My neighbor, whose history with refrigerators has been more of a comedy of errors than he deserves, came over this afternoon to announce his high end very expensive stainless steel fridge has yet again broken down.
Three months ago he had to store a lot of perishable food in various friends' fridges including mine, and I thought that was the need now.
Not immediately, the freezer is kaput, the fridge working for now. Wondered if I still had the bag of ice I stored for him last time around, forgetting I'd given it back.
Which reminded me to tell him I didn't have room to do that again, on account of the art materials stuffed along with food in my chest freezer.
Last time there was a freezer event at his house, another neighbor and I heard what sounded like hammering in his kitchen. We had keys, he was away, and we went in to see.
And were met with ice cubes flying out of the ice maker in the door at high speed, bouncing and ricocheting all over the kitchen, hitting us sharply as we struggled to sweep up the ice floes on the floor and hope the fusillade would stop. Those things sting.
It slowed down some, we called him to advise him to get home. Which he did, after angrily calling the repair people who'd just replaced a no-freezing ice maker which had flooded the kitchen with ice water while he was at work.
Now the freezer is working and the fridge has gone again.
So now he's ordering a new one. Earliest delivery mid- September..
I don't have the heart to mention I'm still using the GE that came with the house. In 1992. Working fine.
And I'm reminded that papermaking is on the Summer's agenda.
The scene you describe in the kitchen is like a comedy sketch. Not funny at all when it’s your refrigerator though. You are a good neighbour.
ReplyDeleteI really believe some people are magnets for bad appliances, and some tend to hang onto their elderly freezers and refrigerators for decades. I finally managed to pry my mother's hands off of her 50 year old fridge by buying a new one and having it delivered on a day when she wasn't home.
ReplyDeleteWe've been in this house for 40+ years and our first new one lasted 30 years: I expect this one to outlive us, as well.
My bete noir is vacuum cleaners. Not that I use them as often as I should, but they seem to resent me. I bought my first new one years ago, brought it home, and the engine died the second day. I got some seriously suspicious looks when I brought it back, including 'but there's dust in the engine"...(because the bag broke after the engine went rogue) and it's been downhill since then.
I love the image of that fridge flinging ice cubes all over the place. Like a bad cartoon...=)
Appliances now are not made to last. Both repair and sales people will tell you that if they are honest. and there are very few American made, even among previously well known American brands. I wish him good luck.
ReplyDeleteGE now manufactures in China. Which means that unless what you want is either on the display floor or already in the warehouse, there's little chance of replacing, since China's not exporting because of covid. I still can't replace my tenant's dryer, since only he apparently still makes the size and mount that is our only option.
DeleteOnly GE, not only he, duh. Predictive text changed it after I'd entered.
Deletethey just don't make them like they use too!! shoot me now, i sound just like my mom!!
ReplyDeleteand thanks for the help in identifying the flower on my blog, it is just impossible to know all of them. i have to get one of those app's!!!
My son was visiting just now and when I mentioned the neighbor's latest setback, he knows him, very sympathetic, pointed out he's still got the fridge original with the condo, in 1982!
DeleteYou're welcome on the mallow, one of my favorite waterside flowers, common here in central NJ. And thanks for visiting here.
DeleteTrying to find things made domestically is nigh onto impossible a lot of the time. Our next door neighbour was getting a new apartment-issue fridge the other day and it was sitting out in the hall so we could have a good look. Oh how we hope the one we brought with us when we moved here lasts a good long time! We love our freezer on the bottom and ours will hold probably twice as much as the new one they got. Really wish I could have a serious chat with the person that 'invented' freezers on the top!! Why have the most-used part of the fridge on the bottom where you have to practically get down on your hands and knees to see what's in there.
ReplyDelete