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About Haier Refrigerators

In 2015, Canstar Blue asked Kiwi customers what they thought of their Haier fridges. Haier (and Mitsubishi Electric) customers were the most satisfied with the after-sale service for their new refrigerator. Haier received five stars in this area and four stars for value for money, energy efficiency, and internal layout.

The people behind the Haier name

Haier was founded in 1984 in China as Qingdao Refrigerator Co. Ltd., when German appliance manufacturer Liebherr sold its technology to a small refrigeration factory in Qingdao. In the early 1990s, the company renamed themselves ‘Haier’, an abbreviation of ‘Liebherr’, in honour of their origins.

Since then, they have become the world’s largest home appliance manufacturer (2009-2013, Reuters/Euromonitor). They employ over 80,000 people across 30 countries.

Haier appliances are designed with everyday people in mind offering practical, smart and reliable value-for-money home solutions.

In New Zealand and Australia, Haier refrigerators come backed by a 2-year warranty and a 24/7 customer service support centre.

Haier’s website makes it easy to register your fridge, get your fridge serviced, and buy spare parts and accessories.

Their American YouTube channel has some funny commercials, as well as explanations of their latest innovations.

When did Haier start producing refrigerators?

Haier began life in 1984 as a refrigeration manufacturer – and when you focus on one thing, you get pretty good pretty quickly.

Some Haier refrigerator innovations

Haier’s refrigeration range offers:

  • French Door Refrigerators
  • Side by Side Refrigerators
  • Top Mount Refrigerators
  • Bottom Mount Refrigerators
  • Vertical Column Refrigerators
  • Bar Fridges
  • Freezers
  • Wine Chillers

2015: Haier unveiled a preview of a new refrigerator range, the first cooling appliance without a motor or compressor, for zero vibration, temperature variation, and reduced sound. They also showcased their Flexible French Door Fridge, which allows users to switch compartments between fridge or freezer mode.

2010: Haier won Red Dot Design Awards for five of its products in March, and was in the World’s Top 10 for appliance innovation companies selected by USA Newsweek in December.

2008: Haier won Germany’s 2009 iF Industrial Design Award for their electric water heater. At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, they were the official provider of air-conditioning, refrigerators and freezers (all green products).

2004: Haier won a gold medal for their Double-Drive Automatic Washing Machine and silver medals for their Air Conditioners and Televisions at the 95th Concours Lepine International France, the international invention award.

Other refrigerator brands we rated

Canstar Blue commissions Colmar Brunton to regularly survey New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who had purchased and used a fridge in the last three years – in this case, 585 New Zealanders.

The refrigerator brands in this year’s survey are:

  • Mitsubishi Electric
  • Fisher & Paykel
  • Samsung
  • Westinghouse
  • Haier
  • LG

You can view the refrigerator survey results here.