Kenmore
Reviews and Complaints

I purchased a stacked washer/dryer from Sears less than a year ago. On Dec. 2, 2011, the washer broke due a screw coming loose which caused a hole to the bottom of the washer basin. 30 gallons of washer water flooded the surrounding carpet, went through the ceiling and poured out into a bathroom on my second floor. Sears finally was able to come out almost two weeks later to look at it. They ordered parts which were UPSed directly to me - these were 3 HUGE boxes that I got to look at for another two weeks sitting in the middle of my living room. Finally a Sears technician arrived today (19 days after the washer flooded my condo) to "fix" the broken washer. After arriving 8 hours after they were supposed to, they supposedly "fixed" the washer, leaving everything for me to clean up (the boxes broken up into a million pieces, mud tracked in everywhere, etc. But I was relieved as the worst was over and I could start the 20 loads of laundry I had to do. So I throw the first load in the newly "repaired" washer and THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED! The Sears technician hadn't even been gone for 10 minutes. So my condo is once again flooded, with at least 10 garbage bags of soaking wet towels I used to try to soak up the water before flooding the neighbor underneath me. So I immediately call Sears who was 10000% no help at all. Their "Customer Solutions" Center is a crock of [censored]. They transferred me around to 6 different people who all told me that they "udnerstood my frustration" - clearly read of their cue cards. So here I am ONCE AGAIN listening to 4 huge Servpro fans for the next three days drying up the damage done to my condo. Sears is the worst of the worst. No help. No support. As soon as they get your money they can no longer be found. If you want to avoid this kind of crap - DO NOT PURCHASE ANY HOME APPLIANCES FROM SEARS. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME COMPANY THAT THEY WERE 25 YEARS AGO! Save yourself the horrible ordeal I've been going through for the past month. And there's no end in sight. SEARS SUCKS! I cut up my Sears credit card and will not purchase even a pair of socks from those thieves. They should all be serving jail time.

12/6/11. The problem I reported was the dryer was not drying on a stacked washer/dryer unit. The service guy showed up at 4:59p.m. I said it would cost him. He said not him. The minute he walked in the door he said he would need a second person, so the service would not be done today. If I reported it was a stacked unit, wouldn't you know they'd know they needed a second person? He also said they don't carry the part on the truck. He could order it and he could come back on the 16th. He then proceeded to tell me how much I'd have to pay him today. He hadn't even taken apart the unit to properly diagnose the problem, yet I was suppose to pay him for a call today. I told him I'd pay when the unit was fixed. He said that wasn't the way it worked. I asked him the name of the company and HE HAD TO LOOK ON THE TRUCK. I then asked for the company phone number and he had to look on the truck for that, too. His name is Hassan, and his tech ID is 687764.
I will pay for service when the service is properly done and rendered.

At 11:30 PM on 12/05/11 the outer glass door of my two year old Kenmore range (Model# [protected]) exploded while my son was standing about two feet away drinking a glass of water. If my husband had not been sitting at the bar, and facing the range, we would have accused our son of doing something to the door. What makes this more strange is that the last time the oven had been in use was about 12 hour prior to this incident. I immediately went to the Internet to search for 'exploding glass doors of Kenmore ranges' I was shocked to find a host of sites littered with numerous complaints. On one site I found over two hundred complaints and the vast majority were about Kenmore ranges, and some people have had it happen more than once to the same product. This is a very dangerous product. What is the Consumer Safety Commission doing about this?
I purchased this particular brand because it had favorable reviews from Consumer report. They should be informed that they are recommending a dangerous product.

My Kenmore side-by-side Refrigerator, Model Number 106.[protected] manufactured in February 2004 caught on fire. I awoke on the morning of November 22, 2011 to a loud arching sound and a kitchen filled with smoke. Luckily I was able to quickly determine the cause of the smoke, pull the refrigerator away from the wall and unplug it. I was shocked that a refrigerator would catch on fire. However, given my previous experiences with faulty Kenmore products including my four year old Kenmore Elite washer and dryer I am really not surprised. I was also surprised at the number of similar compliants I found on the web. My refrigerator is only seven years old and I now I will be purchasing a new one. There is no way I am going to risk the lives of my family for another faulty Sears product. Our family will NEVER buy another appliance or major product from Sears again. I am tired of throwing our hard earned money away.

Dear Sir,
I want to know what type of adhesive is used on the Kenmore Elite Induction Cooktop. The stainless steel trim has seperated from the glass top and needs to be reglued. The cooktop is only a little over a year old but I was told that this issue would not have been covied under warranty regardless. Rather that have someone come out, my husband would like to repair the cooktop if we knew what adhesive is suggested for the repair. I talked to many persons and was handed around from department to department for almost an hour and no one was able to help me.
Please advise as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Patirica Terrell

I purchased a $2500 Elite line of the Sears refrigerator which is supposed to be thier higher end. I have had 2 problems with this unit which is disappointing considering the amount I paid for it. First there is a design flaw with the Ice Maker area where the ice drops out. It gets mold due to moisture that collects from the auto Ice Cycle to prevent freezing. This is a known flaw that they wont fix. The second problem is worst and is a fire / shock hazard. If you keep the door open for more than 5 min to clean the refrigerator, the lights make the metal shield extremly hot on the top. Well above the metal cover are the wires. I had it open and all of a sudden I for a large spark and a burning smell. The lights still worked. I open it and the wires were sitting exposed on the top of the metal and had melted and grounded to the shield. I called sears and they wanted to charge me $250 for a protection plan or pay $70 for a visit then pay for the parts and labor for the fix... I refuse to pay for a wire defect. The door can stay open for many reasons and should not overheat the lights ever... If you know the metal shield can get hot, then put some heat shield or something so the wires dont touch... When the wire touched the metal, it shaved off part of the metal which fell on my head.. Luckly it was a small amount of metal... Also, there is no fuse on this for any kind of short and just continues to stay on... You can see the wire and the metal on the picture. Circle on the top is where the wire melted and the circle on the bottom is where it shorted and ate a piece of the metal...

Long story short, will not buy a Elite product as many people have complained. No point paying more for something that standard build quality and warranty. I wound up ordering a new harness and will put my own fix to protect it from the heat for $16 from Sears online...

I have a Kenmore Elite refrigerator #795.78544.803 that is just over two years. I recently had a problem with no power to front door display panel. I ordered a new display panel but that did not fix the problem. After digging deeper into the problem, it turns out that the refrigerator has a bad wire inside the left door which affects the front display panel. I feel that Sears should fix it for no cost because of the wiring being inside the door and was definitely a defect from the factory.

I purchased a Kenmore washer in 2008. I thought I was purchasing a very good product. But after using I would not recommend it to anyone. I took out the extended warranty and called for maintenance service last year. I was told that I would have to purchase washer magic to use at least once a month to eliminate the odor which also could make my family sick. This year I called for maintenance again. This time the service person went right to the bottom of the machine and opened a pipe which holds water in it which starts to smell terrible. Can you tell me why water would remain in the bottom of the machine? This sure sounds like a defect in this machine. Who ever heard of purchasing a new washer and being told that you have to purchased another product, which by the way is very costly, +/ to keep your machine from smelling. Also I would have to retain the extended warranty so I could have the service person come out every year to empty that pipe. Please did they test these machines before they put them on the market? I think not. I would appreciate your prompt reply.

I purchased an electric range with induction cooktop about 2 years ago. I had an issue with it last year to which the part arrived without much delay and the issue was rectified. On June 29/11 my induction cooktop gave out completely, I called in a service call right away and set up a service call. About 2-3 days later a service representative in my area contacted me and came and took a look at the stove to assess on which part to replace. He contacted an office in Halifax explaining the part he needed and they advised him that the part was on backorder to July 18/11. Needless to say I was upset so I called in a complaint with the call centre and they put in an emergency call and about a week and a half later a part arrived, GREAT! Meanwhile I have a 2 yr old and trying to boil water on a BBQ is a task in itself, thank goodness it was summer! The service rep arrived and WRONG PART! apparently the person he spoke with misunderstood him when he told him the code that was coming up on the stove and they assured him that a part would be sent out right away. 2 weeks pass, No part then I receive a call from someone wanting to send a part but not sure where to send it. I could not remember the company name of the service rep so they hung up assuring me that they would find out! a few more weeks pass still no contact to the service rep to send the part. I call the call centre several times and unable to get any information. Finally, I reach a lady in Toronto who went through my file and discovered that the part had been CANCELLED she wrote a few notes on my file saying that I was fed up boiling water on a BBQ and asked for the part to arrive asap or do a buyout. A call was recieved by my sister-in-law because I was working and in that call apparently from a rep from Sears? saying that the parts total would be in excess of $1400.00 and that they would send a template? to the service rep in my area to have the stove replaced. Keep in mind I purchase an extended warranty on this stove. that call was received on monday or tuesday last week. I called the service centre today to see if I could get any information on that call to check on the status of it and was met with the same roadblocks as before, saying that the parts were sent out to the service rep in the area. Parts? I was told by the service centre that the service rep is sopose to fax a assessment to them saying that the stove is unfixable and then stuff will progress from there. I contacted the service rep and he said that, that is no longer how it is done. so here it is August 8th and I still have no stove and I feel helpless and don't know who else to call no one knows anything. Please Help Me!

