You have to get used to the idea, the days when household appliances lasted 25 years are over. But that’s no reason to accept a $1,600 lemon that faltered too quickly or to suffer poor after-sales service.
Posted at 6:00 p.m.
One thing is certain, when you get a new refrigerator or a washer-dryer set, the bill will make a good dent in your budget. As for the reliability of his purchase, that’s another story. Everything can happen. Even during the warranty period.
The problem is that it is very difficult to do without a stove, a washing machine or a fridge until the problem is solved. And sometimes it takes months.
William L’Archevêque can attest to this. He bought the first new refrigerator in his life last summer. Less than five months later, the device stopped working. The Brick store directs it to the manufacturer, Whirlpool. A repairman gives his verdict: the compressor must be changed. The part was due to arrive two weeks later.
To be able to eat in the meantime, William borrows a small fridge from his employer. But he still lost the fish he had had the pleasure of catching the summer before.
Three weeks later, still no news. He is relaunching Whirlpool, with whom communications are difficult, he regrets. “It is not clear if the part was ordered, if the repairer received it. Time passes, no way of knowing what is happening.
William has the good idea to contact the Consumer Protection Office (OPC), which since 2016 has been offering a tool for resolving disputes called “Speak consumption”. Since its creation, it has been used more than 9,000 times and the settlement rate has continued to grow over the years: from 67% at the start, it has reached 86% this year. It’s free and the average time is 25 days.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to force a company to go to this online platform which offers “a neutral, private and secure virtual environment to negotiate”. It can only be used if you have problems with a retailer or manufacturer who has agreed to participate, and the list which contains 125 names is not posted on the OPC website for technical reasons. . But we promise it will be soon.
It should also be specified that the OPC does not participate in the exchanges and does not decide, nor can it force the parties to respect the agreement reached. We have to turn to small claims, when the process does not give us satisfaction.
Luckily for William, Whirlpool is one of the participants. This allowed him to put the tool to the test. But not to get a new fridge or even a quick fix. “At the end, they offered me $300 to reimburse me for the used fridge that helped me out,” he says. Because one day, he had to return the one he had borrowed, which forced him to get a second-hand device. He refused this offer.
It must be said that Whirlpool is in the list of the 10 companies receiving the most complaints from the OPC. No less than 434 reports for two years, which compares to 203 for Samsung and 141 for LG, during the same period.
Note that Whirlpool also manufactures a variety of brands, including KitchenAid, Maytag, JennAir and Amana, which increases the risk of dissatisfaction.
Do you think that’s little? It is, indeed. But there’s a reason: the vast majority of complaints are in the records of retailers, not manufacturers.
William’s fridge doesn’t seem to be particularly special. According to the magazine Protect yourselfthe reliability rate of refrigerators “leaves something to be desired” being, on average, only 66%, according to its most recent survey on the subject conducted in October 2021. This shows how important it is to consult reliable and reliable resources. objectives before making a choice.
In fact, 47% of cases processed through the Parle Consumption platform concern household appliances.
The OPC encourages dissatisfied consumers to file a complaint, although it cannot force a company to repair a defective good, replace it or issue a refund. The accumulation of testimonies can lead to investigations and certain interventions. In 2018, for example, a notice of violation was sent to Whirlpool regarding the obligation to make repair parts available. “In addition, the list of complaints is published by journalists and companies don’t like that! adds spokesperson Charles Tanguay.
As for William, he continues to relaunch Whirlpool, to whom he ended up sending a formal notice. A few days ago, “the counselor on the online chat had to contact the supervisor to obtain the tracking number of [sa] request and then send it to a technician who [le] would contact”. What an unacceptable lack of respect for customers! An attitude that seems generalized: the manufacturer did not deign to answer my questions either.
“If one day the repairman comes by, I’m going to sell my new fridge and keep the old one,” William tells me, frustrated.
There’s nothing like the tried and true old stuff.