This is bordering on an Onion article. My god, how bad have you built your fridge that it is even technically possible for this to happen. I haven't heard great things about Samsungs home...
This is bordering on an Onion article. My god, how bad have you built your fridge that it is even technically possible for this to happen. I haven't heard great things about Samsungs home appliances, but this makes me avoid them like the plague
Their TVs were not that great either. Tizen was very buggy. It takes talent to make Linux unreliable. Honestly when it comes to phones I came to the conclusion that it was less of a function of...
Their TVs were not that great either. Tizen was very buggy. It takes talent to make Linux unreliable.
Honestly when it comes to phones I came to the conclusion that it was less of a function of Samsung being good and more of a function of everyone else being terrible in comparison.
Software support in general I think has been one of Samsung's weaker points for a while. I used to use Samsung phones for a while and they're just jam-packed with features and customizability,...
Software support in general I think has been one of Samsung's weaker points for a while. I used to use Samsung phones for a while and they're just jam-packed with features and customizability, which can be great. Anecdotally however, I've experienced more buggy updates on my Samsung devices compared to any other device I've owned, which eventually pushed me away from their devices.
There was a OneUI update a few months ago that arbitrarily wiped do not disturb settings. So while my schedule was still being followed, all of my exceptions were ignored, despite being present in...
There was a OneUI update a few months ago that arbitrarily wiped do not disturb settings. So while my schedule was still being followed, all of my exceptions were ignored, despite being present in the UI. This caused me to miss some important PagerDuty notifications when on-call for work. I only figured it out because removing and re-adding the exception suddenly made it work again
I will never own a Samsung anything for my personal use, that's for sure. I already disliked their TVs, monitors, appliances, and components - never tried one of their phones before so thought I would give it a shot when offered at work. Never again (there are a myriad of reasons besides just bad updates)
Also their shady business practices are nothing to scoff at - but what major manufacturer isn't covered head to toe in blood, holding a bag of cash marked "bribe donation"?
I think Samsung is just terrible at software. They try to make all of their appliances “smart” and it makes them more difficult to use as, you know, appliances.
I think Samsung is just terrible at software. They try to make all of their appliances “smart” and it makes them more difficult to use as, you know, appliances.
The place I worked for, they wouldn't carry Samsung appliances. If a customer was insisting on Samsung, we gave them warnings about the problems, then ordered them. The refrigerators have had...
The place I worked for, they wouldn't carry Samsung appliances. If a customer was insisting on Samsung, we gave them warnings about the problems, then ordered them.
The refrigerators have had board issues for more than a decade, before smart appliances were even a thing.
Their dryers were so cheaply built: they would lose round in shipping, the bulkheads would slowly collapse, and the elements for the electric models would blow frequently. Compared to any other brands elements going out was uncommon, it happened, but not even a quarter as sumsungs
Logically and morally the company is liable for full cost of replacing the food plus reasonable damages. Legally probably not and even if it was, the cost is likely not worth suing over. There is...
Logically and morally the company is liable for full cost of replacing the food plus reasonable damages. Legally probably not and even if it was, the cost is likely not worth suing over.
There is really no physical equivalent but the closest would be a technician coming over to make the fridge better as the only stated reason and the fridge breaking after he left.
Realistically this is to be expected with a "smart" thing and will keep happening until it is cheaper for the company to not have it happen. Or until enough people realize the problematic elements of having your property remotely controlled by some random party and refuse to purchase this.
But if I don't order the repairman, the company sends the repairman and the thing the repairman does breaks the fridge, it's much more obvious the company is at fault. If any repairman breaks the...
But if I don't order the repairman, the company sends the repairman and the thing the repairman does breaks the fridge, it's much more obvious the company is at fault.
If any repairman breaks the fridge it's generally their fault. It didn't passively break, the actions of the repairman broke it.
Passive voice lets them off the hook but the actions don't.
And the solution could be government regulation, or insurance subrogation, or the company making it right up front, not just "well, can't expect anything else. There are more ethical options that exist currently.
The thing is the update wasn't passive in any way. The company made it, presumably tested it or not and sent it out. That it is not physical gives it just enough ambiguity to not be covered by the...
The thing is the update wasn't passive in any way. The company made it, presumably tested it or not and sent it out.
That it is not physical gives it just enough ambiguity to not be covered by the precedents a physical action would be. This is being exploited to truly astonishing levels everywhere these past decades.
I was pointing out the passive language use was indicative of the problem "it broke" vs "they broke it". It certainly isn't the first device bricking by an update, there's precedent and the...
I was pointing out the passive language use was indicative of the problem "it broke" vs "they broke it".
It certainly isn't the first device bricking by an update, there's precedent and the company could still act ethically or government could regulate. But I don't think it's just "what you should expect". It's a risk, but that doesn't make the victim at fault. Especially folks who didnt even buy their own fridge, but got it with the house/landlord
While I haven’t read the EULA I would guess the buyers of these “smart” fridges agreed to terms, that are more or less equivalent to allowing a repairmen into their home at all times without prior...
While I haven’t read the EULA I would guess the buyers of these “smart” fridges agreed to terms, that are more or less equivalent to allowing a repairmen into their home at all times without prior notice with zero liability.
Even when I let a repairman in, if he breaks my fridge he's liable. This isn't a hard decision, it's only because government won't act to regulate it and companies won't act ethically (insurance...
Even when I let a repairman in, if he breaks my fridge he's liable. This isn't a hard decision, it's only because government won't act to regulate it and companies won't act ethically (insurance suing en masse might work but individuals are still out a deductible in that case).
I've read that most EULAs and TOSs are filled with entirely unlawful statements and agreements, and almost never hold up in court. The problem is that you have to actually take it to court, which...
I've read that most EULAs and TOSs are filled with entirely unlawful statements and agreements, and almost never hold up in court. The problem is that you have to actually take it to court, which is obviously pretty much impossible for any regular person against a trillion dollar company.
I've yet to personally see a device where the ToS was transparently presented at point of sale as part of the contract. That should make it automatically void. If agreed to after under any but...
I've yet to personally see a device where the ToS was transparently presented at point of sale as part of the contract. That should make it automatically void. If agreed to after under any but transparent opt in conditions it should be void too. And even then rendering functions not related to agreed to service nonfuctional should have liability regardless.
Legally, who knows but not many people have the means to sue something that size.
I know most here are probably in the same boat as me, but what's the actual point of a "smart fridge"? Why would you need any extra tech in a cold box for your food? In what way does having...
I know most here are probably in the same boat as me, but what's the actual point of a "smart fridge"? Why would you need any extra tech in a cold box for your food? In what way does having internet connectivity in your fridge make it any better?
I don't understand why anybody would buy something like this.
Even if you could afford replacing them, it'd be hard to find non 'smart' appliances. Maybe it's different in the US because I think Westinghouse and Whirlpool are based there. That aside, in...
Even if you could afford replacing them, it'd be hard to find non 'smart' appliances. Maybe it's different in the US because I think Westinghouse and Whirlpool are based there.
That aside, in Europe and Asia, LG and Samsung seem to be dominating big appliance sales (source: what people recommended to me, what I saw with my eyes). There is Bosch and Electrolux, but they are very expensive.
The smart washing machine and dryer appliances that came with our house both died, and we had to replace them. We looked into non-smart models that had no apps or 'AI' features and we couldn't afford them, as they were commercial models.
A friend's dad who worked in appliance repair said LG and Samsung were fine, and preferable to Chinese off-brand duplicates because of longevity issues. We got Samsung machines, and never connected them to the network or downloaded the apps.
They work fine, and the only 'smart' feature I can see is 'AI Load Detection' which weighs your washing and then figures out how long to wash it and how much water to use? Theoretically I could download an app and remote start a wash and be notified when it's done. Practically, I press the start button because I've just loaded the clothes with my physical form.
The idea is stupid. We talk to the washer and dryer and let our Korean agents know how our days are going when we're in the laundry room.
Like with TVs, buying non-smart appliances is more expensive. Fridges seem to be the last holdout where they haven't made extra, useless shit (with an app) industry standard.
First thing - what do you need smart fridge for? Will it look for your food and its "best before" dates on its own? Will it order beer when I take the last one out? Is it able to move the meat...
First thing - what do you need smart fridge for? Will it look for your food and its "best before" dates on its own? Will it order beer when I take the last one out? Is it able to move the meat from freezer to the fridge so it can thaw out before need it for cooking?
Second - Call me old school or paranoid or whatever, but dumb appliances just work more reliably. My oven died on me years ago - the thing that died wasn't even smart! It was that clock/timer thing that just runs the oven at specified time, otherwise the oven is old school bimetal thermostat driven... I just bypassed the clock/timer thing and oven works like new. Adding "smart" into basic things makes them worse. I don't need you to change my mind, I don't even think about changing it.
We own an LG refrigerator. I really didn't want to buy one because they already have a bad name for their fridges. It has their "ThinQ" AI technology and I have already told my husband I will...
Surprisingly, I think the answer to these is "kind of." There are some fridges that have expiration timers, track inventory, and will help add items to your cart or shipping list if you run out....
Will it order beer when I take the last one out? Is it able to move the meat from freezer to the fridge so it can thaw out before need it for cooking?
Surprisingly, I think the answer to these is "kind of."
There are some fridges that have expiration timers, track inventory, and will help add items to your cart or shipping list if you run out. There are also some that have compartments that can switch between fridge and freezer temp, which functionally could be similar to moving an item from freezer to fridge.
These are only mildly interesting, but I guess some advancememts are being made. I'd never get a smart fridge in their current form though. Still seems like more hassle than convenience.
Does anyone have experience with leaving their smart devices offline permanently? I have a Samsung smart TV, but I've never given it my wifi password. I have an external box for it so it's...
Does anyone have experience with leaving their smart devices offline permanently?
I have a Samsung smart TV, but I've never given it my wifi password. I have an external box for it so it's literally just never gone online.
I also have an LG window air conditioner that is "smart", but it's also never been online. I can control it just fine with the remote, and even set a schedule for while I'm out of town so the house is nice and cool when we get back from vacation.
My washer/dryer and dishwasher have smart features. I never connected them and they work fine. My TV also has smart features, but again I've never connected that to wifi (when I want to use...
My washer/dryer and dishwasher have smart features. I never connected them and they work fine. My TV also has smart features, but again I've never connected that to wifi (when I want to use streaming services on it I use my Xbox). Obviously the TV's own streaming apps only work if connected to wifi, and annoyingly casting also requires it to have Internet access, but otherwise it works fine.
Actually there is one problem: the washing machine's detergent auto dosing feature is only configurable in app, not with the physical controls, so that feature is unavailable since I use it offline.
I have a commercial display Samsung for my TV that can do (gestures broadly) other things if given the chance, it is not connected to the internet. I have a GE washing machine that has a sticker...
I have a commercial display Samsung for my TV that can do (gestures broadly) other things if given the chance, it is not connected to the internet.
I have a GE washing machine that has a sticker that says it can do all sorts of things if I download an app and give it a chance, it is not connected to the internet.
I have a Hisense window unit in my office also has an app or whatever if given the chance, it is not connected to the internet.
I have battery powered tools that would like me to connect to an app, I will not do so.
All things work just fine without internet access. None will ever be provided it.
This reminds me of how last year, smart beds got bricked by the AWS outage. Those beds apparently lacked an offline mode, which is just... so basic. On a more relevant note, this feels like...
On a more relevant note, this feels like another part of the "users ARE the QA testers" trend that seems to be growing with horrifically untested updates. This feels like something that should have been caught in testing given how widespread it is.
At least it's only in South Korea and not global, but it's also the worst timing since it's right before Chuseok. I don't know much about it, but I've heard it compared to American Thanksgiving, which gives a good idea of how bad it is for a fridge to stop working before THIS holiday. I remember our ice maker broke right before we hosted Thanksgiving one year, and even THAT was an issue. Can't imagine having the entire fridge being unusable.
This all just reinforces my decision to avoid smart appliances. Our stove/oven has a Wi-Fi button, but I have never used it so no clue what it does.
This is bordering on an Onion article. My god, how bad have you built your fridge that it is even technically possible for this to happen. I haven't heard great things about Samsungs home appliances, but this makes me avoid them like the plague
I've heard pretty much everything outside of screens and phones is very iffy with Samsung, especially home appliances.
Their TVs were not that great either. Tizen was very buggy. It takes talent to make Linux unreliable.
Honestly when it comes to phones I came to the conclusion that it was less of a function of Samsung being good and more of a function of everyone else being terrible in comparison.
Software support in general I think has been one of Samsung's weaker points for a while. I used to use Samsung phones for a while and they're just jam-packed with features and customizability, which can be great. Anecdotally however, I've experienced more buggy updates on my Samsung devices compared to any other device I've owned, which eventually pushed me away from their devices.
There was a OneUI update a few months ago that arbitrarily wiped do not disturb settings. So while my schedule was still being followed, all of my exceptions were ignored, despite being present in the UI. This caused me to miss some important PagerDuty notifications when on-call for work. I only figured it out because removing and re-adding the exception suddenly made it work again
I will never own a Samsung anything for my personal use, that's for sure. I already disliked their TVs, monitors, appliances, and components - never tried one of their phones before so thought I would give it a shot when offered at work. Never again (there are a myriad of reasons besides just bad updates)
Also their shady business practices are nothing to scoff at - but what major manufacturer isn't covered head to toe in blood, holding a bag of cash marked "
bribedonation"?I think Samsung is just terrible at software. They try to make all of their appliances “smart” and it makes them more difficult to use as, you know, appliances.
The place I worked for, they wouldn't carry Samsung appliances. If a customer was insisting on Samsung, we gave them warnings about the problems, then ordered them.
The refrigerators have had board issues for more than a decade, before smart appliances were even a thing.
Their dryers were so cheaply built: they would lose round in shipping, the bulkheads would slowly collapse, and the elements for the electric models would blow frequently. Compared to any other brands elements going out was uncommon, it happened, but not even a quarter as sumsungs
Logically and morally the company is liable for full cost of replacing the food plus reasonable damages. Legally probably not and even if it was, the cost is likely not worth suing over.
There is really no physical equivalent but the closest would be a technician coming over to make the fridge better as the only stated reason and the fridge breaking after he left.
Realistically this is to be expected with a "smart" thing and will keep happening until it is cheaper for the company to not have it happen. Or until enough people realize the problematic elements of having your property remotely controlled by some random party and refuse to purchase this.
But if I don't order the repairman, the company sends the repairman and the thing the repairman does breaks the fridge, it's much more obvious the company is at fault.
If any repairman breaks the fridge it's generally their fault. It didn't passively break, the actions of the repairman broke it.
Passive voice lets them off the hook but the actions don't.
And the solution could be government regulation, or insurance subrogation, or the company making it right up front, not just "well, can't expect anything else. There are more ethical options that exist currently.
The thing is the update wasn't passive in any way. The company made it, presumably tested it or not and sent it out.
That it is not physical gives it just enough ambiguity to not be covered by the precedents a physical action would be. This is being exploited to truly astonishing levels everywhere these past decades.
I was pointing out the passive language use was indicative of the problem "it broke" vs "they broke it".
It certainly isn't the first device bricking by an update, there's precedent and the company could still act ethically or government could regulate. But I don't think it's just "what you should expect". It's a risk, but that doesn't make the victim at fault. Especially folks who didnt even buy their own fridge, but got it with the house/landlord
While I haven’t read the EULA I would guess the buyers of these “smart” fridges agreed to terms, that are more or less equivalent to allowing a repairmen into their home at all times without prior notice with zero liability.
Even when I let a repairman in, if he breaks my fridge he's liable. This isn't a hard decision, it's only because government won't act to regulate it and companies won't act ethically (insurance suing en masse might work but individuals are still out a deductible in that case).
I've read that most EULAs and TOSs are filled with entirely unlawful statements and agreements, and almost never hold up in court. The problem is that you have to actually take it to court, which is obviously pretty much impossible for any regular person against a trillion dollar company.
I've yet to personally see a device where the ToS was transparently presented at point of sale as part of the contract. That should make it automatically void. If agreed to after under any but transparent opt in conditions it should be void too. And even then rendering functions not related to agreed to service nonfuctional should have liability regardless.
Legally, who knows but not many people have the means to sue something that size.
I know most here are probably in the same boat as me, but what's the actual point of a "smart fridge"? Why would you need any extra tech in a cold box for your food? In what way does having internet connectivity in your fridge make it any better?
I don't understand why anybody would buy something like this.
I don't either, but my house came with smart laundry machines and I didn't have a choice about it and can't afford replacing it.
Even if you could afford replacing them, it'd be hard to find non 'smart' appliances. Maybe it's different in the US because I think Westinghouse and Whirlpool are based there.
That aside, in Europe and Asia, LG and Samsung seem to be dominating big appliance sales (source: what people recommended to me, what I saw with my eyes). There is Bosch and Electrolux, but they are very expensive.
