Hi Redletter.............. Yes this subject seems to be 'still going on'............... down to the fact that HOTPOINT haven't listened to the consumer and as a result are still producing/selling this Fridge Freezer with the annoying 'clucking' sound. I have received numerous e-mails from this Consumer action group {when they allowed my e-mail to be on the forum!!!! ~ now this has been removed, naughty me!!!!} asking for details of the fix. Of those who have replied.......... the fix has worked. Hope this has been useful!! Maybe you would like to tell Conniff {see above} that there is an issue with this Fridge Freezer {maybe not his/hers} and no doubt you weren't told about this annoyance when you bought the Fridge Freezer............... and no doubt, you were not shown the Fridge Freezer running.

Conniff You seem the sort of person who knows all of the answers.............. since when have staff in the likes of Currys etc. demonstrated the running of Fridge/Freezers? NEVER!!! So how the hell can a customer know if a FF is quiet or noisy until he plugs it in at home? Then it is too late because the company that has sold it to you says.......... "There isn't a problem, it is working"! I know this for a fact, because this was the response I got from Currys and HOTPOINT. I paid to have an independent retailer to come and inspect the FF and write a report which I then sent to Currys and HOTPOINT. ps This was at my expense and I never did get any 'compensation' for my expenses. So yet again IN SUMMARY............ You have been very lucky in buying a FF that is not noisy. I bet you were not demonstrated it running in the shop!

Conniff This 'banter' could go on for ever............. still not sure what point you are trying to make. If you are saying, as indicated by your first posting, that your Hotpoint Ice Diamond is quiet, so all Fridge/Freezers should be quiet.......... then this is obviously a false assumption. The proof is there to be seen/read. If you are saying, because HOTPOINT make a Fridge/Freezer that is quiet {as in your case}..... then I agree that our F/F's should also be quiet..........BUT they are not. FACT!!!! So the fact that yours is quiet is NO help to the rest of us! In my opinion HOTPOINT have produced a Fridge Freezer, maybe of a slightly different design to yours {who knows} and the end result is it is noisy and very annoying. They have even found a fix for the noise {as indicated on the HOTPOINT engineer's lap top when he visited for the second time}. This is the fix that I have indicated on this forum. Unfortunately the controllers of this forum have removed my e-mail address, so I cannot send an image to anyone who needs to know what to do. NOT SURE WHAT THE REASON IS FOR THJIS!!!! CERTAINLY NOT VERY HELPFUL!!!! So to finalise this 'debate'............. POINT 1 HOTPOINT must stop producing items without thoroughly testing them. Even the HOTPOINT engineer said.... "I couldn't live with this noise....." POINT 2 They must make the SIMPLE modification to the pipework at the rear of the unit, before they dispatch to the various outlets. I have been contacted by people who have only just bought the same model {within the last two weeks}....... and the pipework is still located in the 'original' position and therefore the noise is present. As the saying goes......... "it is not rocket science"

Conniff Let's think about what you are saying.......... if company X makes a product or products that is/are without fault, it can never make any other product without fault! Every model has different designs, different techniques, different............. So the model is very relevant. Do you remember Windows Millennium Edition operating system for the home computer. A disaster.......... rapidly replaced by Windows XP a success}. Same company BUT a different 'model' I don't know if you work for HOTPOINT.......... but the facts are there for you to see......... this model has a fault. The number of people who have contacted me bears this out. I am not trying to bring HOTPOINT down, but they have put something on the market that is unacceptable. Yet gain......... your HOPTOINT might be ok BUT our models aren't!!! ps As you say "Ours shouldn't be noisy.........." but they ARE!!!

Dear Lars and Conniff Lars:- Look at my posting of 20th November 2013. On it is my e-mail address which you can use to be sent the 'fix'. I will wait for your e-mail. You will make number 25 who has contacted me!!! Wish I was charging for this!!! Conniff: Without sounding too rude.......... your Hotpoint Ice Diamond RFA52 may well be silent and 'cluckless'............. BUT WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT MODEL!!!! So your positing is totally irrelevant! Rest assured there is enough evidence on this forum and other places on the Internet to show that our model of Hotpoint Fridge Freezer {FFFL 1810} is noisy and totally unacceptable!!! We are not just whinging 'b's'.......... this is a good reason for complaint, especially as HOTPOINT know the fault and how to fix it, but are still producing / selling the item with the problem.

