Miele K 12820 SD (White)

2 broken door handles – Bought the fridge and freezer as I loved the design and layout but have had to replace the fridge door handle once already and it is broken again. Purchased in 2013 thinking Miele was a top brand. Door handles cost over $200 to replace. Extremely disappointed. Australian Consumer Law says high end fridges should be covered for 13 to 15 years. Not happy! Bought from HN Show details

Door handles – Great fridge /freezer but the door handles really let this product down. Not the first broken handle and feel it won't be the last. Cheap and flimsy. Definitely not well engineered. Show details ·  3

Exemplary partner to the Miele FN 12827 S, Reliable, great looking, and perfect! – So I wrote a review for this great fridge some time ago but it was never published, so apologies for the lengthy delay in catching up on my reviews. This fridge is the perfect match for the Miele FN 12827 S. I will make this one not as long, because to be honest everything I said in the review of the matching freezer is true about this fridge.… Read more ·  2

While not the top of the line Mastercool, it honestly does its job, and does it well. This pigeon pair was bought to replace a 1-2 year old LG bottom mount fridge/freezer. And you'd think from going from a combined 306l to two separate fridge and freezer with a combined total of very usable 800l of space, one would obviously think energy consumption would at least increase some, being only 2.5 stars versus the LG's 2.5 as well, but having TWO appliances instead of one. But to our surprise Origin bill came in shockingly low for the quarter. And this was Spring/Summer. So on that front absolutely amazed that Almaty tripling the storage space, the energy usage actually dropped. Typical German efficiency.

The shelves are extremely strong and are infinitely adjustable. The wine rack the same. The door bins can be easily washed in the dishwasher or simply wiped with a damp sponge.

All in all a wonderful fridge that I'd recommend to anyone.

A few small qualms however, but, they are similar to the freezers "cons".

The shelves are no spill proof as in the glass is flat and of something were to spill it would leak to other shelves below. And to be honest, I'd have to say that's about all, and that digging for a con.

It does have few "normal functions" I had never seen before. Water often gather on the rear inside of the back wall of the fridge, usually ice and then melts with its self defrost cycle which drains out a small hole and out to the top of the compressor where it evaporates. Odd at first, but after reading, completely normal operation.

All in all food lasts longer than any fridge prior including the former LG. it has a wonderful LED light which diffuses the light to reach every nook and cranny. So I'll put a short pros and cons list for comparison, as I said the freezer review is extremely similar.

Pros: Astonishingly efficient Build quality Even temperatures throughout Extremely quiet Heaps of space (quite hard to actual fill) Great LED light Strong shelves Infinite adjustibility "Dynacooling" a fan circulates air throughout for even temps Strong easy to clean and adjust shelves Brilliant white matches all other Miele white appliances Easily joined to make "one" large built-in look fridge freezer Door handles that make opening so easy

Cons: Lack of "spill proof" shelves Non adjustable crisper bins (temp and humidity) No door alarm as the freezer has Lack of the "soft close" hinges Old handle design; has been rectified with a new design which is significantly thicker

So overall a must look at if you budget and space allow. But overall an amazing pair for $4k. Don't think I could have made a better choice. Similar, and I mean almost exact (as the Mieles are made by Liebherr) but cheaper. No reliability issues on either to note to date on either, a good sign this far. Customer service is stellar as usual, and recently was invited to join Miele 4 Life. I honestly can't fault the fridge in anyway, other than the few, at which I was grasping for in the first place. And I have to say, absolutely nothing wrong with the KFN 14842 SD ed/cs which was the other option we looked at, but for the price, and having the space for 800l of fridge and freezer, I don't regret not getting the other one bit. Both great products and although not made by Miele, and many peoples complaints of Liebherrs less than stellar reliability, I doubt Miele would rock their name for a product that is truly horrible. And, touch wood, there have been zero problems what-so-ever.

So if you budget is $4-$5k and you have the space for 1.2 metres of width, or even space to have them separately, go for it. I wouldn't hesitate once second. With the volume to price ratio, it's hard to beat.

