The Sears Story
I have been seeing a LOT of articles online about how terrible the customer service is at BestBuy and Sears. I had an ever so small outburst about Sears' customer service in a post about purchasing from local businesses. In the comments section, Al wanted to hear more about the "Sears Incident."
Without further adieu, I give you The Sears Story.
I am going to try and condense this down as much as possible. A few years back, I decided I needed a new vacuum. Because of that need, I went to Sears and after some brief discussion with the sales person about the various models and the FAB's of each one, we settled on a Kenmore vacuum, we will call it vacuum model POS V1. This vacuum lasts about 2 years before it stopped working. Out of warranty, we figured it was just a cheap vacuum. I believe it was only about $200. Please understand that I am not using it as a shop vac or processing gravel with it. Normal household vacuuming is all it is used for. I liked the vacuum well enough and so I decided to get another one just like it. I thought a vacuum should last for more that 2 years but hey, what do I know.
So we (my wife and I) go back to Sears and purchased the same thing. 6 months into the vacuum (model POS V2), it starts shutting down after about 10 min. of vacuuming. I waited another 5.99999999 months to take it in. It was simply to low on my priority list. By the time the repair center (somewhere in BFE) actually gets the unit, it is 2 days out of warranty. (They stopped doing local repairs quite some time ago.) They said that they can't fix it under warranty and it will cost $135.00.
Hold on a minute there cowboy. I said, "When I brought it into the store it was still under warranty." Apparently THAT didn't matter. It matters when they go to make the repair. But here is the kicker. As I was talking with the manager's manager, he was reading the notes out loud on the phone to me and said that they can't get it to duplicate the problem. (Keep this in mind for later)
Come to find out that they had already put a new motor in it and were trying to sell it to me before they were going to ship it back. This was before I found out that the tech wrote a note about not being able to find the problem. After calmly talking to the service center's manager's manager it became apparent that they weren't going to do anything for me under warranty. In a fit of rage, I told them to put the old (expletive deleted) motor back in and ship the (expletive deleted) thing back to me. And in a very unkind manner I explained to them that they would never get another dime of my money again.
The next week I get an automated phone call on my answering machine saying that I have a "repaired" product ready for pickup. Repaired?!?! Oh yes, the story gets better. Not only is the vacuum NOT repaired it is in a worse state than when I sent it in. The vacuum comes back and it has another motor in it that doesn't even work. So now, I can't even use it at all. Remember before it would at least run for 10 minutes and then shut off, but now, NOTHING.
Keep in mind this was a time consuming ordeal for me that lasted about a 2 weeks. I WAS going to go back around with them, simply on a matter of principle, but I then realized that MY time is worth more than the entire Sears service department. Pick your battles, I guess.
Here's what I ended up doing. I just decided to take them BOTH (models POS V1 & V2) to the Sears vacuum department and drop them off. The manager came out and asked what the problem was and I replied, "No problem at all, here are the 2 junk vacuums (obviously in like new condition) that I bought from you and you can have them back. This has been a valuable learning experience for me. I will never buy anything from this store or your company again." I walked out with them all staring at me in silence. Not the justice that I was looking for but it made me feel good I guess. Word of warning. DO NOT buy ANYTHING from SEARS. They SUCK. Thats right, SEARS SUCKS. (linkbait)
So why didn't I go back and do a second round of battle? Because I now tell everyone I know about how Sears customer service sucks and that they should NEVER buy anything from Sears unless it is a Craftsman hand tool. AND I have this platform to spread the message.
On a side note, I don't get real excited about vacuums but I have to tell you that I AM excited about the vacuum I have now. I have a Dyson. This piece of machinery is an amazing work of technological art. I have never had nor seen a vacuum perform like the Dyson. If you have the means, I HIGHLY recommend that you pick one up.
Ok this LONG post is done. If you made it this far, thanks. Let me know about your experiences.
posted by Big Pappa @ 11:21 AM
22 Comments
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22 Comments:
Sears is crap and Kmart was bought out by them now, however Kmart is walking distance if I need something in an emergency! My grandmother has banned Sears for over 20yrs after they screwed her royally. To top that off my old assistant manager was the worst to get along with and ALWAYS pissed off customers...guess where she came from? SEARS!