Hi all again.......... It's a long time since I added anything on this forum. I'm amazed how many people have contacted me as a result of this action group. ALL have had similar problems with this particular fridge/freezer.......... i.e. the clucking noise! Not sure if the 'fix' has worked for those who I have sent a picture.......... it certainly worked for me. YET AGAIN............ WHY OH WHY, ARE HOTPOINT STILL PRODUCING THIS FRIDGE/FREEZER WITH THIS 'FAULT', WHEN THEY KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM? TOTAL LACK OF CUSTOMER CARE IN MY OPINION!!!

Hi all Nick here again......... I have now had 5 people contact me for the image of the 'bent pipe'. All so far have indicated that the clucking noise has gone away after carrying out the fix. If anybody from Hotpoint is looking in at this thread, can I ask a question Why, oh why are you still producing this fridge/ freezer with this fault, that was 'rectified' by pipe bending back in November 2012? The management are not dong their job.......... nothing new there then! Is it no wonder that people are buying other brands! Nick

Hi again Just a quick update on my fridge/freezer....... 10 days have now passed since the visit from the Hotpoint engineer. The fridge/freezer is still 'cluckless', so it looks as this 'simple' fix has saved my sanity! Why Hotpoint didn't carry out this 'fix' without having to go through this lengthy period needs to be asked! Hope the rest of you have similar success. Nick

Hi everybody............ {fellow Clucking Fridge Members} ~ be careful how you say that! I think I might have the answer to your problems..... ....... as you can see from previous replies on this forum, this has been an on-going problem for 1 year 5 months. Having got an independent engineer's report {who totally agreed that the FF was too noisy}, the Currys KnowHow Team arranged for another Hotpoint engineer to visit me. They said... ....."Hotpoint have a fix for this problem and they will carry this out at no cost"! Today the engineer visited and he looked up {on his laptop} to find a Technical Bulletin ~ titled How to cure the Click-Clack on my model {something like that anyway}.... ..., and found Technical Bulletin RE164. This was issued in November 2012, so I need not have waited until now to have the fix 'installed'. What was the fix, I hear you all asking...... ...... wait for it and don't laugh... . behind the FF is a copper 'looking' pipe running down the left hand side {as you look at the back of the FF}. At the bottom end is a 'reservoir', looking a bit like a sausage! This is normally vertical... .... the fix is to carefully, I repeat carefully, bend the pipe so the 'reservoir' is put into the horizontal position!!! I gather that this is the gas pipe for the FF. Note: Not a sharp bend or the pipe might be 'crack'. Now I know it sounds, daft....... ..BUT my clucking fridge is no longer clucking! It has been 6 hours since the engineer has left and it is still 'cluck-less'!!! I have taken a picture {how sad} to show the reservoir {circled} in its new horizontal position. If you wish to see this..... E-mail me at Edited, we don't recommend or allow personal email addresses on the public forum I hope you either have luck with Hotpoint by quoting this Technical Bulletin or if you are out of guarantee {as I was, but it had been going on since 'day 1'}, you might try it yourself........BUT be careful bending that pipe!!! I wish you all the best and hope you all have a 'Peaceful cluck-less Christmas' PS My wife and I agree how quiet the kitchen is now............ spook'ily' quiet! Regards Nick The fix

Hi Rabi Welcome to the Clucking Fridge Club............ I have taken advice from PaulyPauly {see above} and contacted the Curry's KnowHow team. They have replied by saying that I need to get a report from an independent engineer. This I have organised and he arrived last Friday. His comment was............ I couldn't live with that!!! He is writing a letter to this effect and I will then send it back to the KnowHow team. {I bought my clucking fridge from Currys just over a year ago}. Let's hope that Currys see sense and replace it with something that doesn't drive my wife and I 'mad'. The people who are getting away with this Hotpoint......... producing something that was poorly designed and never tested before putting it on the market. I wonder if they will respond to all of these criticisms? Fat chance!! Nick

Hello............. and welcome to the Hotpoint 'clucking' fridge/freezer club. There is no doubt in my mind, that this Hotpoint Fridge/Freezer has a design fault. Too many people {on or off this forum} have the same problem. My next door neighbour has just purchased one {I would have stopped them if I had known they were about to buy one} and surprise, surprise........ IT CLUCKS! The trouble is, Hotpoint will say if you have someone to inspect it......."There is not a fault, it is working as it should do. It keeps food cold etc." We shouldn't have to put up with this........... it is a design 'cock up'. I wonder it the team or person who designed this has this model in their kitchen? I bet not! The situation with me is............ I have followed the advice of paulypauly {see above} and have approached the Currys KnowHow team......... This I did on August 27th. As I had not heard back from them, I phoned on Friday {September 6th} to be told I must get an independent engineer to inspect it. How the hell I was supposed to know this without them telling me is beyond belief. I told them in not so many words that they were unprofessional and totally useless.! I will be attempting to contact Sebastion James {MD of Currys KnowHow team}............. I will not give up.......... that is what Cuurys and Hotpoint would like me to do but spending £499 on something that is 'bloody annoying' is beyond a joke, Nick

