Customer Reviews for Whirlpool 19.7 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator in Monochromatic Stainless Steel

I decided it was time to replace my old, but faithful Top Freezer (by Whirlpool). It was showing wear and the compressor was starting to sound stressed and worn. Being the mechanical geek I am, I figured it was a good excuse. So, i went out shopping prior to black friday and my options where very slim. There are only 6 or so models that will fit into a 32" opening and this was one... Given it had excellent reviews all around and the price was quite cheap on Black Friday, I scooped one up.. When I first got the fridge, I was thrilled. Water in the door (NO ice though), pur filtration system, a neat half shelf. A nice big deli/meat/whatever drawer.. I was stoked... However, with in a week, I quickly knew this love was gone, and with in 6 weeks, I would have a completely different fridge There are many things to like: It fits into a small space nicely, it looks really sleek, its got a really powerful ice maker, a dispenser for chilled water, a nice water filter (that's easy to change), the controls are simple to use. It seems like a perfect package But what I didn't like: Cheap, CHEAP, CHEAP quality. The door bins are made out what I am guessing to be a polycarbonite blend of some form. They don't feel like they will hold up over long term use. In fact, i've read and seen where they have broken. I had an issue with the trim around the glass for the deli drawer (see picture). In fact the deli drawer and crisper drawers are made of the same material, and because of there larger surface area, they will bend and flex in your hand. Plus the drawers do not roll smoothly at all.. They are very rough and feel like there rolling on gravel There are 2 full width shelves, with the middle one having a shelf that slides in. That's nice.. However, the top shelf will bow if you put to much on it. It very much flexes and again, has a cheap feel to it. The second shelf with the slider shelf is far sturdier but, with the shelf slid back, there is very little useable area. its a long L shaped thing with about 10" front to back of useable space with the part slid in and then to the side there is about 16" side to side and the full depth. Its enough, but oddly configured. Forget putting large bottles in here with out sliding that half shelf back. They won't fit and there's no way to configure the shelves to make that happen. Since there's only full shelves and a few slides for them, its impossible to reorder the shelves in any other way. Its very annoying and even for two people, it quickly usurps all the space inside The crisper drawers where another huge complaint.. One they where that cheap, flimsy plastic.. Two, they where of differing sizes, one being rather large, one being rectangular. It didn't quite make any sense to me what so ever. Plus there is this fresh keeper gizmo in the drawer to keep produce decent. It didn't seem to work for my stuff, but maybe that's because mine would not keep the temps steady. Also, the bigger of the two drawers didn't seal shut at all, there was 1/8"-1/2" gap in between the shelf and the top lip of the drawer. I've noticed this same gap in several display models. Overall it just felt cheap The deli drawer is really nice and of a good size, but again, cheap plastic materials and the trim around the front edge that feels so thin and cheap, almost like plastic mini blinds that have been in the sun for 10 years. It wouldn't even stay attached. Back to the door bins. You can forget using most of the bins for gallon jugs. Only the bottom right one will hold a gallon of milk. There is a tilt out/pull out condiment tray and its a nice idea, but the extra space used to make it tilt and come out, could have been put to use with another gallon sized door bin, thus allevating the need to always have that half shelf slid back (we always have several things of juice going so that alone would have been a huge help). The door bins won't hold really tall items either in the middle and there's no way to re order them to do so. You either need to put them in the tilt out condiment gizmo or hope there not too tall for the top bin. Steak sauce and so forth has to go in either place. And mostly on the left door. The right door can't handle too many tall bottles. One perk is the really nice interior lighting. If you need a bright, cheerful interior for you're fridge, this is it. My replacement I noticed is very much lacking in this area. I can live with a dimly lit fridge though (You can see every corner very clearly in this whirlpool. The pull out freezer is very nice, the bins are full plastic and are made from a much more durable plastic imho. The ice maker is wonderful and when mine actually worked, it produced alot of ice in a short time. However, the bottom part of the freezer drawer (the bottom bin) has a 65 degree angle built into it. YOU CAN NOT fit pizza boxes down here. I had bags of frozen veggies and so forth stacked down here and it worked fine for that. i had a few boxes of other things mixed in as well and that was ok. but we tried putting just vacuum wrapped pizza down there and it got all bent. They wont fit in the top drawer either. The ice bin usurps most of the space and it just isn't big enough for a boxed pizza. A vacuum sealed one maybe. But that's an if. And then you have to stick your ice cream and such up there as the drawer wont close with ice cream in the bottom bin unless you stick it all the way on the bottom and then it may get burried under the other frozen foods. The freezer was decent overall, just hard to figure out how to best use the space My main issue was the lack of temperature control. I dunno if my unit was just bad or what, but I could never keep an even temp in the unit. The front display and the manual recommend 3 snowflakes for both compartments. 3 snow flakes for the fridge would sometimes sour milk and spoil stuff, other times it would freeze everything. 4 snowflakes almost always froze everything and seemed to make everything rot/spoil just as fast. I've never had celery go bad in 4 days before. Ive also never had a fridge that would freeze everything in the back and spoil everything up front. It was just awful trying to keep it at an even temp. I in fact lost some very expensive medication because it froze and was ruined. That sent me over the edge. The snow flakes are "cute" and a "novel" idea, but lets go back to a bar or number system. 1-5 works for me.. The energy saver setting is hard to set on the controls and I dunno, it just seems there are too many buttons and such for the simple functions. Its easy to figure out, just seems overly complex. My unit also had an issue with the door alarm not working and about a week before its return, it started working.The light for the water dispenser looks nice, but its just a joke really. Overall, I was not impressed with the user interface for this fridge. It can't hold a temp and the controls just seem over the top. My only other issues where the doors (or how they closed) and the finish on the sides The left door was hard to keep closed. I've noted this on almost every in store model I've looked at and its been mentioned in a number of reviews. If you open just the left door, you need to slam it hard to get it to close all the way. and then the right one pops open. Or if you open just the right door, the left one pops open. Some times you have to slam the left one to even get it to close. It was annoying because several times the left door got left open/ajar and the darn door alarm didn't beep, so that didn't help the temp. control. A big part of what is the door latch mechanism and there is this long "pillar" in between both doors, that's hinged on to the left door. I'm not sure what purpose that pillar serves, but that pillar makes it difficult for the doors to close properly with out slamming them. Plus the latch system requires the pins to slide in a track of sorts and that track is just molded into the fridge liner.. Overall, its a very poor and odd design for a french door fridge. Its not one i've seen used much and it doesn't need to be used. There are many refrigerators with french doors that don't need a pillar. The last part is minor. The outside parts of the cabinet look like cheap plastic.. Although a very nice finish, they just look and feel like heavily grained plastic. On the stainless steel models (as an fyi) this is gray plastic, which looks very nice. It just feels cheap To sum everything up, this is a very nice fridge for a small kitchen and a small family. More than 3 people and I think your gonna need a second fridge (we got a second fridge because it couldn't hold all of our juice and drinks). If you can use the space and are good playing fridge tetris, you might like this. If you are gentle and easy on stuff, the flimsy feel to the plastic may not bug you. But, the lack of temp control, the fact that my unit lasted 6 weeks before need catostrophic repairs and the fact it just feels very cheap and flimsy and doesn't feel of good quality, should turn you away. I am a former appliance repair tech and a major mechanical geek and I will tell you, this is the most sorry product I've ever bought. I am glad that the store stood behind the product as well, as the manufacturer did not. In fact, some of the issues I've noted here are known complaints with this model and there are repairs for them, but the manufacturer doesn't see fit to offer those with out much prodding. If you can live with the above, this will be an awesome fridge. But I hope this gives you my .02 cents on what I feel was a huge mistake. I'm just glad I was able to exchange my unit at no cost for a different brand that better fits my needs

This fridge has been more than expected. We have more space and the lower freezer area is easy to access. Double doors assist with find just what you need with less cold air escaping. Shelving that has variable openings and levels are spacious. The water could be a bit colder , but it works and is better than the tap.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love my french door refrigerator with water in the door. Use this feature all the time. Only problem is the vegetable drawers don't stay on the track and sit lopsided frequently. Both have cracked. Freezer is hard to clean under the drawer without taking out the drawer alltogether. Otherwise it is great.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Bought 2 weeks and had one service call , doors not staying closed. Now water dispenser not working. . Disappointed will not purchase another.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Have had this almost a month. Water still has garden hose taste on and off and ice too. No room for a second gallon container in door. We have to keep the foldaway shelf folded away all the time. Also have a problem with the left crisper drawer not staying in track on left side of drawer. Falls out a lot. Also the bottom pantry drawer when you open the plastic frame that holds the glass above the pantry drawer comes off. Not made very sturdy or I have a faulty refrigerator crisper and pantry drawer. Hoping the water will eventually be consistently good have to keep putting crisper drawer back on track.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Very happy with our refrigerator. It replaces 29 year old Roper refrigerator.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We purchased this unit to replace a refrigerator that went out suddenly, One of the doors appears to be warped, while they line up, one door protrudes a bit at the bottom. The produce drawers are not on rollers and one of them got stuck shut after use and it took both of us to get it open. As far as the mechanics, we have had to keep it at the highest setting just to keep the temperature at an acceptable level of 40 degrees. Also, yesterday I had to clean out chunks of ice from the bottom of the freezer, it looks as if the ice maker had a malfunction for some unknown reason.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Much of the space allocated for drawer pulls is wasted, particularly in the freezer section. This makes the cubic foot capacity significantly overstated and after a month I am still struggling to find efficient ways to store items. I am really tempted to ask my husband to "redesign" the freezer drawers by cutting out some of the plastic bubble below the drawer pulls in order to reclaim space. Whirlpool would be well advised to consider a minor redesign of the interior.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We are on our 2nd fridge in 6 years..same model. Both have died completely. 2nd died during the holidays and now we're using coolers and the company doesn't seem to have any concern. Filed the claim over 3 was ago and still no answer.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have owned this appliance for 8 years and it has done well mostly. Except for a drain issue in the freezer and now water dispenser is dumping out water overnight on my floor.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The refrigerator get really cold. Nice appearance and a lot of room in the fridge and freezer

