Should you avoid buying Samsung appliances?
Are Samsung appliances bad?
If we had a dime for every time we hear I hate this Samsung fridge (or washer)! we would collect the needed amount for the new washing machine in a single year. You also probably have seen numerous comments and reviews on the Internet blaming Samsung appliances for whatever reason. But are Samsung appliances bad?
Our colleagues from Yale appliances have been making reliability statistics amongst the most popular appliance brands for several years. Rating is calculated based on service calls (more than 30 000 a year) for any appliances within the first year of ownership. Samsung has a 9% percent rate, which is actually lower than other brands including Whirlpool and GE. So basically Samsung appliances are not less reliable than other competitors, at least within the first year. But why there is so much hype around them?
First of all, Samsung appliances are truly complicated electronically and they use other technology paths and patterns compared to even its own Korean competitor, LG. For instance, Samsung washer machines use water-level pressure switches working on frequency, while all other brands use resistance as measured data. In refrigerators, Samsung utilizes a scheme in which electric current flows through the inverter board to the mainboard. Other brands make is vice versa. The technician who is going to repair Samsung appliances has to be well trained to make proper troubleshooting. Since there are never as many professionals as we wish, Samsung appliances get more recalls and callbacks. Sometimes, it`s not an appliance fault, but performed misdiagnosis and the following misrepair.
Also, the problem around Samsung Corporation is the matter of its size. Nobody gets hyped around BlueStar ovens because they are not widely known. Perhaps you`ve never heard about them. But when it comes to Samsung, it`s on everyone`s lips. In 2019, Samsung appliances set a record commanding 20.5 percent of the house appliances market in the US. It`s the first place. But fast-growing sales require adequate growth of service coverage. In fact, Samsung technical support does not grow as fast as sales. If the company expands its service presence, negative customer feedback will definitely decrease.
If you are pondering about buying Samsung appliances, we would recommend checking the availability of authorized services in your area.
