Fhiaba fridge

[jim1950]

a few year ago I went mad and purchased a AGA fridge only to find out later it's not AGA but Fhiaba in an Aga frock, when the American company took over Aga they dropped the fridge from the range.
I then find out Aga have no engineers for the fridge and are not interested at all, just give you a phone number for Fhiaba's only UK engineer (Kenny ), he has been to us a few time for repairs but now does not return calls, messages or emails.
All the fridge repair firms I contact don't want to know so if any one out can repair Fhiaba fridges please massage me.
The lesson here today is don't buy fancy items with too much electronics on.

 

[danst96]

Maybe if you offer them a massage that might get a more timely response.

 

[okeydokey]

They have a website
Home - Fhiaba

 

[jim1950]

They have a website
Home - Fhiaba

yes I've been on to then a number of times in Italy they don't reply most of the time and when they do I get the details of the uk engineer who don't reply

 

[NikNak]

You say you bought it 'a few years ago' how many years ago.?

How many times/why have you contacted the 'agent'.?

And how did you pay for the item.?

Worth a read...
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2006/mar/25/consumernews.howtocomplain
I'm sure someone with more consumer/legal knowledge will be along soon




Whowwwaaa.... i've just googled Fhiaba.... i'd be kinda miffed if no one returned my calls either

 

[Rorschach]

This is why even if I could afford them I wouldn't buy expensive white goods

 

[jim1950]

You say you bought it 'a few years ago' how many years ago.?

How many times/why have you contacted the 'agent'.?

And how did you pay for the item.?

Worth a read...
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2006/mar/25/consumernews.howtocomplain
I'm sure someone with more consumer/legal knowledge will be along soon




Whowwwaaa.... i've just googled Fhiaba.... i'd be kinda miffed if no one returned my calls either

thanks for the interest, we bought it about 10/12 year's ago, had the repair guy here over the past 5/6 year's a few time's when he replies, sometimes I get "I'll give you a call next time I'm in your area " and you never get that call.

lost count of how many times we've tried to made contract with the company in Italy or the agent here, had noreply more then we get a reply.
I think the guy here since Aga's take over and becoming a US owned company has become a one man band but is the owner of UK right's to Fhiaba sale's and part's.

I paid with a credit card.

After a polite but to the point email to the service director in Italy in Jan. this year I was told the details of the UK agent ( which I've alway had) and we had some contact him but after after 2/3 weeks no come back I contacted him again and he emailed back in March to say he was recovering from Covid and would get back to me. If thats the case I do feel sorry for him but going on past performance I'm just not sure

 

[guineafowl21]

What is the fault? The electronics aren’t usually that fancy, just a simple motherboard with a switching power supply, sensor inputs, relay outputs and some control logic.

 

[jim1950]

What is the fault? The electronics aren’t usually that fancy, just a simple motherboard with a switching power supply, sensor inputs, relay outputs and some control logic.

auto defrost is the normal problem both heater and sensor, ice maker started working slowly and then stopped altogether.
the picture is of the freezer condenser

 

[guineafowl21]

I think that’s the evaporator. I’m not an appliance repairman, more electronics stuff, but I’d be checking for error codes and correct temperatures on the display, then that all fans and ventways are ok. Next move would be swapping in sensors.

A service manual would be very helpful - I found a user type, which contained such gems as: Fridge not working -> Is it plugged in?/switched on?/is there ‘electricity’ at the socket?

...which made me fear for democracy.

 

[jim1950]

I think that’s the evaporator. I’m not an appliance repairman, more electronics stuff, but I’d be checking for error codes and correct temperatures on the display, then that all fans and ventways are ok. Next move would be swapping in sensors.

A service manual would be very helpful - I found a user type, which contained such gems as: Fridge not working -> Is it plugged in?/switched on?/is there ‘electricity’ at the socket?

...which made me fear for democracy.

Thanks, yes your right that is the evaporator, I have the user manual and its not great I check all the normal stuff like vents before I start dismantling to defrost.
I do turn the fridge off for 20/30 mins to reset but after its start up within an hour the alarm goes and it flashes the same error code for auto defrost fault
The problem trying to get parts you end up back at the UK sole agent Kenny and his lack of interest for what ever reason, which is why I think the repair guys don't want to know.
Ok I can live without the ice maker thats just annoying on such an expensive item but the manual defrost is just a pain

 

[guineafowl21]

Have a look at The Vetta Group Fhiaba Channel on youtube. They seem to answer questions in the comments, so have the error code handy.

