Sears
Reviews and Complaints

We booked the first time to get our carpet clean in the house and we got a call the day before (19 nov 09) the service man got sick and coul'd do it that day. Later we got a call to re-book for another date which was suppose to be today the 9 dec 09 between 15:00 hrs and 17:00 hrs. We waited all night for him to show up
but nothing not even a phone call for cancellation. My complaint is if Sears canada is contracting a company
in the town of Moose Jaw to give some kind of service to the customers and cannot keep up i suggest to get another company to do it and i should get a discount off my bill when they decide to show up in my house for cleaning my carpet one day. thank you very much and hopefully something will be done about it.

One day last week we received a sears wish book in the mail. I remember sitting for hours when I was a child circling all the times I wanted. Me and my brother wore the books out each year flipping pages wishing and wanting. I encouraged my four year old to do the same. But apparently this year all you can do is wish! I have tried to order two items out of this 2009 wish book to be told they "are items not found". Yes you are reading this right they pictured toys that they dont have to sale. They took my email address and told me that they would request the items and email me if they got them. Note these items are not out of stock or on back order they simply do not exist. She suggest I try looking for them in store. Well were I live its a hour north south east or west to a sears. Of course I dnt have time or money to go searching stores so unfortunately this years sears wish book means literally wish, wish, wish cause you arent ever going to get it. (Items were: a bed tent and sleeping bag)

I live in Frankfort, Ky. In your 3-day ad for the period 12/2 to 12/4/09, page 4, was a Baja Doodlebug mini bike advertised for $299.99. The item was not available in the Frankfort Sears store. I was advised that it was available in the Lexington, Ky store, 30 miles away. I visited the Lexington store. The sporting goods salesperson told me they had 6 of the bikes in an upstairs storage room. I asked to see one of them. However, the manager would not bring one of them to the display area in the sporting goods department nor would he open one of the boxes to let me see the item unless I purchased it first.

I believe the manager's name is Gary (not sure). I told them that I would not purchase an item if I could not first see the item. They still would not bring the item to the display floor nor would they open one of the boxes and let me see the item.

Ray Born
1207 Discher Drive
Frankfort, Ky 40601

[protected]@aol.com

Sears LG Trio Refrigerators lights staying on in Refrigerator melting covers. I have just looked at two different refrigerators with same problem. Called recall center, said it would have been covered up to three years from purchase date. Guess what that was up three months ago. One of the refrigerators was repaired once already and now has the problem again. The other refrigerator cover melted off the screws holding it up and was hanging by the wires inside refrigerator. This problem has been around 4 years and nothing done about it yet. It is a safety fire hazard just waiting to happen. Not a good buy!

I recently purchased, on December 4th, 2009, an electric hot water heater, with the website, which says same day installation if ordered before 12 noon, well I called at 8 am to order it and they said that when my local sears store opened, at 10 am. they would be giving me a call to set a time frame of when someone would be out to my house to install it. Well, 10 am came and went and I finally called at 12 noon to see what was going on and they couldn't understand why no one had called me. So they said they would check into it and get back to me, well I heard from no one and called around 3 pm and to there dismay they couldnt understand why no one had called. So they sent my call over to the special teams dispatch unit and I spoke to them and they said the order was not placed until 3 pm., when I had spoke to numerous people throughout the day saying that it was placed and they were waiting on a contractor to contact me. This is so very disappointing and its false advertising because right on your Sears website it state: same day installation if ordered before 12 noon... I would like someone to contact me and would like an discount on this service. Please respond to my email and avoid my attorney contacting Sears... Barbara Brinley

Howdy!

Get ready for a lot of CAPS, but I am furious...I mean every CAP!

DO NOT USE SEARS! I was just screwed out of a $200 rebate I was going to use to buy X-mas presents for my family. They will take your money, then later find a bizarre technicality to deny you your rebate.

If you want to take my word for it and boycott Sears, thanks! We're done here. If you want to hear my gripping DaVinci Code story, read on:

So, I bought a TV with a wall mount. When I filled out the rebate form online, all it said was:
"H090636 08/23-10/03 $200.00 Rebate on Installation when you buy any 40inch or larger Television Along with Installation and a coordinating mount at Sears.com. Rebate paid via Prepaid MasterCard."

But as I found out after my rebate was denied 3 months later (too late to return the item for those keeping score), if you are one of those people savvy enough to shop online, but old-fashioned enough to still print and mail in a rebate form, there is a .pdf you can print out. ONLY ON THAT PDF DO YOU FIND THE FINE PRINT:
"To qualify the television, mount and installation must all be purchased in the same transaction. Includes
Television Mount item numbers 75068, 75078, 75083, 75084, 75080, 75090, 75092, 75093 and 75050."

