BEKareful With The K-nob (Beko Fridges & Freezers)

Member Name: Nibelung

Product:	Beko Fridges & Freezers
Date:	11/11/01 (998 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Cheerful, Matches other grey metallic appliances

Disadvantages: Too easy to accidentally freeze everything in sight, Flimsy salad tray

Having just paid for a new car entirely on credit cards, de ol’ plastic’s been taking a bit of a bashing lately. “What’s this got to do with fridges?” I hear you cry.

Well, our old faithful Hotpoint Iced Diamond larder fridge chose the precise day that the balance on the car was due, to become our old UNfaithful Hotpoint Iced Diamond, that’s why!

Therefore, exit Nibelung in search of a (preferably) cheap replacement.

Last year, our kitchen was completely remodelled (by me I might add), and although most appliances had been renewed at that juncture, the fridge was the last piece of “legacy hardware” still standing. It wasn’t a fitted fridge, just one that stood in the standard sized under-worktop hole.

A trawl around two or three of our local “big” Curry’s stores revealed a Beko Larder fridge at £139 – of course finding one in stock was the trick, hence the need to visit 3 sites! Yes, why is that?

As luck would have it, this particular fridge comes in white or dark metallic grey, the latter of which is an almost perfect match for our Bosch Washing Machine and Dish Washers. So I bought one, and paid the extra £15 to have the old one disposed of thoughtfully, along with all the new packaging.

It was delivered last Sunday at 8.30 a.m. – yes you did read that right! After leaving it to stand for a few hours, in case it hadn’t been stored vertically, we turned it on and got it up, or rather down, to temperature. First impressions were favourable, and to a certain extent, bearing in mind the price, still are, with a couple of reservations.

WHAT’S GOOD

It is agreeably quiet

It fits perfectly where the old one stood

It is a better match for the rest of our kitchen appliances.

The inside of the door is fitted with those springy fingers to keep varying sizes of bottles from clang
ing around.

The door hinges are reversible, and comes with the plastic bits needed to do this.

It is rated B on a scale of A-G for energy efficiency. This means that it is projected to use 206 kw/hours (units) of “lekky” per annum.

It’s cheap!

WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD?

Not so much a definite problem now, but the salad crisper drawer and the glass plate above it lay so flush with each other, that anything dragged across the glass brushes against the plastic lip of the drawer. As this ages, and gets more brittle and fatigued, I can foresee chunks of the crisper tray chipping off. I may line the runners for the glass with draught excluder to raise it slightly.

Having read the two other opinions on this fridge, I noticed that one writer has had problems with the thermostat knob being too easy to alter inadvertently. I ran down to the kitchen, on reading this, and yes, it’s true, the knob feels more akin to the volume control on a Hi-Fi. It would be very easy to squeeze some soft packaging in under the wheel, altering the setting without noticing. I’ll have to watch that!

Amazing isn’t it? - the one time you could really do with a stiff knob (ooo, err, missus) they put a limp-wristed one in!

My only other quibbles were really with Curry’s – would I like an extended warranty? Do me a favour, at £139 pounds? Why bother? Also, despite saying they would ring ahead to make an appointment for delivery, they arrived unheralded with me in semi-dressed state.

THEN through the week, I’ve had a string of phone calls on my answering machine in varying degrees of desperation, asking when I’d like my fridge delivered! So, if a second one turns up, I’ll let you know! I could let you have it for, say for £120 cash.

Obviously, at this stage, a long-term reliability report is out of the question!

Summary: