TAMPA, Fla. — More than 80,000 people have joined a Facebook group created for Samsung customers who say their refrigerators are defective.
Prasanna Meenakshi is one of the members. The New Tampa resident said his 2015 freezer stopped cooling this past August. It remains broken after he says a Samsung repairman made numerous attempts at repairs.
“So, the top drawer I am using is just a storage unit,” Meenakshi said.
Many of those complaining, like Virginia Kirshner who bought her unit in 2013, said either the ice maker doesn't work and or the unit doesn't stay cold even after Samsung made multiple attempts at repairs.
"I paid $2700 total with the warranty and taxes," Kirshner said.
Thousands of consumers across the country have complained to the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Some reports involved people getting sick from spoiled food.
In an email, Samsung stated: “Our customers are a top priority, and we are here to help….each situation is unique, and we stand by the millions of Samsung appliances in use across the country.”
Samsung and the Consumer Product Safety Commission haven’t issued a recall on the refrigerators. A spokesperson for the commission said in an email, "We cannot discuss if we plan to recall a product or not."
Samsung also faces a class action lawsuit alleging the ice makers are defective. It lists more than 20 models of fridges. Court documents allege Samsung knew about the defects “…for years and has taken no action to repair or replace" them.
The company responded to the lawsuit saying the plaintiffs in the suit didn’t make “timely warranty claim(s)“ and that they had “cast about for legal theories that will allow them to repackage their defective or untimely warranty claims as viable causes of action.”
Samsung said it often works with customers on repairs, replacements and refunds. In Kirshner’s case, Samsung offered her a partial refund. After ABC Action News contacted Samsung about Meenakshi’s unit, the company settled the claim.
If you have a safety concern about a product you can report it to the Consumer Product Safety atwww.saferproducts.gov.
