If your LG refrigerator not cooling and is less than 10 years old, you can get a refund.
Yes, you can get your money back if your LG fridge not cooling and you know how to “work the system”.
So you own a beautiful LG refrigerator – congratulations!
But, since you are here your LG fridge probably stopped working. Therefore, we would like to invite you to the club of frustrated owners of beautiful and expensive pieces of junk.
If you are here because your ice-maker or water-dispenser stopped working that means you are one of the lucky ones. But be prepared for the inevitable – a total breakdown.
If your refrigerator seems to be running but not cooling at all, most likely LG famous linear technology compressor is shot or there is a refrigerant leak somewhere in a sealed system (compressor, evaporator, condenser). The failure typically happens in about 2-5 years after you purchased your new fridge. Whether or not it is a planned obsolescence is up for debate, but sure feels like it.
Luckily, LG has a 10 year sealed system warranty on most refrigerators. They must repair it or buy-back unrepairable refrigerator. In other words, they have to give you your money back minus depreciation.

However, don’t assume that LG will run and try to help you right away. Typical repair or refund can stretch anywhere from a couple of weeks to about a few months. So, the best piece of advice we can give you now is to get a lot of patience if you want your money back.
Patience is the key
We understand that you are upset, really upset. But throwing things around and yelling at people is not going to fix the problem. You will have to deal with LG customer support. And if they don’t like the tone of your voice they will put you on an endless loop and hold until you give up pursuing the refund. Don’t fall for it. Persistence and patience will get your nonworking refrigerator fixed or your money back.
Meanwhile, if you don’t already have a second fridge, consider getting a small/temporary one because you may need it for the next few months.
Yes, buying ice at your local gas station and using coolers is not the best idea. Even if a local LG certified technician promised to visit you in a couple of days, it doesn’t mean anything at all.