Well, silly me, I just bought the wall mount that SEARS RECOMMENDED FOR THAT SPECIFIC TV IN A HUGE PHOTO NEXT TO THE TV I BOUGHT ON THEIR WEBSITE! You would think that the mount they list next to the TV you buy would be a "coordinating mount", right? HA! You've never dealt with Sears, I see...

But I hear what you are saying, why didn't you check to see one of those 5 digit number matched your wall mount? Good call! It must be on the website:
Level Mount FIXED/TILT MOUNT FITS 34" TO 60" TV'S AND 200 LBS.

Sold by Sears | Online only | Sears Item# [protected] | Model# DC60T
Rating 5 (1 Reviews | Write a Review )
Well, no 5 digit number there. Maybe I should check my receipt...

60 in. (Diagonal) Class 1080p 600Hz Plasma HD Television

Item #: [protected]
Salescheck #:
[protected]

RC: [protected]

1

Television (wall-mount) premium setup includes unpacking, inspection, mounting tv on bracket, connection to 3 components, bundli

Item #: [protected]
Salescheck #:
[protected]

RC: [protected]

FIXED/TILT MOUNT FITS 34" TO 60" TV'S AND 200 LBS. Sold by Sears

Item #: [protected]
Salescheck #: [protected]
Sale Date: 31-Aug-2009

RC: [protected]

Hmmmm...I see an 11 digit number, a 12 digit number, and even a 16 digit number. The price of the installation was a five digit number, but that's the closest I have. Where are these 5 digit numbers?

To find the answer, I turned to the crack management team at Sears. Here's where it gets fun. You may not realize it, but you have been looking at the 5 digit number the whole time! You remember the 11 digit item number from earlier? Well, pay close attention to that. I'll give you a few minutes.

If you have figured it out, congratulations on cracking the code! If not, I'll explain it the way the Sears management team explained it to me:

Those 11 digit numbers all start with 057. Because they all start with 057, the 057 DOESN'T COUNT! You can ignore it! It doesn't exist! You know what else doesn't exist? Zero. And you may have noticed the item numbers all end in three zeros, and since zero doesn't exist, you can ignore the last three digits too! So if you ignore the first three digits, and the last three digits of an 11 digit number, you have...A FIVE DIGIT NUMBER! The mystery is solved! That's where the 5 digit numbers are! Well, now that we have solved the mystery, oh, well clearly I didn't buy the right mount. I just wish I wasn't so stupid. According to Sears management, I am the only person that has EVER had this problem. Just me. I'm the idiot. So if you are reading this and you didn't figure it out, don't tell anybody, because it will only prove you are as stupid as me.

So according to the Sears management team, there is nobody in the Sears hierarchy that can help me. The woman I talked to said she would be fired if she authorized a rebate to a customer that "didn't read the form". According to her, Sears can't do anything.

I know what you are saying, sue them! I REALLY want to. However, this is a $200 rebate, and court costs in small claims court for a lawsuit of this size total $120, leading to a profit of $80. I wish I had enough time on my hands to file a nuisance lawsuit, but I have a one year old son. I have very little free time. Just enough time to write this e-mail and send it to everybody I know. ;)

Please forward this, and again, if you have any sympathy, DO NOT USE SEARS!

Thanks!

Ben Dixon

My name is Perry Suter and I am a 30 year Veteran who retired in 2007. I stood outside the Sears store at 4:00am and was the third person in the door. I was going to purchase the Kenmore Washer and Dryer front loaders at almost 60% off. I believe the set was 999.00.
I was handed a ticket along with 10 people behind me and one man in front who went to the other side to check out. By the time we got our tickets the line on each side ws 10 people long purchasing a variety of items.
The man across from me at the other counter arrived one person before me. One set was already sold and he purchased the second. I arrived at the counter at 5:30 am to be told that they were all gone?
I explained to the cashier that the paper said 7 sets available in each store. The manager informed me that the paper said approximately 7. I verified his statement that the paper said that and asked what does approximately 7 mean to you? 2 was not his answer just a shrug. Everyone behind me was upset of course. I walked out. I am not asking you for a thing, but I wanted you to know that in my book approximately 7 is not 2. I have never sent in a complaint about anything before and this will be my last, because it sickens me to have to even deal with such stupidity on Sears part. I will no longer shop at Sears and I will tell anyone who wants to listen to my story not to shop there as well. I thought the Government had backward systems, but I guess it is everywhere. Very dissappointed for the 30 years I put in so you can treat me like this when I return.

