Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We recently purchased this Samsung model (almost 2 weeks ago) and not wanting to jinx anything (knock on wood), it is working flawlessly (right now anyway). The 2 biggest complaints I have is the intolerably loud noise the ice-maker creates when ice is ejected into the bucket. It's even more frighteningly loud when the ice bucket is empty as the sound amplifies upon impact with the hollow plastic container. I read other reviews commenting on this and thought it was an exaggeration, it's not. Samsung should really consider re-engineering the container by adding some sound deadening material around it to help muffle the noise (yes, it's truly that annoying). The other issue is relatively minor and indicative of all stainless appliances... the never ending battle against finger prints and skin oil smudges. All that aside, the bottom line to any appliance purchase today is akin to betting on roulette and expecting to win (worst odds ever). Like many, I did an inordinate amount of product research and read countless customer reviews prior to purchasing. Opinions and experiences are all over the map. And this is a fundamental problem for all brands not just Samsung. As mentioned elsewhere there is much outsourcing going on and it seems almost impossible for manufacturers to attain consistent quality levels. BTW, I was surprised to learn (after purchasing) this refrigerator is imported from Korea. I bring this up only because it supports many customer complaints concerning long wait times when breakdowns inevitably occur. The delays are primarily the result of long distance parts delivery. Several service repair companies I contacted are not even qualified to work on these appliances as Samsung strictly controls the qualification process along with parts distribution (exporting from Korea). To be fair, this Samsung replaces a 12-year old Maytag side by side (with ice-maker) which I can't begin to relate just how horrible and unreliable a refrigerator can be! It was the first appliance I ever bought with an extended warranty (reluctantly). It was also the first appliance I inevitably recouped my money from using that warranty (and then some) due to abnormally frequent repairs and parts replacement (both costly to the insurance company). What I learned from this is warranties can be useful for offsetting expensive service and food replacement costs but doesn't instill customer confidence or improve product reliability... it is what it is. Factor in countless hours due to lost work time; aggravation with incompetent CSR agents; delays and missed appointments with repair ppl and outrageous amounts of wasted food... you can easily see where this is going. So don't hate Samsung just because it's not assembled in North America (who is?) or you see customer complaints online. In fact, check any brand and it's pretty much the same for all. CR may rate some models and brands higher but unfortunately (and inevitably) they all have issues. There are only a handful of companies (worldwide) making compressors and major components for refrigerators these days and every manufacturer is buying from them. So no brand is immune and "inconsistent" quality has been around for awhile now. The days of buying a refrigerator (or any major appliance) and expecting it to last for 20 years are long over. And spending more money doesn't help either. High end brands such as Viking and Sub-Zero are notoriously problematic and appear even more unreliable. The bottom line is no matter how much research and regardless what brand you prefer or currently own... you definitely will be rolling the dice and taking a bigger chance than you might expect on your next purchase. The days of "Maytag reliability" are long gone (I can most definitely attest to that). Long term reliability is not the norm, it is an anomaly. Don't expect your next refrigerator to provide more than 7-10 years of consistent reliability (at most). Like other "tech toys" refrigerators have become trendy fashion statements, several high end models have built in flat screens with wi-fi, so don't expect them to last long. In fact, the tech will easily become obsolete long before the warranty ends prompting many to upgrade just to stay current. The best advice I can offer anyone is cover your bets and consider an extended warranty and use AmEx or Discover (check their respective policies) to extend it another year. Because unlike back in the day, it may not take years to see problems develop in new appliances and 28 cubic feet of food spoils real quick and gets real expensive... Update: 07-29-12 A brief update: After more than 7 months there is no significant issues to report and that is really saying something these days... The refrigerator continues to operate flawlessly albeit with the following very minor issues. Every so often the unit makes a slight humming, mechanical or vibrating noise emanating from the rear. If I give it a slight nudge or push, it stops but returns infrequently. My suspicion is there may be a lose line inside the back that vibrates in sympathy with the compressor when it kicks on. Still its only sporadic and not repeatable enough to call out a tech... yet. Beyond that all areas of the fridge appear to operate normally maintaining correct temps within acceptable tolerances. I installed 3 small digital thermometers within the upper, mid and lower (double door fridge, pull-out drawer & freezer) sections. Depending on time of day and frequency of access, the temps rarely deviate beyond +/- 5 degrees, which is really good especially with the unrelenting summer heat. Our electric utility bills appear slightly higher than last year but the utility's "smart meter" indicates outdoor temps to be almost 2 degrees hotter these past months. Factor in our utilities super high rate pricing or "peak demand" for July & August (thanks SRP) and abnormally higher temps and it's tough to know if the refrigerator's efficiency gains aren't offset by our home's dual AC systems which cycle more frequently this time of year? Lastly, the annoying ice maker continues to do it's part, still functioning normally albeit loudly. We have come to terms with it and now view it as a "feature" enhancement as you always know when its working. Guess you can get used to anything, all in all no real regrets... Final Update: 07-01-14 Unless there is a catastrophic failure this will be my last update of issues and solutions we've experienced now that it's been more than 2.5 years with the fridge. On 04-25-13 the infamous water drip began to appear. It started with several drips throughout the day, now we only see an occasional drip once per week or so. Over the course of the next 6 months I estimate about 3 techs, 2 water control valves (bottom back of unit), 2 hose connectors (under top door hinge) and a left door water/ice dispenser were all "experimentally" replaced. Remember, these were all trial and error exercises performed over weeks by various techs since none actually knew the root cause. While the net result of all these "fixes" yielded varying degrees of success I cannot say with certainty which really fixed the problem as none actually have. That said if I had to narrow it down to one "solution" I must say it was the one I least expected... the door dispenser. After each item was replaced we waited several weeks to observe and only after the door dispenser did I see the best result. On 11-27-13 ice sheets began forming on the underside of the freezer pull out drawer (clear plastic storage tray inside freezer). I tried to thaw it out with a hair dryer but inevitably it reoccurred within 3-4 days. After fully extending the main freezer drawer and peering inside (between bottom of drawer and inside the freezer) a massive ice sheet had formed. Ultimately it was determined a clogged refrigerator drain tube was backing water up into the freezer where it spread and froze into a sheet. A tech was sent out to clear it and they say voila, no more ice sheets. To summarize, all of these issues in an of themselves are really not significant but can be annoying and certainly time consuming to resolve so welcome to the new world order of appliance quality and ownership. As I initially stated way back at the beginning of this review don't go looking for long term reliability anymore. We purchased a Samsung dishwasher soon after and within about a year required replacement of a plastic upper tray lift release part that broke without ever using it. Later another recent acquisition, a Samsung microwave (arriving soon after the dishwasher) needed a new door due to a malfunctioning keypad. That's right the keypad isn't replaceable so time for a complete new door (handle and all)! I still maintain if you plan to buy a new appliance, Samsung or otherwise GET AN EXTENDED WARRANTY! I promise you 2 things, I am not getting any commission or kick back for these (wish I were) and you will not lose money on it as it will more than likely pay for itself over time. After helping my sister about 6 months ago move into a her first condo I found a deal on a similar (slightly smaller) version of this fridge. I also made sure she purchased an extended warranty too. So far she hasn't needed it but I'm sure it won't be long... Finally I'll leave you with this thought. Remember life is too short so don't sweat the small stuff... it can always get fixed. Good luck with whatever you buy...