Samsung f/freezer missing rear ventilation grille

[Heehog]

Hi, can anyone confirm please? 

Does your Samsung fridge/freezer have a full top-to-bottom covering at the rear?  Ours was delivered with the lower rear ventilation grille missing, leaving a large approx 10" high gaping hole at the lower rear, exposing the compressor(?) and bits of cable/pipework.  See picture.  

The pictures  of our model on Samsung's website show this grille in place, but Samsung UK help desk staff insist that it's safe to use without and that this grille is not provided in the UK, despite their website pictures.  

I'm not convinced, so I was hoping to hear from others whether their story holds water. 

Is it truly safe to use like this?  I've noticed that small pipe on the right hand side can get VERY hot.  

Model is RB34T602ESA/EU, but we now regret buying a Samsung as we're concerned about the fire risk.  If their website shows a covering grille in place,  it must be there for a reason. 

Impossible to speak to our retailer Currys, as they've auto-diverted their phones direct to Samsung's help desk, but that's a separate issue.

Does anyone else's fridge/freezer look like this? 

Advice appreciated, thank you.  

[jaydee5]

Sorry to see you are having to deal with this on your own FlossyT, pulling the fridge out is a task in itself & sadly has caused your Sciatica to flare up. 48 hrs now & still no call from a 'Case Manager' at Samsung.  AO called yesterday, as they were in contact with them again, but missed their call.  People can still join this thread even though the status is 'solved' & us 3 are still able to liaise too - just see how it goes for now?

[FlossyT]

Ok let's do that. I suppose I'll check to see if any new posts as I know from various stores feedback others are unhappy & as more are delivered, more may seek explanation.

I noticed a chinese manufacturer Haier, sells on AO also with a covered back. Makes me wonder if they had any issues. I do find the feedback on that shop all strangely very similar, same describing words used, but I'm a cynical old girl

If, by any chance, they do send me the missing cover I'll let you all know Jaydee. 

[FlossyT]

P.S. jaydee thank you for your kind words!!! 😊

[Heehog]

Jaydee, I am still trying to progress this.  I'm yet to hear back from Which?, but I know they've passed it to their research team.  However, there has been one surprising development...  

On 18/11/20, I'd written to Currys CEO to complain and the case was taken up by his support team.  I've just heard back from that support team this week saying they've contacted Samsung, who've told them that we SHOULD have had that panel included.  That directly contradicts moderator AndrewL's response further up this thread, so I've now removed that as the accepted solution. 

So we now have one part of Samsung telling Currys' CEO that we SHOULD have that grille in place, and another part of Samsung telling the moderators here that we SHOULDN'T have the grille!  Come on Samsung, which is it to be?  

Samsung need to get their story straight and issue a written statement.   Until they do so, we should progress this jointly, with as much exposure in the media as we can muster.   The situation really isn't good enough.

Bottoming out the story,  the CEO support team tell me Samsung are happy to send me the panel if I contact them.  The problem here is I have already trodden this path twice now and got nowhere.  While waiting for Currys CEO's response, I had already independently asked Samsung to order the part for me, which they agreed to do.  Then after a week or so, they cancelled the order implying this panel was not required in the UK.  At least, I think that's what they were implying because their reply was very poorly phrased, and I quote...

On 24/11/2020 17:19, uk.parts wrote:

Dear Mr. xxxxxxxx,

Thank you for your email. Your customer reference number is xxxxxxxxxx.

We apologise for the inconvenience. The Service Order: xxxxxxxxxx was created for supposedly the needed part. However, upon checking the request did not continue for it was not available. With further investigation, after looking into the photo that you have recently sent. It was not the actual needed part. Thus, we cannot re-process he request.

Our Callback Team was trying to contact you, but they were not able to reached you. They wanted to explain that, the back panel of the unit does not have a cover due to ventilation purposes. Therefore, our Parts Specialists will not be able to send the back cover.

If you require additional support, please contact us on 0333 000 0333 (UK) or 0818 717 100 (EIRE), or respond to this email and we will be more than happy to help. 

Kind regards,

xxxxxx
Customer Service Representative
  

www.samsung.com/uk/support

Rightly or wrongly, I interpreted that gobbledegook to mean they wouldn't supply the ventilated grille because they want the area to remain even better ventilated, although I really have no idea, so badly expressed was this reply.   I simply cannot make sense of the message frankly.  But the upshot is, they didn't send the grille but cancelled the order.  So I tried ordering the panel for a second time and it was basically rinse & repeat, still told the order was cancelled and I couldn't have it..

Incidentally, their "Callback team trying to contact you" consists of three rings on the telephone and just as you reach the phone they ring off and don't try again.  That happened to me both times.  They really don't put any effort whatsoever into ACTUALLY trying to contact you.   

