Complain about a product or service

Frigidaire

Frigidaire, now owned by Electrolux, is one of the oldest brand names in home appliances but that doesn't necessarily mean it's one of the most reliable, as the complaints in this section attest.

• Ranges
• Washer/Dryers
• Refrigerators
• Gas Stoves
• Air Conditioners
• Freezers
• Dishwashers
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• Electrolux Vacuums

Electrolux has provided us with the email address of an escalation specialist who promises to try to solve some of the more pressing complaints.

Some unlucky souls have trouble with multiple Frigidaire appliances, like those below:

Brenda of Sherburne, NY October 16, 2009

I am writing to voice my dissatisfaction with Frigidaire appliances. My story is lengthy, but after all the problems I've had you will understand my frustration, and why I will never purchase another Frigidaire product again, as long as I live.

After many years of cooking in a cramped galley kitchen (I am a baker and make many wedding cakes and other specialty cakes), we decided to add on to our house with a new 12 x 20 addition for a new state-of-the-art kitchen. I purchased a Frigidaire range, combination convection and regular oven with warming tray and smooth top. I bought this at the end of May 2005 and it was not cheap, around 1,200.00. It was held in the warehouse until contractors were ready to install in early November of 2005. It took this long due to many problems with delays and other problems that are too numerous to mention. When the contractors installed it, it was missing a leveling leg and parts for the warming tray. There were no rollers on one side and the metal sheeting, covering the top of the warming tray was just hanging down, not secured in anyway, I can't remember what else was missing. It took some doing, but it got repaired at no charge. I do not know if it came from the factory this way or was cannibalized for parts in the sellers' warehouse. I now suspect it came from the factory that way. The design is poor, shortly after I purchased this a pot of potatoes boiled over and went done vent holes in fron t of the oven, staining the inside of the glass doors. It is very unsightly. When asked about cleaing this, I was told by company I purchased this from it would be a pricy service call ~100.00 so it still looks horrible.

My second experience with Frigidaire was this Spring 2009. I needed a new dehumidifier for my basement. I went to Lowe's and purchased a Frigidaire 70pint for around 265.00. Not exactly cheap! I took it home, plugged it in and the next morning my carpet was wet where it had overflowed. I read the manual and then re-read the manual and tried everything I could and even called the HELP number, and it continued to overflow and soak my carpet. I finally returned it to Lowe's and they replaced it with another; the same make and model. The same thing happened. So I would only run it for 4 hours at-a-time, as I was sick of the wet carpet. I also took this one back and after arguing with Lowe's they finally gave me my money back. I then went to another store and purchased another model and it has been working fine. Obviously, the Frigidaire model was defective, which makes me think it was probably made with defective components made in China or some other third world country with no quality control.

Now a couple of months later, I get a letter from Frigidaire that my 1200 stove I purchased in 2005 being recalled for a fire hazard. I have been waiting for two months for the repair service to come and replace the defective part as we do not dare leave it plugged in. This service has been scheduled three times and cancelled three times. I was on the phone so many times with Frigidaire I've lost count. I have been transferred from one department to another and no one there seems to know what the other department is doing. Now that we are on a first name basis, and the word is getting out, the last few times I've called someone actually sort of knew what was going on. I was told the parts were backordered until November 1st. When I told one customer service person that Thanksgiving was coming and it would be nice to cook a turkey, they just laughed. Now I am told parts will ship directly to me, and I must call to make arrangements for repair when received. Now thank God my husband is retired and can be available all day to wait until someone shows up, but if he were still working too, that would be four days one of us would have had to miss work as we were told anywhere from 8am to 5pm to be home and available for repairman.

Eventually, I suppose I will get it fixed, but after looking on your website and seeing other Frigidaire products being recalled too, for fire hazards; like washers and dryers, I know that you can't make a decent product and I will never purchase your brand again. I hope moving all those manufacturing jobs to third world countries to save a buck, has paid off for you. Not only have you put Americans out of work, you have jeopardized their safety with defective parts. This country used to pride its self on quality goods, with our Quality Circles and other quality related programs; it gave the public confidence in a safe, dependable, reliable product. In my mind, you have destroyed that ideal. Corporate greed will be the ruination of this country. We already have a very good start.