R/

Perry Suter
Lieutenant Commander Retired/USN

I called the Sears Holding Corporation Customer Relations at [protected] and tried to speak with the President of Sears Holding Corporation, Bruce Johnson, and was completely blown off. I was calling to complain about their Doorbuster sales ads for Black Friday, which require someone to camp out all night to receive the limited sales items. I was told by Sears customer service on Thanksgiving Day that if I called the store (Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, NC) at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday, I could order the sales item directly from the store with my credit card. However, when I finally got someone to answer my call at 4:11 a.m., I was rudely told that I could not order a Doorbuster item over the phone from the store, and that I had to be there in
person. I tried to explain that due to my medical condition, I could not camp out. I was then told there was no reason for me to go there b/c they were already sold out of the Doorbuster item and the person immediately hung up the phone on me. This is total discrimination against those who cannot physically wait in line outside at midnight and then race into the store to receive, at the most, 4 quantities of an item on sale.

When I called Sears Holding Corporation twice trying to speak with Bruce Johnson, I ended up getting a Customer Relations Rep instead and asked to speak to their manager (the first person I spoke with had no sympathy or empathy, and
then called back and spoke with another person who said I could not have my complaint transferred away from the first person, even though he did not take my complaint seriously. I told them that I felt this practice of doorbuster items in person was not in compliance with the ADA. I also told them they had inconsistent pricing/ad policies because certain people knew you could buy the doorbuster items online the day before Black Friday but when I called customer service that day (Thanksgiving Day) they did not tell me that I could buy the item online at the Doorbuster price, rather they told me I had to buy it directly from the store but that I could call in to the store directly and buy it over the phone with my credit card, which was not honored. If I called the store today and wanted to order an item with my credit card, they would gladly take my order over the phone but today it is not on sale for 60% off of retail price and neither can I find it online
anymore.

Obviously, due to the fact that they have done little to remedy this situation and refuse to transfer my complaint to different person, to me this indicates they have little understanding or interest in the impact these practices have on those with disabilities. Please call them at [protected] and try to talk with Bruce Johnson directly b/c if you talk with someone else, your message will not reach Bruce Johnson. Something needs to be done to remedy this situation and make Sears aware of their discriminatory practices as well as other stores that practice similar policies.

In October of 2008, I called to refer to a Master Protection Agreement I had on a 37" TV and Sears rep said the warranty expired. I paid to have a technician to evaluate tv. Subsequently, I received a renewal notice from Sears informing me that the said TV was under Master Protection agreement through 10/31/2009. I then looked through my files and found the MPA.

I called to report the error and Customer Solutions (dept.) that handles the agreements acknowledged that Sears was in error, but would not honor the MPA because she said it had expired! Yes, I know that but when I called on 10/31/2008, I was told by Sears that the MPA had expired! Now, I paid $518.38 in 2006 for that agreement and I got screwed by Sears! All I got offered was a $100.00 gift certificate -- not even close to the MPA amount I paid -- not counting the $112.00 I paid to have the tecnician come to look at the TV in 2008 when it was indeed under warranty!

I have been a very good customer of Sears until now. I've bought all my kitchen appliances for a remodeled kitchen and at least 3 sets of washer/dryers over the years, plus several tvs and grills. But no more! I will never buy another Sears product or warranty again!

To Whom It May Concern:
My husband and I purchased a Kenmore Stove on 11/25/06 from Sears in Amarillo, Tx. We also purchased a 3 yr warranty. I have not had any problems with it until about a yr. ago. I had put in a brisket to bake at 300 degrees. There was a malfunction that occured and the broiler came on a literally seared the top of the brisket. It was ruined. I was upset, but I thought it was just a fluke. Then, about a month ago, I put mac and cheese in the oven to bake. I set the temp at 300 degrees. The broiler came on again and burnt the top of the mac and cheese. I tried everything I could think of, but the bottom heating element would not come on. I finally called the Sears repair number. This was about 3 weeks before my warranty was to expire. I waited for about a week for the repairman to show up, and every day, I would turn on the stove and all I could get was the broiler to come on. Finally, when the repairman showed up, he looked at the back of the stove, and unplugged and plugged it back in. It started working when he did that, so he said that he had fixed it. He told me that Sears policy is that if it is working when you get there, not to do anything to it. I argued and argued with him, to no avail. All he did was unplug it and plug it back in. I knew there was still something wrong with it. Then, low and behold, 5 days after my warranty expired, I could not get the burner to shut off, despite the fact that it was showing off. I am a really unhappy customer. I called the repair number again, and was ugly with them, which is not something I do often at all. They are sending someone out again to fix it, and if it doesnt get fixed this time, I will cancel our Sears cards and send the stove back to you guys. This is really a poor example of customer service. I want my stove repaired.

