Frigidaire's bottom freezer models deliver the layout people want at a price that fits tight budgets, and the 30-inch footprint works in older kitchens where nothing else will. The wheels that pull the freezer drawer break, defrost drains clog and leak water across the floor, and some units die outright in the first year with no fix in sight despite board swaps and service calls that drag on for weeks. If you can afford Bosch or GE in this category, spend the extra money; if you truly cannot, know you are buying the bargain version of a format that already makes frozen food hard to reach, and the reliability floor here sits lower than you want.
GE built refrigerators that outlasted marriages and mortgages, but that company sold in 2016 and the new owner hasn't fixed the known problems. French-door models fail systematically: the fridge compartment won't hold safe temperatures (43-49°F when milk spoils at 40°F) while the freezer works fine, a sealed-system fault that costs as much as replacement. Basic top-freezer models without ice makers hold up better, but you're still buying a nameplate that once meant indestructible and now means service calls. If you find a pre-2000 unit secondhand, grab it; if you're buying new, the score reflects the gap between the badge and what actually arrives.