Melanie of St. Petersburg, FL October 13, 2009

Completely remodeled our home in 2006-2007 and purchased all matching Frigidaire kitchen and laundry appliances, all but one item (our range hood) from Lowe's. To date, we have had repairs and breakdowns of every single product. Most seriously, our front-loading washer/dryer combo is an unbelievably poor appliance. The dryer, Model number LEQ1442ESO, catches clothing on the lint trap and ruins straps, ties, and tears clothes. It overheats regularly and leaves scorch marks on fabric or cuts off and doesn't dry at all. The case for the control panel at the top broke right after the warranty expired and has now detached completely from the machine and dangles by the wires. Most of the dryer cycles do not work and even before the control panel detached, all the lights blink and the machine beeps insanely and repeatedly whether the machine is drying or not. The only solution is to unplug the machine. We have had to have the machine serviced on multiple occasions for excessive lint build-up. The overheating is so serious, we check and clean the machine regularly and have pulled it away from the wall to prevent a fire hazard.

The matching Frigidaire washer is also a serious problem. Water damage from an interior leak has destroyed the barcode sticker so I am no longer able to read the model and serial numbers. Lowe's was not accommodating in helping us recover the model information. The washer filter gets clogged repeatedly and the drum retains water. The Drain/Rinse cycle does not work. The gasket leaked inside the door leading to a truly impressive display of rust on the washer door. The hinges are completely rusted and the bottom of the door, plus the door does not close by itself any longer and must be forced shut. The bottom panel beneath the door is completely rusted out. The first time I noticed the door sticking due to the rust, was when the plastic door handle snapped off in my hands under normal opening pressure. I now have to pry the door open with a screwdriver. As if this is not enough, the washer does not clean clothes properly and my whites never get white. Although I have yet to notice the mold problems mentioned by other consumers, I see the potential because the gasket does not drain properly and retains water between cycles--I always clean it out.

Frigidaire Stainless Dishwasher, Model FDB1500LFCO. Dishwasher has required multiple repairs. Spray arm becomes loose or dislodged and falls against the element, which then melts it requiring a replacement part. Filter is not effective and dirty water backs up inside the machine and leaks out the front. Dishwasher does not clean the dishes effectively even using premium products and rinse agent--glasses are regularly cloudy. (We do not have hard water). Most importantly, dishwasher chips and breaks plates\bowls and scratches cookware even when sparsely loaded. I have never owned a dishwasher that broke plates even occasionally and I currently have a 12 piece table setting that is more than 80% chipped. I will not purchase new plates while I still own this washer for fear of more expensive damage. Stainless cover shows excessive scratching...all I use is wipes or a soft sponge.

Frigidaire Side by Side Stainless Refrigerator Model Number FRS6LC8FS2. Plastic shelves chip, scratch, and crack under light cleaning. Fan motor is unbelievably loud and ice machine whines and grumbles. Door handles will not hold flush to door even when adjusted. In-door water/ice dispensers are clouded and scratched after only 2 years of use. Stainless door panels show excessive wear after minimal use and light cleaning. Poor finish.

Frigidaire Ceramic-top Range Model FEFL796CA. Vented heat from inside stove has permanently discolored stainless control panel at top left. Vents at top of stove door do not prevent spilled fluid from entering sealed area between double glass fronts, resulting in unsightly drip marks we are unable to remove. Drawer slides on bottom oven drawer broken and non-functional. Both stainless and paint finishes are unacceptable--2 years of wear should not be enough to chip the paint and show scratches on the stainless areas.

I will estimate we spent 1800 on our refrigerator, 600 on our range, 300 on our dishwasher, and 700 on our washer/dryer combo. This is a grand total of approximately 3400 on Frigidaire appliances, none of which work properly or look aesthetically pleasing at the three year mark. We are extremely disappointed and will NEVER purchase Frigidaire/Electrolux appliances ever again! No satisfaction from the company, no help from Lowe's, only endless repairs and expensive parts. We estimate we've spent about an additional 500.00 on repairs and laundromat expenses so far. We are unable to replace our washer/dryer at this time and that is our most crucial complaint. Please help us.

Elizabeth of Byron Center, MI October 3, 2009

I was just surfing the web to see what was wrong with my Frigidaire Stainless side by side refrigerator. We descovered a flood in the fruit cellar which is directly below my totally remodeled kitchen with the complete set of the stainless Gallery series appliances. (which are now 4 yrs old - but that's still new to me) The refrigerator is leaking-big time- from the back or underneath. I shut the water supply off and got out the wet vac for the basement. My new Pergo is a little warped under the fridge. Most of the water went down the foundation wall.

