If you followed our kitchen renovation, you might remember that we went with a built-in panel-ready fridge. I never thought we would be able to fit one into our budget, but when I had the opportunity to work with Ilve’s US distributor on the range as a part of a blog/social media collaboration, they asked if I would also be interested in working with Forte on our fridge, dishwasher, and range hood. I knew that choosing a relatively unknown Italian brand for our appliances would be a bit of a risk, but one of my top priorities in this kitchen renovation was concealing the appliances. Forte offered a panel-ready dishwasher and fridge, along with a built-in range hood we could fit into a custom-made surround. It seemed like a risk worth taking, especially since I would receive the appliances in exchange for sharing about them on the blog and social media.
I can say that I absolutely love the Forte appliances…when they work. The dishwasher really is the best dishwasher we’ve ever had in terms of how clean the dishes feel. It does a top-notch job. But the dishwasher had a fatal error less than a year after we installed it. Forte provided excellent customer service and replaced it.
Then, Forte went out of business. If I could see into the future, I would’ve ordered some extra parts and filters for all of the appliances while there was still the opportunity, but I didn’t.
The ice maker in the fridge broke a year ago, but it was fortunately a standard model, so I was able to find a replacement on eBay.
Then, almost a month ago, I opened the fridge and noticed the LED lights were dim. It’s the sort of thing that made me wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me. Maybe they were always like this, and I’m just imagining things? Maybe it’s a bad bulb or something simple? I was hoping I’d open the fridge later in the day, and everything would be normal again.
Instead, the lights started flickering, and the water dispenser stopped working. The fridge started emitting a ticking sound, and the lights eventually went out entirely, one section at a time. In the morning, we woke up to wet ice and a fridge that clearly wasn’t holding the proper temperatures any longer. We moved everything from the high-end fridge to the 30-year-old GE basic model with an analog dial to set the temperature and no ice maker or water filter. It’s funny how often those fridges are banished to the garage or basement and just keep working reliably. The avocado green and harvest gold appliances just will not die.
I have to insert here that there are worse things in life than a dead fridge. We were so thankful to have that old fridge in our garage, so it’s just been a mild inconvenience in our daily lives. The real disappointment is that an appliance with a $6,000+ price tag died after three years. That just shouldn’t happen. Of course, the issue is compounded when the brand is out of business and replacement parts are impossible to find.
We had a technician come to see if the fridge could be fixed. He identified the issue in the control board and said he would search his network for a replacement or for someone willing to repair it.
After three weeks, we were pretty sure we were down to our last options and would have to replace the fridge. The technician couldn’t find replacement parts, even used ones on eBay, and he wasn’t having luck finding a company that could or would repair the control board of an unknown brand. I had called other appliance and control board repair places as well to see if I had any luck. I felt like I needed to find someone who was a “fixer.” They would find a way to make it work, even if it wasn’t conventional and couldn’t be guaranteed. We had a huge, expensive fridge heading to the landfill, which made me sick at the waste, so I was willing to try just about anything. I kept hitting dead ends, and I hadn’t heard back from the tech in a couple of weeks.
We were ready to wave the white flag and buy a new fridge. I found a panel-ready fridge that would fit our space and even our panels, but there were some red flags. It felt like we would be taking another gamble, and we didn’t want to do that. We decided to go with the updated model of the Kitchen Aid counter-depth fridge we bought for our Minnesota house. It would involve reconfiguring the cabinets slightly, but it would make it so anyone in the future can replace the fridge with a standard model. If we have to go that route, I’ll share our ideas and plans.
Before we left for the appliance store, though, I called the appliance tech to let him know he could stop working on it. “Oh, I actually found someone who will work on the control board.” Just in the nick of time! Jeff was at the end of his rope with Forte and this fridge, but he agreed it was worth trying to fix. So, we’re waiting with our fingers crossed…
PS – If they can get the fridge working, I might learn from this ordeal and order a replacement cabinet to go above a standard fridge in case our cabinet style or color is discontinued, and a standard fridge needs to be installed down the road.
26 Responses
I’m wondering if they have a market place on Facebook in the area where the fridge is made that might have something laying around, that you might look on. Just a throught. I feel your frustration. God’s speed
It’s a good thought, but we haven’t been able to find parts anywhere, even used.
Perhaps the Italians should stick to making cars, although my Fella says that the
name Fiat stands for “fix it again Tony!”
My fingers and toes are crossed that you can raise this refrigerator from the ashes.
It surely does . I think 43 years ago our new fiat lasted three years ! When we had to replace the old sub zero in our new to us house I bit the bullet and bought a sub zero to re place it – it was 35 years old and finally died . Yes it was expensive but it should last at least 20 years . Sorry for your appliance difficulties!
Unfortunately, appliances these days are designed with a 7 year life span as an acceptable standard. I think the industry realized there isn’t much money to make when appliances last a lifetime. It’s very frustrating, however, when you spend a lot of money on the appliances and the cabinets are designed to accommodate a specific model. You’re left holding the bag. I hope it can be repaired.
I think you have pretty much summed up why Forte is out of business. A dishwasher that went bad in a year and then an expensive fridge that has gone bad in three years is not the norm! I feel sorry for anyone who put this kind of money out on one of their appliances and has something go wrong with no warranty and no parts to be found. I would go with a high-end American made brand such as Viking (Mississippi) before considering a lesser-known European brand. So many companies have been bought out by other brands too. I believe Whirlpool owns Maytag now as well as KitchenAid, so you have to do your research before buying a certain brand. With that said, I have KitchenAid appliances including a counter depth fridge and had good luck so far with their performance but in my opinion, nothing is made as well as it used to be.