Hi again Pauly Pauly............ I have called into the Currys store where I purchased the 'clucking fridge/freezer'. All they suggested was to contact the Currys Knowhow Team {as you did}......... this I will be doing today. I did look at the Hotpoint Fridge/Freezer which looks like my Hotpoint FFFL 1810. The difference that I noticed inside the top Fridge section was an 'oxygen activator' {I think that is what it was called. It is a plastic grilled 'bump' hanging down from the top wall of the Fridge section. I noticed that the Fridge / Freezer has a code FFFL 1810 G i.e. the addition of the G. Is your replacement like this with the same type number? How is it performing......... no clucking I hope! Regards Nick

Thanks......... will give it some serious action this week........... as you say, it shouldn't cause annoyance and it 'sure does'. Nick

Well done. Have you got a contact at Hotpoint who will hopefully do the same for me. I intend to go to Currys this week, should have done it a while ago, to ask for a replacement. If they say no, then I will try Hotpoint. My is still clucking away like a good-un. Whoever designed {designed my bottom} this fridge-freezer should be made to listen to it 24 hours a day!!! Very poor design......... and we are not alone in our comments!. So if you have a contact, please let me know and what was the replacement? Regards Clucking Nick {Three Counties Radio Listener!!!}

Hi both............ Thanks for the feedback......... what will be interesting is that our neighbours have yesterday bought the same Fridge/Freezer. It has the same model number but looks slightly different on the top door {at the top of the door}. I told them of my story and said keep an 'ear' open. Just as I said that......... it started 'clucking'! They had only just installed it and it had been on for only a short time. I still think it sounds like a relay or a control flap........ coming from the area between the fridge and the freezer. ps Loved the 'woody-woodpecker' analogy! pps Still think the product is poorly made! Nick

Hi Paulypauly As of yet I haven't been into my local Currys with the recording I have made............... this has reminded me to do that very thing next week PS NO it hasn't got quieter and it still is £$(*...ing annoying. If I don't have any success, I might well donate it to my local Church to have in their outside storage barn!!! Regards Nick

Hi PaulyPauly.......... Aaaaahhh another consumer who is being driven 'nuts' by bad design! I would be very interested in hearing what the Hotpoint engineer has to say. I have tried to 'find out' what is causing the 'clucking' sound. I cannot see it is the sound of ice cracking {an explanation given by one of the Hotpoint engineers that visited}. It is {to me} the sound of something mechanical {either a relay or a valve} and it seems to be coming from the area between the fridge and the freezer. I have made a recording and will be visiting Currys in the next day or so.......... any feedback you get would be very useful. What happened to quality control before products were released onto the market? Nick

Hi again............ Are non frost free fridge-freezers i.e. the type that occasionally needed de-icing and more to the point were "....ing quiet' still made? If so, what makes and models please........... Thanks. p.s. I have been told by an 'expert' on Three Counties radio that most frost-free freezers make this noise. Isn't technology a wonderful thing! Nick

Hi Dione Good for you............. I will try the same thing. My Hotpoint is still 'clucking' away like a good-un! I will make a recording and use your example in hopes to make an exchange! I just feel that I will not get the same result as you got but I will give it a try. Regards Nick

Hi The man who went on Three Counties Radio again....... nice to know I'm not alone with the 'Clucking Fridge' Nearly incorrecty typed that last phrase!!! I'm still annoyed that I spent £490 {I think it was} on a poorly designed frost free fridge/freezer. Yes it does the job and looks very 'pretty', but like the previous contributor, it drives 'one potty'. For those who think we are being very fussy............. no we are not! This model of Hotpoint fridge/freezer {and some other makes of frost free fridge/freezers} was obvioulsy never tested before going on the market. I would advisee anyone who is thinking of buying the same model, to decide if you want to be driven 'dotty'. If it is in a garage i.e. not in hearing distance, then fine! The trouble with this particular problem is where to go to get a fair result for the consumer. I dont think it is unreasonable to have it either exchanged or have the money refunded. The shop that sold it to me {Currys} is not interested, neither is Hotpoint! Their comment is....... "there is nothing wrong with it.......... it keeps food cool / frozen". Yes true it does, but it should not drive the customer to insanity or even make the customer want to 'smash it up'!!! I'm just wondering if there is someone {out there} who knows what is making the noise and therefore how it can be stopped or reduced in noise level. Is there a Hotpoint engineer who can answaer the question? Because it is a regular noise, I cannot believe it is the sound of ice cracking.......... a reason given by the second Hotpoint engineer who visited my home. It would be nice to find someone who can help with this very annoying fault {or very poor design} Nick

