We had one of those that never would die so we could get a new fridge. That little freezer compartment had a door and constantly had to have the ice build up chipped off. We did have an upright freezer... in the bathroom. Ugh, that bathroom was so old. One day I couldn't stand it anymore, so while everyone was at work, I peel 'n stick laminate tile and tiled the floors, the sink and counter, around the tub (that had that awful green fake tile wallboard), and as far up the wall until I ran out. It wasn't until the year after I'd graduated that they finally moved into a brand new house and bought a new fridge.
God, but I hated to have to defrost the old freezer compartments. They were small, but that ice built up hard.