Currys fridge/freezer

Hallux

Went to buy a fridge/freezer in Currys to replace (asap) ours which just conked in the extreme heat recently.  Decided on Grundig as we had a good experience with a Grundig about 3 years ago before we moved home and donated it to a needy friend.

Currys said it was not in stock nor would be available for a long time.  We wanted a good depth on the freezer below with 4 shallow drawers (there's only 2 of us and we don't get bulky stuff like whole turkeys etc.) as we already have a small built in fridge in the kitchen so the freezer part is essential and just a little extra fridge space is handy.  The only suitable alternative in store was Beko - a make which we sought to avoid as we regarded it as a less reliable budget make.

The rep said we could not buy the display model of the Grundig so we somewhat reluctantly agreed to buy the Beko.  Although I never opt for insurance my wife dithered due to lack of confidence in Beko and pressed me to get that too (5 years).  The rep said that the insurance was £160 but offered a coupon to reduce it to £108.

Can't help thinking that we may have been hoodwinked.  Do they get better commission for selling Beko products?  Do they get commission for selling insurance? ... and what really bugs me is why couldn't they sell the display model of the Grundig?  ..surely there is no point in it sitting in the store to just waste the time of other customers who might want it?

SaverRate

Why currys? You should have shopped around, AO Outlet on ebay, AO, John Lewis, Amazon etc etc

I personally wouldnt buy Beko or insurance

Yes they get commission on the insurance 

HillStreetBlues

They don't have to sell you the display model,

With the white goods insurance you have 45 days to change your mind and get a full refund (if you not made a claim)

Penguin_

SaverRate said:

Why currys? You should have shopped around, AO Outlet on ebay, AO, John Lewis, Amazon etc etc

I personally wouldnt buy Beko or insurance

Yes they get commission on the insurance 

I have had 2 Beko products & they have lasted me years (so far). 

Aylesbury_Duck

As above, you can't insist they sell you anything.

Insurance is often a waste of money, and hopefully so!  I don't bother with extended warranties and insurance.  Your consumer rights afford good protection for the early period of ownership, and putting money aside to fund repairs or a replacement usually works out as a better strategy.  A lot of those products also have a lot of exclusions, don't cover labour charges, etc., so they need careful scrutiny.

HillStreetBlues

Aylesbury_Duck said:

As above, you can't insist they sell you anything.

Insurance is often a waste of money, and hopefully so!  I don't bother with extended warranties and insurance.  Your consumer rights afford good protection for the early period of ownership, and putting money aside to fund repairs or a replacement usually works out as a better strategy.  A lot of those products also have a lot of exclusions, don't cover labour charges, etc., so they need careful scrutiny.

Same here, extended warranties and insurance to me is a bad gamble.
Especially as many are marked up as 3 years, but fail to tell you most accept faulty returns in the first year,  so it's more like a 2 year warranty.

HillStreetBlues

Penguin_ said:

SaverRate said:

Why currys? You should have shopped around, AO Outlet on ebay, AO, John Lewis, Amazon etc etc

I personally wouldnt buy Beko or insurance

Yes they get commission on the insurance 

I have had 2 Beko products & they have lasted me years (so far). 

Do agree.
I have 2 large freezers, undercounter freezer & washing machine made my Beko

Grumpy_chap

Hallux said:

The only suitable alternative in store was Beko - a make which we sought to avoid as we regarded it as a less reliable budget make.

I held that view, but bought a BEKO in 1999 because I'd just moved house, the old people took the fridge freezer and this was the only one available for quick delivery.  It is still going strong.  Outlived two far more expensive American-style fridge freezers.

Hallux said:

Can't help thinking that we may have been hoodwinked.  Do they get better commission for selling Beko products?  Do they get commission for selling insurance? ... and what really bugs me is why couldn't they sell the display model of the Grundig?  ..surely there is no point in it sitting in the store to just waste the time of other customers who might want it?

I don't know about the commissions and varying rates between BEKO or alternative products, nor about the insurances.  The stores are incentivised to sell the insurance.  How much was the BEKO fridge freezer if the insurance was >£100?
I never buy the product insurance / warranty.
As others said, it may be possible to cancel the insurance.

It may not be possible for Curry's to sell the display model. 
Sometimes, these belong to the manufacturer rather than the store and required to be returned to the manufacturer who then sells the product as a "second" via whatever channel.
The manufacturers sometimes pay a premium to have their product at a specific position in the store for a specific period of time.
Sometimes the store display models are not fully functional devices but simply empty display units showing what the interior is like, but no actual workings.

born_again

Cancel the insurance, put the same amount in a savings account. Just in case.

We have a Beko freezer in the garage. Around 3 years old. No problems at all, despite the harsh conditions it lives in. Sub zero in winter, 100+F the other day.

HillStreetBlues

born_again said:

Cancel the insurance, put the same amount in a savings account. Just in case.

We have a Beko freezer in the garage. Around 3 years old. No problems at all, despite the harsh conditions it lives in. Sub zero in winter, 100+F the other day.

That's why i bought Beko, found many aren't designed for the range of garage temperatures.
Mine are 5 - 8 years old.

IvanOpinion

We also have a Beko fridge in the garage - bought in 2007 and still working fine. Sits beside our Hotpoint fridge freezer that is over 25 years old now.

I believe both Beko and Grundig are made by the same Turkish company (Arcelik)