In 2010 we bought a brand-new Panasonic inverter fridge-freezer. In August, for some odd reason, it started playing up. Beeping at us and flashing digits. I gave it a good clean out, the freezer wasn’t iced up though. Then I noticed that the freezer wasn’t that cold, and very soon it was apparent that the freezer wasn’t working at all, even though the fridge was. Oh dear. I thought we’d bought a quality item, obviously built-in obsolescence of 4 years. Impressed – NOT.
Panasonic NR-B30FG1-WB with a 4-year life-span
So how to get it fixed? Well the saga goes that I contacted Panasonic who put me in touch with their ‘customer care’ people at Glen Dimplex – somewhere near Liverpool I think. Their chaps on the phone were most helpful, offered a one-payment upfront deal to fix and repair the thing. Just wanted it done. Firstly they said they could only come about 2 weeks away. So hesitated, tried another independent repair company, Cool Easy, that they recommended too. Chap told me his charges, and the fact that replacement parts could be pretty expensive. So after some discussion, we decided to go back to Glen Dimplex.
So paid their fee, arranged for a chap to come the following Monday and they said, very nicely, that he would ring on Monday morning before 10 to let us know roughly what time he would arrive. So 10am came and went, no call. Spent some 30 mins on the phone trying to get through to Glen Dimplex to find out what was happening. Transpired that the engineer hadn’t received the information and didn’t know he was supposed to come. OK, so mistakes happen. Re-booked for the following Tuesday when they said they would send ‘their own engineer’. Waited in vain. No call, no engineer. Same nonsense. Somewhat frustrated, had some tough words with Glen Dimplex, particularly since I’d paid up front for a service not received. One last go, re-scheduled for a third time, still no show. Phoned up, highly aggrieved, requested a refund of my fee (which, mercifully, is about the only thing they managed to do successfully).
To say I am unimpressed is a gross understatement, and we still don’t have a functioning freezer – almost 3 months. Fortunately we kept the old fridge freezer in the garage and have pressed that into service – it was just being used for beers!
Can anyone actually recommend an engineer to do this job? Someone who will actually turn up when arranged. Update: found another parts supplier who sent an engineer who determined it was probably the compressor that was on its way out and blown the circuit boards. Transpired it was a no-hoper and unrepairable. So Panasonic = trash. Buying a new fridge freezer, and it WON’T be a Panasonic. Going for a Hotpoint. Even the engineer said that Panasonic might make good TVs but can’t compete with the ‘traditional’ white goods makers. Apparently Samsung fridge freezers have a tendancy to catch fire because of inadequate wiring. So beware.
My current view is NEVER buy from Panasonic. Certainly will be my mantra based on this experience. Surely their equipment ought to last more than 4 years?
