Inferior Whirlpool appliances and Customer Service

In 2009 we did home renovations and upgraded the kitchen appliances in. We bought an oven, gas hob, extractor and couldn't resist the fridge/freezer at R18 000. We spent just over R31 000 on stainless steel Whirlpool appliances on 25 Septemver 2018 and felt confident in their long term warranties.

Initially we also felt confident with their customer service because we had a prompt response from a technician from their base about 5 minutes away. By the time all the appliances were installed about 3 weeks later we discovered that one of the plates on the gas hob didn't fire up and we couldn't use the extractor at all because it made a rattling noise. This was when we discovered their Cape Town branch had closed down and none of the documents contained any SA contact details.

The fridge/freezer shed water from time to time and ruined the laminated floor in the kitchen. Later on the fridge started building up moisture and got so wet on the inside it had to be wiped down regularly. After some time the fridge didn't register when the antibacterial filter was replaced. The freezer would build up frost, making it impossible to open the door. The ice would simply melt away in the ice box .

My white elephant, the extractor, has now also started to rust.

In the meantime I became more technologically savvy and searched for a contact number. I phoned the Whirlpool Customer Service number on Thursday 5 July 2018. After explaining the above problems I was asked to e-mail the details and was advised that a call out fee of R598 was payable. I made sure that the call out fee would cover all 3 appliances and the consultant confirmed this. I was told to expect an sns with a payment link which I received. Because the link only mentioned the model number of the fridge I sent another e-mail asking for a correction. I then got another sms with the same details and made the online payment on 6 July 2018 just to expedite matters. I then received another sms with payment request with the model numbers of the other appliances. I e-mailed the company again informing them that I have already made the payment. I received no response.

When I eventually phoned today, 9 July 2018, to check on the progress of my request I was informed that I need to make 3 call out payments for the 3 job cards created and that they cannot proceed without payment. I told the consultant, who kept putting me on hold, that it was ridiculous and that I want my money to be returned.

I am extremely disappointed in the poor Whirlpool products and feel let down by their customer service. Sense the difference? Not at all!