I want to buy a refrigerator to replace the antique in my condo that needs to be defrosted every six weeks. Can anyone recommend the best place--in terms of price, selection, delivery and warranty service, to buy one? Any opinions on best brands and brands to avoid?

Several options, all prices are fairly similar. This question has been asked many times so search for some earlier posts too.

Frequently recommended are Siam TV on Singharat Road in the old city. Here http://www.mapjack.com/?sBbyUH9aacmE

and also Niyom Panich. Several branches, but the biggest one is near the airport / Airport Plaza on Mahidol Rd. look for the big Toyota / Honda dealer on the left coming toward the city from Airport Plaza. Other options are Power Buy inside Central Dept Store, 3rd floor, Central Kad Suan Kaew or Airport Plaza, top floor, Carrefoure, Tesco Lotus, Makro or one of the small independent retailers scattered around.

Agree on Niyom Panich

Great prices & service.

You just have to shop around. When we moved into our place we went to all of the places mentioned above. We ended up buying some appliances at Niyom Panich, some at Siam Electric, while some things we found the best price at Power Buy Central. When it was all said and done we were out one night at Home Pro Hang Dong and saw a much nicer, bigger Mitsubishi refrigerator than we had bought for a great promotional price - a far better refrigerator than we had bought. So, no matter how much you shop around there is always another great deal elsewhere.

Note: they push Samsung a lot in Thailand. I ended up getting a Samsung LCD TV and it already stopped working after only eight months. After numerous calls, Samsung has yet to show up and repair it. I would not buy a Samsung again.

Several options, all prices are fairly similar. This question has been asked many times so search for some earlier posts too.

Frequently recommended are Siam TV on Singharat Road in the old city. Here http://www.mapjack.com/?sBbyUH9aacmE

and also Niyom Panich. Several branches, but the biggest one is near the airport / Airport Plaza on Mahidol Rd. look for the big Toyota / Honda dealer on the left coming toward the city from Airport Plaza. Other options are Power Buy inside Central Dept Store, 3rd floor, Central Kad Suan Kaew or Airport Plaza, top floor, Carrefoure, Tesco Lotus, Makro or one of the small independent retailers scattered around.

I did a search of the forum and couldn't find anything addressing new refrigerators or large appliances. Somewhere I read a good review about Siam TV's service, and a poor one about Niyom Panich. I've already been to Siam TV and Tesco Lotus, and found reasonable deals at both, but I like to explore more than two options before making a big purchase. I hope Thai Visa can spare me a lot of driving around, there are many places that sell appliances all over Chiang Mai.

Regarding brand names, the Siam TV option is a Sanyo, and the Tesco Lotus option is a Samsung, both come with a five year warranty on the compressor. My Thai isn't good enough to ask about energy efficiency. I think of Sanyo and Samsung as being about the same in quality, but if anyone has reason to think otherwise, I'd appreciate your input.

I did a search of the forum and couldn't find anything addressing new refrigerators or large appliances. Somewhere I read a good review about Siam TV's service, and a poor one about Niyom Panich. I've already been to Siam TV and Tesco Lotus, and found reasonable deals at both, but I like to explore more than two options before making a big purchase. I hope Thai Visa can spare me a lot of driving around, there are many places that sell appliances all over Chiang Mai.

Regarding brand names, the Siam TV option is a Sanyo, and the Tesco Lotus option is a Samsung, both come with a five year warranty on the compressor. My Thai isn't good enough to ask about energy efficiency. I think of Sanyo and Samsung as being about the same in quality, but if anyone has reason to think otherwise, I'd appreciate your input.

Panich have been fine for me - actually Saha Panich on the Mae Rim Road rather than Niyom Panich (I think they're brothers?). Regarding the energy efficiency rating, as I recall these big appliances have a big multi-coloured "1-5" rating sticker on them. Seems like all new models are the top energy rating these days........ so I'd say just go for the brand/model/price combination that appeals to you. I also think you're right in terms of Sanyo versus Samsung for such appliances - not much to separate them. Different for electronic gear, maybe.

BTW, Panich always seem ready to do some kind of deal/discount - and quite a good deal if you're going to buy two items from them. Might be worth looking around at what else they have that you might want to put in the package.