If you have any questions on either the fridge or freezer, don't hesitate to ask, I plan on keeping up my reviews as 2016 rolls around. And Miele truly build, and stand by their motto "Immer Besser"!

**Update**

We purchased the pigeon pair in 2015 and both handles broke (once on the fridge, once on the freezer), like so many others have noted. However Miele replaced them and the design of the new handles is much better. It's easy to see the thickness of the weak part has almost doubled in thickness. The first handle was the fridge which snapped at 4 years old, and the freezer just snapped last month. Have attached photos of the difference in them so you can see they have been redesigned. I can't take away any stars as the fridges main purpose is to keep things cold, which it has done flawlessly. The handle was a poor design but seems to have been rectified. This has been the only weak point on both, but no other issues to name of, and I stand by my original review of the pair. Will happily recommend to friends and family and will buy another if the occasion arose.

Broken handle AGAIN – After much research Miele Was the brand For me. I love, love my Miele fridge and freezer. I love the design and function. But the handle has broken 2 times. Why do they make them out of plastic. There is so much stress on the handle and for a product that is used often why plastic. I know I can buy a new handle but they are still plastic and I know the handle will continue to break. So disappointed. Show details

Design flaw in handles and drain blocks - seems Miele's standards are slipping – The handle on this fridge and the matching freezer (FN 12827) is clearly a design flaw. I am starting to lose track of how many broken handles there has been. This is the second handle that's broken on the fridge and I think I am on my second for the freezer. The freezer completely failed after about a year and needed to be replaced - I worry… Read more

over each summer if it will die again as it sometimes seems to be not coping - but so far it comes good. There is also the drain problem discussed below.

Otherwise I do really like the organisation, particularly the dual crisper and multiple tough glass shelve organisation - nothing has broken yet inside! The SuperCool function is handy when you put a big pot of warm food in. The matching freezer with draws is great. I couldn't stand the old days of everything falling out of the top freezer shelves. But back to the handles:

I have read about Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law at: https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees - where there is a clear flaw the problem needs to be resolved. Specifically "Products must be of acceptable quality, that is: safe, lasting, with no faults; look acceptable; do all the things someone would normally expect them to do." Clearly this handle is not. This is really poor. My 8 year old son nearly hurt his hand on the nasty remnants of the broken handle before i could remove it this time.

Looking at it closely, it relies on very small pieces of metal on either side of the release mechanism and the base is not fixed on the front so when you pull it always puts a bending action on those little pieces of metal, instead of just direct push action. Eventually it bends, cracks and then snaps. I really hope the design has changed on the next replacement when I contact Miele soon. They should have sorted this out by now. I would rather some way of just a fixed handle that will go the distance, rather than this fancy but inept design.

In the past so far Miele has replaced it, but previously implied we may not have been opening the fridge properly and this would be the last replacement. I have since then kept instructing my family to be careful to wait till the pressure equalises before opening, but even being very careful it has still broken after 4 years instead of 2 but I still consider this is completely unacceptable. I will not be paying for a replacement, I expect it to be replaced by Miele at no charge.

I have also had the problem with the drain blocking and water going in the crisper and floor - it needs to be cleaned every so often - last time I put in some dish washing liquid and warm-hot water and jiggled it with a pipe cleaner and it cleared it out well - but we really shouldn't have to do that.

I have bought many Miele products over the years - washing machine, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner - and this fridge and matching freezer (FN 12827). In the past I was impressed with the quality of the products overall and service, but it seems Miele's standards are slipping. I recently replaced our Miele washing machine - we got 15 years out of it so pretty good, but looking at reviews saw a number of bad reviews on Miele ones, so decided to go with Bosch based on very good reviews. Funnily, or not during COVID 19 pandemic, the electrics died after 3 weeks - has just been replaced - so here's hoping (future review). I always try to buy things that last for long enjoyment, convenience (not replacing stuff), sometimes financial benefit and sustainability. It is a shame for Miele to lose its reputation.