Yes, Sears, Kmart and JC Penney all suck - I think the management is living in the past. I'm totally drooling over your Dyson - I want the one with the big swivel ball. Either that or a Roomba.
was going to leave a comment telling you to go buy a Dyson already and then I get to the last paragraph and lo' you already have.
so nice to see Sears adopting the K-Mart level of cust svc. (K-Mart has Always been Real Sucky imho)
Ohh man, I can't tell you how awesome the Dyson is. I have never seen anything like it. It is simply the best vacuum that I have ever seen. My only complaint is that it seems to be kind of flimsy. However I have a dog and it picks up dog hair like nothing else. I actually started vacuuming 4 days a week just cuz I like to see how much stuff it will suck up. LOL
Oh, and by the way, I got the DC14 Animal in "suck it up purple".
I haven't had trouble with Sears, except a stupid associate sold us the wrong card for our camera, but with Best Buy? Whoa! That was a hassle! They will not replace a bad machine, they will fix it three times before they will replace it. Yep, by the third time it is out of warranty. They don't rewarranty the NEW part for a year.
My problem was them lying to us, and they actually only gave us ONE page of a FIVE page contract, and expected us to suck it up. Nothing doing. I started yelling bait and switch and demanded they fix it. My husband buys for our church from them, and for our own home, they better not screw us over. They did finally fix it for us. But it took yelling and threatening. And I was PMSing, so that was on my side.
I loved this story the first time in the comments, and enjoyed reading it again! Isn't it funny how we (people in general) love to hear negative stories about big companies?
If you had told a nice story, you prolly wouldn't get near the readership.
If you are looking for other horror stories like this one, lemme know cuz I gots a good one.
AL
Let me have it AL, I may start a series of "horrible customer service" stories.
This is great blog!! I love to do shop by using Sears Associate Discount Codes........!!
Do not buy fitness equipment from Sears either.
I bought a Weider Fitness Machine from Sears Boca Raton to use for physical therapy. After a couple times of month long repairs, I am now throwing the machine away. They refuse to give me credit or refund. If I didn't need it for physical therapy I would not have bought it. Service consists missed appointments, surveys, and long delays for part orders.
It's broken again and I will have to purchase another one. I'm out almost a thousand dollars.
Note - it still has 6 years on the warranty but I'm through with Sears!
Never Buy from Sears!
Wow I'm glad I'm not alone on this. We bought an elliptical trainer back in Sept 2007. We used it for a couple of months then it broke down in February. We got a service guy to come check it out, and he told us we'd need some parts. We order to parts, then when we call to check up on them, they tell me its been back ordered till June 2008. As lame as that was, we waited till then, and when we called back in June, they tell us its been back ordered till August. What kind of shitty service is this? I've been without an elliptical longer than I've had it working.
So I call customer service, they tell me they'll see if they can get me the parts faster locally, and get back to me tomorrow. Obviously they didnt get back to me. I call them back the next day, and they say 'oh we dont have it on file the person you talked to yesterday said they'd see if they could get you the parts faster.' So I'm like...alright. Then she said that she would see if she could get me the parts locally, and that I should be getting a call from them tomorrow. I gave them 2 days, no call.
At this point I decided to call corporate office. I talked to them and told them what had happened. She says (gee I didnt see this coming) she would send an email to my local parts place to see if she can get me the parts. She ASSURED me that she'd have an answer for me by the end of the day. I'm like this is the third time I've been told this. What if nothing happens again? At that point, she told me that then they would just offer me a replacement. She doesnt call back.
I call them today and explain everything AGAIN, to which the person on the phone said 'it doesnt say on file that we'll offer you a replacement.' Like wtf, seriously. She said she'd talk to the person that I had talked to yesterday to see what she had said (obviously she can lie) and that she would get back to me in 4 days..Screw Sears..never again. I'm telling everyone to stay the hell away from them.
I can echo all the responses I have read and many other places as well. My story begins with a fridge going on the fritz and the resulting drama associated with an angry wife, hungry kids, spoiled food, ruined party and melted ice dripping on wood floors.
The new GE Profile we bought at Sears died after one week. So, after two weeks which included 1 repairman, 3 trips to Sears, 5 1-800 numbers, 4 total hours convincing people we are not lying about the fact they agreed to replace the broken fridge they sold us, 3 lost reports, and countless ill-trained employees attempting to navigate woefully outdated, unconnected computer system, I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER GO TO SEARS TO BUY ANYTHING EVER AGAIN. I will attempt to build a fridge myself before I subject my family to that again. My suggestion to you, do the same. Incidentally, I do not believe the people at my local Sears are the problem. I blame it squarely on management, or lack there of. Sears made it painfully clear they could care less about ever getting my business again. So I am posting this to maybe help someone else avoid the excrutiating pain called Sears. I hope it works!! Still waiting for work order to go through on my gouged wood floors.
