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The 5 Most Serviced Appliance Brands 2017-2018 (Reviews / Ratings)

March 21st, 2018 | 2 min. read

By Steve Sheinkopf

Dorchester-Wolf-Kitchen-Live

Every brand has problems. In a kitchen full of appliances, you will most likely need service within the first year. We have already shared the most reliable brands, but there are a few not so reliable you should keep in mind. 

In this post, you will learn the most serviced brands, how we got our numbers, and how you can save yourself from future issues.

Dorchester-Wolf-Kitchen-Live

Overall Reliability

The most reliable appliances are disposers, hoods, dishwashers, and electric cooking appliances. The least reliable products are refrigerators and professional ranges.

Refrigerators have had so many design changes mostly to be more efficient. In fact, the refrigerator below uses less energy than a 75-watt light bulb. The downside is more repair is typically needed.

Sub-Zero 648 Pro Refrigerator

When you look at reliable brands, they always skew to laundry and dishwashers. Whirlpool and Maytag are number 1 for that reason.

You should look always look at the product category as a whole to see the repair differences between brands.

How we Calculate Reliability

This is plain math. We use units sold versus warranty calls in the first year. This is a good but an imperfect measure of reliability. Most chronic problems happen within the first 90 days.

That said, we performed roughly 30,761 calls in 2017. We expect that number to be around 35,000 in 2018. Below is the data by percentage of service history by brand.

The 5 Most Serviced Appliance Brands

This list contains data from our service calls in 2017-18

This year’s list is a bit surprising because some of the best brands are on it. We use this information to sell more reliable products.

In 2017, our laundry repair rate dropped from about 20% to almost 5% just by switching manufacturers.

We service what we sell. For us, it matters, because we want to limit the expense of fixing products within the first year.

More importantly, you are also happier with working products.

1. Perlick, Capital, and Verona: 5 Sold / 5 Serviced - 100%

 Verona Appliances - Photo Courtesy of Houzz

From a product standpoint, all three are good. However, we have decided to sell fewer name brands such as these three. 

 

2. Dacor: 46 Sold / 26 Serviced - 56.52%

 Dacor Kitchen - Samsung News

I think Dacor will improve because Samsung is the new owner. Their cooking has great technology. However, if you are looking for a refrigerator, I would wait for the new column style refrigerators by Dacor to come out.

 

3. Liebherr: 61 Units Sold / 33 Serviced – 54.1% 

Liebherr Kitchen

Liebherr is an exclusive refrigerator company. Unfortunately, it is also the toughest to fix and install.

 

4. U-Line: 108 Units Sold / 42 Serviced – 38.89% ULine beverage center- Photo Courtesy of Houzz

U-Line, like Marvel, is exclusively an ice maker and refrigerator company. 38.89% is high for refrigeration. 

 

5. True: 173 Units Sold / 53 Serviced - 33.53% true-kitchen

True manufactures the best undercounter refrigeration in the market. It is made of solid stainless steel and can even be placed outside. Most of their issues are small and related to ice makers.

Final Thoughts

Ok so now you know what the least reliable brands are. Regardless, if you are buying an expensive refrigerator or an ice maker, keep these things in mind:

  1. Maintain it - Clean it once or twice a year.
  2. Understand the installation - Your builder or renovator should have some experience or have a finished carpenter on staff. It should take 2-4 hours to install integrated refrigeration for someone completely new.
  3. Are repair services readily available? - Before you buy an exotic, high-end or foreign refrigerator, find out the responsible party for service. You will most likely need service work within 1 year or so.

Additional Resources

Have questions on appliances? Read the Yale Appliance Buying Guide with the 10 most frequently asked questions, the best time to buy appliances as well as detailed profiles of all the brands. Well over 295,000 people have read a Yale Guide.

View our appliance buying guide

Related Articles and Guides:

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for accuracy, freshness, and comprehensiveness.

  Appliance Buying Guide

Why Should You Trust Us?

It seems that every appliance review has nothing but glowing comments about almost every product, yet you read customer reviews and they are almost universally bad.

We are here to fill in the disconnect. We'll give you the best features, and the drawbacks as well, including reliability based on over 37,000 calls performed by our service team just last year. Our goal is to give you ALL the information so you know what's right for you.

Please consider subscribing or adding to the conversation in the comments below. We appreciate you stopping by.

Steve Sheinkopf

Steve Sheinkopf is the third-generation CEO of Yale Appliance and a lifelong Bostonian. He has over 38 years of experience in the appliance industry, and he is a trusted source of information for consumers on how to buy and repair appliances.

Steve has also been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Consumer Reports, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg Radio, the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Entrepreneur, for his knowledge of how to buy appliances and appliance repair.

Steve is passionate about helping consumers find the best appliances for their needs, and he is always happy to answer questions and provide advice. He is a valuable resource for consumers who are looking for information on appliance buying, repair, and maintenance.

Despite being the worst goalie in history, Steve is a fan of the Bruins and college hockey, loves to read, and is a Peloton biker. The love of his life is his daughter, Sophie.

A Note About Pricing

Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.