First appointment
In the first visit, the technician will inspect and diagnose the problem. Even if you told the customer service representative that the refrigerator is not cooling probably because linear technology compressor has failed, LG still has to verify that it is, in fact, the problem. Do not assume that the technician should be aware of it and bring a spare compressor for you.
So, when service tech realizes that the compressor is shot, he/she will have to order a new one from the manufacturer.
This is the time when having a spare refrigerator comes in handy.
Second appointment
The new compressor may arrive in a couple of days, but the technician may not be available for another week or two. You must schedule with LG certified tech only to use the warranty. And eventually, when the technician installs the new compressor your fridge may;
- start to work – congratulations
- start to work and quit next day
- not even start to work
After the linear compressor installation, the technician will tell you that it takes up to 24 hours for the fridge to become cold. Therefore, you must wait for 24 hours before calling LG to schedule another appointment. You may realize that the refrigerator is not working within a few hours after the service tech leaves, but you still need to wait before calling them back.
Scheduling your next appointment may take another week or two. Remember, it has to be an LG certified tech, but your area may have just one available for many disappointed customers.
This is when your second fridge really comes in handy. And you will not panic or get upset because you already knew that this may happen.
Third appointment
On the third appointment, the technician will have to diagnose the problem once again. Most likely there will be a tiny refrigerant leak somewhere in a sealed system. LG technicians do not repair small leaks, they remove and replace components of the sealed system.
Guess what? Technicians don’t have needed parts with them on the truck. So they have to order new parts for you again. And getting those parts may take another week or two.
Aren’t you glad that you have a spare fridge by now? Just do not stop, keep calm, and keep on fighting.
Fourth appointment
The technician arrives with a brand new condenser and evaporator coil. Cuts off old parts and welds the new parts. The welding process is difficult, tedious, and easy to mess up. There is a good chance that a welding seam left a tiny hole from which the refrigerant may escape in a couple of days. Or maybe, a narrow copper tube got blocked during the welding process, so the refrigerant will not be able to circulate. In either case, the fridge will not work.
Fifth appointment
Call LG customer service again and explain that the refrigerator still does not work. Be nice. And this time they will probably transfer you to the EXECUTIVE services.
The supervisor will tell you that the service tech needs to call LG support while he/she is in your home, so they can troubleshoot the problem together.
When the technician arrives, ask him/her to call LG support line right in front of you. The technician and the manufacturer will do some diagnostics together and probably decide to replace something else like filter/dryer which may get clogged because of the bad compressor.
But of course, the new part needs to be ordered, and it may take another week for the service tech to come back.
Sixth appointment
The service technician replaces the new part and says that it takes up to 24 hours to find out if it works. And if the refrigerator still does not work, call LG support again. Verify your identity as usual and ask to speak with executive services.
Please keep in mind that they don’t want to deal with you just as much as you don’t want to deal with them. Be polite and you will get your money back.
But first, LG has to verify that the last repair did not solve the problem so they will send the technician again. Yes, again.
Seventh appointment
This will probably be the last appointment you need to make.
The service tech will verify that the refrigerator still does not work. And, at this point, he/she can not do any more repairs. The technician will have to submit the paperwork back to LG for a replacement or a refund under “multiple repairs”.
Be friendly with the service tech, because he/she may “forget” to submit your request for a refund. Ask the technician how long it would take for LG to receive your request. It should not be more than a couple of days.
When it is appropriate, call LG and explain that your service tech submitted a request for the replacement or a refund. They will transfer you to the executive services, and the supervisor should be able to tell you that they have your request.
The supervisor will crunch some numbers and e-mail you an offer to buy back your refrigerator. Unfortunately, you will not be able to get all the money you spend on the new fridge. They will have to deduct age depreciation but still give you a good chunk of it back.
Congratulation, you've got your money back!
Was it easy? Maybe not, but at least you know what to expect now and this information should make it easier.
Is it worth it? It is up to you to decide.
The process of getting your money back for not cooling LG refrigerator may not go exactly as described here. But it should give you an idea of how the system works.
Most of the people get frustrated and give up on pursuing the justice after the second or third appointment. People throw away the not working LG refrigerator and buy a brand new fridge from a different company.
Do not become a statistic and fight for your refund. You can definitely get your money back from LG with a little patience and persistence.
If you are ready to get your money back from LG for a broken refrigerator, then take the first step now.
Call the toll-free phone number from the label which you can find on the wall inside the fridge or outside somewhere on the back. You will need to provide a model number and a serial number from that label.
Also, have your purchasing receipt handy to prove that you are the original owner.

0 – 1 year old
If your fridge is less than one year old, then all the parts and the labor will be covered by LG. They may even reimburse for spoiled food if your refrigerator stops cooling.
1 – 2 years old
MasterCard, Visa, and AmericanExpress may extend an original manufacturer’s warranty up to 2 years if you bought this fridge with a qualified credit card. Call them first to find out if your refrigerator is covered.
2 – 5 years old
LG may also fully cover the repair of the sealed system (compressor, evaporator, condenser) on some newer models for up to five years. You will need to verify that.
6 – 10 years old
To repair an older fridge you will need to have an extended warranty. If you don’t have one, LG customer service representative will offer you to buy it from an authorized third party vendor (such as Assurant) for about $360.
Yes, you can buy an extended warranty after your LG refrigerator stopped working. And this is a pretty good deal, considering that the repair may cost over a $1000.
Here is an interesting fact, if the third party vendor cannot repair your fridge, they will refund $260 back to you. And later, LG will refund most of the money you spent on that refrigerator when you bought it new.
After you purchase the extended warranty, LG authorized repair shop will schedule your first appointment. And if you read this post from the top, you already know what to expect and how long it may take.
Your area may have only one LG certified technician, so it may be a week or two before he/she can visit you.
Under no circumstances, try to repair not cooling refrigerator yourself. Even if you have a friend who may know how to fix refrigerators. Messing with the fridge components will void the warranty, and you will lose a lot of money. Just buy a small/temporary fridge and be prepared for a long journey of repairs and failures.
By the way, LG slogan up until 1999 was
“We put people first”
Now, the slogan is “Life’s Good.” Apparently, life is good for LG since they do not put people first any longer.