The smart washing machine and dryer appliances that came with our house both died, and we had to replace them. We looked into non-smart models that had no apps or 'AI' features and we couldn't afford them, as they were commercial models.
A friend's dad who worked in appliance repair said LG and Samsung were fine, and preferable to Chinese off-brand duplicates because of longevity issues. We got Samsung machines, and never connected them to the network or downloaded the apps.
They work fine, and the only 'smart' feature I can see is 'AI Load Detection' which weighs your washing and then figures out how long to wash it and how much water to use? Theoretically I could download an app and remote start a wash and be notified when it's done. Practically, I press the start button because I've just loaded the clothes with my physical form.
The idea is stupid. We talk to the washer and dryer and let our Korean agents know how our days are going when we're in the laundry room.
Like with TVs, buying non-smart appliances is more expensive. Fridges seem to be the last holdout where they haven't made extra, useless shit (with an app) industry standard.
Not just a smart fridge but a "Bespoke AI" smart fridge, lol.
How else are you supposed to see personalized advertising while looking for a snack, silly?
First thing - what do you need smart fridge for? Will it look for your food and its "best before" dates on its own? Will it order beer when I take the last one out? Is it able to move the meat from freezer to the fridge so it can thaw out before need it for cooking?
Second - Call me old school or paranoid or whatever, but dumb appliances just work more reliably. My oven died on me years ago - the thing that died wasn't even smart! It was that clock/timer thing that just runs the oven at specified time, otherwise the oven is old school bimetal thermostat driven... I just bypassed the clock/timer thing and oven works like new. Adding "smart" into basic things makes them worse. I don't need you to change my mind, I don't even think about changing it.
We own an LG refrigerator. I really didn't want to buy one because they already have a bad name for their fridges. It has their "ThinQ" AI technology and I have already told my husband I will murder him if he ever enables it, especially considering that LG is a company who really really likes spying on it's customers.
Surprisingly, I think the answer to these is "kind of."
There are some fridges that have expiration timers, track inventory, and will help add items to your cart or shipping list if you run out. There are also some that have compartments that can switch between fridge and freezer temp, which functionally could be similar to moving an item from freezer to fridge.
These are only mildly interesting, but I guess some advancememts are being made. I'd never get a smart fridge in their current form though. Still seems like more hassle than convenience.
Does anyone have experience with leaving their smart devices offline permanently?
I have a Samsung smart TV, but I've never given it my wifi password. I have an external box for it so it's literally just never gone online.
I also have an LG window air conditioner that is "smart", but it's also never been online. I can control it just fine with the remote, and even set a schedule for while I'm out of town so the house is nice and cool when we get back from vacation.
Do these refrigerators work offline?
My washer/dryer and dishwasher have smart features. I never connected them and they work fine. My TV also has smart features, but again I've never connected that to wifi (when I want to use streaming services on it I use my Xbox). Obviously the TV's own streaming apps only work if connected to wifi, and annoyingly casting also requires it to have Internet access, but otherwise it works fine.
Actually there is one problem: the washing machine's detergent auto dosing feature is only configurable in app, not with the physical controls, so that feature is unavailable since I use it offline.
I have a commercial display Samsung for my TV that can do (gestures broadly) other things if given the chance, it is not connected to the internet.
I have a GE washing machine that has a sticker that says it can do all sorts of things if I download an app and give it a chance, it is not connected to the internet.
I have a Hisense window unit in my office also has an app or whatever if given the chance, it is not connected to the internet.
I have battery powered tools that would like me to connect to an app, I will not do so.
All things work just fine without internet access. None will ever be provided it.
This reminds me of how last year, smart beds got bricked by the AWS outage. Those beds apparently lacked an offline mode, which is just... so basic.
On a more relevant note, this feels like another part of the "users ARE the QA testers" trend that seems to be growing with horrifically untested updates. This feels like something that should have been caught in testing given how widespread it is.
At least it's only in South Korea and not global, but it's also the worst timing since it's right before Chuseok. I don't know much about it, but I've heard it compared to American Thanksgiving, which gives a good idea of how bad it is for a fridge to stop working before THIS holiday. I remember our ice maker broke right before we hosted Thanksgiving one year, and even THAT was an issue. Can't imagine having the entire fridge being unusable.
This all just reinforces my decision to avoid smart appliances. Our stove/oven has a Wi-Fi button, but I have never used it so no clue what it does.
Seems like a pretty dumb fridge if software can randomly break it.