Frigidaire’s frozen promises left me out in the cold

Q: I bought a Frigidaire column refrigerator for my remodeled kitchen four years ago. Its compressor failed two years later, which cost me $700 in labor despite a parts warranty.

My refrigerator just died again. Electrolux offered a “fixed rate repair” for $580, promising unlimited parts and visits. A technician declared the entire sealed system needed replacement and scheduled a follow-up visit for the next week. No one showed.

Frigidaire customer service reps claim I’m “next on the list,” but are blaming missing parts, though they never notified me or provided tracking information for the part.

Over weeks, reps dodged questions, blamed a “system migration,” and refused to let me speak to a supervisor. After I screen-recorded a chat where an agent admitted they’d never ordered parts, Electrolux canceled my repair outright. What recourse do I have?

— Mike Tarallo, Sanford, Fla. 

A: Electrolux should have honored its fixed-rate repair agreement — a binding commitment to resolve the issue regardless of parts or visits.  Under federal law, companies can’t misrepresent warranty terms or obstruct claims. Instead, Frigidaire stranded you in a vortex of false promises and botched diagnostics.

I like the way you documented everything. You took screenshots of your interactions, secured video proof of misrepresentations during chat sessions, and contacted Frigidaire’s executives via its parent company, Electrolux (I publish the names and numbers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.)

I’ve seen many repair cases where the bottleneck isn’t the technicians, but the parts. That’s especially true for older or discontinued appliances. I remember one Kenmore trash compactor case in particular where the parts were unavailable, and the company wouldn’t offer a refund.

I contacted Electrolux on your behalf. The company offered a 50 percent refund on your refrigerator and a refund of your repair costs, which is a reasonable offer for an almost five-year-old appliance.

I should note that Electrolux required that you sign a nondisparagement agreement that says you can’t talk about this case, and that you gave me this information before you signed.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at the nonprofit’s site.