When I was shopping for a refrigerator, I went to a local appliance center and talked to a person there. I learned a few things:

- In door water dispensers and ice makers are unreliable and will likely break.

- Availability of repair technicians and spare parts varies by brand and is region dependent.

- Different brands are good at different appliances. For instance, Bosch is well known for their dishwashers. Unfortunately I didn't find one in my budget that clearly stood out from the rest.

Never hurts to talk to someone at a local appliance center if you have one nearby.