I purchased an Inglis Range from Sears in February of 2009. In March of 2009, the range's main panel broke and when I tried to return the product, the company wouldn't let me. They insisted on repairing it first stating that was their policy. Now, in November of 2009 the panel is broken again and they won't return the product stating it is now past the 90 day return policy. SEARS SCAMS their customers by stalling them long enough that their "return policy" takes affect and the customer is no longer allowed to return the product.

THEIR PRODUCTS SUCK

I am a hard worker. I earn my money, and I spend the discretionary income I have on carefully researched items that present themselves with the best value.

Enter Sears. I got married in July of this year. My grandfather-in-law sent us a nice $200 gift card to Sears. I thought that was great, considering that Sears has a long history of retail dominance in the US and has always seemed, to me at least, as a reputable dealer of quality merchandise.

My new bride and I decided a Playstation 3, with Blu-Ray capability, Wi-Fi, and advanced gameplay capabilities would be a great way to use our gift card, along with $100 of our own hard earned cash.

Sears, however, had other plans for me. In fact, on November 27th, Black Friday, while every other retailer had copious amounts of the product aforementioned in stock, Sears (in Salem, OR) did not. But, unabated by the singular location, I explored the internet. Sears.com - the wondrous platform that held the entire Sears, Roebuck, and Co. catalog showed the beautiful PS3 Slim in Portland. A mere 35 mile jaunt would produce instant gratification.

I decided that, in order to ensure I would capture my treasure without the fear of sell-out, I would order the product online and arrange for "Store Pick-Up"! What a great way to save time, guarantee my purchase would be in stock, and make sure I would be back in time to enjoy Assassin's Creed II before midnight!

Well, unfortunately, I did not know that Sears.com and Sears stores were 2, yes 2, separate entities. When I placed my order, I was assured I would be able to pick up my purchase "later today." The guide informed me that I would receive an email documenting my exact instructions on how to gather my bounty.

I did not receive my email within a couple of hours. Oh - how I thought "later today" would mean a few hours later, instead of "not likely today, but withing 24 hours of verifying your blood type and DNA, " but I digress.

I instead, being opportunistic and rather naive, decided that by the time I reached the store, I would indeed have received my conformation and be on my way with my PS3 in hand. This was not to be. As I reached the store, I was informed that there were verification issues with my debit card. I called the verification number, and a nice person, named Becca, verified that I was, indeed, who I was. She then assured me that in a matter o a few minutes, I would be able to claim the deliciously dubious and always out-of-reach treat for which my paycheck would be assigned to.

This was at 5pm.

Fast forward to 7pm. No word yet. System issues. Management can't determine the problem. In fact, local management, the one's running the store for which I had occupied for 2 hours in slim, recycled-soda-can, chairs, had informed me that there is nothing they can do. Sears.com is different from Sears retail, and that even though they had spoken to several people on the phone, could not take their word as gospel and even though I was charged for my purchase, would not, and could not release it to me.

I was instructed to come back in a hour.

Let's visit 8pm.

I return to the store after a few drinks at the local Red Robin - which were delicious - but irrelevent; my order, even though release from the prison in cyber-space by people at a call center that which may or may not actually be in the contiguous United States, or North America, or even the Western Hemisphere for that matter, the store could still not pull up my order from Sears.com, which again IS NOT SEARS. (I'm told)

8:30pm (4 hours into my hunt for the elusive PS3)

I am pissed now. I let the manager know that even though I understand that Sears.com and Sears are two, in fact, probably, 4 different entities tied together by a holding firm hidden on the moon away from society, there should be a human element that overrides onerous computer programs from preventing customer service, and indeed the cust0mer from receiving their in-fact paid-in-full purchases at said retail outlet.

Nope.

There is nothing they can do.

So here I am. 10:14pm. I have driven the 35 miles back in dead-lock post-Thanksgiving traffic to my home. I anticipate I will receive my confirmation email tomorrow. I will drive back to the Sears retail store, not Sears.com, which is an immaterial element that delivers angst, poor customer services, and despicable management training that does not allow someone to make a little note on a ledger somewhere:

"PS3 120GB Slim - Ser#: 2343221 - given to customer from Sears.com that was not functioning at
time of customer encounter. Management overrides confirmation after speaking with verification
hotline. Confirmation number available after systems restored and will be reflected in inventory at
that time"

Or something to that effect.