I purchased a kenmore water heater from Sears in Kokomo, Indiana. The plumber called me the day before and said he would be out at 5pm next day. He made a big deal of installing the water heater, like no room for it and it fit perfectly. He was messing with the pipe that went to water spicket outside, had nothing to do with water heater. He asked where my outside spicket was and I told him just outside the wall he was facing. He went outside and grabbed the water faucet, twisting it and then turned my water up full force, he didn't shut it off, it ran for 6 hrs straight. I didn't know he left it on. I am concerned about my safety about how he hooked up the heater and water lines inside home and a huge water bill, I live alone and water bill seldom over 14.00. No telling what my bill will be because of his neglegence. I called sears 3 or 4 times and was disconnected 3 times, I heard a loud noise and was concerned it was the water heater but it was the water that was turned up full force. No one cared! No one called me back. I called back two other times...said they would get in touch with me within 24 hrs. and nothing done yet. I have been a good customer of Sears for a long time. My daughter worked at Sears for years. I pd. alot for the heater and install and should not have been vandalized as I was done and Ifeel some responsibility needs to be addressed and if not soon I will be contacting my lawyer, at your expense. I will hire a plumber to ck. things out and send you the water bill. Sears has never done this to me before. Pls. make this right, soon! Thks. Barbara Boggs, 5211 Wea Dr., Kokomo, Indiana P.S. My water ran full force for 6 hours! and What reason did he have for messing with my water hydrant? He was very rude!

I was informed in a recorded phone message on July 9, 2011 that a technician would be at my home between 8 and 11 a.m. on July 12 to install a part that had previously been ordered and was in my possession. The refrigerator will not work without it. He failed to appear or even call by 12 p.m., so I called Repair Service. I was informed that the technician was in my area and would arrive shortly. Around 2 p.m. the technician left a recorded message (I had stepped outside, briefly) that he couldn't find my house. No cell phone number was left to return his call, so I called Repair Service and was told that my appointment was cancelled and had to be re-scheduled! The best that could be done was July 18th. No appeal. That was it. Before I avail myself of Sears' Executive Complaint Service, I hope someone has the authority to get a technician here tomorrow, July 13.

Bought this machine in 2007 and loved it. Then in 2009 got a "recall" letter. When I contacted them they said my machine was not included in the recall even though the model # was listed (how convenient). Now, 2011 my machine is BROKEN. After reveiwing lots of complaints about the Kenmore Elite and the fact that Sears continutes to sell these HORRIBLE machines, I agree with everyone who would like to plan a class action lawsuit. If you are from Canada and have done this, please e-mail me at [protected]@hotmail.com and make sure you write Kenmore Elite problem in the RE: line. In Canada, I will be contacting Whirlpool which makes these machines as Sears refused to help me and if Whirlpoo will not help I will be writing to the Onatario Government's new "consumer protection" branch to file a formal complaint with them. Back in 2007 I paid over $1000 for this machine and certainly expected it to last longer than it has. It started leaking water the last 2 weeks and completely stopped this week. Looks like the circuit board is "fried" and Sears wants me to pay $100 for a visit and about $500 for a new circuit board. DON'T THINK SO. I will also be cancelling my Sears card and writing to their ombudsman's office which turns out to be employees in the presidents office. Everyone else should do the same. Companies should not be able to keep continuting to put out JUNK products in the market. I am very surprised at Sears for this and extremely disappointed in them as customers have been complaining since at least 2007 about this product and it's now 2011. Sears has been selling an "INFERIOR" product for almost 5 years now and IT NEEDS TO STOP. I hope to hear from anybody. The more we work together the more solutions we can come up with and maybe we can all get some of our money back. ON TOP OF THAT, I should have researched this product better before I bought it. The first machine delivered to me did not work and Sears wanted to fix it. I clearly recall telling them that I AM NOT repairing something on the 1st day that I've had it. I made them deliver me a new one. I will do my research this time and Whirpool doesn't help I will not purchase any of the machines they make at all. If you call Whirpool you will be surprised that they are the makers of almost all washing machines. Same lousy machines with just different names.

