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General Landlording & Rental Properties

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Drew Denham
  • Grand Rapids, MI
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Frigidaire appliances = junk

Drew Denham
  • Grand Rapids, MI
Posted Jun 14 2017, 04:28

So I bought a BRAND NEW refrigerator from ABC Warehouse (w/ 5 year warranty), it crapped out and ruined my tenants food (2 months after the purchase) ABC fixed a part, and 2 months later the fridge stopped cooling again (on a appliance less than 6 months old). ABC and Frigidaire are very resistant to replacing the appliance and said that I bought a repair, not a replacement warranty. I knocked $100 off rent for my tenant because she has always paid on time. 

So I wanted to ask if anyone has a similar type of problem and what they did? 

Also, what brand do you buy for appliances? I bought brand new because i'm an out of town investor and I wanted to avoid any appliance related tenant call.... 

In another rental I had a $800 Whirlpool refrigerator and 5-6 years later it broke beyond repair (also an ABC Warehouse purchase). They sure don't make appliances like they used to. 

Thanks all. 

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Rogers Smith
  • Developer
  • Covington, LA
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Rogers Smith
  • Developer
  • Covington, LA
Replied Jun 14 2017, 04:40

@Drew Denham I have had the same type of experience with Fridgidaire. I've moved to Kitchenaid on +$400k specs and GE or Whirlpool on smaller specs. Whirlpool and Kitchenaid are made by the same manufacturer, with the former marketed to the lower market segment and the later targeted to the higher end.

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Dawn P.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Sumter, SC
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Dawn P.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Sumter, SC
Replied Jun 14 2017, 04:48

The fridge and stove in my own home are both Frigidaires, been going strong for 10 and 8 years, respectively. 

My rental appliances are currently a mix of Whirlpool, Frigidaire, and Amana...whatever I find on sale. Haven't had any issues yet *knock on wood*.

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Joel Owens
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Canton, GA
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Joel Owens
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Canton, GA
ModeratorReplied Jun 14 2017, 05:28

A lot of these types of products come off the same assembly line in many cases so it can come down to the engineering design, parts used, and where it was made.

Look up consumer reports next time and look for (dent and ding sales) where maybe the side has a small ding in it but they will sell it new for cheap etc.

Renters usually care about it works with no issues especially at the lower to mid  rental price points.  

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John K.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Chino, CA
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John K.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Chino, CA
Replied Jun 14 2017, 06:12

All appliances are engineered poorly these days. Even the high end stuff has a limited life. I've just accepted it and try to find whatever looks the best for a good price.

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Chuy Gonzalez
  • Investor
  • Long Beach, CA
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Chuy Gonzalez
  • Investor
  • Long Beach, CA
Replied Jun 14 2017, 09:33

I used to live in Michigan, and i though it was interesting that all my apartments came with Refrigerators. Here in my native California, apartments almost never come with a fridge. I don't provide any because I don't want the headache of cleaning out a tenants rotten food after they leave. Recently when preparing a unit for rental, I thought I was spending way too much time cleaning a dirty *** stove...so when the stoves I have now wear out, I'm not replaceing them...that way tenants can take their mess with them when they leave.

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Tommy Martinez
Pro Member
  • Owner
  • Downey, CA
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Tommy Martinez
Pro Member
  • Owner
  • Downey, CA
Replied Jun 14 2017, 20:20

I own an appliance repair and sales store and I can tell you first hand Frigidaire are crap. Also, stay away from LG and Samsung as well. They are horribly made and have tons of issues. Best appliances to buy are whirlpools, kitchenaids, maytags and Amanas which are all made by whirlpool.

Side note: I sell used appliance as well and went to an appliance yard to check out what they had and it was 3 acres of Samsung and lg appliances that all crapped out. Basically a graveyard of crappy appliances and some of these appliances looked great but were way to expensive to fix or parts were no longer available. Stay away! You've been warned!