Customer Reviews

Kitchenaid KUCS03FTSS Fully Integrated Console Built-In Architect Series II

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I wish I had read the reviews before buying this unit. We chose the KitchenAid Architect Series as part of a complete remodel that included dishwasher, double oven, built in side by side and this lovey little trash compactor.
The unit works fine, but to eliminate any buttons on the front of the unit, everything is triggered by a foot pedal at the base. This is the source of all our problems;
1) We have three kids, teenagers, this thing is not going to last.
2) Because of the beautiful sleek appearance, you have no idea when you go to open it if the machine is in solid pack mode, i.e. the ram is down. So you most likely step on the pedal, and if the ram is down, there is a good chance it will partially open and jam. Requires a bit of coaxing to get the ram back up. (service call on that)
3) The pedal operates the boom by triggering a white plastic button concealed behind the stainless door. The connection is a very fragile peace of metal that has fallen out three times, and we have had two service calls on that. (we have learned to reach under the flange of the door and operate the bottom by with my longest and particularly appropriate finger)
4)The warranty service is acceptable, but no good. On each of the three calls thus far, the sub contractor has alleged that the mall functions are do to our operating and has requested an additional $80 charge. I have refused to pay and they relent, but its just unpleasant.
5) Normal compactor bags do not do well with this unit, it has special tabs to hold the Kitchen-aid bags, which I have ordered from Kitchen-aid, but not received. Our old Kenmore did not have this issue.

I have had extensive discussions with Kitchen-aid, its Frigidaire now which so the product quality will probably continue to do down, and they have agreed to extend the warranty an additional year. My recommendation is you avoid the Architect Series in the trash compactor, and get the unit with buttons. Its about $200 cheaper and probably works without a hitch!

Our Kitchenaid trash compactor has broken four times in the six months we have owned it. What a lemon. The store, HHGregg, Indianapolis, will not replace it, nor will Kitchenaid, despite the fact that it is an obvious lemon. Never again for Kitchenaid or HHGregg.

I could not live without our KitchenAid Architect Series compactor, not only is it nice to look at, it is very functional. The built-in air freshener is a MUST, no odors! It glides out nice & smooth and I love how easy it is to fully pull out and clean. We paid over $900 for ours and it was worth every penny! The solid pack function really compacts your trash down, we cannot believe how much rubish we can fit in just ONE compactor bag! Before remodeling the kitchen we were constantly taking out the kitchen trash so this little number has made my husband's life much easier too! I always had trash compactors before this house and I am sure glad I was able to fit one in this new kitchen. You can never go wrong with KitchenAid!

My previous compactor lasted years and was still fully functional when we decided to remodel and put in this KUCS03FTSS model

It lasted about 2 years before the ram was stuck in the down position with the motor continuously running. Disappointing.

I called KitchenAid support and they basically said "sorry charlie, our crap is only good for one year."

I wish I had done some research on this piece-o-junk before I dropped $1000 on it.

We bought this compactor (the 3rd we have owned over the past 20 years) as part of a kitchen remodel. It has been a disaster! Within the first 6 months the switch broke and the repairman that KitchenAid sent out admitted he never really worked on compactors. Luckily I had purchased an extended warranty through Assurant. When it broke the next time it was 13 months old, so I called them for service. The guys they sent out were much more knowledgeable - but sure enough - the switch had broken again! They agreed that it is a fairly fragile part. The next problem was a terrible racket that it made when it ran - they were able to take care of that handily. Times #4 & 5 were both due to the main (plastic!!!) gear that drives the compaction having broken in two. So we are now at 5 repairs in 18 months - frustrating!!. The repair service has told Assurant it cannot be repaired again and I'm waiting to see how they handle it...Meanwhile I have spoken with KitchenAid directly multiple times and they are asking me to report back on what Assurant says.To be continued...

Our Kitchen Aide compactor broke after one year. It will not turn off automatically. The repair shop tried to fix it three times and virtually replaced everything with no success. Best use would be an anchor.

We bought this compactor about 3 years ago as part of a partial kitchen upgrade. Our original compactor was a Jenn-Air that was about 17-18 years old and worked fine although loud. We decided to go with the sleek Kitchenaid look. As kitchen trash compactors are by no means a new technology and our Jenn-Air had lasted for many years with no problems, I assumed that an upscale Kitchenaid would last for years with no problems.

To my recollection the compactor has been repaired 4 times and is now broken again. We have had plastic gears break inside the unit and several problems with the toe-kick mechanism. Recently they came by to install a new type of toe kick mechanism that would solve all the problems. Unfortunatly this new mechanism won't stay attched as it is only screwed into sheet metal that is not thick enough to hold under the pressure of activation. Right now the mechanism has fallen off and we can't even operate the unit.

As this point I am fed up with Kitchenaid and am ready to replace the unit even after investing so much in the purchase. It appears this unit will need $100 to $200 in repairs per year so it may be less expensive to throw in the towel and switch to another brand.

The problem is that Whirlpool owns Kitchenaid as well as Jenn-Air and other brands so I have to assume all of the compactors made under the Whirlpool umbrella have similar design flaws.

We also have a Kitchenaid dishwasher that is also 3 years old and had to have a motherboard replaced and I have a co-worker has had problems with his Kitchenaid refrigerator and double oven.

This leaves me to the GE family of compactors which also seem to have problems (based upon other reviews) or Broan.

Be careful if switching brands away from Kitchenaid as far as I can tell there are really only 3 makers of this product.

Too bad none of the foreign appliance makers make compactors. The US based companies make appliances that are worse quality than 20 years ago then wonder why so many foreign appliance companies are invading our shores (Samsung, LG, Bosch, etc. etc.).

We selected this compactor when doing a kitchen remodel 2 1/2 years ago and it's been problematic from about 6 months of use onward.

As mentioned by all the others, the metal actuator piece breaks off & the replacement part is priced anywhere between $25-45 for a small piece of metal about 3/4 inch wide by 4 inches long. We initially called the warranted for repairs (which was a big hassle and they were not timely with scheduling, averaging 1-2 weeks out). The second big break was just outside the warrantee coverage, so there was a $100 repair bill. Luckily the repairman showed us the metal piece that keeps breaking off, and how to trigger it with your finger when broken so you can at least still compact the trash. We've also had the problem with the ram sticking, which causes a horrible racket as the motor is stuck and won't shut off.

For now, we just ordered a couple of the actuators and will replace them as they break. But that really sucks since the machine isn't even 3 years old. If something bigger goes (we're worried about the ram sticking issue...) we'll have to spend the $$ for a replacement - hopefully we can find something more reliable! Our previous home the compactor was a kitchen aid from the late 1970's or early 1980's and it was far superior to this one functionally (although mustard yellow, so pretty ugly)

Note regarding bags - we've found one brand that works well in this unit and we order them off Amazon: Port-A-Bag 18" TRASH COMPACTOR BAGS 15-pk - K12 - none of the regular bags available locally or elsewhere work well - they all either fall in or rip.

It is unfortunate that the American made brands are so unreliable now.

Avoid this and all other Kitchen-aid and Whirlpool compactors. Look for something with better reviews for reliability.