All in all, I feel that the management could have done something, but, gave me no option but to leave their store after 4 hours of travel, wait, and disappointment. I even tried to reason. Ship it to me, overnight, at no charge. Save me the gas.

No.

I was instead told, that I was the one in fact, who disobeyed the most remedial of instructions. Wait for the confirmation email.

Well. I guess, this may be all my fault. But, due to the complete lack of management ability to control their own stock, and help a lost customer, who even after spending what little hard earned cash he had in their retail, I will not ever spend any time, money, or fuel in my vehicle, shopping at Sears ever again.

I used to read the old Sears catalogs from 1913 that my great-grandparents had from the good-old-days. I guess, those values and qualities are no longer important.

Bottom line.

In and out.

Sears - you will no longer see me as a customer again.

Sincerely,
The customer who should have gone to Best Buy - who had 400 in stock for immediate purchase.

This is not the first time I have gotten HORRENDOUS "service" from Sears; you would think that I would have not returned to do business with them but alas, I did not learn my lesson-NOW I HAVE.
I went to sears after doing exstensive research on treadmills, the selection came down to Costco, which had one online, for a great price and all of the features I wanted, although would take 2-3 weeks to deliver. So then went to sears to see the in-store selection, as online there were quite a few. Once in the store, the associate, which I had to have someone in Refridgerators find so they could help me, tried to play on the status "top of the line", to which I remarked that I know what my price point is and the features I want so "top of the line" is not really my first consideration, price, warranty and features are. So he hung back and let me look, I narrowed ny choice to 2 treadmills, bot the same price, the sales person said that one had a rebate, I asked what the rebate was he did not know so went to check he came back and said "10%" I agreed to buy it, he rang it up I cut him a check which he ran electronically, and gave the check back along with the receipt of purchase. As I went to my car I noticed there was no rebate receipt or rebate form, so I called and was told that the rebate was only if you used a sears card-Why not tell me that in the beginning!?
I then went back, and spoke to the associate ad the manager, telling them that I wanted the rebate and to retain the sale I would like to put it on the sears card. I was told by the sales person adn the manager that the baset way was to "CANCEL the sale, which would result in the transaction not even going through, because if we did a return, since I never picked it up, it was still be processed." I canceled the transaction-a check transaction for $649.49, was reassured by the manager adn the sales associate that the transaction was canceled and would not go through, wrote another paid the $649.49 payment to my sears card, whcih was also processed electronically AND the CHECK handed back to me along with the receipt. I am looking at the receipt and see that there is actually only a 5% rebate and the sales person choose "delayed payments" which made me not elegible for the rebate, I asked him about this, he said that I told him that is what I wanted ! After we went through all of this to get a 10% REBATE! This was exhausting! Regardless, I was tired of dealing with this guy and his manager so decided to leave it and I picked up the treadmills and went home.
On Thanksgiving Day, I logged on to check my account and see that not only is most of my savings gone, but I also have numerous "OVERDRAFT" fees because to my surprise sear PROCESSED BOTH CHECKS AND DID NOT ISSUE A CREDIT!
I let this bother me all day, as I now have NO MONEYan overdrawn account and a reminder sitting in my den to remind me how much I dispise sears and how cheated I feel and how dishonest this "sales person" and the manger were-There was nothing I could do as everyone was closed.
The next mornign I called sears it took 12 phone calls, which were met by ringing, then transferred to a busy signal, being transferred 3 times only to get a RUDE woman who had NO IDEA what she was talking about as she was presistant in her confidence that my bank in fact made the "mistake "because we gave you the check back and you have the transaction number" I explained that I have both checks, as they were run electronically, and that both checks cleared, and there is not a credit for the first check, I was put on hold for about 30 minutes and when she came back she said the same thing and that my bank was to blame, AGAIN, I told her that sears infact did not process the credit, I asked to speak to a store manager adn was denied "Because he is on the sales floor and is very busy"! she asked for my number which I refused, as this was as much rediculousness as I wasnted this day-I called my bank, spoke to someone who actually understood the process of electronic checks, sales cancellations and saw that in fact there was not a refund or credit issued based on any transaction numbers that sears had given me.
I just want people to be aware of the deceptive practices and to really beware of these sales people who work for them, this is not the first time I have delat with dishonest and deceptive sales people who were too lazy, incompetent, or just plain dishonest, to do the right thing. It is so frustrating to have to go through this not to mention the financial strain it caused, my bank Firstlight Federal Credit Union was great in all of this- although Thanksgiving was ruined for me, I am frustrated, m angry and would love to just take this thing back, if it was not so big and heavy I would throw in a truck and get it right back and get every penny back.
The first experience I had was with a $600 LG BluRay player which broke 31 days after I purchased it, I would not open so I had to pay for a rental BluRay disc because they refused to try to get it out of the player. I had to fight with a VERY RUDE sales person to even get an exchange and had to wait a week to get it ordered!