I work for sears and they are aholes. The managers are not doing their jobs and they can't even take payments from customers. Please tell me where do they find these people. I have worked there for sometime and I REALLY REALLY HATE my job but right now I have to make due until something comes my way. I can agree with everything that you're complaining about. There are times when management will tell one customer no and then turn around and give into another customer with almost the same issue that really pisses me off. Ever since this merger Sears have lost alot of their customers by abiding by Kmarts guidelines and changing its policies without notifying their loyal customers and by not being clear when it comes to their protection agreements on products and services. The economy is already bad and sears is trying to drain any and everything from its customers and associates just for a few nickles to rub together to make a quick buck.You as the customers are getting a bad deal but the associates as also suffering when you take your anger out on us when we are trying to survive in this messed up company.I'm sorry if anyone disagrees with my comment. But I can relate to your issues.
SRS! (Sears Really Sucks!)
The Sears freezer repairman called me at my office late afternoon on a hot June day just past to keep his appointment.
My six-year old (of use) Kenmore Frostless 19 Freezer had been out of service for several years, but it had been working fine, when we took it out of service in 2003. Deciding to put it back in service this June, I had plugged in the power cord, but it failed to power up.
An adjacent wall plug powered my Kenmore washer just fine, and the breaker panel showed the breakers to be set, so I decided to call Sears to have them check my freezer
The Sears repairman and I met at my home. He plugged in the freezer cord, and, again, the freezer failed to power up. He glanced at the breaker panel, took a cursory look inside my freezer, and then told me I had a bad "hootus" that would cost over $200.00 installed and that I needed a new door panel assembly, because the original was loose. The loose panel, it seems, would cause condensation between inner and outer walls and cause the freezer not to perform properly.
I told him I wanted to think about whether to spend the $300.00 or so to have the new hootus and door panel installed or whether I might just buy a new freezer, which he opined might be the best decision. I say "best" decision instead of "better", because there turned out to be a third possibility...I called another repairman, a local repairman, who came well recommended by my co-worker.
Mr. Les Allen of Allen Appliance Repair (Sherman, Texas, 903 868 1625) arrived on the scene, plugged in my freezer, which failed once again to power up, pulled a test meter out of his toolbox, plugged it in, and it, too, failed to show power.
As I looked again at the breaker panel, an old experience with a ground-loop breaker flashed across my mind. Glancing around the garage, my gaze quickly focused on a ground-loop breaker with a protruding button. I pressed the button, and, Voila!, the freezer immediately powered up!
Mr. Allen told me to get a freezer thermometer and watch it for about 48 hrs, after which time the freezer would be found to be operating properly, if it controlled itself between 10-20 deg Farenheit.
I then asked, "What about the loose freezer door panel?" He simply replied, "Caulk it."
So, I went to Van Alstyne Hardware, bought a tube of silicone caulk and a freezer thermometer. The rest is a history of my freezer controlling between 0 & 20 degrees F for the past two months.
I had paid the Sears guy $65.00 for an estimate of $300.00 or so to repair my freezer; and, I paid Mr. Allen (who had also changed out a part on my Kenmore washer and had given me a $30.00 part for my 20+ year old Kenmore refrigerator ice-maker) $75.00 for an hour or so of his work on my freezer and washer (not to mention the gratis ice-maker part).
However, the Sears guy had given me a coupon for 10% off the cost of a new freezer...and said his $65.00 charge would also be applied to the cost of a new freezer (or other Sears appliance) should I decide to buy one! Wow!
Well, a month of mulling over the fact that the Sears guy had screwed me, brought me to conclude that "good ole Sears" would at least give me $65.00 worth of something for the bad experience.
Boy, do I have news for those of you new to the "New Sears Experience." I can only hope that new Kenmore appliances are as good as the old ones, 'cause the new Sears' customer service ain't what it used to be. These days, Sears Really Sucks!
Neither the Sears store in Sherman (in person) nor their customer service representative for service (by phone) would give me any satisfaction whatsoever. The store told me I would have to take the matter up with the service department, and the service department told me that their service charge is a sacred cow.
I promised the customer service person (whose name and phone number will be reported in a follow-up) a negative blog. Here it is.
Morris Key
Van Alstyne, Texas
morris@keyassociates.us
Vacuum Cleaners
I bought a Kirby vac in 1999, because, years ago (ca. 1987) as a technical consultant, Kirby hired my firm to investigate a relatively small problem they were having with their vacs. I flew from Dallas to Cleveland, inspected their process, and identified the problem, which they quickly corrected.