My next move is to tell Currys it's contractually their problem to supply this grille - my contract was with them, not Samsung - and it's not for me to negotiate with Samsung to get one.  Currys are saying Samsung won't send me the grille at their request, due to data protection (which sounds like more tosh from both parties), and I have to contact them myself to request it.  A procedure I've already been through twice now, with no success!  I'm going to have to ask Currys to get the grille from Samsung, then Currys post it to me.  

This is fast becoming a joke and has really put me off both Currys and Samsung for the future.  

[FlossyT]

I'm just beginning this phase heehog. I was asked by samsung, on facebook, to contact Samsung direct from the website. 

I had explained I wasn't about to start calling them at my own expense because, thanks to Jaydee's enlightenment, I knew that would lead to deep frustration. 

The part has been ordered for me today, so I'll also expect a poorly written letter or contact struggling to tell me I won't get my part.

As Argos have offered me a replacement or choose something else instead I'm doubtful they'll argue it out with Argos. I could push for a refund & they wouldn't be able to deny me that even though I'm having to use the appliance due to my son sending me a large food order. I've been here before with Argos & they did all they could to help that time.

Argos have assigned me a personal contact. 

I suppose I'll just wait for the contact telling me there will be no part sent to me & take it from there.

We are all going down this long road to nowhere when all we want is a proper & deserved explanation as to why we have not received what we paid for.

I've read though, almost 30 pages. first part of the appliance instruction booklet twice & they have really gone out of their way to ensure buyers are warned about almost everything in order to protect themselves. There's a couple of errors & one where it states 3 to 8 year olds 'are' allowed to load & unload the Fridge Freezer. Must have been written by the author of your letter. They also state alcohol must not be put into the Fridge as it is for food only in more than one area in the book. This goes totally against their advertising which shows the model loaded with wine & states it will hold a large champagne bottle, perhaps wines & champagnes are not categorised as alcohol by Samsung, It is my understanding that they are.

So thats the first half of the booklet Warnings.

The second half is installation & two very limited pages of temperature setting instructions. These leave a lot to be desired, in my opinion, & I expected more help with setting temperatures.

I wish you all good luck & thank you for your fellow support on your thread Heehog & your input Jaydee.

I'll keep you updated.

[jaydee5]

Hi, FlossyT & Heehog Still in conversation with AO & Samsung....this gets more ridiculous - Samsung are now saying this is a built in fridge, which is not the case & what relevance does that have? It's a Classic, there is a separate category for built ins. If you look in the manual on page 60 it advises on how to clean the grille & shows a photo!

[FlossyT]

PAGE 60 BACK COVER HOW TO CLEAN.

How infuriating, now they resort to playing games with you. Either that or they don't know what they're doing. On the purchasing information 'built in is marked as NO' What that says to me is that the units are only fit for being built in so that the exposed motor is protected by the units housing.

It does indeed tell us how to vacuum the back panel twice a year on page 60. This was also in the selling information & I mentioned it further back & also to the chat agent.

They say they tried to call me & I was unavailable in a text telling me to call them.

I need them to call me, really call & not just state they did. I cannot call out on my phone, which is why I contacted via chat in the first place.

I spoke to my Argos representative & she's taken the case number & says she's contacting them herself.

I know I will be fobbed off again & not be told the reason why the cover is missing.

I'm adding an image of page 60 showing the appliance complete with the cover we are yet to receive.

Meanwhile I'm fretting because I can't pull the appliance out to clear the feathers behind. I'm certainly not going to lock my birds out of the kitchen, it's all been made bird safe apart from this appliance which was purchased as safe but delivered as 'not fit for purpose'

[FlossyT]

Hi jaydee & heehog, Argos, my personal agent, has told me if samsung don't sort this I can swap for any model for same price. Excellent service. To be honest I just want the plate. 

[jaydee5]

Hi FlossyT, If Samsung can't supply the grille , they should offer a similar alternative with grille, even if the retail price is higher.  We purchased this appliance in good faith.  As I have mentioned previously, they are misrepresenting their products & are continuing to do so currently, even though we have highlighted this. There are other models in the range, RB36T / RB38T that are showing the grille (generic photo) too.

[Heehog]

...they are misrepresenting their products & are continuing to do so currently... 

Absolutely.  Go to the current UK website using the link below.  If you scroll through the first set of pictures by clicking on the ">" icon, the fifth picture in the set clearly shows the panel in place.   This is exactly what we all expected to receive. 

https://www.samsung.com/uk/refrigerators/bottom-mount-freezer/340l-metal-graphite-rb34t602esa-eu/