Hi have an electric Kenmore Range model #[protected] which overheated and almost started a fire. I was making Thanksgiving dinner when I smelled something burning. I opened the oven which had been set at 350 degrees only to discover the top broiler element glowing red, and my pies charred and smoking. I quickly removed the pies and turned off the oven. I waited a few minutes and turned it back onto bake. An error code flashed for a brief second, and the broiler element went back on. We had to unplug the oven to keep the element from turning on. Even with all the settings on off, the broiler element glows. We called Sears, and they said we had to wait for a week for a service call, and pay $129 just for the person to show up. Then pay for a part and labor to put it in. The range is less than 6 years old and was on sale for $950 when it was purchased. This is obscene. I should keep an appliance in my home that has no fail safe shut off? I called my local Sears and they said there "was no recall, and I have to go through the service department no matter what" When I pointed out the fire hazard the sales manager said "You have to go through service."

Sears Service Saga
(A Case Study)
November 24, 2009

It all started when the sensor lights on my $250, two-year old Sears Progressive vacuum cleaner would not go out and the front light bulb began to flicker. I consulted my manual and checked for clogs and changed out all the filters. No luck. My vacuum had been used fewer than once per week in very light duty. No pet hair to contend with, a small carpeted area to clean and never suffering any clogs that might cause harm.

After research I found that the closest Sears store that would take repair items was located in Fairfield, CA where I purchased the vacuum. I reside in Napa, CA, 22.5 miles away. On a Thursday evening I dropped the vacuum off for repair. The representative told me that there was only one pickup for vacuum repairs (on Thursdays) and I had missed the truck so I would need to wait two weeks for the vacuum to leave the store.

On the third week I received an automated call indicating that my vacuum problem had been diagnosed and a number to call to learn the results. I called the number and after going through two menu items, was connected to a repair representative who informed me that the motor on the vacuum was defective and would have to be replaced for a repair charge of approximately, $112.00. I was shocked – first that a motor would go out on a vacuum with such light duty in such a short time and secondly, a repair bill that was almost half the cost of a new vacuum. I told the rep that I thought that failure was not reasonable and that under the circumstances, some adjustment seemed in order. This lady then said that she could not help me but that she would contact the technician who had diagnosed the problem and see what he said. Two days later a technician called me to say that the motor was going bad. (Note: I didn’t question the diagnosis, I just wanted to talk to someone who might consider an adjustment under the circumstances.) I then repeated my desire to have my case considered and he said that there was no way they could do that at this service location and that I would have to speak to a store manager at the Fairfield store. He then said that in the meantime I would need to decline to have the repair made and the unit would be returned to the store. I agreed and declined the repair.

One week later I received an automated call that my repaired item was ready for pickup. I then drove to the store and after explaining my situation to a representative in the customer pickup area and asked to speak to a store manager. A manager eventually came and I explained my situation and asked if there was any way that I might get an adjustment given the circumstances (the vacuum looks almost new so it is easy to see it has not had much use). He agreed that a motor should not go out so soon and maybe it was a defect from the factory or other problem but then he said that they were not permitted to make any adjustments at the store level. He would give me a number to call and said that this person would make a decision very quickly, probably while I was on the phone. (Was he ever wrong!) I went to my car and called the number on my cell. I reached a menu list with no choices that clearly corresponded to my situation. I chose a service repair option and was placed on hold. After some time a representative answered and I told him my story. At first he could not find my record after I gave him my telephone number. In time, he did find the record but had some difficulty understanding my issue. Eventually I did make him understand and he went off line for a while to consult with someone. When he returned he could not help me with this but he would give me another number that would work for me. The next number: another menu again with no clear choice and no guidelines offered of which to choose. I made a choice and told my story to another rep. Again I was told that they could not help me and they gave me still another number to call.