Miele K12820 SD & FN 12827S pigeon pair fridge & freezer handles flaw – In 2015 my wife and I bought all our appliance from Winning Appliance and trusted that their merchandise was worth the cost. So far all have been to the standard except the Miele Pigeon pair Fridge&Freezer. Noticed a bent in the aluminium & steel handles and after taking them out I noticed that they’re about to break (cracks appearing in both of… Read more ·  4

them but bigger and more noticeable on the freezer handle).

Really!! With that price tag, the handle cracks. I have searched on the web if this was a recurrent issue on this model and so it seems to be.

I know it’s been around 5 years but we are only 2 adults using them and we treat our goods impeccably. They still look new if it wasn’t for this particular design flaw. Miele should have done better.

We’ve had in the past Westinghouse and other brands fridge and freezers which are still working without any issue but wanted to try the more ‘upmarket German brands’.

I have attached the photos (hope they show the issue and cracks sufficiently). The handles are not hard to remove and replace by myself, so my question is the following.

is Winning or Miele able to ‘urgently’ replace both handles under warranty? Otherwise it will be very disappointing.

We need to make sure that we will be able to use our fridge & freezer for the years to come appropriately. This is definitely a flow in the handle design. Hope you understand our disappointment with this product at the moment.

Hope you can help and fix this at no charge. Thank you

Great fridge, weak handle – Purchased the fridge freezer combo from Harvey Norman Mount Barker in 2016 when setting up house. We have been really pleased with the size/layout of the fridge, however the handle has snapped and won't open the fridge door now, really disappointed because the handle is so expensive to buy as a spare part. With a three year old and a new baby and… Read more

all the costs that go along with that plus being a single income family this is a definite negative on the product. We now have to squeeze the seal to open the door.

So disappointed with our Miele fridge! – I expected that when purchasing a Miele fridge that we'd have years of trouble-free usage. First, the door handle broke, which seems to be a common issue. It was replaced under warranty - thank you Miele. Then it's been leaking if anything blocks the outlet hole at the back of the fridge. Water flows down the inside of the fridge and leaks… Read more

onto the floor. Miele said to clean it more often with a pipe cleaner, but there's no indication it's blocked until there's water on the floor. I think this is a design fault. Now, we've lost a lot of food as the fridge isn't maintaining the correct temperature, no matter how low we dial the setting. The serviceman has ordered a new part from Germany, so we've been 6 weeks now without a fridge, since before Christmas. He said something has broken in the cooling mechanism and that we're going to be up for $460 for the repair! The fridge is only 3 ½ years old! The warranty is 2 years, but when you spend a lot of money on a premium fridge from Miele, you expect better than this. I would expect 10 years of trouble-free use at least! I'll be contacting consumer affairs as this repair time and price is outrageous. So disappointed Miele.

Broken handle - disappointing Miele – Purchased in 2017 as a pigeon pair fridge and freezer. We’ve had continuous problems with water ponding and flowing onto the floor. The vacuum seal once the fridge door closes seems too strong combined with a flimsy handle design, if you go back to the fridge straight after closing the door it’s difficult to open..... However it was my 65yr old… Read more

mother who snapped off the handle while visiting. We purchased Miele thinking it was a quality brand - however I would only describe as a LEMON and poorly designed. Ultimately I regret the purchase.

hate replacing door handles for Excesive cost – Just like others on here I'm not impressed that a door handle is so weak and it costs $200 + to replace. Iam not preparewd to keep paying out to replace the door handle every few years other than this issue the freezer is great. Makes me think I won't be buying Miele again. Show details

Great fridge horrible handle design – This is the 2nd handle in 5 years that has snapped on our fridge freezer combo. Our replacement handle for our freezer was $220 direct from Miele + installation. I would hesitate to purchase another fridge\Freezer is also about to snap. I think the fridge is fine otherwise. Show details

