About 2 years ago I renovate a kitchen. Whoopy $2500+ for a top of the line (counter depth, french door frig with in door ice/water dispenser).  It's a lemon which I find out about 3 months later.  I got a great price on the frig 'cause my sister's best friend's husband father owns the business except their selling it in a month so no extended warranty was offered to me (at the time I was juggling so many details I forgot to ask)......

As I said it's a lemon. I'm practically on a first name basis with the customer service dept. at LG - always the ice maker. OK I should have known better.  All my temper tantrums and tirades get me no where (except one customer service rep was going to extend my factory warranty a year ago except I don't remember where I filed the original bill of sale. At least he tried).

One week before an upcoming cocktail party, you guessed it - at my place, the ice maker's not working.  Every two hours there's a huge puddle on the floor requiring immediate attention 'cause the ice maker sprouts water to make ice. I have to clean up the puddle, so I don't slip, three times before I realize it's a real problem.  Once again, I call LG.

I complain the units a lemon and should have had a new one when I reported it originally (when it was only 3 months old saying then that  I did not pay for a less than perfect frig).

So I call their factory authorized service company.  I am told - $60 for the part and $100 for the initial service call and $150 an hour for the repair once the part come in. I am mortified and tell them no way before I hang up.  I call the service company I used to use for a bum GE (the reason I will never buy another GE frig and now no dryers either).  They tell me $60 for the part, $100 initial service and $100/hour for the installation follow up.  I agree.

So, I sit home all afternoon (after the gym but not having taken my shower) waiting for the frig guy.  He rings my bell around 4PM. I'm not happy that my concierge at the luxury, "first class" building I live in did not buzz him beforehand. I call on the intercom downstairs to complain.  The concierge claims he was in the package room though the frig guy tells me that's not the case since the concierge told him to use the service elevator; he has no reason to lie. I figure the concierge got the message (it's nearly Christmas - believe me, he got the message). 

Time to get serious.  The frig guy takes apart the freezer. It takes him about 20 minutes to remove my food, the bolts, the trays and the door.  He takes apart the back wall and removes the faulty part (the fan for the freezer).  Then he calls his company for the price of the part.  I thought he repeated over $100 more than I had been quoted ($50-60).  

Needless to say I'm perturbed (like that word?).  

So, I call LG/customer service again, who says he doesn't have the authority to help me (can't sell a consumer a replacement part. The parts department, I am told, is only allowed to give prices to a distributor).  He wont give me the price or number of the parts dept. I am even more perturbed.  

I start to tell the LG guy on the phone (not yell though my voice is quite stern), "It's a corporate scam the Attorney General would like to know about since as the purchaser of the part I have a right to know what it costs"  At one point I tell the LG service operator that their recommended authorized service company told me the part is $50-60 dollars and that the serviceman at my apt. was telling me it's over $100 more. So I ask him (and the serviceman), "Do you like to have someone charge you an extra $100+ dollars for nothing?  I don't like to toss my money away. Do you?" That's when he gave me the phone numbers. ....he gives me the parts number (all 3 actually, Eastern, Pacific and Central).  Price is $63 but $74 with shipping. I order the part directly (they did not ask me for anything other than my phone number, address and credit card - they couldn't care less if I'm a distributor or not apparantly since they never asked).

I now realize I know how to install the part (no need to pay the second service call; another $100/hour). Instead I text my bf, "Need U 2 install part". It's super easy (since I watched the serviceman take the freezer apart I was able to see where the clips and screws are to removed to the door and shelves in order to get to the back panel which he only put back together with one screw since it's temporary).

Get this - the guy's impressed that I got a better price. He asks if he can take down the numbers (think you have an idea what he's going to do with the number?)........