Reviewing the Samsung Bespoke fridge freezer range reminds me that embarking on a kitchen renovation can be both exciting and challenging in equal measure – especially when it comes to selecting the right appliances. Kitchens and Bathrooms for some reason sell houses, yet they can be the most expensive investments in the home renovation or new build project.
The secret is that kitchens in particular are very easy to manufacture and build. But my 35 years experience in the design and build industry has taught me that the mark-ups are extraordinary, in fact ludicrous. I shall write an article soon how to save a lot of money on your kitchen project, whilst maintaining, even improving quality. However, today I’m reviewing Samsung’s Bespoke 619L fridge freezer, a product we recently used on a kitchen renovation project.
Kitchen Renovation Remit
The kitchen renovation is part of a bigger renovation project and encompasses an update to a 10-year-old Poggen Pohl kitchen that was starting to show some frailties.
The kitchen has two islands and a wall of white tall cupboards. The islands have black glossy drawers, and the wall has white glossy tall doors, each hiding the contents and trying to make a seamless and minimalistic clean lines experience.
Our challenge and goal was to maintain the seamless gloss white wall of built-in cupboards, which meant finding a white fridge to fit into a 1-meter wide wall cavity. This is actually quite a challenge as 1m is not a common width for a built-in fridge. Also surprisingly, sourcing a white fridge proved challenging as well to fit this gap. It seems counterintuitive, given that white remains the most purchased kitchen cupboard and drawer color. White fridges are no longer that common, instead black seems to be in vogue.
After exploring various built-in options from other notable brands – none of which fit, were available, or within our budget – we settled on the Samsung Bespoke fridge freezer (model 619L). The Bespoke range enabled us to change the front panel colors to suit the kitchen style. We purchased the unit from Kitchen Things in Auckland, a retailer known for its broad range of whiteware brands, and slightly more celebrious showroom presentation.
Samsung Bespoke Fridge Installation Challenges
With the new 1.8m cupboards meticulously installed, we unwrapped the new Samsung Bespoke fridge freezer and carefully positioned it into the wall cavity. Stepping back to admire our work, something felt off. The fridge wasn’t vertical; it was leaning backward significantly making the wall look rushed and badly installed.
Puzzled, we double-checked the installation instructions, fearing we might have missed a crucial step. We rumaged through the packaging debris for the installation guide thinking we might have missed a crucial installation step, but the guide offered no solution. Using a level, we discovered a 20mm backward tilt – a substantial lean that disrupted the visual alignment of our built-in design.
Searching for solutions online yielded no answers either. Even Samsung’s marketing materials showcased perfectly aligned, vertical fridges in similar setups. Realising we needed assistance, I contacted Kitchen Things, only to be redirected to Samsung’s customer support.
Customer Service Experience
This redirection by Kitchen Things was disappointing. Having purchased the fridge just a week earlier, I expected the retailer to assist with what seemed like a product defect. Nonetheless, I reached out to Samsung’s customer support. Their response was:
“Most Samsung fridges are purposefully designed to have a minor rear-tilt; mainly for the reason for the doors to close themselves and to prevent any unwanted energy loss from the doors being open.”
As a design engineer, this explanation puzzled me. A 20mm tilt seemed excessive. Furthermore, in a built-in application, any tilt beyond a few degrees disrupts visual harmony. There was no mention of this design feature on Samsung’s website or by the sales staff at Kitchen Things, despite informing them of our wall cavity installation prior to selection and purchase.
I questioned why such a significant tilt was deemed acceptable and why alternative solutions weren’t employed. Simple mechanisms like spring-loaded hinges or off-balance doors can ensure self-closing without compromising the fridge’s vertical alignment.
Samsung Technician’s Visit
To Samsung’s credit, they arranged for a technician to inspect the fridge the next day. He noted that some fridges lean more than others, depending on the manufacturing location. Ours, made in South Korea, should have exhibited better quality control, but he didn’t really endorse his statement either, assumingly because I might hold him to that statement.
Upon seeing our built-in setup, he resignedly suggested constructing a ramp to level the fridge – a solution that would require additional time, materials, and cost on our part. He mentioned a pedestal that could adjust the rear wheels vertically, but installing them under the rear wheels would necessitate space behind the fridge for the installer, which isn’t feasible in our closed wall cavity. Offering a refund wasn’t practical either, given the effort we’d invested in selecting this fridge in the first place – and lack of alternatives.
Design Considerations
This experience highlighted significant design oversights in this Samsung Bespoke fridge:
Self-Closing Mechanism: Relying on a backward tilt for door closure is an outdated and impractical solution, especially in built-in applications.
Lack of Adjustable Levelers: The absence of adjustable front and rear wheel levelers is a glaring omission. Such features are standard in modern appliances and critical for achieving proper alignment.
Missing Features: For its price point, the fridge lacks amenities like a filtered cold water feed and an icemaker, which are commonly expected features.
Value Assessment
The Samsung Bespoke fridge ranges in price from around NZD 4,000 to over NZD 7,000, depending on the retailer. Given the design flaws and the need for additional adjustments upon installation, the value proposition diminishes. The price variations also raise concerns about pricing transparency.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
My journey with the Samsung Bespoke fridge has been fraught with frustrations—from design flaws to inadequate customer support. Samsung, as one of the world’s leading whiteware manufacturers, should prioritize excellence in product design, manufacturing quality, and customer service.
For Potential Buyers:
- Be aware of the fridge’s intentional backward tilt and consider whether this will affect your kitchen design.
- Prepare for potential adjustments during installation, especially for built-in applications.
- Consider comparing options from other brands that offer better design adaptability and customer support.
My Review
Samsung needs to reevaluate its design strategies and customer service policies to regain consumer trust. My experience serves as a cautionary tale for others and a call to action for Samsung to enhance their products and support systems. Moving forward, I will be hesitant to specify Samsung products in future building and renovation projects.
Related
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