I dialed the next number and was again confronted with a menu and forced to play a guessing game of which choice to make. I chose one and “Chuck” answered. It turned out that Chuck was a “.com” representative. Once again I went through my story and once again heard “I can’t help you.” But this time he went on to say I’m going to give you a direct number into customer relations and they should be able to help you. (Bless you Chuck for a direct number!) This number I dialed and this representative listened to my story and once again told me that he could not help me but said he would connect me with (I think he said a “jobber”.) who he said could assist me. I asked him if he could give me a direct number in case we got disconnected and he said no, he had to dial an extension. And now Yolanda came on the line, a very pleasant lady (all the people had been polite). Once again I tell her my story and doggone if she doesn’t say, “I bought a vacuum cleaner many years ago for $80 and it is still going strong!” In her next breath, she says, I can’t help you. You will have to contact the service people! Now I have completed the circle! I then related the saga of my telephone experience and then she said, “Hold on, I’m going to check something and it may be a long time. Don’t hang up.” “OK, I said and then there was silence. When she at last came back on the line 35 minutes have elapsed since my last call. She said that Sears would issue me a $50 gift certificate that will be mailed to me. She went on to say that she must build a case and put me on hold again. (I can now hear typing in the background.) She came back on the line and said she was almost finished. A moment later I was disconnected from the call! When I try to redial I’m connected to another menu so in frustration I gave up and drove home. Forty-six minutes elapsed on this last call! Now Sears did something right – when I got home there was a call from Yolanda saying we were disconnected and that the gift certificate would be mailed.

The next day I attempted to call the store to ask them to return the vacuum for repair. Unfortunately, I could not get connected to a human being at the store and menu choices shunted me over to the central technical services people who informed me I must return to the store. I again returned to the store trying to explain to the nice lady that they have my vacuum cleaner that I wish to have returned to the service center for repair. She eventually understood my request after first thinking that the vacuum had already been repaired. She consulted with someone in the back room and then said that she must write a new repair order at which point I ask her if that means that they will re-diagnose the problem and charge me another diagnostic fee? She is not sure – and she confirms to me that the repair bill is $112. I asked her if that included a diagnostic fee and she replied that she assumed it did, but she would check. After some time, a gentleman appears who informs me that a $29.95 diagnostic fee is not included in the $112 charge (now that $50 gift certificate really looks small.). He points out that the repair order I signed allows for such a fee (and I didn’t dispute this) but he would waive the charge this time. He says the charge may still appear on the final bill but I will not be charged. (Not sure how that bit of magic will occur, if it does.) Then I tell him what I went through on the telephone with Sears. He is sympathetic and even says that, as employees, they have the same problems going through multiple menus and getting to correct numbers in the Sears network. At this point I told him that I would write a case study of my experience and he offered the hope that maybe such a letter would lead to some changes. Interesting…. After another wait, another representative came out to tag the vacuum cleaner and presented me with another work order to sign. I asked him if the unit would go out for repair today (it is a Thursday morning) and he thought it probably will.

Four days passed and it is now Tuesday, November 17, 2009. I received two automated messages today saying that my repair item was ready to be picked up. At last I will have my repaired vacuum cleaner – this is good turnaround, I’m thinking. Once again I make the trip to Fairfield, now a total of 67 miles on the car. The Sears rep goes into the back room to look for my vacuum but he cannot find it. He asked me to describe it and I tell him it is a grey Progressive that looks almost new. He returns, telling me the only vacuum he sees is one to be sent out for repair. He goes back out and returns again. It is my vacuum that has not yet been sent out! Someone apparently failed to update the automated telephone database that thinks I’ve never picked up my vacuum or they saw mine sitting in the store and thought it had already been repaired! Ugh! Now I have no way of knowing which “it’s ready for pickup” message in the future is for real. The rep assures me that he will call and get the problem corrected. Two hours have now passed since I returned home. I suspect that he is still on the phone lost in a morass of menus and I don’t have much hope.

November 20th, received call from service center rep who told me the motor was going out and they would repair it and waive the labor charge. The repair cost would be $60.

November 24th, received automated call indicating my repair item is ready for pickup. Will today, my fourth round trip from Napa be my final one?
I arrived at the store at 1:30 p.m. and after searching for a while, the Sears rep came out and told me that my vacuum was on a truck that would arrive late this afternoon. This is after receiving two automated calls indicating the repaired item was ready for pickup!

It’s now November 25th and once more I have traveled to the store to pick up the vacuum (the 5th round trip). When I return home with the vacuum and unwrap it, I discover much to my dismay that the telescoping wand and crevice tools are missing! I give up dealing with Sears at this point.

