Whirlpool Refrigerator Model WRT311FZDW Replacement Saga: Part 2 (published 7-5-2023; article #421)

Introduction

Greetings, dear reader. Yesterday was Independence Day. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I enjoyed the day with her family.

Borrowing Paul Harvey's words, do you, dear reader, want to know “the rest of the story,” about our refrigerator replacement saga? I thought so. “You know the news. Now, it's time for the rest of the story!”

The article from 6/26/2023 was part one of the story. As that article mentions, I even created a podcast, “"6-26-2023: Defective Whirlpool model WTR311FZDW," Appalachian Irishman - Podcasts (YouTube). This article, the 96th in the Life (such as it is) topic section, is part two and, hopefully, the final “rest of the story!”

Sidenotes that One Day will be Funny

For your further entertainment, however, dear reader, I'll toss in four brief sidenotes, before continuing part two of “the rest of the story.” Eventually, these sidenotes will become funny.

First, the yellow jacket war is behind us. The 7/1/2023 addendum to the 6/29/2023 article mentions that war. We won, with professional help!

Additionally, on Saturday, 7/1/2023, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman's bathroom sink was clogged. My lovely bride has long, curly hair, which is attractive. [Last sentence added, by Mrs. Appalachian Irishman!] I see your editing, dear! I agree with it. How does my wife clog up the drain trap with all that hair? It remains a mystery. I shut off the water and removed the trap. She cleaned out volumes of hair. I replaced the trap and turned the water back on. That was easy enough. I still wonder: how does that much hair go down the drain and clog the trap?

Third, my wife had her six-month “annual” physical on 6/19/2023 (the Nineteenth of June). She's still quite well. Most primary care physicians (PCPs) want patients to have a six-month checkup, before their next annual physical. On Monday, 7/3/2023, my wife received a bill for that checkup. Her PCP needed an extra $8.47. (The bill showed: $426.00 total charged. $25.00 copay paid on 6/19/2023. $169.76 that insurance paid. $222.77 that insurance adjusted.) Yes, another $8.47 was due. This morning, I flagged up in our mailbox a pithy letter, with two five-dollar bills enclosed to pay the bill. You ask, “What happens with the extra $1.53?” My letter told them to buy a Snickers candy bar, since I was snickering as I wrote the letter!

Fourth and finally, this is a sad continuation of the 2/15/2023 article about my Valentine's Day “roto-rooter.” I've been logging the details, the “Explanation of Benefits” (EOBs), and the bills, for that 30-minute “roto-rooter” procedure. It's a seven-page log. I know how much I have paid out of pocket. On Monday, 7/3/2023, I received the first bill from the anesthetist, who worked no more than 30 minutes. He billed me $1,440.00! My health insurance company denied the claim, due to a “pre-existing condition.” So, this morning, I also flagged up in our mailbox a two-page letter to my health insurance company. Quoting their own policy statement, I challenged the claim denial and asked, “How, pray tell, was that polyp a known 'pre-existing condition,' when the polyp was not known to have been in my colon until 2/14/2023?” Don't worry. I will win. I won't pay that bill!

Now, Back to the Rest of the Story

The log for the refrigerator replacement story is also seven pages. It includes all the details, from June 15 to July 3. The log contains notes from my two phone conversations with Whirlpool and four with Home Depot.

To shorten this story, on Monday, 7/3/2023, our second new Whirlpool Refrigerator Model WRT311FZDW arrived. In the driveway, the two delivery drivers reversed the doors. Afterward, the new and defective model, which arrived on 6/24/2023 and has been aggravating us since, left the premises! The new and not defective model came into the kitchen to stay a couple of decades or so, we hope.

Earlier today, I took the above photograph, after placing the magnets, papers, and business cards that we decided to keep on our new and not defective refrigerator. The doors are reversed! It is aligned! It runs more quietly! My wife and I are sufficiently satisfied, but the memory of the defective model lingers.

I'll modify the public service announcement from part one (the 6/26/2023 article). This “rest of the story” suggests that the Whirlpool Refrigerator Model WRT311FZDW is acceptable, if you can test it yourself at the store before buying!

Conclusion

Well, Monday was “fun.” Two medical bills arrived. The second refrigerator arrived. By the way, also on Monday, the early morning rainstorm knocked out the landline phone, TV, and Internet, for about three hours. It must have been “the luck of the Irish.”

Life, dear reader, goes on, such as it is. At least we have a new and not defective refrigerator. As Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

Good day!