Customer Reviews

Sanyo SR-3770S Counter-High Refrigerator, Black and Stainless-Steel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

... foregoing the two reviews about shipping damage, I thought I'd try ordering this product for several reasons:

1) The hi-res dealer images of it from Sanyo.com made it look like one sexy fridge
2) The energy rating was good
3) I knew if the product did arrive damaged, Amazon would replace it, or refund my money anyway
4) I have Amazon Prime, so I figured paying $3.99 for overnight shipping would also make the delivery people think this was a special product, since it was going overnight, and not being sent across the country via Ground shipping, and abused in the process.

Well, the product arrived today, and initially, I thought, "This can't be good."

The box was extremely tattered... and the top was ripped open. I also heard rattling as the FedEx man helped me carry it up the stairs. Then he left, without even getting a signature. Oh, and at my front door the FedEx man just dropped the box on the ground in front of me.

I opened the box upstairs, and saw horrible, horrible packaging, as others have mentioned. The box was all beat up, and several of the inch or less thick padding was cracked and damaged.

Luckily, the fridge seemed to make it through intact... no dents, and it worked. The rattling as I carried it was the compressor... I still don't know if this is normal though.

These fridges are indeed shipped on a pallet, you can see that from the shipping sticker from Sanyo to Amazon's Nevada warehouse. Three fridges per pallet. All Amazon does is stick a FedEx/UPS sticker on these boxes, and ship them off. If I didn't get this sent overnight, I can almost guarantee the fridge would've beat beat to hell going ground from Nevada to New York.

As for this part of the item description,
"To keep the refrigerator looking brand new, its stainless-steel door has a clear acrylic coating that eliminates fingerprints and is easy to keep clean."

Well, it won't be happening for me, as the clear acrylic coating came ripped halfway down the upper right corner of the fridge, so I really had no choice but to rip all the rest of it off.

The fridge works, and it DOES look amazingly sexy, but unless you have Prime, or want to pay for expedited shipping, this will almost certainly come damaged until Amazon decides to start packaging these adequately. And really, I don't see why they don't, because it's just a hassle for the end customer, and an expensive dime on their end to pay for return shipping, and then shipping again for a replacement.

I carefully read every customer review of this product before placing my order and was therefore prepared for it to arrive in less than pristine condition. When I got the email from Amazon stating they had shipped utilizing DHL, I groaned inwardly as I have rarely had good experience with them. However, as a frequent Amazon customer, I knew they would equitably resolve any problems that might arise.
Well, it arrived today, brought to my front door in the arms of a rather small woman and placed gently inside my front door. There were no gouges, cuts, mangled portions or areas dented in on the box. When I opened it, I quickly discovered what everyone meant about the lack of adequate protective packaging. However the fridge was in pristine condition, absolutely perfect. It is whisper quiet and I feel certain I will have no problem sleeping with it in my room even though I am an incredibly light sleeper who is easily awakened with even the lightest sound. It is very roomy and the crisper is especially great since I like to keep fresh fruit on hand and truly enjoy it most when it is very cold. As soon as I plugged the unit up, it began freezing water in the ice tray.
I have no negative comments to make whatsoever and will gladly recommend this refrigerator to anyone and everyone who is in the market for a compact or mini fridge.

Just like the previous reviewer, the refrigerator was inadequately packed and arrived very damaged. The front stainless steel was dented, the bottom was bent, and the whole front corner was bent in. These corresponded to damage and rips in the cardboard box. The problem seems to be that they were originally crated by Sanyo for individual sale at Costco (special order production just for them) and probably shipped to them on a pallet. They were obviously never meant to be shipped individually as there is essentially no padding inside the flimsy box (a few slivers of styrofoam top and bottom). Amazon does not repack or strengthen the packaging, so damage is inevitable. STEER CLEAR. Also, the actual dimensions of the unit are not what are listed and claimed by Sanyo. It is slightly taller than stated, which might make it unacceptable for tight applications with no room to spare. The rear of the unit does not have any protective "feet" at all: it is bare metal which can scratch your floor.

Length:: 0:54 Mins

I debated over the purchase for months (looking for an office mini-fridge), given the mixed reviews. But after all the endless comparisons and outside shopping, this one seemed just as good as any other, with the risk of shipment damage.

As discussed in the video, the box had a couple dents in it (where there was no styrofoam), but due to the styrofoam crown and base (maybe new?), the refrigerator itself had NO damage on it.

The build, look, and parts are identical to a kenmore I bought 6+ years ago, which is still working great.