High Price, and Poor Fittings – We purchased this fridge and freezer combo in 2012, and at the start worked well, as we expected given the great experience we had had with a Miele washing machine and dryer combo in London. The heaviness of the appliances gives the impression of value for money. Unfortunately the handles on both appliances snapped as described in previous… Read more

reviews, pointless and costly to replace as the problem will recur. It is hard to reopen the doors if you quickly change your mind. After 5 years, the seal on the fridge has started to erode, and needs to be replaced. The electronic board on the freezer also needs to be replaced as the beeper goes off warning about the door being open (even if it isn’t) and can only be resolved if the freezer is set at a lower temperature. It will cost one third of the price of the freezer to do so! When you pay a high price for a quality product you are expecting years of use (as advertised), so extremely disappointed. I don’t want to add to the rubbish pile of this sort of stuff given we should be reducing our footprint, and Miele is another brand that is contributing to this

Avoid Miele fridges and freezers at all costs – Warning: the handles on their fridges and freezers are fragile and don't last. They then charge over $200 to replace them. Their customer service won't take your complaint seriously. In my experience they just copied and pasted two standard responses in their reply to me. "Thank you for your recent email regarding your Miele fridge and freezer. … Read more

All Miele Appliances come with a two year manufacturer’s warranty and have been both designed and rigorously tested to last for up to 20 years of normal domestic use. As a result, the incidence of failure is very low as long as the appliances are being well looked after and maintained correctly However, like any appliance which has a multitude of parts, failures can occasionally occur and a repair is required. When opening the fridge and freezer doors, please remember that the strength of only 1 finger is required and that the 'pop and pull' method should be followed out each time the door is opened to ensure that some of the pressure inside the unit has been released so that the handle is not being put under an excess amount of stress or force. Please be noted that the drain will need to be checked and cleaned regularly as a blocked drain can cause a build up of pressure inside the unit, which will put an execs amount force on the handle when opened. Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our Customer Care Team on 1300 464 353. Our Customer Care Centre is open Monday - Friday 7am-8pm (AEDST) and 9am-5pm (AEDST) on Saturdays.

Kind Regards,

Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding Miele spare parts. Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our Customer Care Team on 1300 464 353. For our New Zealand customers, please call 0800 464 353. Our Customer Care Centre is open Monday - Friday 7:00am-7:00pm and 9:00am-5:00pm on Saturdays (Melbourne time).

Regards,"

Disappointed, great expectations – I have owned a Miele K12820 for the last 3 years during this time the drip tray in the back of the fridge has blocked up so many times resulting in water leaking from the inside of the fridge on to the laminated floor boards which are now ruined. Initially I had a technician out to clear the drip tray but it is ridiculous that you are expected to… Read more

clear this every month or so. The handle has also been an issue and now it is just about to break. Two significant design flaws on an expensive refrigerator.

Significant Disadvantage – This fridge suits all of the required purposes. Two fruit and vegetable drawers are a particularly desirable feature. Door trays could be just 1cm deeper. Greatest disappointment is that the door handle broke after a year's use. We were always careful not to pull on it roughly especially if it had just closed so it is with huge… Read more

dissatisfaction I had it break off in my hand. We have a 60 year old fridge in the shed and its handle is still sturdy and working. Longevity of design not considered.

Crappy handle!!!!!! – This is a fantastic fridge except for the really poor design of the handle. An item that is under so much stress should not be made of plastic...really!!!!! MINE HAS SNAPPED and I am not happy. I really dont want to pay for another one as the replacement is the same thing...no improvement is design or manufacture. I will see if i can improvise another solution as the Miele product is no good. Show details

Good Fridge but poor/weak handle design – Excellent fridge, very quiet, easy to clean and trouble free until May 2017, when the handle unexpectedly snapped off. Not at all happy when Miele's response was that I was not opening the fridge correctly by releasing the seal slowly, before opening the door. This has caused undue stress on the bracket. I'm sorry but that is just unrealistic with little kids opening the fridge. Show details ·  3