It as bad as the reviews say ..
triplab1
12/27/2020
I was not going to get this item because of the crap reviews, but I got a deal on an open box replacement PEM31 and other trim kit options are very limited - I saw no options besides custom - so I got an open box kit from Best Buy for $110. Ok, so yeah, it's a durable plastic material on the trim so if you are doing a $100K remodel, maybe rethink your strategy. But for me, it was very easy to install, and it doesn't look bad. There is equal space around the oven and it's open behind the trim in places for venting. Overall it looks decent, it's not the centerpiece of our kitchen but it does the job and was very easy to install.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
Yes, I recommend this product
Appearance
Features
Performance
Quality
Value
Trim gaps look cheap
Brashy1
12/5/2020
Like other reviewers have stated- we bought a house that obviously had a GE microwave based on the cabinet cutout dimensions. Our options were to get the PEM31 microwave or change the cabinet. I was already not happy about spending $350 on a 800 watt microwave and a $150 on the trim. But to have the trim look so cheap adds insult to injury. I get the gaps on the outside of the trim that allow for airflow, and I could even deal with the part being plastic. But the gaps on the inside of trim are ridiculous. As someone else said, the inside trim should AT LEAST be flush with your own product. If you are reading this and do not have cabinet cutout dimensions that limit you to the PEM31, I would keep looking.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
No, I do not recommend this product
Misses the Point of being a Trim Kit
SPQ46
11/22/2020
I purchases this trim kit for the PEM31SFSS GE microwave to replace our old GE. The trim kit is subpar to the prior as there is about a quarter inch gap around the entire microwave. We have white cabinets so it becomes very noticeable. Trim kits should be flush to their products, not provide gaps. Also, there are air flow cutouts on the top and bottom that are about half inch wide, so anything can fall down into the microwave cavity - at least put some slats in there! Poorly designed product. Currently debating whether to return both the microwave and the kit because of the poor fitting trim kit. Whoever says this kit is a perfect fit has no attention to detail. I attached a pic of the old and new to show how this kit fits versus how it should fit.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
No, I do not recommend this product
Appearance
Features
Performance
Quality
Value
JUNK
PVDave
10/3/2020
This trim kit is the worst I have seen from GE.The installation was done by professional cabinet people. The face plate is plastic not stainless steel. The fit is horrible. There are HUGE gaps all around. The holding screws are visible from the side. We ripped it out and built a custom wood unit.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
No, I do not recommend this product
Appearance
Features
Performance
Quality
Value
Terrible Fit, horrible Instructions
GFR3
8/29/2020
The trim kit has a lot of play in it which leaves a decent space around the entire microwave. I had an older model and the trim kit fit like a glove. Forget about calling GE unless you have hours to wait on the phone. The instructions might as well have not been included because they are no help
Originally posted on www.ge.com
No, I do not recommend this product
Installation
Performance
Quality
Value
Terribly Cheap Plastic Trim Kit - Disappointed!
MPutter
2/1/2020
I wish I had read the reviews online first, but GE truly has any owner of a previously built in GE Microwave in a "no win situation". When I last replaced my GE Microwave oven 10 years ago, the newer model at that time fit EXACTLY with the existing trim kit. This time, when my 10-year old PEM31 Microwave Oven needed replacement, the new model required a new Trim Kit due to changes in dimensions for the current PEM31 model. I assumed that the new Trim Kit would be comparable in craftsmanship to the previous JEM31SF01 trim kit - boy was I WRONG!
While the pictures online make the new JX827SFSS Trim Kit look like it is stainless steel, in actuality it is a flimsy black plastic frame, with some stainless-steel-looking laminate glued on the front. The previous JEM31SF was a solid stainless steel heavy-duty trim kit frame with venting on the top and bottom, and fit the old PEM31 microwave like a glove. Unfortunately, the old trim kit did not fit over the new PEM31, so I was forced to throw it out and work with the new Trim Kit.
This new Trim Kit came with incredibly vague directions (no excuse for not explaining the orientation of the rails that are attached to the underside of the microwave, or how one is to actually bolt the outer trim kit frame to the wood cabinet opening). Instead of "straight-on screws" that hold the trim kit frame in place and match the stainless steel, there are "angled openings" for screws in the top and bottom of the frame - impossible to screw to the wood cabinet if the bottom is close to the counter. The Trim Kit frame also has an opening about 1/4" to 1/2" wider than the front of the new Microwave Oven, as well as openings at the top and bottom and therefore allows a gap on either side (which enables you to see inside the cut-out cavity when there is light on anywhere near the microwave)
My 2-hour call to GE to try to sort this all out (complete with 3 changes to different departments, and being given "Case Numbers" each time which were NOT able to be seen by the next department, hence my having to give the whole story again), resulted in being told that is "by design" - the venting for the new PEM31 is simply through the gaps in the trim kit frame left around the microwave.
For the ridiculously high cost of the trim kit (retailing for $153 online at the GE Appliance site as of Jan 2020), there is no excuse for using cheap plastic material - I expected MUCH more from GE. And I bought this directly from the GE Applicance Store, so each time they suggested I "bring back the Trim Kit - where did I get it from", the answer was FROM THE GE STORE.
Until or unless I rebuild the wood cabinetry in my kitchen for a new Microwave, I am at the mercy of GE's apparent cost-saving initiative. Shoddy instructions, and shoddy workmanship and product (with customer support apparently completely unaware, although reading the other reviews makes me realize this is "how it is" - more people need to tell their stories on this trim kit fiasco.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
No, I do not recommend this product
Installation
Performance
Quality
Value
Easy installation, but...
Doctor Marc
7/5/2019
Easy installation, but could have used option for four longer B screws to sink into wood 1/2 inch further away from frame.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
Yes, I recommend this product
Installation
Performance
Quality
Value
Disappointing at best
Cookie1000
5/14/2019
While the look of this trim kit with its microwave is nice, the directions for installing it are vague and lacking in detail. The cabinet opening it recommends for the microwave is too big, leaving a gap of approx. 2 inches at the top and about an inch on the sides. Be sure to measure for the opening before you cut
out a space for your oven, or you'll have to "close down the space" to have wood to screw the trim kit to! I really wish Ge would review and fix this issue with its directions. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they are have experience with building because it is extremely frustrating to install this trim kit and it shouldn't be.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
No, I do not recommend this product
No clue how to install the face plate flush
RCampbell
5/10/2019
The installation instructions are too generic, and don't provide any clue as to how you are supposed to drill in the mounting screws when the unit is flush with the cabinet. (It has to be flush, or you would expose the ugly black plastic top, bottom, and sides.) Not sure how I'm supposed to get the screw in when the face fits tight to the opening.
Originally posted on www.ge.com
No, I do not recommend this product
Installation
Performance
Quality
Value
