Rust on stainless steel refrigerator

ComplaintsAppliancesWhirlpool Refigerator

Complaint

0
Jahangir
Country: United States
Hi... I purchased whirlpool gold stainless steel (not stainless steel like) refrigerator from Lowe's last year December for my remodeled kitchen. Recently, I observed rust marks on the doors of my refrigerator. I called Lowe's and they sent in a tech to assess it. The tech said that it's cosmetic damage and they cannot replace the door under the warranty. He also informed me that they get many complaints like these (rust on stainless steel) for whirlpool products. I also spoke with a whirlpool customer representative and she also said it is considered a cosmetic damage. She told me that it happens because of the environment the refrigerator is kept in. During the same time last year, I also purchased other things such as oven, dishwasher and microwave but from different companies and they are perfectly alright (and that too in the same environment). The rep also told me that whirlpool never uses pure stainless steel for its products. IT'S SHOCKING!!! They are selling the products under false promise. I don't understand how can a stainless steel product get rusty? Any comments? Thanks.

Comments

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  • 0
    Elizabeth
    | 15 replies
    I have some helpful information regarding your complaint:

    If you've observed rust spots on your stainless steel appliance, The Complex Litigation Group is currently researching this issue and would like to hear from impacted consumers, so that a resolution for those affected by the issue can be achieved.

    To get more information on how your story can help, you can visit the Facebook Group, Rust on Stainless Steel Appliances: Class Action Group. It can be found here: facebook.com/groups/433426023388204/members/

    You can share your story directly with The Complex Litigation Group by emailing info@ComplexLitGroup.com or calling 866-779-9610
    • 0
      Richard Larch II replies to Elizabeth
      | 4 replies
      I have a whirlpool stainless steel refrigerator, I just noticed quite a bit of rust on the door, the unit is less than a year old!! It seems this is a problem for them, not just an isolated incident, I would like to be compensated also.


