Rant: People stepping on the drain pan tabs and blaming the part

Third time this month I get a call about a fridge leaking, customer swears the defrost drain is clogged. I pull the unit out, pop the panel, and the drain pan is cracked right at the mounting tab. They all say they never touched it, but I know the sound of a boot heel coming down on that plastic when they're pulling the fridge to clean behind it. It's not the part, it's the install. I always check the pan before ordering anything now, saved me 2 return trips last week alone. Anyone else see this pattern with the newer thin pans?

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2 Comments

annajenkins1mo ago

...and that's exactly what my buddy down at the supply house was telling me the other day. He had a customer bring in a brand new drain pan, still in the box, saying it was warped from the factory. He opened it up right there on the counter and sure enough, there was a scuff mark shaped like a boot toe right on the tab. The guy just stared at it and didn't say a word, just turned around and left. I swear people will blame anything before they blame their own feet. These new pans are so thin you could crack one with a heavy stare, but they're not the problem, the problem is people not watching where they plant their boots.

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juliarodriguez1mo ago

Saw a post about this exact thing last week, someone tested a bunch of pans and the metal gauge is definitely thinner than it used to be, but yeah, most of what they see coming back is boot marks or bent corners from loading trucks.

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