Meet the uber-fridge. While at a green building expo, we recently took a peek at this poster-boy for efficient, modern, home refrigeration. Pictured at right is the 30″ Liebherr Model #: CS1650. A few, features:
- fully Energy Star compliant
- 11.3 cubic foot capacity
- full stainless steel cabinet and doors with ergonomic handle design and swing function
- 2 dual compressors designed for quiet, if not silent operation,variable speeds and energy efficiency
- thin wall construction – wider interior
- no false back wall – deeper interior
- precise digital controls to conserve energy and preserve food
- dual refrigerator systems to optimize control, save energy, and separate air flow
- BioFresh technology maintains fruits in vegetables in the storage drawers under optimal temp and humidity conditions
- SuperFrost System for quick freezing
- glass door shelves (glass holds cold much better than plastic)
- 2 one gallon storage spaces on the door
- factory icemaker
- doors are field reversible without a kit
- freezer’s FrostSafe System prevents cold air from escaping when door is open
- full 2 year warranty on all parts and labor and a full 5 year warranty on parts and labor for items in Sealed System
American refrigerator manufacturers should checkout the design features of this sleek, European challenger to Viking.
Update: see this post’s accompanying comments for customer complaints and notes.
as pictured $3,699 @ warners’ stellian
more info and dealer locations @ almo specialty products
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NEVER BUY A LIEBHERR fridge – they look good but the design and engineering is terrible. The WORST feature are the doors which can look and feel closed, but if the seal is not tight, the inside temp will rise, hours later a faint buzzer will come on, and by the morning, everything will be melted. Sadly there is nothing you can really do to prevent this as the doors look and feel closed.
Beware Leibherr Larder Refrigerator. Have had one for 4 years when the circuit board needed replacing. Leiberr use a sub-contractor to carry out domestic repairs, who in turn sub-contract out to local companies. Initially had to pay UP FRONT £120 for an engineer to ring to arrange convenient time to call. After 3 days of me and the sub-contracting company chasing him as he never phoned me, he came out and “mended” the fridge replacing a sensor wire. Still broken but instead of freezing all the food (eggs and milk etc) it was too warm so rotted instead. Got in touch with Leibherr’s sub-contractor who in turn etc…. Engineer came out and diagnosed the curcuit board needed replacing and his office would call with a price. They called within 24 hours and told me the part would be £169 which again had to be paid UP FRONT. Decided not to get mended – cheaper to get a new cheap fridge (Hotpoint – last one I had last 10+ years with no problems). Just goes to show you don’t necessarily get better if you pay more.
October 14 2010
When I purchase a high-end refrigerator/freezer for $5000 I expect the following: a superbly built, quality product. If the product is defective, I expect the manufacturer or distributor to promptly and professionally rectify the problem. In addition, the price-tag of this product sets up the expectation that not only will the problem be handled efficiently, but the level of customer service will be superior and representatives will deal with clients-in-good-standing with deference; If there should be an issue with a brand-new appliance, customer service will be apologetic and eager to correct the situation in order to maintain client satisfaction.
This is not the experience I had with Liebherr refrigeration or any of their customer service representatives. The freezer door to the new refrigerator I ordered, and for which I paid full price, did not close.
In my conversations with Liebherr representatives, no one at any point apologized or proactively suggested a solution. Initially, I was told by Jerry at Liebherr that the model I had received was a left-hinge model in which the hinge side had been switched. After paying such a premium for a right-hinge side model it is a disappointment to have any issues at all. He said he would have a service person come to “fix” it. After pressing to find out when to expect the service appointment, I was reluctantly told I would be called within one day with a response. I waited three days and then, after no reply, I called back to be told I would receive a call within the hour. The following day I finally heard from the service center with their first available appointment for five days later.
After this service appointment they were not able to fix the door. They determined they needed a special tool to fix the issue. They said they needed to order this tool and were rude when asked when we could expect the next service appointment to take place. They did not give a time estimate and only said that they would call when the tool was in.
Two days after that exchange with the service company I called Liebherr to follow up and explained the situation to a different service rep. hoping this time to be offered a professional and prompt solution. This new rep, Sandor, did not offer any help to my request for a new, functional refrigerator/freezer, nor did he offer any apologies for the fact that I do not have a working appliance and have waited over 2 weeks for a solution. What he did do was explain to me all the reasons why I should not be helped with this and he denied that I had been sent a left-hinge model.
I explained to him what Jerry had told me and he said that was not possible. I then asked to speak to Jerry and while I was put on hold, Sandor and Jerry talked it over. Sandor got back on the line and said, “of course, Jerry did not say any of those things and you are incorrect…” As a paying customer, simply looking to have a new working appliance ,I could not believe I was being spoken to in this manner. This was a continuation of the accusatory tone that had been taken towards me since the beginning, and now I was being given the run-around while being accused of lying.
I re-stated that the solution I was looking for was to be sent a brand new, not-defective, right-hinge model because that is what I had ordered and paid for. Sandor said that the best they would do for me would be to fix the model I had received, and he did not offer to confirm a time when I could expect another service appointment. He did say he would place an order for the special tool needed to fix this. (Wasn’t this “tool” supposed to have been ordered two days prior?) Wanting to end my unpleasant experience with Sandor, I let him know I was extremely unhappy about the level of customer service I had received since the beginning.
I am shocked, outraged, and very disappointed by the many levels of inadequacy by the Liebherr appliance service group. Initially believing that the faulty hinge was a rare ocurrence, if this problem been properly handled my faith in the company would have been restored and I would have continued to recommend what is an aesthetically appealing product. As an Interior Architect, I know that sometimes renovations get delayed even when dealing with experienced vendors, etc. I will NEVER use another Liebherr appliance in the future as a result of this horrible and time-consuming experience.
Still waiting,
Vivian
This expensive Lemon Freezer is Freezer from hell.
Lemon Liebherr freezer not able to use and is downat the present time.
1 Safety issue.
The refrigerator’s door can detach, posing an injury hazard to consumers.
2 Freezer Fan.
Not strong enough to circulate properly air in the freezer.
3 Electronic board.
Board defective design.
4 Melting issue.
Defrost problem. temperaturecan reach +15″C.
Not fix yet.
5 Freezer door issue.
Wrong not matching door.
Not replaced yet.
do not buy Leibherr- we have only had our refrig for 3 years and the casket has holes and tears- there are only 2 of us in our household… i called to have it fixed they said it was out of warranty- and it would be $540 bucks to replace the door! as the gasket was sealed at the factory!! what a bunch of BS! do not buy this product stay clear!!!!!
The compressor has failed on this fridge in less than 5 years. Liebherr have no interest in after sales, simply pointing you to an external service company whose MINIMUM call out (no labour or parts ) is £82.25 + VAT. Assuming the compressor is dead, the replacement will be £140 and re-gassing £40, all plus VAT of course.
I am absolutely disgusted! My last fridge was a Horpoint which lasted 27 years. Liebherr are “the best in the world” with a price tag to match.
Don’t buy one!
Major issues with freezer maintaining temp. We have had fridge freezer for 2 years and 4months. Warranty is for 2 years. How can Liebherr justify charging so much for something that so many people are having issues with? Service person has had it for last 2 months??! Think twice before you buy.
My Liebherr fridge will not maintain temperature. The supplier and the technician say that the utility room in which it is placed is too cold! This was noticed first during a very cold spell with low overnight temperatures. Fridge won’t work in low temperature: anyone ever hear that?
I was about to go and buy a 30″ Liebherr. I fell in love at first sight at the Great Indoors. So sad it’s a piece of poo. Too many lemon stories
:-( sorry for you all
Bought a Liebherr Freestanding Fridge 3 years ago. After 14 months had to pay £120 to replace failed sensor. 13 months later replaced sensor failed and Liebherr not interested. Just in the process of buying a different make of fridge as cannot justify £120 + every 14 months.
In 2008 I paid $7,900 for a Leibherr CBNes 5167. It has NEVER worked. The door seals do noot seal and so the temperature rises and food is spoilt. The freezer is unuseable. Ice maker has never worked and the freezer just ices up. The stainless steel outer door is rusted.
The Sydney service Agent ALl General Whitegoods are truly HORRIBLE to deal with -rude, unhelpful and incompetent. Never buy a Leibherr a total waste of money and no customer service.
Have had a stainless double freezer double door Liebherr for more than a year.
It’s very quiet, maintains 37/0 and keeps contents
for an extraordinary length of time.
Perhaps the genesis for many of the lemon stories
comes from an earlier series or whatever the problems were ultimately got corrected by the maker.
NY
I have had one for 3 years and I love mine. It is quiet. Keeps food cold. Tells me when the power was off and if my food is still safe. Uses very little electric. My neighbor just bought one. I am shocked to see so many complaints. I needed the narrow fridge and it was cheaper than moving the wall.
HL and Dawn…I’m still cautiously optimistic about Liebherr despite the lemon comments.Could you tell me what model fridges you have bought?
Bought a Liebherr fridge/freezer last August. It is NOISY. I get the impression I am on a sailing boat in a gale force 8 wind. Two engineers have called in to look at it and appear incompetent to deal with the problem.
DO NOT BUY LIEBHERR APPLIANCES.
Absolutely rubbish. DO NOT BUY THIS FRIDGE OR FREEZER. Bought 2 years ago and it is now gone. The company (agent) said they can’t do anything now but they will offer me a discount on a new one !!! WOW another Liebherr !! I would rather throw this unit and buy any other type.
This unit has major defects in sensor, compressor, noise, defrosting, door not closing… you name it.
I’ve had the 24 inch lieber fridge since 2003. the one thing that I found out (myself) was that the temperature inside is really affected by the outside. On a hot day when the room gets really warm, the inside fridge (not the freezer) moves up from the norm of 5 degrees. I’m puzzled on that it is Spring and not really very warm inside, the inside temporature has risen to 11, and dropped to 10. this has been for a week. food seems to be okay. I do not understand what is going on.
Anyone know how this works.
this is an absolute lemon of a company. do not even look at a lieberr. i designed my kitchen around this piece of sh*t, and cannot tell you enough how much trouble it has been causing with the beeping for no reason to temp control lights flashing and the strange humming noise. i’ve had those ignorant reps come out several times to fix this and they cannot do a thing. i only wish i had gone with a sub-zero, my good old reliable company.
I have to agree, the freezer seal is not secure, even when it looks shut, the alarm keeps coming on, the temp of the freezer is at 10 (about 45-50 degrees) then you turn it off and it goes down, but your refrozen food becomes more and more inedible. I trusted the Germans, but on this point they really DO NOT have it together. Sad. It’s the best lookign thing around.
As I stated I purchased the lieberherr in 2003. the temperture went up to 10, then 11 and after about 10 days down to 9 and 7. It has now moved back to the 5 where it belongs. the best thing to know is not to worry about the temperature moviement. At no time did the fridge lose the required coldness for the food inside. It is important that the door seals properly. Mine is built in with a cabinet door. So, double check seals. It is unfortunate that there are no qualifed lieberherr repair people around. Once you know how it is supposed to operate, it’s great.
DON’T BUY Lieberr premium Biofresh Frostfree with ICE MAKER!DON’T BUY
In three years we have had to replace the ice tray three times at a cost of 200Euro each time!
Bad design don’t buy, ZERO response from the factory or the company, Too bad!
I have owned 30″ Liebherr built in refrigerator for 3years. I have had to replace the ice maker twice and the defroster once. The door on the bottom freezer bounces back unless manually shut tight and the alarm does not go on for several hours. (by that time, I could be out of town).
Last week I received a recall message that the door hinges needed to be replaced. A Liebherr approved service person came today and replaced the hinges, left the doors misaligned saying that he would have to call Liebherr to find out how to adjust them and also forgot to attach bottom grill.
After waiting for three hours for the freezer temperature to regulate, I realized that the freezer which was filled with food was not functioning. I called the service company, was told that I would be called back, spent the whole day waiting, with the freezer getting warmer by the minute. After about four more calls, the the service man finally called back and told me that he could not come till evening and that I should get an ice chest with ice. He claimed that all he did was replace the door. however, the freezer was working perfectly before he came, and has not worked since he left. It is now past 10:45 PM. He has not come and a freezer full of food is getting ruined.
Next morning: Kept calling representative starting at 9AM. Called five more times, left messages on two phones. Never got a call back. Just threw a bunch of food out.
I will never, ever buy a Liebherr again
I do not recommend a Liebherr to anybody!!! I have had nothing but trouble.
Second refrigerator installed.
Ice maker does not work.
Freezer door does not shut properly
White patches of caulk protruding sloppily from seams
What a piece of expensive junk with service to match!!!
I have had the Liebherr CS2062 for about 2 1/2 years.
Have had repair out for ice maker problems three times, I believe. The plastic tray was replaced the first time with a redesigned model that is more sturdy, and it has not broken like the first one. The ice maker did stop working another time, but after checking it, it worked OK until a few days ago when it started acting weird. I saw the ice maker tray was now level in the freezing position and the ice cubes would be stuck together after falling into the ice bin. A day or so later I opened up the freezer to find the ice tray hanging in the ice bin by its sensor wire. After watching the repairman take it apart two time, I knew as much or more than him about it, so I took it out myself and there was nothing broken, it just disassembled itself. I think the reason was ice building up on the back hinge of the ice tray where the cubes form and stopped it from rotating back level. Anyway. I put it back together and all is well now. It is a puzzle to get back together correctly, so KNOW what you are doing if you work on it. You can call out a repairman, but I have the only Liebherr in town according the to repairman. I am handy with fixing things, and since my two year warranty is up, I tackled it myself. The ice maker design is simple enough, but still not sting enough or perfected. Some hints, you cant watch it work with drawer open as a magnet on the drawer cuts it off with drawer open. Don’t know why, but it starts out real slow making ice and picks up speed in first two days of operation.
My other problems were both the compressor fan and the freezer fans both stopping with days of each other about a year and a half after I bought it. They just stopped spinning. They are sleeve bearings, SWISS MADE(by MES), NOT from CHINA. I always thought Swiss made products would be great…in this case NOT. The motors for freezer and compressor fan are exactly the same motors. They were replaced under warranty and have been Ok for 8 or so months. I kept the old ones and oiled them, and they will be OK to put back in, rather than pay for another one when these quit(It is pretty sorry to have to do this) For some reason, I thought that paying $5500 for this Frig, that I would not have trouble with it for a long time! Guess I expected too much! Even a Chinese motor works longer than these Swiss made ones. I wrote both, MES and Liebherrr overseas explaining this all and NEVER heard a word from either one! Asked them to send me a couple motors for spares, guess they could not spare them! Probably working overtime sending them out to other unhappy buyers. The compressor motor is really easy to replace and the freezer fan is not too bad for anyone who has did this kind of stuff. Also, my refrigerator fan was noisy, but working, so it was replaced under warranty. It is a bear to replace as you cant get the back panel inside the frig all the way off and you got to squeeze up under the bottom to get to it, a bear! The fan is really only a computer fan and should last a long time. The new fan is a little more quiet, but I don’t think the circulation is as it should be in this model, temp varies too much in the frig compartment.
As an owner, I could not recommend buying a Liebherr. They have a good warranty, and you will use it, but it should be longer on the small parts since they are prone to fail. As for my future plans: When something breaks that I have to pay for, this frig is going, sadly, to the scrap yard Then I am going to buy a cheap $2000 or so refrigerator with extended warranty! I never in my life have had so much trouble with a refrigerator as i have had with this one. It is really a pretty unit, but as someone said, the design of the operating parts is sadly lacking. As for the repair, the guys at Liebherr have been great and got parts and repair out right away, they diagnose problem with me on phone, ship out parts quickly and the contract repair people got out quickly. You have to remember, Liebherr, LIKE OTHERS, at least some of them, DO NOT have their own people for repairs, they contract with local companies. I don’t have a problem with that as the local outfit has did a fairly good job, but know that is not happening everywhere. I wish this was a perfect unit, but it is not. Were I buying a end unit again, it would be a Miele. When I remodeled my kitchen, I bought a Miele glass top stove and a Miele dishwasher. So far zero problems with them. I would have bought a Miele refrige but it was in the $7500 range, so I skipped that one and got the Liebherr. Hope all you and I have good luck with the Liebherr in future, but I doubt it!
Had a top of the range Liebherr Side by Side fridge freezer for just over 2 years.
In that time it has gone wrong 3 times.
Service centre number is premium rate and you end up being placed on hold listening to ads about their products.
There is also a fault, that Liebherr won’t fix; they say it is within acceptable tolerance, whereby the water dispenser stays on for too long after the paddle to turn it on has been released. This means that whenever a visitor gets a glass of water they remove it before the water stops and the excess runs down the front of the machine.(Most visitors have water dispensers themselves so it’s not as if they don’t know how to use them)
Therefore the stainless steel finish is always streaked and it requires constant oiling!
This is clearly a design fault but Liebherr won’t budge on the matter.
I have been promised a telephone call from the boss of Liebherr UK and have even chased him up, but he is yet to ring me – 3 months and counting.
I have had Liebherr goods in the past and they have served me well. They were well made, reliable and quiet.
On that last point, this model is very noisey as it has twin compressors and numerous internal fans. Had I known this in advance I wouldn’t have bought it for this reason alone. My once silent kitchen / breakfast room is no longer the peaceful relaxing place to sit that it was…
All in all, a very disappointing product; very expensive, poorly designed, poorly made, backed up by very poor customer service that can only be contacted via a premium rate telephone number. (They don’t respond to emails)
AVOID
I have had Liebherr CS1601 for 3 years now. No major issues. Had to replace shelf railing, company send one promptly. Today, my 4 year old pulled on a handle and broken the handle hinge. That’s all which went wrong with mine. My take on Liebherr lemons and others is that most of the fridges these days are made in China, bad quality produced by disinterested slave labor. So, expect bad things no matter what brand you buy. I had big issues with Kitchen Aid, a complete garbage product with the same service issues described here. The reason I bought Liebherr was that it was the only fridge I found not made in China. So far, it worked out fine with the exception of the two things described above. Boycott China, buy “made in the civilized world”.
I love our Liebherr fridge and freezer– we’ve had it for over 3 years. It’s absolutely quiet, fits in a NY apartment, and has room for everything we need. I’m surprised by all these reactions.
Weird.
We have a Liebherr Fridge Freezer which is not 3 years old. I bought it believing it would be sturdy and good quality and worth the extra that it cost. The baskets etc inside have cracked but the main fault is that the Fridge door handle broke off in my hand and will costver £50.00 just for the part…..£50.00 for a handle? At that rate it would cost over 2k just to rebuild the fridge……..the service when I called about a repair was dreadful, and “what did you expect it’s a modern fridge they only last 2-3 years then people move or remodel their kitchen ” Never ever again… AEG or Miele here I come
I’ve had a liebherr side by side fridge/freezer for four years and have had the handles on the large fridge replaced at least four times, as the top hinge simply snaps after a few months. Liebherr have so far replaced the handles for free every time (there was a three year guarantee) but last time said they were replacing it for free as a goodwill gesture. We are n’t a large family and everyone is so terrified of breaking the handle, they open the door like it’s a frail antique! Despite this extra care, the handle broke once again yesterday having been replaced less than two months ago! I know of two other people just in my circle who bought the same fridge and have had identical problems with the handles snapping. Has anyone else experienced the same problem? Incidentally I’ve also had three door shelves break as well as well as the front of a freezer box snap off for no apparent reason. No problems with door seals so far, fingers crossed! Has anyone else had problems with door hinges breaking? This seems like an easily fixable fault – a metal hinge to match the door handle itself, rather than the cheap brittle piece of plastic currently being used.
What can I say that’s so great about our Liebherr fridge? ABSO-F’N-NOTHING.
Ever since we purchased this overpriced piece of metal, all it’s caused us is hardship and stress. Do not, I repeat, do NOT buy this product. Pretty, yes. Functionality? Completely unreliable.
For 6k, we have a product in a new kitchen remodel that fluctuates constantly in temperature. Being that we are just a two person household with minimal door traffic at the fridge, there’s no reason the temp drops as much as it does during the day. We’ve kept constant logs over the last few years of owning this product and have noticed temps going up and down within 10 degrees. Each shelf is a different temp…and this is after having their service tech out on multiple visits to address the matter. Including having a new “board” installed the first year. Sensors went off constantly even with the doors securely closed.
Then, earlier this year, there was warping to the wood floors fronting the fridge. After putting a carpet down, a few days later, a small pool of water had formed. I called service again and was told to observe it, that it would be logged in our history.
A few weeks later, a huge pool of water was discovered in front of the fridge. Another call to customer service was met with a response that a tech would be contacted…but that it could be a few days before we heard back. Almost a week later, a tech called, but wouldn’t be available for another 2 weeks.
The techs visit rendered zero cause to the water pooling. The water line was reconnected, so now we wait for the next disaster to occur before calling Liebherr again to request the tech return. And we know how that will go…he won’t be available for another few weeks.
So now what? Our hardwood floors are completely warped. For 6k, we have a fridge that needs constant monitoring and is a constant source of stress and headache.
Don’t believe that forking out big $ means you’ll get a superior product. We would’ve fared better buying a GE for all I know. Liebherr is not going to be there for you when the shit hits the fan. We too dealt with Sandor when calling their service center. Same run around as the other poster…
I purchased my Liebherr CS1601 in July 2009 because I wanted a green, well-made fridge. I supposed the product would be great because of the price and it is made in Austria, old world craftmanship!!
Now, I will be charged $525 for labor to replace 2 sensors.
I am outraged that this machine should break down after 2 years. I am 66 years of age and have owned a few fridges in my day-3 to be exact, all domestic products. They died natural deaths after 12 years or so, one lasted for 20.
The Liebherr rep I spoke to was condescending but oh so polite as he told me there was nothing that Liebherr would do for me. I told him the product is a piece of SH#T. DON”T BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!
There is much to like about Liebherr refrigerators but also much to hate. My refrigerator door fell off, crushing my finger. Two hand surgeries later, Liebherr has still not responded to any of my inquiries. What they did do is send a repairman to the house who had never worked on a Liebherr refrigerator before and the asked me (with post-surgery bandaged hand in clear view) to help him lift the door. Liebherr then sent a representative to inspect the door with the intention of blaming us for the problem. Representative saw that this was ridiculous. Still no response from Liebherr. They ended up having a nation-wide recall of the refrigerator doors. But still no response to us. What a disappointment and what disregard for a customer!
We purchased a very expensive side-by-side Liebherr refrigerator it is not 1-year-old and the door handles have now been replaced 3 times there is a definite inherent fault with the way the door handles are made and fitted I am disgusted with the quality of this so-called German quality expensive product, I would never buy any Liebherr product again
DO NOT BUY A LIEBHERR!!! I ‘ve had mine 2 years, had 5 service calls, they have eplaced everything and the POS sil lwon’t work. My wood floor is swelling and buckeling under the fridge due to leaks from ice build up in the freezer. We’ve lost hundreds of dollars in food. At this point I don’t want them t even try and fix it. I’m going to go “office space” on it and get rid if it and get a Thermador or Viking or SubZero. I would rather lose the $7000 then lose my mind. I hate Liebherr!!! I never wan to see it again or even hear the name
Well, after reading countless negative reviews on NORTHLAND 48″ refrigerators, I turned to investigating the Liebherr 48″ and 60″. I’ve just read the responses here and though I recognize mostly “complainers” and rarely “happy customers” come and post…….the totally inefficiency, uncaring attitude and what appears to be incompetence at all levels of the Liebherr operation, I would now not consider buying a Liebherr if it were recommended by God himself. No excuse to treat customers this way, even if you’re knowingly selling them “lemons”.
We bought a built in liebherr fridge with a two year warranty, 2years two weeks and guess what? liebherr just dont want to know, although miele fridges are made by liebherr there service is excellent in comparison, please remember though for a high price appliance like this you still have a case under SOGA in the UK, although you have to deal with the seller then not Liebherr