Is your refrigerator counter depth? Plug should be behind refrigerator. It goes in at a 90 angle or you can get a recessed plug. Refrigerator should not be flush with the wall. It needs air flow.

"The electrician put the fridge outlet directly behind where the fridge is"

This is correct. I checked the spec sheets for three refrigerators. Depending on the appliance, a 1-2" gap behind the refrigerator is required. There will be space for the cable and plug in this gap. Don't get a recessed outlet; there won't be room for the cable with its 90-degree prongs in the recess.

Thanks so much for you input, i really appreciate it

It's the surface mounted conduit and outlets that I question.

Is conduit required in your locality?

No, why do you ask?

"with conduit and a box directly behind the fridge it will be sticking way out into the room and i hate this."

Oh, Above I assumed that the electrical outlet was flush with the wall, not that it stuck out from the wall.

In the case of surface conduit and a metallic box, one might be able rotate the box so that it puts the receptacle to one side. Then one would only have the box width taking up wall gap space, and that should be close to the desirable 2-inches for the rest of the area behind the fridge.

Some conduit offset increase may be needed.

"No, why do you ask?"

Because unless conduit is required or it's a brick wall, the obvious answer is to put the outlet IN the wall - not outside it.

I've wired several plaster homes from the 1880's to the 1940's and NEVER had to run wire on the outside of the wall or demo the plaster.

The conduit is already in, the electrical is done. If only we’d found you first, we wouldn’t have to have the conduit

Just have him redo that one. It's not that big a deal.

yeah i’m definitely having it redone