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Previous: Digitas job response via Monster.com | Main | Next: Best Buy interior column
January 4, 2006 12:03 AM
Broken: LG refrigerator doors
Daniel Brown writes:
As part of our kitchen remodel, we purchased an LG refrigerator. The refrigerator is split with two vertical doors, the freezer is a single drawer on the bottom. (Freezer on the bottom should have won an award of some kind for usability.)
However, this device has one of the worst kinds of usability issues - the kind you don't notice for about a week. The doors, unless forcefully closed, do not close themselves. In fact, they actually hold themselves open about an inch. (This is part of the magnet mechanism that seals the doors to each other as well as to the refrigerator itself.) Hence, unlike nearly every other refrigerator door, these must BE CLOSED rather than relying on gravity to do the job for you.
To add insult to injury, the unit will beep at you indicating that a door was left open.
OK, that's broken -- but, um, it beeps at you when the door is left open and it took you a week to notice?
A dumb question perhaps, but there was no indication in the original post. Has the fridge been properly levelled?
Since when was closing a refridgerator a hard task? I always close my fridge after I use it. I can't imagine how many calories I waste throughout my lifetime when I close refridgreator doors.
It's nice that it beeps at you to close it. All fridges should have that. It's better than wasting money having it open.
Ok- there's a couple things here:
1)you have to properly brief anyone that goes near your fridge, since just about everywhere else in the world, you just push it a bit to send it on its merry way to closing itself.. which leads to...
2)when you pull out a bunch of stuff and you do that close thing with an elbow or foot, the last thing you want to do is stick around to "seal the deal" (pun intended)
3)The beeping noise might actually be the company recognizing the potential flaw in the design. Of course, many fridges have the beep, so it's probably just another feature- but I wouldn't rule out someone testing this thing and saying.. "well, instead of redesigning the doors to actually close easily, let's just add an annoying beep!"
Hmmm...
1. On most other fridges, it's not gravity closing the doors, it's you... and magnets holding it closed. You still have to push the door closed on most every fridge I've ever owned. Are you saying it doesn't have the same "magenetic seal" most do?
2. I *hate* the freezer on the bottom design. (BTW, it's on other models, too... GE, Maytag... I don't think LG invented it). It's a royal pain in the butt to bend over and dig through looking for lost gold on the very bottom of the drawer. Awful, awful design. :)
Um, have you called the place you bought it from and demanded some repair? Sometimes, things really are broken - not flawed design - and can be fixed or replaced...
Carlos makes an excellent point. Most fridges close of their own of they are properly levelled. That doesn't necessarily mean "both sides even", either. My fridge has to be lower in the back than it is on the front. Just a suggestion...
It strains credulity to think that LG somehow redesigned the hinges on this fridge to not close correctly and then added an alarm to cover up the bad design.
It's not properly levelled. Every time I've moved a fridge, I've had to adjust the level with the adjustable feet that the manufacturer provides for that very purpose.
When you're installing a new fridge, the installer may get it levelled such that the doors close as they should when empty, but then once you fill the door with ketchup and salad dressing they don't anymore, because they're heavier.
How is the beeping adding 'insult to injury?' I would think this would be appreciated, seeing as it's keeping you from wasted energy and spoiled food...
I think a reminder in etiquette is required here- if not living in a barn* close doors after you open them- just a bit of common sense here-
*- barn doors actually usually have to stay closed as well- so the animals dont get out- dont know where expression came from because that is totally broken
To Dave:
Freezer on the bottom is not an "Awful, awful design." It's a different, different design from your preference. There are three different designs: Freezer on the bottom, freezer on the side, and freezer on top. I can't see the justification for labeling any of them "wrong," as long as they work properly. Pick the design you prefer.
My 1950s fridge has "freezer in the basement." (Oh, sure, there's a little freezer in the fridge, but it's so small you can't really keep much in it.)
Still, though, I love the damned thing. It's sixty years old and it works great... sure it's probably consuming 10 times the energy as a modern fridge, but it's worth it on style points alone. :)
I'd say not broken. I hate doors that close themselves, specially if I want to put something in that can't be hold with one hand.
BTW, the javascript in this form is broken :-)
I'd say not broken. I hate doors that close themselves, specially if I want to put something in that can't be hold with one hand.
BTW, the javascript in this form is broken :-)
As others have mentioned, the refrigerator most likely was not leveled.
And it's not remotely odd that the refrigerator doesn't swing shut on its own. Most of the refrigerators I've had don't. In fact, I hate refrigerators that do, because then I have to constantly fight the door while it's open and I"m trying to grab things out of the refrigerator - especially when I have to use both hands.
BTW, I like the freezer on the bottom design. I use my refrigerator way, way more than my freezer, so I'd rather have that be at eye level. Bending over to reach something once a week instead of every day is far preferable.
