Company Store

Todd Burden

a month ago

I have been a loyal customer of 4WD Supacentre for several years and have purchased many products from them, including this Kings 85L upright fridge, so this experience was extremely disappointing. The fridge is 2.5 years old and still within its five-year warranty. After it stopped cooling, I carried out basic fault-finding to confirm the fridge was receiving the correct 13.6V supply. This required removing a small inspection panel to access the compressor controller and check the incoming voltage. No repairs were attempted, no components were modified or replaced, and nothing was damaged. I took the fridge to the Ballina store and explained exactly what I had done. A few days later I received a text advising my warranty claim had been rejected (no further details just had to call a 1800 number, as you cannot ring the store directly). When I contacted the warranty department, I was told the claim was denied because I had opened the panel and that I had somehow caused the controller to fail. There was no evidence provided to support this conclusion. What disappointed me most was the way my concerns were handled. Rather than discussing the technical findings or explaining the decision, I was repeatedly told, "There is nothing more I can do. Is there anything else I can help you with?" The conversation felt dismissive and condescending. I have spent thousands of dollars with 4WD Supacentre over the years, but after this experience I have lost confidence in their warranty support. A five-year warranty has little value if a claim can be rejected simply because a customer carried out reasonable fault diagnosis before returning the product. Never again.