Anyway, I stumbled upon this sight and know what I have to look foward to. The refrigerator flood thing just happened so I don't know what the cost to repair will be. But as I am reading all the Frigidaire complaints, I just remembered we already had to replace the overhead microwave. It kind of exploded inside when I was warming up my coffee. I thought I just blew a fuse- well I did blew a fuse and my Frigidaire microwave. I forgot what they told us when we brought to the service except it was done for. We found a GE microwave that blended in with the appliances. I looked it up on line and that model of microwave had a defect (not a factory defect - Electrolux can't admit any responsiblity) but the microwave was known for doing what it did. I never gave it a second thought because we liked the new GE microwave 100% more. It is so much easier to use and we got it on sale for around 350.

OK, we can handle a microwave replacement cost . . . but a refrigerator, dishwasher and a range? My appliances were out of warranty so I didn't bother to look at the Limited Warranty Electrolux offers until now. If I was still under warranty anything I would need fixed or replaced is listed in their exclusion clause- my Pergo floor would be excluded. Any ruined food in the refrigerator. They even exclude rust on the inside or outside of the unit. Every legitimate complaint I have read on this web site is covered by an exclusion in the warranty. It's to bad a good company has sunk so low. The over 50 crowd is buying Frigidaire because we think that's what we are getting. We are not. The real Frigidaire as gone away and it is a cheap imitation of the former company. They can't hurt so many people and continue to thrive.

Debbie of Troy, PA October 2, 2009

We have been having problems with our Frigidaire dryer since day one. Anything and everything with straps and pull strings, and even towels are getting caught in the space around the barrel of the dryer near the lint trap. The other issue started about two months ago. The lights on the front of the dryer flash and beep randomly. Sometimes this happends while the dryer is running and sometimes it does it when I have it off and no clothes at all in the dryer. I tried to find a solution in the manual. All I could determine is that maybe the lint is clogging up somewhere. We pulled the dryer out and there was a bit of lint that had accumulated inside the dryer, so we completely cleaned it out including our vent in the house. We are still having the same issue no changes at all.

I contacted Frigidaire by email and advised them of these issues. Their response is the following: I am sorry to hear of your difficulty. We here at Electrolux strive for quality and customer satisfaction. While I can not guarantee that every unit will be problem free, I can assure you that this is a rare thing that yo are experiencing.

Of course, the dryer is no longer under warranty as we purchased it in January 2008. I really don't understand how a repairman could fix what I would consider a manufacturing error. To date, we are still pulling our garments out the space around the barrel and I am ignoring the beeping on the front of the dryer. I was hoping for a resolution from Frigidaire, but from the email response above, they do not feel they are responsible. What are consumers to do?

Lucy of macomb, MI September 29, 2009

My mom bought a Frigidaige frig about three years ago, FRS6HF55KM model, and its a piece of crap!! the adjustable door bins are shit!! They don't hold much. We put a gallon of milk on one of the bins and the whole bins just completely fell down and the little handles broke off.

So I called the warranty department at Lowe's and they came out and said that they cant do anything about it because it is a accessory for the frig and the warranty doesn't cover that. so now I have two broken bins that I cant use and all the other bins have cracks around the little handles and they will brake any day now and i don't even store much stuff on them. Just a few salad dressings.

But thats not the only problem we have with the frig. There is cracks all over the inside of the frig and freezer. It looks like the frig is falling apart. The cracks are all on the side of the walls. Some are so big that you could see right thru. I called several times to the warranty department and they sent repair guys out but they did nothing but put some kind of glue on them but more cracks form and the other ones are getting bigger and they wont do anything else because they say its cosmetic damage even if I could see inside the frig. They told me I just have to deal with it because they arent gonna do anything more for it.

DONT BUY Frigidaire or the extended warranty from Lowe's because they don't cover anything. Lowe's will tell you that they cover everything, even normal wear and tear you cause. All they want is to rip people off that don't have much money to begin with. I cant believe that with all the technology that's out there right now that a company can't make a frig last for no more than a couple years. All these companies don't care about people, all they want is for us to spend more money so that's way they make [bad] appliances.

Gary of Germantown, MD September 24, 2009

My wife and i purchased brand new kitchen appliances at best buy (Frigidaire brand) on Jan 25,2008 we have had issues with all of the products, and as of today the oven has not been functioning for over six weeks, the customer service department at frigidaire took my complaint and gave me their word that they would repair the oven, but after six weeks of frustration the oven is still not repaired.

