Fridge owner calls 10-year warranty a 'scam' after being told repair costs up to $1,500, buys new one instead
He bought his Hitachi refrigerator with a 10-year compressor warranty from Audio House in August 2020.
So when the appliance stopped working on May 29, 2025, Stomper Mark was taken aback when he was told that he would have to pay up to $1,500 for its repair.
"The fridge suddenly stopped being cold," recounted the Stomper.
"This happened twice during its warranty and it was diagnosed to be ice build-up and blockage of the pipes. I was told to expect this every so often because of the technology used in this particular model.
"Therefore, I expected another cleaning similar to previously.
"To my surprise, the technician diagnosed the problem as compressor failure and told me to contact Hitachi to claim the 10-year warranty.
'The service centre staff told me to expect a bill of $900 to $1,500 for transportation and parts in order to replace the compressor. The price quoted for repair is as good as buying a brand new fridge."
The Stomper decried the "unreasonable strings attached" to the warranty and "lack of ethics".
"This is why I'm bringing this scam to your attention," he said.
"I am not opposed to paying for transport at the market rate, which is about $60 to $100 per trip with labour. Normal service is $40 to $80.
"I am doubtful if there is any damage to the fridge except the compressor failure."
He said that in the first three years of owning the appliance, he had called Hitachi twice.
"This was due to the fridge having blocked tubes caused by ice build-up, which, according to the Hitachi serviceman, is normal for this inverter model, which I accepted.
"However, a customer service supervisor from Audio House told me this was an ongoing problem with the manufacturer and beyond their control."
In response to a Stomp query, a Arçelik Hitachi Home Appliances Sales (Singapore) spokesperson acknowledged that the Stomper's fridge was previously serviced twice by Hitachi technicians.
"On both occasions, the issues identified were related to the fridge door being left open for extended periods and an overloaded freezer drawer, both of which can impact cooling performance," said the spokesperson.
"These issues were not caused by a compressor fault nor wre they related to the refrigerator's technology."
Disputing this, the Stomper said: "The fridge door was never left open unless it was for extraction or inserting items.
"Saying my fridge was left open or my drawer was full and caused the fridge to malfunction is similar to saying their fridge is incapable of basic functions and basically nitpicking."
Regarding the breakdown on May 29, the spokesperson said: "Our records indicate that we have not received any contact from the customer regarding the most recent reported issue.
"Additionally, the diagnosis of compressor failure appears to have been made by a third party, not a Hitachi technician.
"As a result, we are unable to verify or comment on the assessment or the repair."
The spokesperson added: "Hitachi honors the 10-year warranty on compressors as stated. However, warranty service must be verified and conducted by our Hitachi service team to ensure proper assessment and eligibility."
Reacting to Hitachi's response, the Stomper said: "Their call centre gave us the information and prices for the warranty and charges. Why would we make it up?
"The lady did not say anything about Hitachi needing to do a diagnostic themselves. Her only objective was to ensure that we, the caller, knew how much to prepare for the claims of compressor warranty.
"I would have happily accepted a need for prognosis if it had been explained to me, which was never done."
He added: "I was disappointed with a world-renowned Japanese brand not standing by its promise. So I purchased a brand new Korean brand this time that has a more trustworthy reputation.
"But I'm bringing this up so that people do not become gullible just because there's a sticker that says warranty for 10 years, which is now proven to be just a marketing gimmick."
