WEST VIRGINIA, WV — A West Virginia woman says a broken refrigerator turned into a frustrating wait for help after Home Depot’s protection plan and warranty steps did not quickly solve the problem. Shannon Elizabeth said her three-year-old LG refrigerator stopped working, left spoiled food inside, and caused the freezer to soak wet. She said she contacted Home Depot because she had purchased a protection plan when she bought the appliance for $2,600.

Instead of getting a fast repair or replacement, she said she was pushed through a series of calls and handoffs that left her family without a working fridge for days. Elizabeth shared the experience on TikTok, where her complaint quickly drew a large audience and sparked a wider conversation about customer service, warranties, and what consumers should expect when a major appliance fails.

A broken fridge, spoiled food, and a protection plan that did not solve the problem

Elizabeth said the refrigerator had only been in use for about three years when it broke down. What she found inside made the situation worse: food had spoiled, and the freezer was wet. For a household that relies on a refrigerator every day, the failure created an immediate problem that went beyond inconvenience.

She said she had been talked into buying Home Depot’s protection plan at the time of purchase, which is why she started there when the appliance failed. But the process she described did not lead to a quick fix. According to Elizabeth, she was first told to troubleshoot the fridge herself before the claim moved on to another company. She said the experience left her questioning why the extra coverage had been sold to her in the first place.

Home Depot and LG each became part of the repair maze

After Elizabeth contacted the protection plan, she said she was directed to LG because the refrigerator still carried a warranty from the manufacturer. She said that step only added another layer to an already frustrating process. In her telling, LG said a technician would call to schedule a visit, but no call came.

When her husband followed up, she said the company told them it would take 10 business days just to locate a technician. That timeline did not work for her family. Elizabeth said she emailed Home Depot to make clear that the delay was not acceptable, especially with a broken refrigerator and no simple way to store food safely at home.

A service date nearly two weeks out deepened the frustration

Elizabeth said Home Depot’s protection plan later responded and told her that a technician would come on October 8, while the refrigerator had failed on September 28. That meant nearly two weeks without a working fridge before anyone would even look at it in person.

She also said the visit would not end the problem right away. According to Elizabeth, the technician would inspect the appliance first and then return later with parts if a repair was needed. That sequence, she argued, would leave her family waiting even longer for a usable refrigerator. She described the situation as unacceptable and said it was one of the worst customer-service experiences she had ever faced.

Her TikTok complaint drew strong reactions and plenty of opinions

Elizabeth’s video quickly found an audience. She is a lifestyle creator who often posts hauls, home renovation clips, and cooking videos, and this appliance complaint spread far beyond her regular posts. The clip drew 361,400 views, 13,600 likes, and more than 2,800 comments in a matter of days.

Many viewers backed her up and criticized the service she described. Some said the experience reflected a broader decline in customer support, while others focused on the amount of time she was expected to wait. The comment section became a mix of sympathy, frustration, and practical advice from people who had dealt with their own appliance headaches.

Viewers also debated whether LG or the store was to blame

Not every response focused on Home Depot alone. Some commenters argued that the refrigerator brand itself was part of the problem, saying the trouble started with LG. Others pointed out that any protection plan should have made the process smoother regardless of who manufactured the appliance. The split reaction showed how quickly a personal consumer complaint can turn into a broader argument about brand reliability.

For Elizabeth, though, the issue was not just the refrigerator’s brand. It was the amount of time she said her family would have to live without an essential appliance while two companies handled the claim. Her story resonated with viewers who saw the situation as a test of how much inconvenience shoppers should have to absorb after paying for extra coverage.

Home Depot later agreed to reimburse her, but only in store credit

In a later update, Elizabeth said Home Depot agreed to reimburse her for the broken refrigerator. That sounded like a resolution, but she said the reimbursement came in the form of gift cards. Because of that, she would need to buy another refrigerator from Home Depot if she wanted to avoid losing money in the process.

That detail kept the story from feeling fully resolved for her. Even with reimbursement, the outcome still tied her replacement purchase to the same retailer she had criticized. The update suggested that while the company responded, the remedy came with limits that shaped where she could spend the money. For followers watching the saga, it was a reminder that a promised fix does not always feel like a clean ending.

Real, uplifting stories from across America – GCHS Eagle's Eye.