This forum was so helpful to me when planning our kitchen remodel that I wanted to give back, so to speak, regarding our Thermador Freedom Freezer. So often folks ask about separate fridge / freezer units, and this is one of them, and Thermador is closely related to Gagg & Bosch.

Okay, so we have the 30" freezer and since we purchased it / it was installed (in late-spring 2008), it has had serious, complicated electronic problems. The compressor / controller board have both had to be replaced twice, and it was installed in late-spring 2008. Wait, my husband just told me the controller board has been replaced three times. So, a total of four times we have had to take everything out of the freezer (and we don't have another freezer because, with a 30" dedicated freezer, why would we?) and shove it all in coolers heaped with ice, leaving the freezer door open for the frozen controller board to melt so it could be replaced.

We have the nicest service center (the store from which we bought it), and they are less than amused with Thermador about this. We've never had to pay for anything because it's always been either under warranty or the service center has been able to document it's systemic and due to Thermador's design / manufacture.

Okay, so 5:45pm Saturday we heard this loud, sad whirring coming from the freezer. We opened it up and the panel was going bananas; the freezer was 20 degrees (it should be 0) and there was loose ice all over the bottom of the freezer (the ice maker was leaking water & it was freezing in the freezer -- the leaking water had gotten into the panel and frozen around the electronics).

Of course all the local service centers were closed, so we called Thermador direct and were told it's "not [their] problem, that [we] should call a service center."

Turns out it's the ice maker. And the ice maker controls some v. important electronics for the freezer. It controls the fan for the entire freezer and it controls the codes for the controller board. The ice maker! Theramdor's not stupid: they are ensuring you MUST purchase a new ice maker when yours craps out (and it will), because if you don't, then you won't have a working freezer. And that, my friend, is a few thou down the drain.

And the ice maker costs ... $350. Just the part, not inc. labor and the fuel surcharge they all now seem to add.

I called Thermador, knowing our freezer's history with them is long-documented and expecting them to give us a new ice maker or, at the least, sell it to us at cost / a 50% discount.

"No" I was summarily told. It's not Thermador's problem. I asked to speak to a supervisor because that's b.s. (because it IS Thermador's prob plus I'm willing to make it their prob), but what's really b.s. is that I was then told "we have no supervisors." ??? So a system like Thermador Customer Service operates with no supervision???

We'll see what happens. But I am pretty ticked with Thermador. Their Freedom columns are not inexpensive, and it's just ridiculous the ongoing problems we've had with our freezer.

I hate when you've done everything right, nothing wrong, but are still left paying for others mistakes. We read about it here all the time, and it's wrong.

And it's only fair that consumers who are thinking about purchasing one know there have been some serious problems with the freezer column and that Thermador will leave them high and dry.