Special Report

8 Appliance Brands to Avoid

Mike Edmisten

Published: January 29, 2024 1:50 pm

You depend on the appliances in your home every day. When it’s time to do laundry, you expect your washer and dryer to work. If you have a hungry family to feed, you need your range and microwave to function properly. And let’s not forget the largest of all your appliances. The refrigerator never takes a day off, ever. If it does, you end up with spoiled and potentially dangerous food.

As much as you depend on your appliances, though, it’s unlikely that you think about them very often. As long as they are working as they should, appliances are never at the forefront of your mind. You don’t worry about food spoilage if your refrigerator is reliable. Dinner doesn’t stress you out when you know that your oven is trustworthy.

The mark of a quality appliance is that you rarely give it a thought. You don’t spend time worrying that it might not function when you need it because it just works. The only appliances that take up any mental bandwidth at all are the ones that don’t work as they should. To help you avoid that hassle, we found 8 appliance brands to avoid. If you purchase these brands, you might find yourself thinking about them a lot, and for all the wrong reasons.

Compiling the List

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To determine which appliance brands ought to be avoided, 24/7 Wall St. consulted reputable appliance review websites as well as reviews from consumers and repair technicians. We only included brands that were highlighted by multiple sources for their inferior quality and unsatisfactory performance.

The brands are divided into different appliance categories. Just because a brand is mentioned in one category does not mean that it shouldn’t be trusted in another. For example, a brand may lack quality in its microwaves, but its dishwashers might be highly recommended.

There are two brands, though, that received scathing reviews from nearly every source we referenced. The criticism of these brands was not limited to one category, either. The experts in our survey lambasted these two brands in nearly every appliance category. In fact, one of these brands was mentioned as one of the worst appliances on the market in every single category we surveyed.

Washing Machine Brands to Avoid

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Two brands received the lowest marks in our washing machine survey. It is the same two brands that will appear over and over again in this list.

1. LG

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• Common Complaints: Violent vibration during spin cycles, Poor drainage, Agitator failure, Poor customer service.

You can find some good reviews of LG washing machines online. However, when things go wrong, they can go REALLY wrong. Parts can be difficult to find and the company’s customer service is among the worst in the industry.

2. Samsung

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• Common Complaints: Frequent breakdowns, Difficult-to-find parts

A class action lawsuit was filed against Samsung due to its inferior washing machines. in the 2010s. The company was also forced to recall nearly three million washing machines in 2016. That recall included a staggering 34 different models.

Today, problems still plague this brand. Samsung washing machines break down more often than other brands and parts can be notoriously difficult to find. Samsung’s problems go far beyond its washing machines, though.

Clothes Dryer Brands to Avoid

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These three dyer brands were criticized by the experts.

1. Frigidaire

Old Frigidaire name badge (CC BY 2.0) by Paolo Trabattoni from Saronno

• Common Complaints: Needs repairs often

Frigidaire is a longstanding appliance manufacturer with a reputation of quality products. We certainly aren’t lampooning the brand as a whole, but its dryers do not match the quality of its other appliances.

2. LG

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• Common Complaints: Heating element failure, Poor customer service

Like its washing machines, the dryers from LG received low marks from multiple experts. It should be noted that some repair companies won’t service LG appliances due to the difficulty in locating parts and the company’s lackluster customer service.

3. Samsung

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• Common Complaints: Lack of reliable performance, Breaks down more than its competitors, Difficult-to-find parts, Poor customer service

Like LG, we found multiple appliance technicians who will not work on Samsung appliances. That is a problem because Samsung dryers fail often

Ranges to Avoid

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Two brands topped the list of ranges to avoid. These companies manufacture both gas and electric ranges, but they led the lists of customer complaints in both categories. By this point, you will recognize both brands as repeat offenders for producing substandard appliances.

1. Samsung

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• Common Complaints: Inferior glass top, Burner failure, Inconsistent baking, Poor customer service

Samsung’s ranges scored near the bottom in our survey. If you seem to be noticing a pattern here, you are correct.

2. LG

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• Common Complaints: Fragile glass top, Button failure, Cheap storage drawers, Problems with oven preheating and temperature regulation

LG is back again. The brand’s ranges had many problems that left consumers quite frustrated.

Microwave Brands to Avoid

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Three microwave brands scored low in our survey. For once, LG is not on this list. However, another brand managed to keep its perfect record of terrible reviews intact.

1. Electrolux

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• Common Complaints: Unreliable performance

Reviewers noted that, over time, Electrolux did not offer the same reliability as its competitors.

2. JennAir

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• Common Complaints: Control panel failures

A microwave is useless if the buttons stop working. That was a common complaint among customers for JennAir microwaves.

3. Samsung

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• Common Complaints: Turntable stops functioning, Control panel failure, Poor customer service

It’s back, and just as bad as it was in other categories. Samsung’s microwaves fail at a significantly higher rate than other appliance brands.

Dishwasher Brands to Avoid

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No one hand washes all their dishes these days. However, if you purchase one of these dishwashers, you just might rediscover that old chore.

1. Amana

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• Common Complaints: Fails under heavy demand

An Amana dishwasher may be fine for light duty, but it can fail under the workload of daily (or multiple per day) wash cycles.

2. Haier

Haier headquarters (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Haier Group

• Common Complaints: Low-quality materials, Breaks down easily

The experts were underwhelmed with the construction of Haier dishwashers. They are cheaply made, meaning they will break down more often than other brands.

3. JennAir

Source: JennAir / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Common Complaints: Inferior dish cleaning, noisy operation, leaks, cheap dish racks, poor customer service

This dishwasher brand has a high-end price, but it certainly does not deliver high-end results.

4. Samsung

Buttons on a Samsung dishwasher (CC BY 4.0) by Zeroping

• Common Complaints: High cost, Inferior dish cleaning, Leaks, Poor customer service

Samsung dishwashers are expensive, but you definitely do not get what you pay for. As with its other appliances, parts for Samsung dishwashers can be difficult to find. The lifespan is also much shorter than other dishwasher brands. We found multiple reviewers who noted that their Samsung dishwashers didn’t even last a year.

Refrigerator Brands to Avoid

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The refrigerator is the largest appliance in your kitchen. Avoid these brands so this big appliance doesn’t become a big pain. (And while we’re on the subject, here’s a look at foods that belong in the fridge and those that don’t.)

1. KitchenAid

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• Common Complaints: Water leakage, Misaligned doors

The KitchenAid brand is well-established and beloved by millions. KitchenAid mixers, for example, are second to none. However, the experts in our survey noted that this quality is not necessarily reflected in the brand’s refrigerators.

2. LG

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• Common Complaints: Compressor failure, Poor Customer Service

LG’s poor appliance reputation rears its ugly head again. Reviewers noted that the compressors on LG refrigerators are prone to failure. The compressor is typically the most expensive part to replace on any refrigerator, so this is much more than a minor inconvenience.

3. Samsung

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• Common Complaints: Failed to hold cold temperatures, Noisy operation, Malfunctioning ice makers, Frequent breakdown, Poor customer service

There have been hundreds of complaints regarding Samsung refrigerators filed with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many of these complaints came from consumers who became ill after their Samsung refrigerator failed to store food at a safe temperature.

Complaints about Samsung refrigerators hit record levels in 2020 and have remained steady since then. Inexplicably, the commission has failed to take any action against Samsung.

Samsung refrigerators are among the very worst appliances on the market today. In fact, this company consistently produces the worst appliances in virtually every category. Millions of people love their Samsung phones, TVs, and other electronics, but home appliances are quite a different story. Avoid this appliance brand at all costs.