I don't think the fact that the door doesn't close on it's own is the big problem. I think the fact that when you swing it shut, it doesn't seal itself and stays open a tiny bit is the problem. The alarm helps and the problem just takes getting used to. Just like some house doors close all the way if you give them a little push and others usually get hung up on the "tounge" and remain open a little bit. I think your perception and expectation of how doors should work dictates if this fridge is broken or not.
Just to be clear, I don't think anyone was saying it closes on its own. You should be able to push the door and it will close. Not stop an inch from closing.
Bottom freezer is a choice you make (choose from top- or side-mounted, but me personally, I think that side-mounted is limiting you), no one is forcing you to love it: if you are fairly tall, and have to access the fridge more than the freezer, than that would be your preference (it was ours last year, and it sure saved our backs.
Until we got it, we moaned and groaned about the need to bend down for anything. Now we just stand up and enjoy life).
chaz-
I'm not suggesting that they redesigned them to close poorly- but maybe they tried a new hinge or changed the weight of the door never tested with items in the fridge, or used a new leveling mechanism. I don't think it's too unreasonable to say think there might be some change that prevents the door from gracefully shutting with a simply push. As I also admit, the door beep is pretty common actually- but since this website is "A project to make businesses more aware of their customer experience, and how to fix it" then what is a better experience, telling the user that the door is still open when they are already on the other side of the kitchen? Or making it as easy as possible for the door to shut on it's own? Since gravity is really all you need here for the latter, it doesn't seem to hard to do that.
For those that say that they hate it when the door closes, I do too- for that 10% of the time I'm putting groceries away. It would be a nice addition if you could somehow "lock" it open- like push it all the way open to click it or something... that way, you have the best of both worlds- self closing most of the time, but able to stay open (but you're wasting energy!)
I'm in the "I hate bottom freezers" category, but not because I have to bend over -- it's because (at least on my GE fridge) the freezer is basically a wide mesh "drawer" with a fair amount of wasted space around the sides -- and when small items fall through it they are a pain to extricate.
I'm in the "I hate bottom freezers" category, but not because I have to bend over -- it's because (at least on my GE fridge) the freezer is basically a wide mesh "drawer" with a fair amount of wasted space around the sides -- and when small items fall through it they are a pain to extricate.
I grew up with a bottom freezer and I, personally, liked it: cold air sinks, so I always felt (but could not prove) that it was more efficient. The mesh drawer allows you to pull everything out and see it all at once, instead of having to root around. And most of the things I want in a refrigerator are not frozen, so I liked the fact that the part I visited most was at eye level.
That said, I do understand personal preference. Good thing it's there.
Finally: level the fridge. I worked for Sears many years ago, and this was a common complaint, but easily fixed.
I think there are a couple of issues here:
1) The magnets in the doors are polarised the same way, so as one closes it is attracted to the others opposite pole on the way. If the force of the doors closure is inssufient to overcome this attraction the door stays open.
2) The door is not being pushed hard enough to overcome this attraction, but why should it be pushed at all? Surely the doors weight and gravity should be enough for it to work properly?
3) The fridge is not level (assuming the design is correct for the door momentum to overcome the magnets attration
OR
The fridge needs to be tilted back further to increase the doors acceleration.
The easiest engineering fix is to place the magnets in each door at different locations so they can never attract or repel each other.
The beeping if the door is left open is a nice feature (my fridge has this). I have been caught a few times leaving the door open - now I am wondering which problem *I* have :)
The refrigerator is working properly. The smart people at LG decided to eliminate the most annoying, noisy and potentially messy problem that comes with a magnetically sealed door. I will bet that you don't hear anything moving or falling off the inside or outside of your door when you open it. Do you have children or elderly people in your house?
Trying to open some fridges causes the whole thing to move.
Bad seals on fridge doors are often cuased by the magnets forcing too much pressure on a small area of the seal.
The alarm is to help the slow to evolve.
This is a particularly bad fridge. It beeps after just 30 seconds being open. If you pull on just one door handle, both doors open. That's why it doesn't close itself. Leveling it will not help. I don't know if I like the freezer on the bottom but I know I don't like this one's drawer. It is flimsy and bends if you pull it by one side.
"However, this device has one of the worst kinds of usability issues - the kind you don't notice for about a week."
"To add insult to injury, the unit will beep at you indicating that a door was left open."
what's broken is that you did not notice the beeping for a week...
Every refridgerator I've seen has to be closed manually; not broken in my eyes. Besides, the half calorie used to close it fully each day isn't something that I'd call hard work. The alarm's probably for mocking your laziness...
