The Most Reliable Counter-Depth Refrigerators (2023 Update)

April 6th, 2023 | 7 min. read

By Steve Sheinkopf

Learn how to find the perfect refrigeration products with our Counter-Depth Refrigerator Buying Guide

Most Reliable Counter Depth French Door Refrigerators

The Most Reliable Counter-Depth Refrigerators for 2023 are:

Fisher & Paykel - 5%
LG - 6.9%
Café Appliances - 9.9%
Bosch - 10.7%

Key Takeaway: The most reliable counter-depth refrigerators do not have an ice and water dispenser.

Why It Matters: Ice makers in a refrigerator will leak.

The most reliable counter-depth French door refrigerators for 2023 are Fisher & Paykel, LG, Café Appliances, and Bosch based on real service calls logged over 12 months - shocking.

How can a small specialty company known for drawer dishwashers be number one in refrigerators?

Hint: What feature does Fisher & Paykel not have as well as any others on this list?

In this article, you will learn all about the most reliable counter-depth refrigerators.

More importantly, you will understand how the numbers are derived and incorporate the information into your buying decision.

Read to the end, or at least read the end, because, in many instances, you should not buy the most reliable brands.

Let’s get started.

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The Most Reliable Counter-Depth Refrigerators for 2023

The following service rates are based on a minimum of 100 refrigerators sold and a total sample of over 3000:

	Service Rate
Fisher & Paykel	5.0%
LG	6.9%
Café Appliances	9.9%
Bosch	10.7%
Thermador	15.6%
GE Profile	16.5%
GE Appliances	19.6%
KitchenAid	25.5%
Beko	25.9%
Grand Total	14.7%

The average service rate is 14.7% for counter-depth refrigerators versus 9.7% for appliances in general.

Fisher & Paykel - 5%

fisher-paykel-integrate-refrigerators

Now, why is Fisher & Paykel number one? Look at their most popular models.

What don't you see?

Their most popular models do not have an external icemaker. In a French door, that icemaker is in the refrigerator. Over time the ice maker will leak.

LG - 6.9% Service Rate

lg-studio-appliances

Yes, LG is number one for a reliable refrigerator. In 2019, they settled a class-action lawsuit based on their new linear compressor not cooling.

Theoretically, the linear compressor should be more reliable because of fewer working parts and strike points.

Give them credit for improving the design and not starting over.

They also have a decent lineup of interesting refrigerators to consider.

Once again, if you look at the most popular refrigerators at Yale, they don't have dispensers.

Café Appliances - 9.9% Service Rate

Cafe-Appliances-in-Stainless-Steel (1)

Café Appliances counter-depth refrigeration has ice and water dispensers, smart functionality, and the most features. You even have a Keurig coffee dispenser.

However, the more popular model doesn't have any of those features.

The best part is all of GE's brands have a service department. It's a good consideration if your retailer does not offer in-house service.

Bosch - 14.9% Service Rate

bosch-benchmark-series-dishwasher-SHX89PW75N-installed

Bosch’s service rate was surprising at number four on this list.

Their counter-depth refrigerator line is only four years old. Bosch's counter-depth refrigerators have many features, including a unique two-compressor system.

Their most popular refrigerators do not have an ice dispenser. Go figure.

What About Beko With a 25.9% Service Rate?

Beko is on our list of best counter-depth refrigerators. Beko is an interesting brand. It has the most features to keep food fresh for longer.

Their BlueLighting and EverPure+ technology extend photosynthesis in fruit and vegetables.

Beko was second only to Sub-Zero in our four-week "Project Produce" tests, of which refrigerators kept fruit and vegetables fresh.

Beko is the most sustainability-oriented appliance company as well.

However, their reliability number is over 25%. At that rate, should you consider a Beko counter-depth refrigerator?

Most of the issues were a problem with the ice maker, not the refrigerator cooling.

The instruction manual was written wrong, so our delivery guys shut the icemaker off - dumb.

The repair was simple, and the problems have been resolved going forward.

So yes, consider a Beko counter-depth refrigerator.