Marian, sadly I know what you are experiencing, having purchased a high end Viking that lasted only a couple of years. The ‘mother board’ needed some parts replaced, at a hefty cost for parts that should cost only pennies and an extremely high labor cost. We decided to cut our losses and buy a Bosch, a reputable brand. We needed counter depth as well. While this has lasted longer than the Viking so far, we’ve already paid for a replacement of the ice-maker which still isn’t perfect. My husband stated and with good reason, that the next time we will buy the cheapest model available. Things just aren’t made to last, even (maybe especially) the priciest things.
Oh my goodness, that is so disappointing about the Viking. Those are so expensive!
Ah! To new technology !!! My aunt has a Philco refrigerator in her basement she bought in 1954!!! It has a little tiny ice cube tray with a door. The opening door is like pulling an Buick!!! It could chop a finger off!!! She always joked it would outlive her….well, 5 years ago, she did pass….BUT the Philco is still humming along!!! It just makes me sick at the lack of quality is in today’s products. Hope all works out for you.
Oh my gosh…okay, they need to make fridges again like that.
It is always a disappointment to have a new appliance,( and I consider 3yrs. new) and have it break down.
But what I really wanted to comment on was how your home looks so warm & inviting.
Well, thank you!
Our GE Monogram had the mother board go out 2 times in 2 years. Finally had to send it to the landfill. So disappointing. I stand by Bosch for a dishwasher. We had the same one for 12 years. Quiet, cleaned the dishes well and then we remodeled so to have everything match, we bought a GE to match the fridge. It’s noisy and the dishes come out only partly clean much of the time.
Our 6-year-old Kitchen Aid fridge is currently leaking onto the floor underneath/behind it. Apparently it has been for a while (floors are damaged!). We put in all Kitchen Aid appliances and each one of them has had to be repaired after only 3-6 years. Our trusted appliance repair man said it cannot be fixed. So, we’re on the hunt for a new one. He recommended Bosch, but only those assembled in the EU or US, or any of the GE models except for the one that has the back lights. Hope that helps!
What in the world is it with appliances that can’t be repaired?! Especially with a brand like KitchenAid, there should be no reason they can’t be designed and built so that faulty parts can be replaced.
There is an actual term for this. It’s called “Planned Obsolescence”. Manufacturers make less money if products last a long time. I recall learning about this in college, many years ago.
In the 29 years I’ve lived in my current home, I had to place the dishwasher 4 times, the washing machine 3 times (recently after only having it for a year) and the stove and dryer twice. UGH!
Like others that have commented, the original refrigerator that was installed when the house built 41 years ago is working just fine in my basement!!!
Good luck Marian! I truly hope everything works out for you. 🤞🏻
Yeah, companies need to do better.
How incredibly frustrating! I do hope you’re able to get the Forte back up and running. We, too, had been trying to find a panel ready fridge when we expanded and built our kitchen several years ago, but we couldn’t find a solid, reputable, and affordable brand. We never found one, but our local appliance store recommended a rather basic – no ice maker, no water dispenser, no tv, no app, just keeps things cold refrigerator. The only bell it has is an alarm if the door is left open. I like it, but I really miss both my grandmas’ solid and decades old models in classic mustard and classic avocado – with the shiny chrome handles.
Yeah, those harvest gold and avocado green appliances just won’t die! 😂
No kidding! We have an upright freezer my parents gave us decades ago (yes, decades!!!). It has literally moved across the nation with us back and forth. It has been in the house part of the time and in a garage part of the time…this last place was in an old farm garage in which we ran a propane heater to (try) to keep the temp above zero. It’s about to make ANOTHER move. We shall see how she fares….Long live the 1970s freezer!!!!! I really don’t know how old that freezer is as it was in my parents’ house as long as I can remember! Never done a thing to it either besides plug it in! LOL!!!!! Dishwashers have been a different story, uggggggg!!!!
Yes, get everything you need for your cabinets now. Our panel ready dishwasher died after 10 years. Our cabinet stain is not available. Kitchen was done 10 years ago. We went with a kitchenaid and ordered a larger toe kick to cover the bottom. We shall see. Panelready are so pretty and seamless, but there will be issues down the road. I am so hoping this new control panel works for you!
It’s called “planned obsolescence” and it is intentional. If a fridge lasts 30 years, the appliance company loses business because we arent buying new ones. Both of my kids wrote papers on this in highschool. Its sickening because the earth is groaning with the waste. Cell phones are made to slow down and stop working after so many years. Appliances are made with parts known to fail just after warranty. The few companies who dont engage in this practice have loyal die hard fans (our repair man said he rarely ever services speed queen washers for example). Planned obsolescence is lining the pockets of share holders and making life miserable for all else.
Yes, companies need to do better. Things that cost as much as smart phones and appliances shouldn’t be disposable.
I told you I kept all my fingers and toes crossed for you. I so hope it works. I bet we all have our stories on here. The EU has made a new law requiring appliances to be repaired. The amount ending up in the landfill was becoming absurd. I stopped buying expensive appliances because of that. All died within a few years. Why spend a lot of money on it? I always call it my washing machine saga. Not one brand makes it over the four-year line. Every time we came back from holiday with heaps of dirty laundry, the bloody thing died. Favoured filled up with wet laundry, of course. No repair person insight. Holiday time. The neighbours saw me coming, the same neighbours with the 35-year-old Miele. Yay. Thank goodness you had a second fridge. Mmmmm, perhaps it is an idea for a second washing machine? XD
I’m not in favor of overregulation, but it sounds like a good law for consumers and the environment to make it so that appliances can be repaired in order to last 10-15 years. They aren’t disposable and shouldn’t be treated as such.
We have my Grandparents (who have been gone for 26 years) 1950’s Frigidaire still going strong in the garage! It was definitely built to last!