Miele or Liebherr?

[AWidgetIHaveNot]

Hello and thanks for the great resource.

I have been researching a replacement fridge freezer for my Bosch unit that failed. It’s been repaired five times in 9 years and was not at all reliable. This is my third Bosch fridge freezer all of which have been troublesome. My friends have the same units and they are fine. My other Bosch appliances, a dishwasher (Logixx) and washing machine (classic) are fine. Maybe I got three lemons in a row.

The units I have in mind are:

Miele KFN12923SDed Fridge Freezer (so) Right hinged. Stainless steel.

Liebherr CNes3556 – Frost Free Fridge Freezer in Stainless Steel Right hinged.

I have seen examples of Miele, Liebherr and Fischer & Paykel.
I prefer the look of Fischer & Paykel and my mother who lives in Australia says they are good, it gets up to 48C in the sun. I don’t know about their reliability but they are supposed to be ok.

I had my sights set on the Miele due to Liebherr charging a lot of money for the stainless unit over and above the same unit in white.

I went to John Lewis today to get quotes and was told the Miele model has been withdrawn. This seems odd given that it’s a Which? best buy model. A new model is out in January. I need a fridge now. Does anyone have info on the reason the unit was given end of line when it must have been selling well? I like the staff at Miele, they spent a lot of time on the phone answering my questions and where very helpful.

I can still get the Miele unit but don’t wish to buy a product that may have been withdrawn for technical reasons. I want a fridge that’s reliable, like they used to be.

I hear Liebherr may have some freezer thermostat issues although this is anecdotal.

Kenneth Watt from ISE recommended Liebherr to me as does Don from this forum.

There’s not much in it. I cannot afford these units but my mother may lend me some money. These are expensive items, which I expect to get 15+ years out of. I don’t really want to have to tell my mother, who is paying for most of the fridge, that despite spending a grand the fridge is rubbish. In that case I may as well spend less money for a “consumable” fridge. Basically, I am seeking reassurance that it really is worth spending the money. I can tell the difference in quality between a Beko and Liebherr but in the end they are both fridges.

Also, do you know of any cheap provider of extended warrantee cover. Peter Jones charge £95 to extend to 5 years but their prices for the fridge are higher than online. If I buy on line and buy an extended warrantee separately this is expensive to do and is up to £80 more than what John Lewis charge for less cover.

I wish to buy for a Christmas delivery so need to act swiftly.
Thanks.

[don]

Re: Miele or Liebherr?

Hi AWIHN

The KFN12923 is still available at Miele, yes the new version should be out early next year there is a catalogue no. for it but so far no price or availability. They could be simply upgrading cosmetics, colour anything really.

Don`t forget though anything made by human is open to human error nothing is perfect 😉 that said I would still purchase a Liebherr machine. A JLP deal will take some beating if they can supply a Liebherr.

Extended warranties can be purchased from so many different outlets these days it`s an absolute minefield, even your bank will probably sell them.

HTH 🙂

Don

[iadom]

Re: Miele or Liebherr?

Aren’t all Miele made by Liebherr anyway. 😕

[kwatt]

Re: Miele or Liebherr?

iadom wrote:Aren’t all Miele made by Liebherr anyway. 😕

Yes.

K.

[AWidgetIHaveNot]

Re: Miele or Liebherr?

Thank you for replying so promptly.

I take on board your comments and recommendations. However, life is not that simple. I have not been able to find a Liebherr in the channel at a reasonable price, and those I have found only do doorstep delivery which for health reasons is unacceptable, I use a wheelchair. To get a unit direct from Liebherr takes 7-10 working days if in stock and though they will try to get the unit to me before Christmas they can’t guarantee it.

In addition my two contacts thus far with the Liebherr appiontee in the UK have been less than satisfactory. Also the reviews on the web seem to indicate that it’s the Liebherr appiontee in the country, this applies to all countries, that let it down.

However, I can get the Miele unit from the channel at a good price and quick delivery as companies seem to hold more Miele stock.

Also, Miele have made massive investments in the UK, with a showroom near Oxford and one opening in London this month. This reassures me that Miele are commited to growing their brand.

I understand from my research that the Liebherr unit may be technically superior but I have chosed not to buy one. In the end I want to deal with a customer facing, systemised business that has a world wide reputation for producing quality domestic goods. Meile have acted professionally so far in all aspects of my dealings with them and it is this that I am buying along with the fridge freezer. I feel that if I do have any issues with the unit they will be dealt with promptly and professionally. It is for this reason I have chosen the Miele. In my situation it is not acceptable for me to be fighting with an appiontee who is protecting their profits over the protection of a brand they have no real long term interest in protecting.

Thank you very much your help and a great resource. 😀

[iadom]

Re: Miele or Liebherr?

The Miele is an excellent piece of kit, possibly because it is really a Liebherr with a Miele badge on it. 8)

A top quality product. :tup:

[AWidgetIHaveNot]

Re: Miele or Liebherr?

Hello

It turns out I couldn’t get the Miele anywhere because it was in final testing at Miele and not yet released. Yes, it is in the catalogue and on the website and I can get a white one but I can’t get the stainless model. I phoned lots of companies about this model and none had it in stock. I found one and placed the order and they phoned the next day and said they couldn’t get the unit. It turns out they count stock as what Miele has at the warehouse and they just order from there! A dubious practice.

After some discussion, they offered me the Liebherr unit at the same price which I accepted. So, in the end I bought the unit you recommended and it was delivered yesterday. Its a very sturdy unit and makes my old unit blush because it’s so ugly by comparison. 😳

Thanks very much for the advice. I am very happy. 😀

Jon-Kristian Cannon

[Author]

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