Consumers urged to test new fridges

In the past twelve months almost one in five fridges Choice has tested have been delivered non functional, had a noticeable fault which cause it to be returned or failed on energy testing.

Choice tests up to 40 fridges a year. Fridges are bought and delivered using the same process as any Australian consumer.

"We've had a huge number of fridges fail our testing lately," said Choice white goods expert Ashley Iredale. "As Australians often spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a fridge, this is not acceptable.

"Fridges are supposed to last 10 to 15 years, which means that you could be stuck with problems for a very long time."

Some fridge brands fared worse than others. Two of Beko models tested by Choicescored less than 50 per cent.

Ms Iredale advises putting a thermometer into both the fridge and freezer compartments of a new fridge to make sure that they are at the right temperature.

"If your fridge isn't performing as it should, contact the retailer," she said.

"If your fridge is faulty the consumer law gives you the protection to get a repair, a replacement or refund, depending on the nature of the fault. And because this product is so large, the retailer or the manufacturer should be paying the transport costs when something goes wrong."

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