Firstly, AO (as ever) were fantastic in terms of selling and delivering this item. Couldn’t be happier with their service.
So, on to the fridge/freezer. Haier are a Chinese business which includes a group of brands including Hoover, Candy, and Fisher & Pakel, with the Haier brand being closer to the top of the pile. Haier currently have a score of 2.1 stars on the Trust Pilot reviews site but having not had to use them directly I can’t comment on this personally.
We chose this particular unit because of a fantastic deal available at AO, supported by a five year parts and labour guarantee. Appeared to be the best value deal I could find.
Getting the obvious out of the way, it’s big. Really big. Compared to our old single fridge freezer at least. And I would recommend measuring twice before ordering because despite having quite modern wide doorways it was a very tight squeeze to get in to place! Because if its size it sits quite proud of the other kitchen units. Something else to consider if you’re a little OCD like me!
The finish is nice dark silver but is very prone to showing finger marks unfortunately. It is now a regular job wiping these off. It also came almost completely wrapped in a clear tape, apparently applied before the final fixings meaning removing it totally was far more difficult than it could/should have been!
In use, it does exactly what you would want it to do. It’s cold and frost free! After standing for a couple of hours to settle it was useable within a few hours. It is very quiet in my opinion for such a big unit.
The doors are solid and need to be shut rather than left to close. I was a little worried that due to the additional sealing bar attached to the left hand door that both doors would have to be opened together but that isn’t the case. They are completely independent. Although as mentioned in other reviews the right hand fridge drawer won’t open fully without the left door being open too. A minor irritation that hasn’t really affected our use particularly.
The internal lighting is good and all the drawers/shelves feel of good quality. The door shelving is adaptable but the other shelves are not. And the ice maker included with the freezer is excellent (according to my now obsessed daughter).
Overall we are pleased with our purchase and hope that Haier don’t let us down with any warranty issues.