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I purchased this 6 months ago. It is a thing of beauty. Delighted with refrigerator.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I’ve had this fridge now for a couple years. It never disappoints! Love it!!!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We wanted to update our appliances and because we have a small house this was the most perfect refrigerator for us! There is just the two of us and the convenience of the refrigerator being side by side gives us easy access to everything plus the bottom freezer hold so much food ! We are very impressed and extremely happy with this purchase!

WE WILL NEVER BUY WHIRLPOOL AGAIN! This refrigerator is very pretty, but totally unreliable. We purchased this model in September 2018 for $1197.90. In less than three years, we have had to make four expensive repairs. The ice maker was repaired once, then replaced; the top right door broke and required replacement (this repair took over two months as the replacement part was not readily available from the manufacturer); and the fan motor broke and was replaced. We have a home warranty, but not all repairs were covered. We have spent over $500 out of pocket. The repairs also take time, and living without a refrigerator for weeks at a time was not fun. We contacted the manufacturer and the response was essentially, hey - stuff happens with man made products. We previously had a similar design LG refrigerator for over ten years with no problems. Our next purchase, which will likely be soon based on the performance of this product. Definitely not happy with Whirlpool.

We live in rural Alaska. We bought the fridge in 2018 and had it flown cargo to our town. It was expensive but we were excited to have a top notch appliance that would last us years. This was the perfect fridge....until it stopped working. With no warning, we began to hear "clicking" sounds. I was afraid it was something electrical, but we pulled it out and could hear it coming from the bottom of the fridge. The clicks were the motor kicking on. It would kick on for appx 45 seconds and then click off, after appx 2 minutes it would click back on and then the cycle would start over. Soon after, our freezer went out and then the fridge went. Because we live in rural Alaska, we don't have access to direct resources to assist us. We researched and seen where the "clicks" were caused by faulty capacitors or starter relay. We took the capacitor and starter relay out. The hardware store tested the capacitor and it was still functioning. We ordered the starter relay and replaced it and it still would not work. We have a family of 8. We have been living out of a dorm fridge for the past month while we waited for the starter relay to arrive. I am waiting for the Whirlpool Care folks to respond via twitter, but I don't know how much longer I can wait to 1) figure out whats wrong with it 2) wait for the part to arrive by mail. I'm tired and I just want to be able to buy a weeks worth of groceries instead of going to the grocery store every other day. I don't want to give 1 stars but when a fridge stops working after 2.5 years, thats worth 1 star.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Great fridge. Keeps my food cold and the ice maker is great

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I purchased this over a year ago and still love it

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I bought a week ago and love the way I can access every thing

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] After living with a side-by-side refrigerator for 21 years and complaining every summer about how the minute you open the door, the cold all falls out... Especially the freezer. It's wonderful the way this new refrigerator is designed, that the freezer drawer does not spill it's cold and the French doors minimize the amount of spill when opened.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Having a side by side for 21 years I often berated it for it's weakness: Open the doors and the cold falls out. This unit is well designed and eliminates that. Therefore, it's #1 in my rating. My Stars rating will have to be minimal since I've only had the unit for weeks. Ask me again in 5 years.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have never been so happy with a purchase in my life. Best decision I ever made

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I had been looking for a fridge that would fit through the doors in my small home. This has exceeded my expectations. It could use more space for tall items, but it suits my needs and works excellently in my home.

If I had it to do over again I would not purchase this. Since day one we have had issues with the ice maker. The arm on the dispenser continuously pops off but to our surprise it was the only way we could even get ice to dispense put in a timely manner. The ice maker will only make enough ice for probably 3-4 glasses a day. Ridiculous!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Whirlpool fridge is great. Even though it is a 30" wide model, it is so well designed that it holds more than our previous full side fridge and yet all the food is easy to access... Well done!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love my new fridge and the freezer on the bottom. Works great and have already recommended it and showed it off to friends and family

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My new refrigerator is so stylish and looks gorgeous. Nice quiet operation. Love that the inside is so well lit.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We have enjoyed the bottom being freezer - giving more space to the fridge. The main downside we are experiencing is that the ice maker does not seem to turn off at all.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This can with my new motor home and I so glad they used Whirlpool products. I also do remodels of condos and home and have never had a problem with Whirlpool products for 25 years.

We bought this fridge and had it installed. The water comes out so slow that there is no way to even use it. It would take several minutes to fill a cup! The ice tray is basically a tray full of shattered paper thin ice pieces. So we now have this expensive fridge and can't use the ice or the water dispenser.