Hotpoint RZA51

Several engineers have advised the noise is caused by the type of refrigerant gas used in these freezers. The problem with icing up until the door opens is known by Hotpoint and they have a long list of checks on the engineers technical update. We had to wait almost a year after the first "repair" until a private contractor for Hotpoint read the repair instructions properly and found that a hinge mounted raising spacer was missing from production which meant the door seal closed below the inner compartment, allowing air into the freezer!

I bought the Hotpoint RZA51 model on a Which? recommendation of the previous years model. As soon as it was plugged in it began to make loud gurgling noises which never got any quieter despite the suggestion in the manual and from Hotpoint Service Centre that it would. The motor ran for 15 minutes in every 45. The maximum temperature that it would achieve was was -22C. It required defrosting after 6 weeks (ice buid up on the top elementswas preventing the door from closing!) This is a long job since there are 6 shelves of curly pipes to remove ice from. Despite my protestations to Hotpoint they refused to acknowledge that there was anything wrong with the freezer despite their own paperwork stating that the operating temperature should be -18 to -23. They sent a technician who said there was nothing wrong and that anyway he was not qualified on this type of freezer. The second technician agreed that it was far too noisy and should be replaced. A replacement was sent which is just as noisy, even after 12 months, but at least it will operate at -18C which means it is on for less time and requires less defrosting. I would never consider buying Hotpoint again, especially after my dealings with their Service Centre.