We purchased an Oasis HE Kenmore Elite Washer from our local Sear store in 2006. At the time of our purchase we also purchased the extended warranty for both the washer and matching dryer. We had done loads of homework prior to our purchase and were convinced that this was the pair that would meet our needs.
Over the past several years we have had service calls for both the washer and dryer. I unfortunately did not call as often as I should have called for service as I am not a complainer and just try to make things work even if not all parts are doing as needed. The final straw concerning our washer happen on June 21, 2011. The washer did its normal beeping noises and my son said, "mom your washer is at it again". So I tried to make magic happen once again and force the machine to complete the load of laundry but my effort did not work. So reluctantly I called Sear service at [protected]. To my amazement they wer able to offer service on the following day. I was sure that luck was with us on this issue with the washer and we would be back up and running in no time. My son arranged to off work so that he could meet the service man sometime between 1:00 and 4:00. The sevice technican did come to the house around 1:30 and supposedly replaced the defective part (the washers brain) and assured my son that the washer was as good as new. When he called to report the news I was thrilled and looked forward to getting my laundry caught-up as soon as I got home after 6:00 pm.
I started a load of whites (bleach added of course) and thought all was good until the dreaded beeping sounds started again. I tried my magic yet again but nothing worked. I immediately called Sears service to request that the technician return to correct the issue. After several calles, request to speak with a manager, more calls to Sears service and messages left for a manager I was still out of luck until Wednesday, June 29th. Please remember that I have good white clothes sitting in bleach in a washer that will not work work that was serviced and pronounce good as new. I also want to mention that the Sears Manager has yet to call me back. Not good Customer Service. I was also hung-up on during one of my calls. I never used profanity or even got nasty. I was only insistent that I needed help.
On Thursday, June 23rd I called Sears Service yet again and still got lots of run around from everyone. I spoke with a gentleman named Gerald at 9:03 am in the complaints department. I repeated asked to speak with a manager but he said, "a manager can =not do any more than I have done" he refused my request. He finally gave me an address for the corporate office but refused to give me a number. He stated that there was no number to give me. This is funny as I looked one up on the internet while I was on the phone with him. Lied to again!
I then proceeded to call the Corporate number and talked with Teressa. Her number is [protected] ext. 82. Please call and ask to hear the taped conversation. You will find it very interesting. I was informed that a washer is not an essential appliance and I would have to wait. SHe did offer however to force a new service time of Monday, June 27th. Still no one is owning my problem of poor service and washer that will not work.
My husband and I discussed the issue and finally decided that a new washer was our only option. We purchased a new washer from Lowe's on Thursday, June 23rd. I have washed multiple loads and am now finally caught-up on my laundry.
My next concern is that when my husband and son removed the Kenmore Elite Oasis HE washer that was pronounced "good as new" only the day before from our home it literally fell apart. I have pictures that I will attach(unable to attach my pictures). Please email me and I will be happy to send them your way. I am appalled at how we have been treated as once loyal Sears Customers. My home is full of all Sears sold appliances and has been for more that 25 years. I am no longer able to give my hard earned dollars to Sears! What a sad day.

Sears/Complaints Dept.
Sears Corporate Office, June 2011
I am writing this letter to relay information regarding an unacceptable situation which has occurred at your Pensacola Florida Sears Store.
My parents who are in their late 70s and in ill health, bought a $2000.00 top of the line Kenmore side by side refrigerator with ice and water in the door last year. The following is an outline of what has happened since then.
1.Initial purchase- with 5 Year Extended Warranty Purchased -March 2010 (6 week back order) Delivered April 2010
a. with-in a few days icemaker froze and would not dispense-service call
b. tech discovers NO model or Serial numbers, so can Not work on it.
c. Sears orders replacement refrigerator

2. Second refrigerator- delivered and set up May 2010
a. 2 days later still not cooling-service call
b. A week later, tech says “Bad Motherboard” cannot be repaired -Replacement refrigerator ordered.