As for spares, I drew a blank at espares.com, which is unusual.

The motherboard is usually behind an access panel - can you get to it? The inputs are often labeled and you can measure resistances, etc from there.

 

[jim1950]

Have a look at The Vetta Group Fhiaba Channel on youtube. They seem to answer questions in the comments, so have the error code handy.

As for spares, I drew a blank at espares.com, which is unusual.

The motherboard is usually behind an access panel - can you get to it? The inputs are often labeled and you can measure resistances, etc from there.

are due a manual defrost so will check out the panel then , will check out the youtube stuff again, are getting the 4 tm not ok code which is the defrost. it appears service ok all over the world apart from UK. Happy to replace the sensor myself just can't buy one also in the past with same code it need a new heater also.
Thanks Jim

 

[D_W]

I'd imagine at 10 to 12 years old and of means, they figure they don't care, and same for the service man. There's a requirement for accessible parts supply here in the USA, but its probably only 5 years or so.

Most of the high priced prestige units are similarly unreliable and parts supply can come with a requirement to use the dealer service rep, increasing repair cost a factor of three and perhaps 10x over parts price for the able. That's the cost of impressing self and friends.

We replaced a 15 years old fridge this year with zero service since new. The delivery company suggested nothing made now is likely to last as long. (This is in the pedestrian $2k range).

 

[guineafowl21]

are due a manual defrost so will check out the panel then , will check out the youtube stuff again, are getting the 4 tm not ok code which is the defrost. it appears service ok all over the world apart from UK. Happy to replace the sensor myself just can't buy one also in the past with same code it need a new heater also.
Thanks Jim

Another possibility is getting an overseas member to buy the parts and send them to you...

 

[jim1950]

I'd imagine at 10 to 12 years old and of means, they figure they don't care, and same for the service man. There's a requirement for accessible parts supply here in the USA, but its probably only 5 years or so.

Most of the high priced prestige units are similarly unreliable and parts supply can come with a requirement to use the dealer service rep, increasing repair cost a factor of three and perhaps 10x over parts price for the able. That's the cost of impressing self and friends.

We replaced a 15 years old fridge this year with zero service since new. The delivery company suggested nothing made now is likely to last as long. (This is in the pedestrian $2k range).

I was told by Aga I could have service on this fridge for life but then Aga sold out and passed the problem back to Fhiaba, we installed a Samsung freezer at the same time never gone wrong still going well
thats a lesson

 

[jim1950]

I'm going to contact the UK agent again to try and book a repair if that does not work I will go to the company in Italy and they will send me back to the Uk agent ( which I've done a few times before) and the merry go round starts again

 

[D_W]

I was told by Aga I could have service on this fridge for life but then Aga sold out and passed the problem back to Fhiaba, we installed a Samsung freezer at the same time never gone wrong still going well
thats a lesson

The old joke about lifetime service here is "whose life?".

Service agreements are either toothless after sale, non existent or seemingly bought by venture capitalists.

 

[Alice]

a few year ago I went mad and purchased a AGA fridge only to find out later it's not AGA but Fhiaba in an Aga frock, when the American company took over Aga they dropped the fridge from the range.
I then find out Aga have no engineers for the fridge and are not interested at all, just give you a phone number for Fhiaba's only UK engineer (Kenny ), he has been to us a few time for repairs but now does not return calls, messages or emails.
All the fridge repair firms I contact don't want to know so if any one out can repair Fhiaba fridges please massage me.
The lesson here today is don't buy fancy items with too much electronics on.

We have exactly the same problem! We purchased a brand new AGA Premium Series fridge freezer via Kenny in 2014 and at first it seemed he couldn't do enough to help. Sadly since then he doesn't answer my calls or messages. This has been going on since pre covid so that is not the excuse. We've had one problem after another. When it was working well is is a fantastic fridge freezer, but when things go wrong its just an expensive piece of useless metal. None of the regular fridge/freezer repair shops will work on it so I had a commercial refrigerator repair firm out to repair it around 2 years ago, but the price of the call out, labour and parts I could have bought a new fridge freezer. It's now got another fault on the fridge part and we are trying to source parts ourselves. Good luck with trying to get hold of Kenny. I hope you are successful in getting it fixed.

 

[Rorschach]

Buy Cheap - Buy Twice
Buy expensive - Buy once, but spend your life trying to get an engineer and parts to fix it