On every properly installed fridge I have seen, if the door was opened past 90° it would open all the way. However if the door was opened less than 90° it would close by it's self. (unless something is blocking the door of course)
OK, I actually saw one of these fridges over the weekend at Home Depot.
I can see your point about it now that I've seen it. This isn't a case of levelling. It's not a hinge issue. I can't imagine any way you could get this fridge to close by itself without maybe laying it down on its back.
I'd be really annoyed by this. I don't know that I'd call it broken, and I don't get how you can say that you don't notice it for a week. I noticed it the very first time I tried to close the door. Even trying to slam the door resulted in it sitting an inch or two ajar as the magnets that hold it closed also prevented it from closing in the first place.
On December 2005 we got this new LG fridge and it was really great until it stopped working! Two weeks ago, we called for repair and it has been a struggle since. They ordered parts, then came again and installed them and yet it will not work. Does anyone know of recalls on LG parts, or repeated problems with their digital controls and/or fans? What does LG do to customers who experience problems? Help!
Some of LG split door fridges have been recalled. They can start fires, it was on CBC's Market Place you can check their web sight for a number to call. You may have a bigger problem than an open door.
We have a LG French door refer for about 2 months. We have had more service call on it than ALL the appliances in our 48 yrs of marrige. the freezer has more frost than the north pole. The ice maker dumps ice in the freezer compartment so we have to get on our hands and knees to pull out the cubes or they will hold the door open compounding the frost problem. When the service man contacted LG he was told they were aware of the problem BUT they don't have a fix yet. They finally agreed to change the unit. Will see what will happen to the new one.
Had the french-door LG (no ice maker) version for two months. Some potential serious problems.
1. Frost intermittently on the ice cream containers in the freezer compartment in the top shelf.
2. Fridge light doesn't come on dependably when left door is opened.
3. Sliding shelf on the top right not designed to NOT slide back when you don't want it to.
Otherwise, looks great and is very very quiet.
Anyone have problems 1. and 2.??
We're 5 months into an LG french door, bottom drawer refrigerator freezer. Two major problems:
1. Freezer will not defrost completely.
2. Icemaker dumps ice into freezer bottom making it impossible to close freezer drawer until you get on hands and knees and drag ice from under freezer basket.
Home Depot used a contract delivery that would not even pull off the blue tape or connect the water to the icemaker. (With me furnishing the tubing.) He said he was concerned about His liability. He also dumped the crate on the front lawn as he was leaving. (Home Depot did refund the delivery charge.)
The service man showed up today. (a week late and no phone call or explanation)He called LG and said they are working on the problem and would get back to us in a couple of weeks.
We bought an LG refrigerator model#LRTBC1825T-single door, top freezer. The freezer door opens every time we close the refrigerator door. It is a real hassle. Guest do not know to close the freezer after closing the fridge; we sometimes forget as we have out hands full, phone rings, etc. It has been a real hassle!!!! Of course this all started right after the warranty expired!!!
We bought an LG refrigerator model#LRTBC1825T-single door, top freezer. The freezer door opens every time we close the refrigerator door. It is a real hassle. Guest do not know to close the freezer after closing the fridge; we sometimes forget as we have out hands full, phone rings, etc. It has been a real hassle!!!! Of course this all started right after the warranty expired!!!
I really really wanted a freezer on the bottom. Have had for about a month and am ready to send it back! Everytime you go for ice -a bunch of it falls out the back of the drawer-then I have to crawl on the floor trying to fish it out. If you don't it builds up in the rear causing the door to stay open just enough for the ice to melt together and ice crystals to form on the food. Also the sliders on the drawer frost up making it difficult to open the drawer.
I bought a LG split door/bottom freezer from Home Depot. After 2-weeks the ice-maker started giving me problems. (and yes mine has the same problem of ice falling behind the bin!) As a matter of fact a friend of mine ran out and bought a new LG after seeing mine and he also has the same problem of ice falling out of the bin. LG should know by now that this is a problem. The ice maker finally went out and now the freezer is not cooling properly. I would like to know what group of people rated LG near the top??????????
Just as a note with everyone... if you are having issues with your fridge... instead of whining about it on a blog... call LG they are there 24/7. If you don't like the bottom freezer then why did you buy it? *DUH* I have NO problems with my LG Frenchdoor model. NONE!! It just seems like a bunch of nit picking...
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Previous: Digitas job response via Monster.com | Main | Next: Best Buy interior column
i just got a new fridge. i am now glad its a non-split door version. a small part of the reason for the new one was that the handle on my old one broke off about, oh, a couple years ago, despite recieving no more abuse than comes from being used fairly often. so for quite a while we just pulled the edge, and laughed at our struggling guests. but it always annoyed me a little that the one part designed for me to touch every day several times a day was so poorly made.
Posted by: gmangw at January 4, 2006 12:27 AM