For over 50 years I was a Sears’ customer. I recall as a young man looking forward to the arrival of the Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward mail order catalogs. I’ve always felt that Sears stood behind its products. My purchases have provided enough in profits to Sears to pay for many, many vacuum cleaners. Over these years it became impossible to pick up a phone and speak to your local Sears representative about a problem.

The customer service challenge of a large company is to “act small”. That is, to treat the customer as if they were in the small store in their home town. In this case, the personalized service would have been for the first Fairfield store manager to take the time to connect me by phone with the person I needed to talk to, rather than passing on a telephone number that was problematic. What a different outcome could have been possible!

I was in to get 4 new tires for my truck and the service/ sales people working there were to buzy selling a lady 1 new tire instead of repairng it . It took 3 sales service people to convince this lady to buy a tire so when I requested help and they told me we will be right with you I said I will take my business elsewhere since selling 1 tire is more important than selling 4. the sales/service people just stood there looking at each other. smart business .

I recently had sears home comfort upgrade my furnace, water tank and A/C. The A/C unit was a display model open box thereby reducing the cost about $400 dollars which was supposed to have been used to improve the duct work in my basement. The contractors said they didn't do it because they found sufficient duct work once they opened the ceiling.
So the question now is ...Where is my $400 ?
The salesman hasn't returned my calls though I've given him ample opportunity.

Sears harrassment unwarrented, to an 87 yr old widow.

My mother has had a sears card with sears since they moved to Canada so 50yrs ago, she has always supported sears and has paid her bill always before or on time. She recently moved as her husband passed aways, so the bill got sent to the old address.
So instead of Sears credit calling and gently reminding her that her bill of $104. was over due they found it necessary to call her for times in one day, speaking loudly and quickly to her say that she had to come in immediately, stress that they would have to forward her account to a collections agency. How rude! Do you think Sears could possibly take the time to see who they were talking to maybe take a minute and do some back ground work to check credit or age of the person they are dealing with.

My mother and our family will no longer support sears, hope it was worth the $104. for sears!

Sears’s horrible customer service personnel

I purchased an LT clothes dryer and washer from Sears. Both have broken down on several occasions within a year. I have had many and lengthy dealings with the awful people who man the phones and are supposed to provide the services of “professionally trained Technicians” for Sears’s customers.

These people do every thing possible to make the whole experience catastrophic. (I must be clear …. WHEN the professionally trained Technicians eventually arrive they are superb).

Wherever the people who answer the phones are located and whether they are a sourced out system for Sears, they do the company and the customer great harm.

The people managing the phones are rude and do everything possible to make an already distressing situation horrible. As mentioned in a previous complaint on this site
I was told to “hang my clothes out on a clothes line.”

Before you are tempted to buy appliances from Sears or to suffer the disadvantages of their rude phone personnel, please think it over and talk to others, and then go somewhere else where service and the customer matter.

On October 30, 2009 I purchased a Nodic Track T5 Treadmill (24955) from Sears. The Sears associate explained to me that if I had any problems a part would be replaced or the whole treadmill would be replaced if necessary. I had my delivery of the treadmill on November 6, 2009. Upon setting up the treadmill the delivery technician found a broken cross bar. He called Sears from my home and had Sears order the new part. Two days later, 11-8-09, Sears called me and said I needed to order the part myself. So on November 9, 2009 I called in and ordered the cross bar. I was told that I would recieve the part in a week. On November 18, 2009, I still had not recieved the part so I called Nordic Track and was told the part was out of stock andthey had no idea when they would be able to ship the part. So I then called Sears and explained I have a broken treadmill and can't seem to get a part for it. I asked if they had this treadmill in stock at the store and they said they had 3 of them in stock. So I requested they bring me one from the store and change it out with mine. After checking with management I was told yes they could do that. Then I recieved a call later that day and was told that was not going to be possible after all and they would have to order another one, plus it would be about 2 weeks to get it in and set up delivery. They then asked if I could bring the broken one back to the store. I paid $65.00 to have the first one delivered less than 3 miles from the store. I told them they could take the broken one when they bring me a working treadmill. On November 19, 2009 I am feeling very unsatisfied with this whole situation and decided I would just be better getting a refund. I went to the store and asked for a refund of the treadmill and the delivery charge and was told the delivery charge was non-refundable. I told them, so you are making me to pay a delivery charge for a product that was not usable. His answer again was, its not refundable. I find this to be very poor customer service and will not consider making any future major purchases with Sears. Thank you.