The design is sleek. Instead of trusting manufacturer's pictures though, take a look at the video, and please let me know if it's helpful to you - I'm never sure.

The only reason it gets 4 starts instead of 5 is because I was unable to switch the swing of the door. Following instructions, the second layer of screws (under the top) were so tight that no matter the tool I used the screws became threaded, so I'll have to live with a standard swing. Not a big deal, but I prefer the other way. So -1 star.

Wifey also likes the aesthetics a lot, stainless steel, black interior, etc. Good buy!

I purchased this fridge about 10 months ago. It works quite well, keeps everything nice and cold. However, there's one issue that leads me to question long term reliability.
When the compressor turns off, it's accompanied by an annoying loud, metallic "click". When I first got the fridge, the sound was a fairly quiet, muffled "thump", but it grew louder over the next 10 months. In my experience, refrigerators develop a loud click on compressor turn-off only after quite a few years of use; then, it's just a matter of time before a part failure occurs.
I had chosen "Super Saver" delivery, but since the stated delivery time , after I placed my order, increased from a few days to over a month, I emailed Amazon about this and they then amended my order to have the fridge sent via overnight delivery, at no extra charge to me. I received the fridge soon thereafter, and without any of the dents or damage that others have mentioned. I've found Amazon's customer service to be, in most cases, excellent.

UPDATE : September 10, 2006
Well, the metallic click on compressor turn-off stopped several months ago and the fridge has been working pretty well since then, staying pretty quiet. True, there's some slight icing in some food stored on the top shelf, but it's not bad enough to cause me any aggravation.
The tiny freezer compartment doesn't keep ice cream firm, it stays somewhat soupy. (Yes, the freezer will fit pints sized containers of ice cream). But it does keep my bottles of aquavit and gin nearly icy cold, and ice cubes frozen.
Everything in the fridge still stays well chilled, nothing to worry about, there.
So overall, I'd say that this fridge does a more than adequate job. I've no regrets about purchasing it.

Update: March 29, 2008
Still going strong!

I have had this mini-fridge for 3 years now, and its great! I have no problems with the door staying shut or anything like that. Its quiet too, its always been in my bedroom and its not a problem. However, I guess I am a heavy sleeper and I find the occasional quiet hum soothing. Be careful with the temperature settings as this can easily be made into a freezer alone. Other than that, extremely stylish, and shows very little wear and tear. I have no dents or major scratches on it anywhere . . and I'm in college!

Why only 4 stars:

- the freezer section is ridiculously small, honestly what are you going to need to freeze that is that small?
- you've got to defrost the freezer section about every 3 months or it gets quite frosty and shrinks in size
- this last one is personal, the can holder that goes all the way down the side of the fridge, who needs that much room for soda?

Sanyo makes a good fridge no doubt it works great in my room, the only thing I'm dissapointed about is that Amazon didn't ship my product properly when the fridge arrived it had dents on the bottom and on the door as well, Amazon could of protect my product from being damaged while in transit, if you order this item request protection otherwise the shipping companies don't care about it... otherwise this item works great no problems I definately recommend Sanyo.

The first item I received was highly dented. This is because the packaging is so inadequate for this type of item. Since it was to be used outside, I sucked it up, figuring it was was easier than returning the unit. Then the item dod not work, so i had to return it. The next refrigerator I received was damamged again, but much less than the first one...and it worked...so, i kept it. I read other complaints about the packaging of this item, but purchased anyway thinking it was over-stated...it's not. Sanyo really needs to work this out as I am sure 90% of the refrigerators that are sent out become dented if they are all packaged the way mine were. The fridge works fine...but does need frequent defrosting.

I JUST RECEIVED THE SR-3770S TODAY. I WAS A BIT DISAPPOINTED. THE BOX WAS POORLY PACKED. THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH INSTALLATIONS. AS A RESULT, THE DOOR HAD TWO INCHES OF DENT. I SHOULD READ THE REVIEW BEFORE BUYING THIS REFRIGRATOR.

KEVIN YIP

Ordered Monday night, FedEx got it here (Manhattan, NY) on Friday. It was shipped from Kentucky.

Sanyo makes a great fridge that's a good price per cubic foot. The packaging lacked a lot of styrofoam protection and the box was a bit tattered from the shipping, but overall it's a good deal, because of the free shipping for this 50lb. plus item. My refrigerator did not arrive with any obvious damage or dents. And the stainless steel is sweet.

There is an acrylic coating on the stainless steel door, and it comes wrapped in plastic from the factory, like every stainless steel appliance. The reviewer below just removed the protective plastic wrapping.