      Richard Larch II
      • 0
        Herman replies to Richard Larch II
        | 2 replies
        Same issue.  I tried some automotive polishing compound it it seems to take it off.  Finished with wax and it looks good!
        • 0
          Cliff Moseley replies to Herman
          What automotive polishing compound did you use?
        • 0
          Michael replies to Herman
          Richard, what product did you use to take off the rust?  Did you apply by hand or use a buffer?  Thanks.
      • 0
        Terry replies to Richard Larch II
        We have the same issue with the refrigerator around the handles . small rust spots . on the SS doors. we also bought  a ss dishwher , cooktop and Microwave. no issues with them. different chemicals around Frig I guess
    • 0
      Disappointed customer replies to Elizabeth
      | 1 reply
      We purchased the whirlpool gold series stove and double oven (both stainless steel...or so we thought) last year and just noticed rust forming all over the doors on both. We called extended warranty and we're told this complaint has not come about and this would have been a factory warranty issue - well how could we report it when it just started now after the factory warranty ended. We were left with no explanation or solutIon.
      We will be fighting this one with extended warranty and calling whirlpool directly. How can such a large well-known company sell such terrible quality products, and offer no help to keep customers!
      • 0
        al replies to Disappointed customer
        I am experiencing the same . I just bought a house an all the equipment's are brand new and all of them are rusting and when i complained to customer care  she said we can do nothing . i dont no what to do . i thing we should approach the consumer court
    • 0
      liz lowery replies to Elizabeth
      | 2 replies
      I am having problems with rusting on my whirlpool refrigerator. I also was informed it was not covered as I DID NOT TAKE OUT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY the 1 year warranty ran out as I have had the refrigerator for nearly 18 months. I was informed this is not a stainless steel refrigerator but a coating of some sort. This  was sold to me as a stainless steel appliance.
      • 0
        Susan in Illinois replies to liz lowery
        Same with me I bought a Whirlpool side-by-side in 2014 and I bought the five year extended warranty. After one year there was rust  and rust pits on the front of the doors. A repairman came out and fixed the heater coil and replace both doors.  Now in 2016 there's rust on the new doors. But whirlpool did not want to repair them they said it was sent not feasible. And they wanted to buy out my warranty for a percentage of what I had paid for the refrigerator.  There was no way they were going to fix the problem. So I took the check and very unhappy. That's why I bought a whirlpool refrigerator because I thought I could count on them and when you buy a warrantee you expect that five years or three years that if anything goes wrong they stand behind the warranty. Not pay you off To go away.
      • 0
        PatD replies to liz lowery
        To Liz  I DID buy an extended warranty but when I called them they said rust is specifically excluded.
    • 0
      Randall replies to Elizabeth
      I purchased an Amana refrigerator nov 23 2015 one week before 4 months I found rust on all three doors of supposedly stainless steel they are shipping a product to me to clean rust off nothing else can be done I am sick a painted refrig would have been cheaper and took 15 years to rust
    • 0
      Lavinia replies to Elizabeth
      | 2 replies
      I have purchased a stainless steel Whirlpool fridge/ freezer in December 2015 and today I found 2 large rust spots on the freezer drawer after only one month of use. (we moved into our new home middle of March, 2016). I don't understand why it is called stainless steel when it rusts after one month of use.
      • 0
        maureen replies to Lavinia
        my whirlpool stainlessI refridgerator started rusting within the first 2 months - they are replacing the door - if it happens again they will hear from me.  My whirlpool stove did the same thing I thought i had done something wrong - sorry i ddin't go to them when it happened.  I have a stainless maytag dishwasher 5 years - no issue with it
      • 0
        Susan in Illinois replies to Lavinia
        Same with me I bought a Whirlpool side-by-side in 2014 and I bought the five year extended warranty. After one year there was rust  and rust pits on the front of the doors. A repairman came out and fixed the heater coil and replace both doors.  Now in 2016 there's rust on the new doors. But whirlpool did not want to repair them they said it was sent not feasible. And they wanted to buy out my warranty for a percentage of what I had paid for the refrigerator.  There was no way they were going to fix the problem. So I took the check and very unhappy. That's why I bought a whirlpool refrigerator because I thought I could count on them and when you buy a warrantee you expect that five years or three years that if anything goes wrong they stand behind the warranty. Not pay you off To go away.  I have been looking online of how to clean this non-stainless steel refrigerator door that I thought was stainless still. Still searching online  how to clean it. But be careful how you clean it -- you could ruin it.
        Reply!
    • 0
      Terry Mc replies to Elizabeth
      same issues with the frig and rust on ss

      T
  • 0
    David A. Laurenty
    | 2 replies
    My story mimics Jahangir's almost exactly. The only differences are that Whirlpool wouldn't allow the Tech to call the 'brown spots' 'rust', and they didn't admit to me that Whirlpool "never uses 'pure' stainless steel for it's products". This is unacceptable because I paid extra for what they called "stainless steel" in their product literature. They want me to try using a 'stainless brightener' product which they are sending me because I still have 1 month on my useless warranty. I have worked in a chemical laboratory for many years and there is no such thing as an environment that stainless steel would be subjected to in a kitchen that would cause rust. There just isn't enough iron to oxidize in true stainless steel. My advice is not to purchase Whirlpool appliances with the "stainless steel" finish. I have not contacted Lowe's Store where I made the purchase yet but that's my next stop. Good luck Jahangir.
    • 0
      Connie Weber replies to David A. Laurenty
      | 1 reply
      Our refrigerator is white paint of some kind and it has rust marks all over the front of it, but not the sides.  Why??
      • 0
        DLulu replies to Connie Weber
        Same issue with my fridge nd need a solution as the fridge still works good
  • 0
    Susan
    Same problem. Same story. Not covered. Cosmetic. Etc etc. Will go to this FB site and call litigation group. Thanks for the info.
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