We purchased a Maytag bottom-freezer-drawer fridge #MBL2256KES5 a little over a year ago online from HomeDepot.com for $1300 plus taxes. The top part stopped cooling 26 days past the one-year warranty date. After waiting on hold for 30 minutes, I was simply told there was "nothing we can do."

Really? This is the best they can do? Yes, it is. They did offer to schedule a repair - with what must be a very-very-very-busy Maytag repairman, not the "lonely" one you may have seen on their ads. I declined.

Now that I'm reading various websites, I see our scenario is actually better than average, with most having all sorts of problems with their Maytag appliance during the one-year warranty period. (We didn't buy the extended warranty since consumers' advocate groups consistently recommend against it.) Shame on us for not paying attention to these published horror stories BEFORE we bought. We will never, ever consider buying a Maytag appliance again and will discourage everyone we know from doing so.

Paying $1300 for an appliance should get you at least five years down the road before you start feeding the meter.