When I became the decision-maker on household appliances, I chose the Kirby because of my firsthand experience with their attention to detail.
The vac still purrs like a kitten in 2008.
morris@keyassociates.us
SRS (Sears Really Sucks) follow-up
As promised, here's the info on the nice Sears Service lady (Sylvia), who told me, in essence, that their service men walk on water, i.e., service call fees are not refundable, whether the service man does a good job or not.
On August 12th, I called the Farmers Branch (Texas) Service Center at 800 4my-HOME. I told my tale of woe (See August 30th post) to Cynthia, who told me that service call fees are not refundable; and then, due to my being insistent, Cynthia rang Sylvia, to whom I recounted my sad story once more.
After listening patiently, Sylvia told me with emphasis that service call fees were non-refundable, at which time I asked to speak to her supervisor. Well, Sylvia is a very important person in the Sears hierarchy, because she "...(has) no supervisor."
As stated in my previous post, I promised Sylvia a glowing follow-up. If you have the time, please call her and let her know how much you enjoyed reading about her excellent customer service:
Sylvia, Sears Service Center
Customer Relations
1-800-4MY-HOME
Morris Key
morris@keyassociates.us
@morris - Thanks for stopping by. All the comments have reassured me that I am not alone.
I am in the middle of a Sears nightmare with my dryer. Four visits from Sears "technicians," two new parts, three different electricians. Broken promises, broken dryer.
Five weeks with no dryer, two little kids at home. I feel like I want to cry. No end in sight and no satisfaction forthcoming from this once proud company.
God, they suck.
I am only 24, been buying from Sears since I've had a job (7 years). I've purchased a Kenmore Elite refrigerator, Kenmore range, Bosch dishwasher, Kenmore range hood, Kenmore microwave, Maytag washer, Maytag dryer, Sony digital camera, and a Vizio television. I've only had a problem with the lens on the Sony, which they sent off for repair, and fixed...promptly. Other than that, no issues. Then again, I haven't had problems with items I've purchased at other stores either. I think the salespeople at Sears are more knowledgeable than at Best Buy, Home Depot, or Lowes. I'll be damned if I can find a salesperson at Home Depot or Lowes and the high schoolers working at Best Buy surely can't tell me anything about the televisions or cameras other than "they're really cool."
Maybe you all had a bad experience, but that's definitely not representative of all of the stores. Mine just happen to be great.
Also, if you're buying a $400-$500 Dyson, it's bound to work better and last longer than the $200 Kenmore... common sense. You get what you pay for.
I am so disappointed in Sears service. We live in a rural area of the NC mountains. I was just informed that a corporate decision was made to only provide service to a 3 county area one day a week!!!! Yet there are several local Sears stores in the tri-county area... Had I known this when I purchased the appliances for my lakehouse, I would not have done it.. Now I have to take a day off from work because they will only service on a Wednesday!!! Bad SEARS..... POOR Quality serivce!!!! Obviously, they do not want to have customers in the smaller areas.. SO I WILL NOT BUY FROM SEARS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sears home repair is unbelievably bad, I can see why they're going out of business. We bought an expensive kenmore elite refrigerator, which started making really loud knocking noises which I can hear from the other side of the house. After 5 visits, 2 diagnoses, parts delivered, and 2 missed days when they said they would come but didn't, they say the noise is "normal" because it says in the manual it may make a knocking noise. This is a noise that keeps me up at night. The refrigerator was advertised as being quiet. The technician was chuckling to himself as he left the house. I will never buy anything else from sears again to avoid dealing with such abysmal service.
July 2009 Bought a GE front load washer & dryer from Sears - Great Indoors. Expensive set to replace my old Kenmore that had lasted 16 years.
Mid Jan 2010 - 6 months later - the washing machine wont even come on. Control board is bad. Unit under warranty so called service (apparently Sears) - told me it would be 2 weeks before they could get a service tech out TWO WEEKS ARE THEY KIDDING ME.
So, service tech gets out on site. Only to tell me what I already know - control board is bad. But wait - he doesn't have a replacement board. He has to have someone order it. Board not due ot arrive until 7 days later. And they tell me next availability is Feb. 16th.
So - long story short - without a washing machine for an entire month because they cannot manage their field service worht shit. Totally unacceptable. NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER buy an appliance - ANY appliance from Sears or the Great Indoors.
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