Melted Frozen Goods

I got home the other day and everything in the freezer was melting. I had to throw out so much food, such a waste. The repairman came out today. My defroster is not working. To make it work I have to unplug the fridge for 6-8 hours so all the ice can melt. And I learned that the fridge is cooled by the freezer. I have to take all the stuff out of the fridge and put it in a cooler with ice, it's a pain. I did this once the other day and will have to do it in a few days to get me through to when they come back out. Doesn't the refrigerator know I have better things to do?