Breaks Down quickly Parts Unavailable

We purchased this fridge in October of 2004 from PACIFIC SALES in Burbank, CA. It was installed in November 2004. We also purchased the Maytag 5 Year Extended Service Plan from PACIFIC SALES.

I was very happy with the fridge in the first weeks.

I like that I can fit in a large cookie tray or baking pan lengthwise or sideways unlike most side-by-sides. The French doors are also a good solution to a fridge that has to fit into a corner, because when the door next to the wall opens to 90 degrees and the opposite door swings open all the way it still gives me full access to all of the shelves. The French doors are also space efficient. I have a galley kitchen with 4 feet of space between the fridge and the opposite counter. I can open the fridge to take something out and a second person still has room to pass behind me.

Other good features are the shelves on the side doors fit a lot of bottles, big and small, and the shelves easily move and change heights. I wash them in the dishwasher. Design-wise, placing the water dispenser on the inside door frame has left more room for the door shelves. Both the fridge and freezer are well lit and because the fridge part is waist high, food is easy to see, load and unload. I rarely use the sliding shelf feature but I imagine others do.

I also liked the spacious freezer. All sizes of pizza boxes fit in this model. The freezer top drawer feature really helps packing efficiency.

What I do not like I discovered after a few weeks of use. The fridge is louder than I expected. We have an open kitchen-into living room, so I can hear the fridge humming in most of the house. The ice machine is slow and if you use all of the ice in the tray it takes almost 8 hours for it to refill with more than just a few cubes.

Another crucial thing for households with small children to be aware of is the doors do not close completely unless the right door closes first, or is closed with more force. The flippy seal-guard on the left door has to channel into the guard on the fridge before the right door closes. If you do close the left door first then you have to push harder on the right door to close. Many times I have come back into my kitchen and discovered my 6 year old niece and nephew have left the right door cracked open. Also something else I discovered. Moms who carry infants around might find the French doors more cumbersome because you mostly use two hands to open this fridge. They will probably also prefer to have the water dispenser on the outside because this model's dispenser takes two hands.

Then there is the problem of durability. I am extremely disappointed to have experienced the following:

I called the Service Plan on Saturday 9/30/06 after I noticed my frozen food was melting. They made an "urgent call" appointment for Tuesday 10/3/06.

When the repairman came he found the compressor was burnt out. He said it would be 48 hours to get the compressor shipped to a local warehouse. I called Customer Service on 10/4/06 for an update and they said it would be 7 -10 days for the part to be shipped. I then called Amana/Maytag parts department to see if a compressor could be located earlier and got the real story. They said there was a national back order on the compressor and that it would not be available until 11/14/06. 6 Weeks!

When I called back the Maytag Extended Service Plan customer service I spoke with a woman named Luz. I told Luz that the Amana parts department said it would be 6 weeks on the compressor, and I couldn't go that long without a fridge. She refuted my account. And yet she would not confirm delivery of the part within 7 - 10 days! Because Luz couldn't help me, I called back again and got another customer service person to research the situation. That rep confirmed the 6 week delivery of the part. She felt bad enough to document the 6 week delivery in my service call.

Unbelievably Maytag Extended Service Plan Customer Service then offered me two options. 1) Locate the part myself, pay for the parts and labor, and submit the invoices to them for "possible reimbursement" or 2) Wait for the part to come in.

I called 8 stores with repair centers (5 of them given to me by Maytag Extended Service Plan customer service,) and not one had the compressor in stock.

I then called PACIFIC SALES in Burbank, CA where I purchased the fridge and asked for my money back because they sold me a fridge that breaks down in 23 months and there is no manufacturer parts stock. Larry, who identified himself as the supervisor, said that they do not guarantee the products they sell or the ability of the Maytag Extended Service Plan to help customers. He told me to contact Maytag.

I am really concerned should something else break on this model if there will even be parts. I do not have confidence in this model's durability.

In fairness to Maytag Extended Warranty Service, I am allowed reimbursement for food loss -$250 total over the life of the warranty. I have lost over $250, but I will be happy to receive any reimbursement.