David Naulls

This month reminds me of the value of our testing programme.

It’s thanks to our rigorous testing that we can recommend the best models across an ever-growing array of products. And this is a prime reason why members have joined us over the last 50 years.

But we also weed out poor products and in some cases “rogue” ones. Take the LG GC-L197NFS fridge-freezer. During our testing we found that this impressively large side-by side model had what’s called a circumvention device. This device sends the LG into an energy-saving mode when it detects energy-efficiency testing conditions. The result is large temperature-fluctuations that can compromise the quality of the food stored in your fridge and even warm it to unsafe temperatures. Circumvention devices have been illegal in fridges since 2007.

If this wasn’t bad enough, LG then claimed the model’s energy consumption per year was 738kWh. But that’s if you have the circumvention device operating. Our testing didn’t and showed the LG’s true energy consumption as 876kWh – a difference of $32 a year. At its true energy use, it wouldn’t comply with the Minimum Energy Performance Standard 2005 (MEPS) and shouldn’t be sold here.

LG is withdrawing this model and compensating consumers for the extra energy use. But it should never have been sold here in the first place. We think the illegal nature of the device and its effects constitute a major defect and that customers who have bought the LG GC-L197NFS fridge-freezer are entitled to a full refund under the Consumer Guarantees Act.

None of this, of course, would be obvious to the consumer looking at fridges in a store. It’s only through our unique testing programme that energy consumption is checked.

Our records show LG is a repeat offender with a history of making false and misleading claims. Choice – our equivalent in Australia – has suggested setting up a public register of companies that are serial offenders. A list here would make interesting reading as some of our leading companies could feature. Telecom, for instance, has been "pinged" 8 times for breaches of the Fair Trading Act.

A public register may be an incentive for creating as greater sense of corporate responsibility.

David Naulls
Editor
Consumer Magazine

More from consumer.org.nz

• Fridge-freezers - buying advice, recommendations and test results for 35 models
• Consumer Guarantees Act - our guide to your rights
• Fair Trading Act - what you need to know

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