3. Third refrigerator-delivered and set up June 2010
a. With-in a couple weeks- icemaker froze again and will not dispense ice-service call
b. Days later-tech orders new part
c. Days later-install new part
d. 5-6 services call made- various broken parts replaced-still icemaker does not work
e. The last service call repairman came out and picked up ordered parts, and was told Not to install them (by Sears!)
4. Third Refrigerator deemed a Lemon by Sears- May, 2011
a. Told to pick out yet another refrigerator
b. Went on-line and chose another
c. Called sales rep (Ben Rivas) and was assured this replacement will have an icemaker
d. Days later –delivered- NO icemaker
e. Taken back to warehouse for icemaker to be installed
f. And was TOLD they would be charged a Restocking FEE for Defective Refrigerator.

During all this time period the extra inconvenience, stress and work expended to take care of the above listed problems has been incalculable. Then to add insult to injury, there was a difference of approx. $1200.00 from the 1st refrigerator and the 4th and Sears has refused to refund this amount "due to the fact the 90 day replacement time had expired".

My parents have been devoted Sears’s customers for more than 50 years and have spent many thousands of dollars during this time. As you can see, a true injustice has been committed. I hope that someone in authority will respond and rectify this situation. What happened to Fairness, Honesty and Integrity?
Sincerely:
Mary [censored] (daughter of: Mrs. Joann Shelby) Pensacola Florida [protected] ~ [protected]@att.net

CC- Sears Corporate Office-Kenmore-BBB-and local TV and Newspaper

We purchased a Kenmore Electric Range, model 790.9612. At times, the front left burner burns extraordinarily hot and won't shut off. With enough fiddling of the controls, it eventually shuts off but is unpredictable. Despite the number of similar complaints about this product, Sears does not acknowledge that a more serious and widespread problem is happening. This is the second appliance to fail that we bought from them when we remodeled our kitchen four years ago, but this one is a dangerous failure. We have filed a complaint with the CPSC.

Well...I have a Kenmore Gas Grill I purchased from Sears on April 20th 2008. The 1yr warranty has since expired but I tried using the grill last night and noticed that the top above the 2 burner controls in the middle was getting very hot. I shut the grill off and noticed that the burner knobs were melted. I called 1-800-4 my home and they told me that the warranty was expired and that there is a 5yr limited parts warranty and the burners are covered but if the technician comes out it will be a 96 dollar service charge and if the part is warrantied than there will be a charge for labor. I checked into it further today and found that the burners are leaking at the valves behind the knobs. The gas is actually coming out like a mini blow torch. I feel that this should be fixed for free and no money out of my pocket. I only used the grill one summer and this happens now. This is obviously is a manufacturer defect but yet they would rather lose a customer instead of making me happy and taking care of the problem. I have been a Sears customer for a very long time and so is my mother and sister. I have a Sears Gold card that I also use quite frequently. I am going to contact shame on you and send a copy of this letter to better business bureau as well. Not for nothing but with all the complaints on this site about Sears you would think they would want to make there customers happy. Instead it seems to me that they are making a lot of people very unhappy. In these very difficult economic times money is tight and this is just just not fair.

I purchased a kenmore stove, black in color, and I had it since july 2009 and I only use it 9 months a year as i go to our cabin for three. In saying this when i was cleaning it, i noticed that there was a white spot on the back of the of the stove where the buttons are . when i rub my thumb on it, the paint peeled of in my hand. It is located where the steam comes out of the oven, when it is on.I am assuming that it is a manufacture defect. When i called to complain and see what can be done, I was told nothing by one lady and the other said maybe I could paint it. Well needless to say I"m not impressed. As for your products I own 2 Fridges by kenmore, 2 stoves, microwave, dehumidafier, all purchase at sears, and personally think I deserve better. Also if I don't recieve some help with this, I will be taking my business elsewhere .

I purchased a Kenmore Fridge with Icemaker 5 years ago and the Ice maker quit making ice just after the one year warranty was up, so being technically inclined I diagnosed the problem myself and found the wire going to the cutoff protector had broken due to the positioning in the ice maker, ordered the part, a thermo cutoff protector part # 3206319, installed it and it worked fine for just about another year or so. Then, same failure due to the positioning of the part, the frail wire broke again, same spot. Ordered another one and installed it and it lasted about 6 months same failure again. Just decided to buypass the darn thing and it worked ok till recently, now the feed to the ice tray wont shut off and it flooded my freezer compartment! So now after paying for the darn thing twice with the $150 cost for a new Ice maker, I will never consider any Kenmore products if I have to purchase or replace an appliance again. Same issue with a Kenmore dish washer, failed just after the warranty-some wireing burned up inside the door and had to fumigate my house from the burned wiring smell.
VERY DISSATISFIED Kenmore customer
Jeff Hanson, Helena, MT