Help me WalletPop: An intrepid reader gets her money back from Sears after a valiant fight over a not-so-cool fridge

Dear WalletPop:

I bought a compact Galaxy refrigerator from Sears by phone. Milk sours in this compact refrigerator in 1-2 days and the temperature is always in the danger zone (50-65, and higher on the hottest days). Because of this, I have used a small zippered lunch-size container into which I put a small jar of milk and ice packs, and then put the whole thing in the Galaxy every night so that I can have coffee and breakfast upstairs while checking my email each morning.

I liked it because it is quiet. But a technician who handles warranty service for Sears told me it is quiet because there is no compressor in it and it cannot keep food cold enough to eat safely if there is no compressor. He said it isn't a refrigerator; it is a cooler. I paid about $145 for this item thinking it was a refrigerator. It says it is a refrigerator on the manual. The salesman said it was a refrigerator.