My new LG microwave doesn’t work and I want my money back!

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By Christopher Elliott

Mary Biber’s new microwave doesn’t work and the refund that LG promised is missing. Now she wants the Elliott Advocacy team to track it down. Can we?

Question

I purchased an LG NeoChef Microwave earlier this year. It failed within a month or two. I contacted LG and the company promised to refund the purchase price.

I sent LG proof of purchase and pictures of model labels to their online portal, as requested. LG said it did not get them. I sent them again via the site — same response.

I asked to speak with a supervisor on the phone. A representative said none were available. I reached out to a customer service executive by email, who requested I forward her the proof. So I sent the same documents. She then emailed me and said they had all the documents they need to proceed with my refund.

It’s been more than three months since I initiated the refund request to LG. I have emailed, live computer chatted, telephoned, and sent emails to their website. They have promised time and time again that someone will get back to me. No one has.

I would like a check for the full amount of the original microwave price. This is what they have promised from day one. I have spent hours and hours on the phone and probably the equivalent of a lost day’s wages. Can you help? — Mary Biber, Westland, Mich.

Answer

The company shouldn’t have sold you a failing microwave, of course. But if it did — and if it promised you a prompt refund — then the least LG can do is follow through. Ah, but it’s never that simple, is it?

First, you had technical problems when submitting your request for the refund to LG. I think you might have been able to fix that by switching web browsers. Forms are temperamental, a fact I know from many years of receiving help requests here at Elliott Advocacy. Sometimes, you just have to switch from Chrome to Firefox and it works.

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Once a supervisor from LG acknowledged your forms, it should have taken two weeks, not more than two months, to issue your refund. Perhaps the web form isn’t the only thing that doesn’t work at LG.
You could have appealed this to a customer service manager at LG. The Elliott Advocacy research team lists the names, numbers and email addresses of the LG executives in our database.

Here’s the refund for your broken LG microwave

One potentially complicating factor: In addition to a $187 refund, you also requested compensation for your lost wages. Typically, companies don’t compensate their customers for lost time, although they should. Adding that to your request to LG might have slowed down the refund process. (Related: What is my LG serial number? I have 24 hours to find it or I’ll lose $500.)

I contacted LG on your behalf. A representative called you and agreed to send you a check for the full amount you had paid for the microwave, as promised.

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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