1954 Westinghouse Fridge HELP!!!

[countryford]

A friend of mine recently purchased a 1954 westinghouse fridge and had it shipped to his place in New Mexico from Colorado. This is the fridge with the automatatic door opener on it. Before it was shipped it was in perfect working order and no damage to it. when he received it and got it to his house he unpacked it and found that the fridge had been damaged. Mainly the door. When he went back to the shippers they said they wouldn't do anything about it since it had already left their warehouse. Anyways, he is now looking for a replacement door for it. His parents had one just like it when he was growing up so he really wants to get his going. He would be willing to purchase the whole fridge, but he doesn't want to deal with shippers again, so it would have to be nearby Albq, NM. I've attaced a link to an ad for the same fridge. The ad is a bit funny in that someone had accidently unplugged the fridge and thus the door wouldn't open. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[launderess]

*WoW*

Am sorry to hear of your friend's woes. Who did he use as a shipper?

For anything I hold dear and or cannot be replaced it's C&F or got git it myself. No, I tell a lie do have one or two shippers I've used from UShip I *might* trust in a pinch, but that is only local.

Cannot believe the shippers attitude.

Perhaps if you can post a picture for all to see and keep in the archives, we can all keep our eyes peeled. You never know, especially those of us who troll CL, fleaPay and other places looking for goodies.

L.

 

[58limited]

Most shippers are insured and bonded. I would have your friend call them back and say that he is talking with a lawyer about this.

 

[countryford]

I'm not sure who the shippers were. I will tell him about the lawyer idea though. Either way he will still need a new door. My friend is currently here in Arizona and once he gets back he will email me a pic of the fridge, and I will post it on here. Until then the ad I had posted is identical to his fridge.

 

[mixfinder]

They Just Don't Get It

From day one of ebay and buying from out of state sellers the agony of damaged shipments has had no good answer.  Items connot be replaced, their value cannot be established,  insurance coverage is most likely covering the seller who must move against the company for a claim to return monies to the buyer and in the end the only who prospers is the shipper.  The shipper never seems to grasp the fact the item is simply irreplacable and as such no amount of money can make one "whole".  I have family in the shipping business so if you need some inside scoop on how to make the shipper ( can even be brand specific) stand the cost of damage let me know and I'll ask.

 

[arbilab]

We had a 'powerdoor' Westy and yes they can be finicky. Y'all might be too young to remember Betty Furness, spokeslady for Westy, trying to demonstrate the power door on a live TV commercial. The stagehands weren't told it needed to be plugged in to open so it just sat there and Betty didn't know about the deadman's release.

This shouldn't be too hard to sort unless it's just mangled. The door has a degree of flexibility allowing it to be bent back to where it seats squarely. Note that the latch bar screws in and out. We were always having to fiddle with that in later years. If it's loose and jiggly, might require disassembly, unfortunately I don't know what exactly holds it in.