will be replacing it in a couple of years. So, buy quality brands such as Maytag. They are built to last. Yes. They cost more, but look at the long term. Appliances are an investment.

Example. You spend 200.00 (rounded off) for a washer. It breaks down in two years. You then spend 150.00 for a repair or you spend another 200 to replace it. Two years later, you do that again. You have spend about 600.00 in four years. If you spent that 600.00 for a quailty product, chances are those repairs will not happen for 10 or more years, reducing your annual cost to 60.00 instead of 100.00.

Most people do not plan ahead. It is a thow away society... And that is ashame.

I'm not an expert on appliances, but my Frigidare dishwasher and oven/stove have been humming along happily for over ten years now with nary a problem. They aren't Viking or Subzero appliances, but there's nothing low-quality about them just because they bear the Frigidare name.

However, my Maytag washing machine has been down for repairs twice in the last five years.

You can't always go by name. Like OklaCity_75 said, many appliances are just rebranded versions of another manufacturer.

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My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind
Albert Einstein

Your situation is quite unusual. Most Frigidares breakdown quickly and most Maytags do not break down. Nearly every Frigidare product I sold had problems, and less than one percent of Maytag owners reported problems. You probably got the one in one million that had the problem. Even a Rolls Royce has an occasional product that has problems.

After shopping extensively around the metro, Metro Builder's Supply has the most attractive option for us. The price for all of the appliances we're buying is about $2,000 less with Frigidaire than the other brands. AND, the overall features, look and functionality of the Frigidaire is our favorite. We're afraid of the mechanical problems we keep hearing about, but almost everyone's bad experiences are 10+ years ago. Surely they wouldn't be in business if those problems were still so prevalent.

Thoughts?

With the number of people who buy price and not by long term investment, companies like Frigidare will stay for decades to come. I very strongly suggest you look at the long term. Those problems DO persist today. I sold appliances for over five years and still stay in touch. It would take a terrabite of space to tell all the problems with brands like Frigidare, but only one kilobite with brands like Maytag.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stinger After shopping extensively around the metro, Metro Builder's Supply has the most attractive option for us. The price for all of the appliances we're buying is about $2,000 less with Frigidaire than the other brands. AND, the overall features, look and functionality of the Frigidaire is our favorite. We're afraid of the mechanical problems we keep hearing about, but almost everyone's bad experiences are 10+ years ago. Surely they wouldn't be in business if those problems were still so prevalent.

When I sold appliances almost every brand had their problems. Frigidaire does have a bargain basement line that has problems. Just like Whirlpool's Roper line and Maytag's Magic chef line are junk. Bottom line you will get what you pay for, just do not go overboard and pay a thousand dollars for each appliance unless you have the money to do that.

As I said before set a budget, look at the fancy models with all the bells and whistles, then decide what features you can do without. Most of the time if you look at the products that are priced in between the cheapest and most expensive you will find something you will be happy with down the road.

If your ever in doubt purchase an extend service plan. They are well worth the money. In some instances the price of a service plan will be cheaper than one service call to a repairman.

As most people know an appliance service all can run anywhere from a $100 to $350 dollars. For example a an appliance repairman will charge you $50-$75 to park in your driveway and ring the door bell, then $50-$100 for labor and then the price of the part(s).

Just make sure read the fine print and understand what will be covered and what is not covered.

Never buy a service plan that cost more than 40% of the purchase price. Pick the plan that is the most affordable and make the most since. For instance if you know you will be upgrading to something else in the future only purchase a 3-5 year agreement. If you plan to keep it forever, buy the more expensive one.

All my appliances - range, fridge, washer, dryer - are from Sears, and I suspect are manufactured by Whirlpool.

No issues to report so far; then again, they're relatively new (three to four years).

Incidentally, I've written some reviews for Epinions, but not for this equipment. Maybe I should.

You are correct......Whirpool has been making Kenmore appliances for years.

http://www.my3cents.com/companyOverview.cgi?code=443

Check out the reviews on this Frigidaire Review board.

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" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

Wow, do a search on other products (Maytag, GE) as well! It seems that site is just a place to vent.

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My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind
Albert Einstein

Yeah, I figured it was just a vent site when I searched other products. People generally don't seek out places to express their satisfaction.

I am always a little suspicious of websites that bash products or companies.

I am the type of person that believes that there are three sides to every story. The complaintant is just one side of it. For all you know the person complaining may be a competitor, disgruntled employee, or customer that just expects the company to take care of every little problem.

Trust me. With the large number of Frigidare products that came back or I got service calls for, these are not competitors, disgruntled staff member or picky consumer. They sound exactly like I heard for five years. A lousy product and people to cheap to invest wisely.

Yeah, it might be just a place to vent ( I just searched Google ) but it's a good place to view how customer service responds to issues. - I'm not endorsing this site, just trying to be helpful - I don't have an opinion one way or the other on appliances..

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" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

You probably don't mean it that way, but that statement strikes me as terribly condescending. Its like calling everyone who purchases a Ford instead of a Mercedes-Benz an ingorant cheapskate. Not everyone can afford a $2,000 difference when purchasing a housefull of appliances.

Stinger,
I say, get whatever brand has the features you want and that you can best afford; the most expensive doesn't alwasys indicate the best quality. Then, put any savings into an investment account and you will have enough to cover the costs of any possible repairs, plus you will be earning interest.

If its really that difficult of a decision, go to Consumer Reports ($4.95 per month-no commitment). They will give you unbiased information and repair histories.

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My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind
Albert Einstein