Many homeowners have had it happen- their fridge or freezer breaks down and they lose all of its contents. Whether it’s due to a power failure or something within the appliance breaking, there could be coverage for food loss. However, some homeowners are warning that the coverage may not go as far as you’d like.
Doug Rutherford bought his fridge six years ago, and it has broken down three times. The most recent breakdown happened over the Thanksgiving long weekend.
“We’d come home from being away for a few days and, of course, everything in the fridge was destroyed,” explained Rutherford.
Rutherford had recently been on a fishing trip with his sons and all of the fish they had caught was ruined.
“We separated the smoked salmon from the fish that we had caught and carefully placed it in the freezer only now to have it heading to the dump.”
He says the fridge has been nothing but a hassle since he purchased it, and dealing with KitchenAid hasn’t been much easier.
“In our conversations with KitchenAid I encouraged them to at least give us a credit toward a new appliance to the value of the repairs. They have no intention of doing that and have said so,” explained Rutherford.
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Vivian Singleton only had her upright freezer for two months before it broke.
“My husband went down to get some meat out of the freezer and there was some blood on the floor. He opened the freezer and everything was defrosted.”
She estimates she lost about $600 worth of food, and the manufacturer wasn’t very helpful.
“Frigidaire said food loss is not our responsibility,” Singleton said adding, “I’m thinking, this freezer is two months old, come on, somebody is responsible. I shouldn’t have to suffer the loss.”
Singleton had purchased the extended warranty from Leon’s, with $200 worth of coverage for food loss, but it doesn’t kick in until the one year manufacturer’s warranty has expired.
“Most manufacturers that I know of don’t have food spoilage included in their warranty so we have it as an option,” said Bruce Bergeron, National Service Coordinator with Leon’s Furniture Canada.
Other stores, such as Sears, offer $250 worth of coverage for food loss. You can also place a claim through home insurance however, you will have to pay a deductible.
“If there was a big power outage and all of a sudden your freezer has been spoiled, your fridge, that’s a very typical thing that’s covered under your home insurance policy. Now, there’s usually a deductible, typically about $500,” said Heather Mack with the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
As for Rutherford and Singleton, despite repairs, both have lost faith in their appliances.
“(The fridge) only has a few things in it and everything else is in a second fridge downstairs, which is probably 15 years old and has never stopped working,” said Rutherford.
“We check (the freezer) everyday, and when we’re away we have somebody come in and check it everyday, because we are so afraid,” added Singleton.
When purchasing an appliance, be sure to ask about food loss coverage and when it kicks in.
If you’re leaving home for a long weekend, or longer, many companies recommend consumers empty their fridge as much as possible, and turn off the water supply to the ice maker.
With files from Julie Matthews.
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