How We Calculate Reliability

Let's discuss how we calculate reliability.

We have logged over 100,00 service calls in less than three years. We now have 35 service technicians averaging 8-10 calls daily, Monday through Friday, plus another 110 calls on Saturday.

We calculate appliance reliability by dividing the products we serviced by the products we sold. In this article, we looked at the number of counter-depth refrigerators sold and serviced over 12 months.

Many have asked for three, five, and ten-year reliability articles. More years is harder to calculate because we provide warranty service for free.

After the first year, the service rates are harder to determine.

Why Trust Us?

The eternal question. Why not pick up Consumer Reports or the Wirecutter instead?

These ratings are based on real service calls, not surveys and lab testing.

You won't find many reliability studies because 95% of appliance stores do not have any service.

Don't trust these ratings because you think I am a nice guy (I am).

Trust them because we do the work.

It is in my best interest to sell reliable products because fixing chronically unreliable brands is too expensive.

It should also be yours because getting a repair on any product is incredibly aggravating, even before the ongoing parts shortage.

3 Most Common Counter-Depth French Door Refrigerator Problems

Counter-Depth French Door Refrigerators at Yale Appliance in Hanover

These numbers may be statistically bad, but most of their issues are not. The problems are more related to ice maker issues than compressor failures. It isn't all terrible.

Below are the three most common counter-depth refrigerator problems we found.

Freezer Not Working
Icemakers Not Making or Dispensing Ice: Sending a frozen cube through a warmer refrigerator has been an issue. Icemakers in general have problems because you should clean them regularly.
Reports of Noise: Modern refrigerators are way more efficient but are noisier as well.

Should You Buy a Warranty for Your Refrigerator?

Until 16 years ago, we did not sell warranties.

You should consider a warranty for a French door refrigerator just from looking at the first-year service rates above.

You can read nightmare comments written about nightmare service experiences.

Just do not buy a warranty from a store without a service department.

You certainly won't buy a car warranty from a dealer without service. Follow the same thinking with appliances.

Third-party warranties are a joke (only you will not be laughing). They will sell you the warranty without employing service technicians.

Key Takeaways

Your key takeaway: Buy a refrigerator without an external water and ice dispenser.

I know what you are thinking: They are so convenient to place your glass and fill it with water and ice.

However, a frozen cube in a warmer refrigerator is not the best design.

Then again, a small leak could be more tolerable than bending down to reach into the freezer for ice.

You wouldn't notice the other part of what we consider reliable. Bosch and Café Appliances are better at turning around parts and services than the others.

In addition to researching prices and features, you should know your service agent before making any appliance purchase.

Should You Buy an LG or Samsung Counter-Depth Refrigerator?

In terms of product design, LG and Samsung are the best. They also have the best features with cool-sounding refrigerator styles like the Samsung FamilyHub or the LG Instaview.

However, do not buy either brand without understanding who will be fixing it first. In this case, LG is much better than Samsung.

LG has made a recent commitment to service, and it takes time. Samsung has the twin problems of being the most popular brand and no support.

In other words, you may love the product but trust and verify the service aspect first.

Counter-Depth Refrigerators

FAQs

Answers to the most commonly asked questions about counter-depth refrigerators.

What is the difference between counter-depth and standard-depth refrigerators?

What's the largest counter-depth refrigerator?

How deep are counter-depth refrigerators?

Are counter-depth refrigerators wider?

Are counter-depth refrigerators more expensive?

Related Articles:

Most Reliable Appliances Series:

Looking for answers about Counter-Depth Refrigerators?

Choosing a new refrigerator can be a confusing and time-consuming experience. We've taken the pain out of the decision process with our Counter-Depth Refrigerator 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.

Topics:

Appliance Service

Appliance Repair

Counter Depth Refrigerators

Most Reliable Appliances

How to Buy Appliances

The Most Reliable Counter-Depth Refrigerators (2023 Update)

Learn how to find the perfect refrigeration products with our Counter-Depth Refrigerator Buying Guide

The Most Reliable Counter-Depth Refrigerators for 2023 are: