Refrigerators – 2014 Ratings
Hollow star ratings are awarded where brands do not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria, however achieve at least the minimum sample required for all other criteria.
Some New Zealand shoppers are being a little short-sighted when it comes to their refrigerator purchases, according to our latest research.
For example, roughly two in three didn’t take into account what their new refrigerator’s energy rating was when purchasing. In other results, one in two don’t care what fridge they buy, so long as it’s the cheapest they can find.
Additionally, three quarters of respondents purchased their fridge to match another appliance in their kitchen in colour, brand, or appearance. While these things can be important, we encourage all shoppers to look out for a fridge that ticks all the boxes: value for money, energy efficiency, design, etc. This is especially crucial, considering 85% of these respondents own more than two fridges.
We’re here to help you select a winning brand, which is why we also asked these shoppers how satisfied they were with their fridge purchase.
This year, it’s Mitsubishi Electric who stole the show; achieving our Most Satisfied Customers Award – Refrigerators, 2014. When we say they excelled, we really mean it: Mitsubishi Electric finished with five star ratings across the board – from value for money to energy efficiency. The received this same award in 2013.
Also rated in these results were Westinghouse, Samsung, Fisher & Paykel, Haier, and LG. Notably, Haier finished with five stars for after sale service, and Samsung achieved five for the internal layout of its refrigerators.
We’ve gone into a little more detail about each brand below.
Mitsubishi Electric
As previously mentioned, Mitsubishi Electric received five stars in all survey criteria.
Westinghouse
Westinghouse shared an award-win with Mitsubishi Electric last year, and continues a streak of appliance excellence in these 2014 results.
Westinghouse received four star ratings in nearly all ratings criteria: overall satisfaction, value for money, performance and reliability, energy efficiency, internal layout, quality of fittings and fixtures, and design. This company also received three starts for after sale service.
Samsung
Samsung, on the other hand, achieved top ratings for after sale service, as well as five stars for internal layout. This company also achieved four stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, performance and reliability, energy efficiency, after sale service, quality of fixtures, and design.
Fisher & Paykel
New Zealand-bred brand Fisher & Paykel received four stars for overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, energy efficiency, after sale service, internal layout, and design. Additionally, Fisher & Paykel secured three stars for value for money, and quality of fixtures and fittings.
Haier
Alongside those who purchased a Mitsubishi Electric fridge, Haier customers were most satisfied with the after sale service of their refrigerator. This brand received five stars in this area and four stars for value for money, energy efficiency, and internal layout. Haier received three stars for overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, quality of fittings, and design.
LG
LG received three stars in all of this category’s rated criteria.
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How we rated refrigerator brands
Canstar Blue commissions Colmar Brunton using the SSI panel to regularly survey 2,500 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have bought a new refrigerator in the last three years – in this case, 983 survey respondents.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market were compared in this survey.