Frigidaire - Pro Fridge and Range - Opinions - Ext Warr?

[stljrs]

After looking around and doing some research (though not on these forums), we liked the Frigidaire Pro models, both features and appearance (smudge resistance SS).  We have the top line gas freestanding (with second oven drawer) PLGFMZ98GC and their top standard depth PHS69EJSS refrig coming and their "pro" microwave.  Looking around the internet, it seems like every brand nowadays seems to be built poorly.  Is Frigidaire mid pack or among the poorer?  Figured service folks would know best.  How are they on parts availability?

Does anyone have any experience with the second oven drawer?  Do they work OK (like for frozen pizzas etc.)?  I'd like to think they do.  We got it for simple stuff like that when you don't want to heat the whole house and for the fact it doubles warmering drawer.  It also gets you a nice steel on steel track rather than cheap plastic clip like a typical storage drawer.

After reading these forums, I am putting surge protectors on all three new appliances - good idea yes?  They are all highly electronic.  I'm in the Midwest and we get our share of thunderstorms.

I am considering an Extended Warranty on the Refridg because unfortunately, it seems like they are a bit repair prone and fridg repairs seem to be the most costly.  The 5 year full fridge extended warranty through American TV is $200.  I can't repair/replace a bad compressor myself, plus it seems like they have some filter seal issues and other stuff and those could add up.  I'm not considering the EW for the other two.  Would you do the EW for the Refridg?

Other things I've learned include not to use the oven self clean feature.  The electronics can't take it and it seems sometimes the glass fronts can't either.  I'm hoping if I do that, I'll reduce or eliminate some of the problems people in general have with these new electronic ranges.

We have a saddle valve on the water line now.  If water pressure coming from the water on the fridge door is low, we need to get a ball valve, correct?  If the water pressure is good, we're OK to keep the saddle valve?  I believe I read the new icemakers need decent pressure (but not too much or the filter will leak) to work correctly.

Any other comments on the Frigidaire Pro line or things I should watch for?

Many thanks for your comments.

[Repair-man]

Who will be doing the warranty work? American TV is just a furniture and appliance dealer. Buying a 3rd party warranty is like buying one of those extended warranties for your car from some unknown company. Very risky and financially draining when they finally do come repair something. Read the fine print well.

If you must protect your investment with an extended warranty, always go with the factory servicers, not who the store gets a commission from


One would think with all the reading that you do, you would be able to separate yourself from any outside servicers and do the repairs yourself if and when they come up. That's what these boards are for.  In the future, it may be better to first ask the repair guys what we recommend in the way of brands, etc. before you are committed. At the very least, do not believe all the trash you read on the internet about appliances. Every customer who has an appliance break down goes into a little tirade about how bad the situation is and how they will never buy another "Kenmore" or GE or whatever brand broke on them. Yet they always come back around in a few years any way. Consumer Reports is another joke on society. One year they said the Westinghouse dishwasher was 'superior'. Some of the guys in the back room are still laughing.

[stljrs]

Yes I am kicking myself a bit for not finding the repair sites sooner, but as you indicated looking around on the internet usually brings out folks that are unhappy and you don't see those who are happy.  Our microwave crapped out and we decided to update the look of our appliances.  So I was getting a little pressure to decide and then foolishly continued to research.  In theory, I could cancel the Frigidaire order without penalty, but that window is fast closing.I'm hoping if you thought I was making a horrible mistake, you would have indicated as such.  I didn't see big net quality differences among the mainstream brands.  I would still value your opinion on Frigidaire strengths and weaknesses and what you would have done differently.

While matching pieces isn't always the best way, our range, microwave and fridge are very close and probably wouldn't look very good if not coordinated.  I might have gone a different direction on the Fridge otherwise, if anything to get the ice holder in the door rather than eating up shelf.

If I get the EW and don't like terms I will cancel it.  I do have that right also.  The salesperson did not have the contract so I haven't yet seen all the terms.  I have the option up to 30 days after delivery.  The saleperson claimed they have their own service department run by American but that depending on workload will contract out their work.  If this is incorrect, I would be interested to hear more.

Thank you again.

[Repair-man]

Actually, the choice you made is probably a good one, since you at least stayed away from the foo-foo Euro brands that you'll have a hard time fixing later on. Frigidaire is no worse and no better than the rest of the brands offered by US manufacturers these days. The quality of most of our domestic appliances is pretty much on equal ground as far as parts and reliability.

That's why I was concerned when you mentioned the EW....I'm a staunch believer in not buying extended warranties unless you just like charitable donations. Heck, you can send me $200 and I'll tech-support you for life

[BrntToast]

i used to tell customers an EW was a waste, but now with the high end electronics i tell ppl to consider them.

 us here on the msg boards do not include parts with our advice.

any circuit board on one of those units is worth what the service contract costs.

as for buying a contract from a company that says "we may contract out work" i suggest againt it. you can buy an extended warranty directly from electrolux yourself, this ensures you get a frigidaire warranty depot for service who are much more likely to have the parts on hand. and with the frigidaire warranty you can choose any authorized depot in your area to do the work, not who some warranty company wants to send you

high end appliances are a considerable investment nowadys, think of it as insurance, not a warranty

[stljrs]

Brnt,

Thank you for the advice.  I will check into the OEM EW also.

Another concern with the Frigidaire EW and probably any EW is they all have disclaimers about negligence, misuse, abuse etc and if you read other internet forums, they use those to supposedly disallow valid repairs.  Do you have experience or can you comment on this and with Electrolux/Frigidaire in particular?

Also interested if you have a general opinion about Frigidaire.

Thank you.