Hi.......... the chap who appeared on 3 Counties Radio again. Sorry I have not got anywhere with 3CR or Currys or Hotpoint. So it looks like the consumer has got to put up with this very poor design. It has got to me so much that I'm tempted to rip the back off to see where the 'bloody noise' is coming from. Does anyone have a diagram {construction diagram} of this Fridge/Freezer? If it is as the Hotpoint engineer said....... "It is the sound of the ice cracking......" {Which I don't believe}, then I might be able to do something about it. Any ideas out there, other than to dump this piece of 'pap'. An expensive piece of 'pap' at that! Not impressed........... Nick

Hi again......... I have phoned BBC 3CR consumer show and they seem to be interested in following this up again. Re some of the points you made.......... I was not told by the salesman that this FF would be noisy. Is it likely that the average sales assistant would know that this particular model of FF made an unacceptable noise and if so, tell the customer? Our daughter has a Frost Free freezer/fridge unit and it doesn't make a noise. I cannot remember the make BUT it isn't a Hotpoint. Although I hear what you are saying about "it does the job... etc" thus I cannot reject it on grounds of not 'being suitable for the purpose', surely if something is causing so much annoyance, not just to me BUT plenty of others......... someone said he was that close to throwing it out, I know the feeling!!!........ the consumer must have some recourse. BAD DESIGN MUST NOT BE EXCUSED! What happend to QA.... too expensive I guess! I will keep trying and let you all know if I have any success BUT don't hold your breadth!

Hi all.......... I have just joined this 'forum' and maybe I can give some input to this particular thread. I purchased a Hotpoint Fridge / Freezer model FFFL1810 from Currys on 18 June 2012. We had just moved house and needed a new fridge/freezer and as my wife and I have always purchased Hotpoint appliances, {washing machines, tumble driers, fridges etc.} and always been pleased with their quality and longevity, we decided to buy this model. This was to be our first frost free device and we thought the apperance was 'nicer' than most. I paid £450 for it, so it was NOT a cheap item! After setting the machine in the kitchen {not a particularly warm room}, even checking it was level { with my woodworking level ~ how sad!}, I left the machine to set itself running. After a few hours I noticed this 'clicking' sound coming from the rear of the unit. I left it for a few days, thinking the sound might 'go away', but the noise, if anything, got more regular. Every morning when I came down to make a cup of tea, there it was, clicking away 'like a good-un'. Sometimes this went on for nearly an hour! It all came to a head when we had our first dinner party in our 'new' house and during the meal, one of the guests said........." What's that clicking sound?" {The dining room is the next room to the kitchen}. I phoned Currys and mentioned this to them, they then organised a visit from a Hotpoint serviceman........ who said, after conducting temperature checks, that there was nothing wrong with the item. It was at this point that I approached my local consumer show on 3 Counties Radio {Beds, Herts and Bucks}. See the thread at October 3rd 2012, yes it was me!! 3CR were helpful and orgainsed another visit from Hotpoint. Yet again, the 'engineer' conducted temperature checks {I could tell it was at the correct temperature by monitoring the fridge temperature sensor that I had purchased!} and like the first engineer, said it was not at fault. I was then in conversation that he admitted that this style of frost free fridge freezer was noisy and the clicking sound was the ice 'cracking' behind the machine! It was NOT a sticking relay, faulty thermostat or an electrical board fault, as I thought. I asked if anything could be done, the answer was NO! The long and the short of it........ 3CR could not get any further with Currys {who my contract was with} or Hotpoint. I was willing to exchange this unit with another make {even if I had to pay extra}......... but no joy! Well the fridge/freezer is now 7 months old and still clicking away {regularly!}. For those you might think we {on this forum and others on the Internet} are being a little fussy, take from me, I drives 'one mad'. We now have to close the kitchen door at night as we can still hear it upstairs in bed!! So, what to do ...... 1) accept it or 2) do something about it. I'm still willing to take this matter further, as I think Hotpoint have produced something that has not been tested enough before being put onto the market, is of poor design and not fit for the purpose! Yes it does what it is meant to do ~ keep food fresh and frozen ~ but surely it must not cause annoyance! PLEASE CAN WE ALL GET TOGETHER ON THIS....... I WILL BE SENDING A LETTER TO HOTPOINT AND RETURNING TO THE 3CR CONSUMER SHOW!! Nick