Rural Nova Scotia couple faces 'nightmare' trying to get fridge fixed

Living in remote areas has its own special set of challenges, but finding someone to fix a refrigerator manufactured by LG was not one that Marie-Laure Hansson and her husband, Torre, expected when they moved to Brier Island, N.S.

They decided to retire to the remote area in western Nova Scotia, which requires two ferries to get there, after vacationing in the scenic locale. They both love water and wanted a reasonably priced home that would allow them to travel. On Brier Island, they found it all.

Before moving from Ottawa the couple purchased new appliances. Hansson said they did their homework and picked a $2,500 LG fridge with smart technology, thinking it was good quality and "we won't have any issues." 

"It's a remote area and we thought for servicing, [the smart technology] would make things much easier," Hansson said. "It allows your phone to do a diagnostic and send it to the company."

It turns out it wasn't that easy. The fridge stopped working on Jan. 6, just eight days short of the expiry of the one-year warranty.

Customer service issues

Hansson said it took four days of lengthy, repeated phone calls to finally have a technician check the diagnostics and determine it was either a faulty motor or sensors.  

She was given the names and phone numbers of two companies in the area that service LG, but when she called she discovered neither did.

Over the next few weeks, her frustration mounted as she says she was promised return calls that never arrived and was given conflicting information by customer service representatives about how the fridge would be repaired and the documentation needed to cover it under warranty.

At one point, Hansson says she was told she would have to make the four-hour drive to Dartmouth to return the fridge for repair. When she refused, she was told to take it to Kentville, a three-hour drive. 

"At that point I just laughed and asked them if they were serious," Hansson said. "I didn't buy an appliance, pay $2,500, to be told that nobody can service it."

Hansson's warranty did address the issue in the fine print, saying "THIS LIMITED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER: Service trips to deliver, pick up, install or repair the product…"

She did not realize that.

"That's something that consumers should be made aware of as they are purchasing an appliance," she said.

Map showing Brier Island

She and her husband call the whole experience a "nightmare," but it does have a happy ending.

After CBC News contacted LG to inquire about the situation, Hansson subsequently received a call from an LG manager who she said apologized profusely.

He offered her two solutions. LG would transport the fridge to Kentville for servicing or it would remove the existing fridge and deliver a new one.

She opted for the latter and is happy she did. She now has the same fridge, but a new model with additional features. LG also reimbursed her $400 for lost food.

LG responds

In an email to CBC News, LG spokesman Albert Lee said it is LG policy to service and support their products within a 150-kilometre radius of an authorized service centre. Outside of that, he said the expectation is the customer will need to take the product into a service centre themselves.

"In the case of this particular customer, due to a misunderstanding of a certain feature, it was determined that we would clarify the feature to the customer and that a make-good was in order, this time," Lee said.

As for those who will say she should expect a lack of service in a remote area, Hansson said it shouldn't matter where you live.

"It's not because I'm on an island that I cannot have service," she said. "It may take longer for a technician to get here and I understand that. I can accept that but to not have one available is unacceptable."

She said when her Electrolux microwave broke down, a technician was there within a couple of days.

She said it took hours to deal with the fridge and is thankful she is retired and had the time to pursue the matter.

"Had I not been that tenacious and stubborn and knowing that I was in the right, I can see many people just giving up and saying, 'You know what, forget it."'