I bought this fridge after a lot of comparisons, and research. I went to a dozen shops. I checked out all available brands in my budget. I finally plumped for this one for 3 reasons:
1. The design was great. The freezer was large, but not too large. Unlike the models from LG and Samsung, the ratio was 30:70. In this 270 L fridge, 70 liters is for the freezer, which is a ratio of 3:1, which is fine for most people in India, especially vegetarians. I am given to understand that the 40:60 ratio large freezers are designed for the west, where most people cook in bulk and deep freeze, or buy a lot of frozen, ready- to-cook food, and need the large freezer space.
When I polled my friends and colleagues, I found that most of them wind up wasting the large freezer space. So this one with its smaller freezer was just right, and the shelves were perfect, I felt.. Another great aspect of the design was 3 shelves in the refrigerator section, one of which was slide-in , for tall vessels. ’’What I great idea!’’, I thought, though I had seen it in other models.
Also there were recessed drip moats around the trays, so that spills would stay in the try and not drip down,
Kangaroo tray in the vegetable crisper, to hold soft vegetables, like tomatoes and curry leaves etc. great idea, as they would not be crushed
A medicine cabinet, for insulin ( if you have a diabetic at home)
A can rack for soft drinks (really useful sometimes) in the Luxury model
As, I said, great design, it was even given design of the year in 2003/2004 by some rating agency.
2. A lovely digital display in front, glowing in neon green. Very useful in the night. Tells you the time and the exterior temperature, also the freezer temperature level using a bar system.
3. The Kelvinator name. As Electrolux had taken over the venerable old company, I thought, like the ad jingle goes ’’the name is the guarantee!’’
But I was wrong. The unit ran well for 6 months, then for some unexplicable reason, the ice in the ice storage tray began to melt, The much touted ’’four star freezer’’ with a temperature rating of -28 degrees C just went for a six... I thought it was a minor irritant, and I called customer service. They came. FOURTEEN times, each time, a mechanic who didn’t seem too confident came. They changed the thermostat twice, the defrost timer and the ’’bimetal’’ (what’s that?)once. One chap even suggested changing the compressor!. It was like a group of doctors investigating a patient with FUO ( fever of unknown origin), but these guys didn’t have a clue!
Weeks passed, then it became months. A new service centre was called in(another 6 visits). Finally, I snapped. I called up customer care in Haryana, but after being on hold for 10 minutes, I hung up. Then I sent them several e mails, and finally the customer care manager called me up and told me to send the fridge over to them to be examined for 3 days (sounded ominous!) I didn’t.
Then I shifted residence, but after the shift, the fridge started working OK after a week!
The key point I found is that: Electrolux service was terrible. The e mail support was mediocre, after a few replies, no one mailed to find how I was doing and a a few were left unanswered, except the one where I moaned ’’ How I wish I had bought a Samsung instead!’’
I really do, because I have had only good experiences with Samsung service! I believe my experience was a freak one.. I truly believe that the product , in itself, is good. But the service really sucks! So, if you like the design, still think it out a bit, because, if the fridge needs service, you might be in deep trouble!
Pros : Fantastic Design, good looks
Cons: Unreliable product, Lousy service!