Rhea of Prince George, BC September 23, 2009

On September 4, 2009 I went to turn the oven on My 2005 Professional Series Fridgidaire smoothtop stove. Sparks and flames began shooting out of the electrical console. I am 6 and a half months pregnant and immediately grabbed my 3 year old daughter and removed her from the room. My husband pulled the stove from the wall and beat the flames out. We have been without a stove since this occurred and we have been fighting with both Fridgidaire and Sears to get someone to come service the stove. Sears has been reluctanct to send someone to fix the stove because it is a manufacturer's defect. Fridgidaire wants to pass responsiblity to Sears. WHat this has meant for us is that we don't have a working/safe stove and that we are at the mercy of service repair people and their busy schedules. On monday the 21st I received a call from Sears at 10:30 am. The message said someone would be out at 11:30 to check out the stove. Since we both work, I received the message at 4 pm. No fix for the stove. A similar scenario replayed itself today.

peter of Silver Spring, MD September 9, 2009

Frigidaire Glasstop oven Model PLEF398CCC Serial VF34253217. Top burners have stayed on. Last week my wife turned oven to broil and a loud pop and sparks/flames came out of the back up to the range hood and tehn subsided. I reset the breaker and the same thing happened. This is when I found out about the recall.

I called teh recall help line to set up service. They can not service the pop issue until they fix the burners. I was told parts would be sent to my house? Service was set up for Labor day Saturday from 12-5. No calls until 2PM, when I was told that since no parts came there would be no service.

I have had no stove/oven for 10 days and e-mailed frigidaire yesterday. No response yet. Obviously these are a huge hazard. We have lost a full day on a holiday weekend, have had to eat out for 10 days for most meals as we only have a microwave and do not know if electrical damage was done to our house... we need this fixed or replaced.

Judi of Bradenton, FL August 28, 2009

We replaced our kitchen appliances with Frigidaire. Since we bought them, both the refrigerator and stove have given us headaches, and reading all the complaints here, I understand we are not alone. The ice maker in our freezer has never worked right and they have 'repaired' it several times. They couldn't figure out why it was flooding my kitchen with water, but I did. The icemaker will not automatically shut off, so when there is no more room, the water shooting into the icetrays has no where to go and some how runs out the ice distribution area on the front of the frig and floods my kitchen.

The stove has always been inconsistant. Items on low left to cook (spaghetti sauce, soup, chilli) boil...they cannot be left to cook on the stove. The oven burns items on the bottom (I have to put a pan or tin foil in between the bottom heat element and food to avoid burns), and if I use the convection, you can see where one half of something is done where the other half still needs to cook.

But the scariest thing for us is how extremely hot the oven gets on it's exterior. I have burnt my arms, hands, and abdomen because of the extreme heat on the outside of the stove. Whether it is because the seal is non-existant or something else, I don't know...but my children have burnt their hands and that burns me!

I will never buy Frigidaire or Electrolux products again. Calling to discuss anything with them, you get a foreigner that you can barely understand and who cannot really help you. And if you get a repair man to the house and the problem doesn't replicate while he's there...you are sol. Now my microwave has started, on occasion, giving an electrical POP when I turn it on. It isn't all the time, but it is scary and sounds so dangerous. If and when I can find a job, the first thing that will go is the stove!

Cynthia of Woodstock, GA August 28, 2009

Originally, I went to the consumeraffairs.com website to file a complaint because the condenser in my Frigidaire refrigerator went bad after 5 years & 2 months, which was, of course, 2 months after the warranty ran out. Customer service offered to pay for the part, but I was going to have to cover the labor, which was going to run 320.00. A refrigerator is a major appliance purchase and my thoughts were that all consumers expect major appliances to last much longer than 5 years. I ran across the link on consumeraffairs.com for Chris Polk, the Escalation Specialist for Electrolux suggesting that consumers should contact him and give him the opportunity to look into any issues that had occurred. Before filing a complaint, I decided obviously I had not tried everything and maybe the right thing to do would be to contact Mr. Polk. He responded to my email immediately and offered me a couple of different solutions. I opted to have my refrigerator repaired and it is working as good as new. Electrolux paid for the labor and the part. I couldn’t be happier with the service and the solution I received from Chris Polk. I had tried on my own to find the name of someone in charge at Electrolux, but to no avail so thanks to your website for making all this information available to consumers and thanks also to Electrolux and Chris Polk.

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