[lit-ideas] Re: The Refrigerator Lady Steps Away From Her Desk
- From: David Ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 17:34:36 -0700
This afternoon I went in search of a fridge. After two service visits the
Jennair person, a very nice fellow, explained that whoever made ours forgot
to put insulation between the freezer and the fridge. Hence the build-up of
ice and the deep-frozen lettuce. The two of us got on the phone with
mission headquarters in Tennessee or Hyderbad or Tbilisi or wherever and,
after a mere half hour of listening to music and climbing the supervisory
ladder, we got an admission of fault and the promise of a new fridge. Most
satisfactory.
The slight difficulty is that they don't make this particular one any more.
Would sir like an upgrade? I said all I really wanted was a box that kept
things cool and another box that freezes stuff, and some separation between
the two functions. The supervisor said that she thought I ought to go and
look at what is now offered.
I spent several trips ascertaining a) that all fridges are now
rotten--estimated life of seven years is average for a side-by-side--and b)
that prices are silly. I don't mean expensive--some of them are that but,
in fairness, some are remarkably cheap--but with no rhyme or reason to them.
What do fridges now cost? Between five hundred dollars and five thousand or
more. And the differences? Freezer on the bottom, freezer on the top,
freezer on the side. Woo-hoo. I kept saying, "I just want one that works
well." And they kept responding, "Oh, sir, if only we could promise you
that."
We settled on freezer on the bottom, french doors on the top, an extended
warranty. The beast is supposed to arrive on Friday. The small element of
doubt creeps in because after the supervisor told me on the phone to go down
to the store right away and call her back from there, she apparently saw the
fifteen minutes it took me to drive to said store as a first class
opportunity to step away from her desk. She will not return before the
morn.
I might add that no one in the appliance store had heard of
Amana/Maytag/Jennair actually replacing a defective fridge and there was
general clapping on my shoulders for having reached this far into the
system.
And what brand is the fridge that fits our kitchen?
Amana/Maytag/Jennair...the same people who made the last one. "Why not
Sears?" you ask. Or one of these fancy Vikings? Because the freezer on the
bottom version of these brands (and for reasons too complex to go into here,
that's what we think we need) are also made by Amana/Maytag/Jennair. Buy a
Sears and you pay a surcharge for their label on the exact same thing. I
went to the store to check this claim. Perfectly true. The Sears salesman
said so.
My philosophical advice for life here forwards is always to note the serial
number when you encounter any kind of appliance in modern life. Planes, for
example, probably are covered by extended warranties, but I'm sure that if
they're made by Amana/Maytag/Jennair/Viking/Sears you'll need to give these
details before customer service can agree to bring you back to life. And
woe betide you if you've lost that piece of paper.
David Ritchie
Portland, Oregon
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