A ‘workhorse’ Whirlpool fridge freezer, the first major purchase of a newly married couple from Ipswich in 1970, has finally retired after 43 years of service.
The sturdy Whirlpool fridge freezer, the EVL13C, nicknamed ‘Betsy’ by Alan and Marilyn West, has been running non-stop since the couple bought her back in May 1970.
Having survived four house moves, ‘Betsy’ only ever needed a new light bulb 15 years ago, which Alan replaced himself, and not once during her 43 years of continued service did the workhorse Whirlpool fridge freezer break down or need to be seen by an engineer.
“Betsy was an exceptionally good product and in brilliant condition for her age,” said Alan West, 65.
“Having bought her back in 1970, as our first big purchase after we got married, she really did become a part of our family. Of course, we looked after her and we would clean and defrost her on a regular basis, but even we didn’t think that she’d last so long – she’s a real stalwart!
Alan added: “The only reason that we even thought about getting a new fridge freezer was when we were having a new kitchen put in. When I moved Betsy, we noticed there were a couple of stains on the floor from the coolant. That was when we decided it was time for us to look at getting a new fridge freezer and for Betsy to finally retire.”
Alan, originally from America was born in Benton Harbour in the US state of Michigan, the base of Whirlpool’s World Headquarters, and lived in the vicinity until joining the forces in 1967. And his grandfather even worked for Whirlpool for many years ago.
Now Betsy, his trusty Whirlpool EVL13C fridge freezer, has been retired, Alan and Marilyn learn to love their new WTV 45952 NFC IX fridge freezer, given to them by the Whirlpool team.
Juliana Sado, Senior Brand Marketing Manager for Whirlpool says: “This is a fantastic story which truly demonstrates just how reliable our fridge freezers are. At Whirlpool, we pride ourselves on providing innovative solutions to uniquely meet the needs of our customers and we strive to create loyal customers for life, just like Alan and Marilyn.
“We are delighted that ‘Betsy’ served the West family from Ipswich so very well for so many years. We hope that the new Whirlpool WTV 45952 NFC IX fridge freezer serves Alan and Marilyn equally as well and for many more years to come!”
For more information on Whirlpool fridge freezers and other appliances in the range, contact Whirlpool UK on 0208 649 5000 or visit the website at www.whirlpool.co.uk
