Lawsuits claim LG refrigerators likely to break down

BRENTWOOD, Calif. (KGO) -- What good is your refrigerator if it doesn't keep things cold? That's what many owners of a major-brand refrigerator are asking in two separate lawsuits.

Joseph Bacon shows us the giant cooler he used to keep his food from spoiling in his Brentwood home. It was his only option after his refrigerator went out, until he could borrow a fridge from a friend.

It started with a call from his wife.

"She told me she stepped in the water, and she thought maybe the ice machine went out," Bacon said.

Bacon confirmed the water had dripped down from the refrigerator. "My wife told me it was all over the entire area," said Bacon as he swept his foot across the affected area on his kitchen floor.

Bacon phoned LG, the maker of the refrigerator, but had trouble getting an appointment.

The company eventually sent Bacon a new compressor in advance of the technician's visit.

"The scope of our case is LG refrigerators manufactured with LG's linear compressor," said attorney Simon Grille, who sued LG on behalf of customers in California.

He's received 2,500 complaints from people across the country claiming LG's compressors fail. He's also filed a second lawsuit representing consumers nationwide.

LG says the case has no merit, but declined to comment on the lawsuit beyond that.

"Really the entire product fails. So the refrigerator stops cooling," said Grille. "It's really a nightmare for people."

Grille says it can take weeks for a technician to come. He also says the refrigerators of half his clients broke down again after the original repair.

That was also Bacon's experience, who was not aware of the lawsuit. His refrigerator broke again just two days after the first repair. Once again, he had difficulty getting an appointment with a technician.

That's when he called 7 On Your Side. We contacted LG, which contacted Bacon the same day.

"LG asked me if I wanted it repaired or replaced. I told them I'm done having it repaired. I wanted it replaced," Bacon said.

LG sent him a refund of more than $2,000.

The company told us: "LG is proud to be recognized as an appliance leader in customer satisfaction."

A judge this month ordered LG to produce documents in response to the lawsuit.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.