The Popular Refrigerator Brand To Avoid Buying, According To Reviews

Taking a new appliance home can generate an exciting feeling, especially when it's something big like a refrigerator. Of course, that's more likely to be the case when you're confident you've bought a quality appliance that's built to last and does its job better than the one that came before. It's not such a great feeling when your new fridge breaks down soon after installation. Quality can vary widely, after all, and faulty appliances can be costly — just ask the numerous unhappy Haier appliance customers, for instance.

Another example is Samsung fridges. Between 2022 and 2023, Samsung was the subject of more complaints to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission than any other refrigerator brand on the market. Apparently, it was common for ice to build up in the back of the fridge and block the flow of cold air, which, combined with faulty temperature gauges, left the fridges unable to keep food and medications cold. Given the whole point of a fridge is to do just that, this is an obvious major issue.

Now, experiences can vary widely, and if you scan reviews of Samsung appliances, not every fridge sold had these problems. But even still, given the sheer quantity of unhappy buyers writing online, you may want to skip adding a Samsung fridge to your home. There are plenty of brands available that don't have so many reported problems.

People have plenty to say about Samsung fridges online. In one Reddit thread asking if Samsung was still dropping the ball on refrigerators, one user stated, "Their [Samsung's] refrigerators are known to have horrible issues with ice makers and compressors." In a different thread, another vehemently proclaimed that you should "Never, EVER EVER buy a Samsung refrigerator!" going on to write that the "fridge is barely cool." Tellingly, a commenter below chimed in to say they did deliveries for an appliance store and routinely hauled away busted Samsung fridges that were being replaced.

In another Reddit thread, one user simply said, "The worst. I wouldn't take one for free," succinctly summing up the pile-on of other commenters. Another user offered a specific reason for the frequent breakdowns: "All your money is going towards fancy bells and whistles (fridge cam, tablet built into the door, etc) instead of the important components." If parts like the compressor (which appears to be a frequent complaint linked to cooling issues) are of poor quality, fridges can easily fail and leave food to spoil, especially items with short shelf lives like raw chicken.

If you're still in doubt, there are even entire Facebook groups dedicated to complaints about Samsung appliances and, perhaps just as bad, the company's customer service. While there's still room for a turnaround at Samsung, you might wish to cast your eye somewhere else if now is the time for a new refrigerator.