"Bring My Refrigerator Back to Life" ... Samsung Refrigerator Stops Working After Update; "We're Coming for Emergency Repairs"

[Financial News] Samsung Electronics refrigerator owners have repeatedly reported that their refrigerators completely shut down after they updated the Samsung SmartThings smart home app. With the Chuseok holiday just two days away, complaints are mounting as refrigerators filled with holiday food have stopped working.

According to Samsung Electronics' online community, Samsung Members, posts such as "Refrigerator stopped working after update" and "Bring my refrigerator back to life" were uploaded one after another from the afternoon of the previous day through the morning of the 23rd. 
Most of the affected products were reportedly from the Bespoke AI 4-Door Refrigerator series launched in 2024 or later.
Consumers said they tapped a refrigerator firmware update alert that appeared in the Samsung SmartThings app the previous afternoon. When they returned home from work, they found that the refrigerator lights were off and the cold air had dissipated. Photos showing the words "Updating" still displayed on the refrigerator screens were also posted.
Consumer A wrote, "On the morning of September 22, Samsung SmartThings prompted me to update the refrigerator, so I did. When I opened it that evening, the light didn't come on, neither the refrigerator nor freezer worked, and the power was completely off. I unplugged the power cord and plugged it back in after five minutes, but it still won't turn on."
A continued, "Since it's Chuseok, I bought meat and fruit and put them inside, but it looks like everything will spoil. When I booked service, they said they wouldn't come until next Monday. If it had broken because of something I did, I could accept that, but it broke after Samsung told me to update it." A added that the refrigerator had been purchased this spring.
Several other users also said their refrigerators did not recover even after they unplugged the power cord, waited 30 minutes, and plugged it back in, or switched the circuit breaker off and on. 

As reports of consumer damage continued to emerge, Samsung Electronics Service announced on the 22nd that it would provide emergency repair services during the Chuseok holiday. Service centers will be closed on the 24th, the first day of the holiday, and on the 25th, Chuseok Day. However, contact center agents and field engineers will work under an emergency duty system and respond to urgent refrigerator and freezer malfunctions through on-site service.

[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter