Sears review: Poor quality product! 158

Here's an update. I posted my original complaint in July. My refrigerator is being repaired for free under the service flash SF46-515. FINALLY ! I was told on two occasions that my fridge was not one of the models covered under the service flash, but I made the appointment anyway.

The tech walked in my house and showed me the "safety recall sheet" which listed my fridge model. Who knows why the "call center" couldn't find my model # on the list when I called both times! The sheet also said it is covering all fridges manufactured by LG for a period of 3 years after purchase date.

So all of you out there who are being told by the SEARS call center that you aren't covered, be persistent and make that appointment. The new parts have been ordered and should be installed in a week. FINALLY !

Just spoke with a service tech at SEARS. have someone coming out on TUESDAY (a week from now) to look at it. Mentioned the Service Flash, and it was noted, although I have to pay the $69 service call anyway. THEN, the parts and labor may be covered for the next trip out. The tech also told me that a service flash is just that...a notice that all that is needed is service to the product, that it is NOT a safety issue...or it would be called a "Safety Flash." That being said, she filled out a formal safety concern that will be sent to the USCPS. Otherwise, the USCPS looks up all our comments and notes this is only a service issue, not a safety issue.

We have to stick to our guns. This is a safety issue and should not be brushed off as a service issue for which we are paying!

Here's what's gone on in my area... this is the Dallas/Ft Worth area by the way. I suspect that geographical regions are experiencing different things?

The repair man who came to my house waived the fee back in July, when the Service Flash hadn't even gone into effect. From what I gather, this SF began in early August? Apparently the SEARS repair guys have the authority to determine if they'll actually charge the $69 service fee or not. So then when I actually got someone out under the SF, nothing was charged then either.

My opinion is that YOU, personally, need to file with the USCPS yourself. It's not difficult or time consuming, and it's available to do online. Don't allow someone else to do it, or it'll probably not get done!

Of course you are correct to say that it's a safety issue, so take matters into your own hands. Get the info into the USCPS's hands and it will help other people who aren't online right now and learning about this.

Last night, noticed a burning smell from the refrigerator. It was pure luck that we noticed it at 10:15pm. My Kenmore Elite Trio, purchased May 2007, was having the problem where the lights do not go off when the doors shut.

Called Sears to place a service call. The tech will be out sometime on Monday, which I think is way too long to wait.

Removed the bulbs, after unplugging the fridge and letting it cool down for quite some time. The area that houses the bulbs started to melt and is discolored from all of the heat. Who knows how long the lights were on.

Did a quick search on the internet and found many posts reporting the same problem. This is unbelievable! This is a known issue and it seems like nothing is being done. This is a major fire hazard.

I will be reporting this to the CPSC and calling Sears back to update the service call with the service flash information.

Has anyone called Consumer Reports yet, I will be. They had this refrigerator rated favorably back on 2007. I would hope the rating would change if they had this information.

This is becoming very funny, SEARS! Well, not really...

So, I stayed out of work today, because I was told by a service tech that he would be by to install the replacement parts under this SF46-515. No one showed up. I have not yet received the ordered parts either. Can I charge Sears for a day out of the office?

Then I called the Sears Service dept, and spoke with yet another foreigner about my fridge. All I can do at this point is laugh, knowing I will never again by another product from Sears.

Anyway, we scheduled another appt for next Friday (not holding my breath).

Same problem on my Trio, 9/28/08. Opened the door smelled burning. I disconnected the fridge and unscrewed the lightbulbs. I will also be lodging a complaint with CPSC and also with the NYS Attorney General because when someone dies as a result of the fire this will eventually cause, it will be a criminal matter because Sears knew of the problem and did not fix it.

Here's the latest on my fridge situation. It was repaired today, free of charge. Sears replaced the entire light assembly and the control board. I did not have to pay for parts, labor or the service call fee of $65. I am very pleased that I finally got this taken care of. I have been living with a dark fridge since July, plus the fear of what else could go wrong. The tech explained to me that it can't happen again, since they incorporated a safety shut off in the socket so that if by some chance the light doesn't shut off, when the light reaches a certain temp, it will SHUT OFF.

Please do not give up on getting this repaired! Make that appointment and BE SURE TO TELL THE REPAIR TECH ABOUT SERVICE FLASH 46-515.
Print out this list from complaintsboard.com and show him if he has a problem. Good Luck!

Purchased Kenmore Elite Trio Refrigerator on 6/06. Same light issue. Talked to recall dept. today and was told that I won't be charged for parts, under the Service Flash 46-515. And no service charge cause she linked the Service Flash to Service Unit 8735. My appointment is on 10/8. I'll let you know how it all goes.

Ahhh, finally fixed. However not without a lot of pain along the way.

Sears finally fixed my fridge (new circuit board, and light assembly) free of charge. This is what they should have told me they would do when I made my initial phone calls to the company. After speaking with Customer Service and Recall departments, they left me feeling like I was going to have to cough up money to fix it. And no one had any idea what Service Flash 46-515 was. The tech who fixed my fridge says "Really - they should well know what this service flash is".

Not sure why I got the runaround and had to put in so much of my time and energy (and frustration) to get this fixed.

I feel badly for anyone who paid money to get their's fixed.

Like a broken record here - I too have been given the run around, after endless hours of phone calls to Sears. I have one of these refrigerators and last Friday morning the same thing that others have experienced happened to me. Melted light cover that melted onto the light bulbs, and burnt the light bulb sockets and ruined food. This could have easily caught on fire. Through all my phone calls I was informed that there is NO recall on this. In speaking to One Source-Corporate Office the guy "acted" like he had no idea what I was talking about, like he'd not heard of this from any one else! The best he said could be done is that I could arrange for service tech to come and I could be REIMBURSED up to $150 for service call and up to $100 for parts & labor. I think it should not cost me anything other than maybe the service call of around $69. I have filed complaints with CPSC and the Federal Trade Commission and will write a letter to Sears CEO, Bruce Johnson.

We're dealing with the same issues, just like everyone else. We bought our Trio in July 2006 and just last month (sept 08), I noticed around 7pm that inside the fridge was warm, smelled like burnt plastic and the lights did not seem to shut off. I had opened our fridge that morning around 7 am, so I'm guessing the lights had been on the whole 12 hrs we were both away from home for work. Nice to know that our fridge could have caught on fired and burned our house down, with our dogs in it. But my husband was able to take one of the bulbs out of the crispy brown sockets, but the other shattered. And our fridge has been running, but in the dark since. Now, we're dealing with the service flash, calling in to talk to Sears. My husband called a few weeks ago to Sears and they had said that they didn't know if our fridge was under warranty and that they'd call to let us know if it was. We didn't get a return call. He called in again only to have them tell us that the fridge was out of warranty and there was nothing they could do. I refused to believe that this was the end of the road for us trying to resolve the issue. I started searching around online for other people who have had the same problem and low and behold, there are dozens. This site has been extremely helpful with all the other people who are dealing with the same issue. And it was this board where I found the service flash. If not for finding it here, I would have never known. So, my husband called in again today to ask about the service flash and the rep wasn't sure what it was. He looked on our account and found a "red flag" stating we have the fridge in question and we were to be contacted about it. The rep said the flag didn't have a date, so we aren't sure when it was posted. However, WE had to call THEM to ask about it. Convenient. Anyway, my husband was directed to call another # about the service flash. So that's where we are now with it. I will push for this to be fixed and I refuse to pay a single cent to fix it. This is ridiculous that a fire hazard in a fridge is this much of a hassle to fix. Apparently it won't be a big deal until someone's house burns down. I've already reported the issue to Consumer Affairs and also the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It's "nice" to know that there are so many others dealing with this. Not nice that any of us have to deal with it, but nice that so many others can vouch for the same issue. I will keep you posted with how our issue turns out.

Well, my husband had called [protected] and spoke to the rep, Jay, who wasn't sure what the service flash was and then told us about the flag. He told my husband he had to call [protected]...he called this number and they told him that our fridge (model #[protected]) is not part of the recall. He then called back to 4505 and spoke to a supervisor, John, who was handling the 2nd call since the account is flagged. He told my husband that he neeed to call 7026 since they would have to help him since the account is flagged. My husband told him he had just called that # and they had said our fridge is not part of the recall, which is why he called back to 4505. John said that he wasn't sure who else he needed to talk to and didn't have any answers as to who else to call. My husband is irritated because this is a fire hazard and we still have a light bulb stuck in the socket since it's melted in there (and shattered). John told my husband that it is highly unlikely that the fridge would catch fire because fire can't start where it is cold. He also told my husband that if we are worried about a fire, we should just unplug the fridge. Riiiight, we'll just unplug our fridge, lose all our food and be without it all because this stupid company won't fix the issue! Now I guess we have to deal with calling the manufacturer, LG. My husband is going to call them at [protected] and see where we get. At this point, all we're getting is the run around since Sears doesn't seem to want to fix the issue. I'm sure they don't want to do the repair for free and there is no way in H that I am going to pay to fix it. This is ridiculous! I also wrote a complaint to the Iowa Attorney General...

I have had the same problem. Our light cover was falling of for a day or so. Then tonight, before going to bed, I sneak a snack to discover all the food on the top self is hot. Not warm, but HOT. I have to toss all the food on the top shelf out and undo the bulbs (burning fingers in the process, I don't kn0w why I didn't think about unplugging it for a bit.)

Anyways, I appreciate all you input on the SF 46-515. I felt I was alone in this problem and was going to be David against Goliath. You have given me hope. I already filed my compliant online, and will call the 1-800 numbers tomorrow with the service flash number.

Again thank you all for the legwork, and if you haven't complained yet, please do. No one needs to loose their house or family due to SEARS not wanting to cut into profits.

I purchased my Kenmore Elite, French door, bottom freezer refrigerator, Model #795 [protected] in Dec 06. I smelled something platic burning on 10/31/08. Opened the refrigerator doors and the whole thermostat display housing was hanging from the roof of the refrigerator.

The light bulbs were on but the alarm was not going off telling me the doors were open. The top of the refrigerator (inside) is bubbling from being melted. The light bulbs sockets are brown from excessive heat.

I have spent all day on the phone with Sears trying to get help for my 23 month old refrigerator. They won't fix it unless I buy an extended warrantly for $250 or I pay for a technicians visit and parts. My unit is not coverd under the service flash.

I searched the problem on the internet and there are hundreds of complaints just like mine. I am filing a BBB complaint and calling my local TV station, KATU to see if they can get it repaired. This is ridiculous. I guess someone's house has to burn down to get it fixed :(

Same problem with my fridge. The whole light unit melted off. I'm currently fighting Sears about fixing it. I reported them to the Consumer Protection Agency a couple a month ago and was told it would be published on the site. Funny thing is that when I do a search I can't find any articles about this problem. If so many people are reporting Sears, including myself, why aren't these complaints showing up? I think I will also report them to the BBB and FTC. It's not right that they are getting away with not issuing a recall on this obviously defective fridge. Sears gets a F- on this one.

Here's a new twist, affectings SEAR TRIO & ELITE FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR/FREEZERS WITH THROUGH THE DOOR ICE/WATER, WITH MODEL NUMBERS STARTING WITH 795, MANUFACTURED BY LG.
Google DOE AGREEMENT LG REFRIGERATOR ENERGY.
You will be surprised to find that the above described unit have lost their Energy Star rating, are not energy efficient, and if you do even more research you will find that: LG manufactured the Sears French Door refrigerator/freezer. LG, knew of the US Dept. of Energy's procedures for confirming claims made by the manufacturer in order to obtain the Energy Star rating (this is also the monetary amounts shown on the yellow tag that advise you as the amount of money this unit should cost to operate for one year). LG maliciously and intentionally inserted a circuit board, that would recognize that DOE testing was occuring, and would shut down certain operations of the product, so that a false reading would show the utilization of less electricity than the unit would really utilize in your home or during testing.
LG being aware that the seal on the doors are not keeping in the cold, and the front doors are insulated improperly, especially in the area of the ice maker (this is why if you touch the font doors, they are cold, the sides are not), hence a refrigerator that is statically giving off too much cold air, and not keeping the cold inside the refrigerator, and doubling the cost of the operation of the unit.
LG knowing this, placed in the circuit board, an ap that when certain criteria was met (as in testing, your your personal use, etc.) the unit would shut down the operation of the refrigerator/freezer, thus falsely reporting a lower energy useage. The ap shuts down the part of the unit that keeps the humidiy low (frost free) in the refrigerator and freezer, thus when a certain ambient temperture in a certain area of the refrigerator/freezer unit is reached (90 degrees f), the unit shuts down, resulting in food & drink in the refrigerator being covered in condensation, uneven cooling, foods not being kept at 40 degrees or less (as required when refrigeration is required of a food), then need of you residence's heating cooling system to compensate for the energy loss from the refrigerator into your kitchen, etc.
This now explains why I must set the thermostat temps far below 40 degrees in the refrigerator and zero in the freezer, to keep food cold and or frozen. It explains why the inside of my refrigerator is always full of condensation, and different areas are different temperatures.
Now to fix the unit, LG agreed with DOE that they are willling to send a tech out to replace the circuit board, so that your energy consumption doubles, while it is alledged that inside the refrigerator and freezer the humidity will be kept low and free of frost, while not fixing the front doors problem.
LG is will to send the consumer 7-30 dollars for a period UP TO 14 years as compensation for additional energy uesage of the unit.
Why has no one sued SEARS & LG yet? This would be a class, and the circuit board, already caught by DOE, which LG has admitted to fraudulently placing in the unit, is evidence against LG, proving intentional fraud. The amount to make me whole again is much more than $4 a year.
Sears has made no attempt to contact me in this matter. Calls to Sears are fruitless, as they claim to not know anything about this matter. Calls to LG result in being told that since I didn't send my registration card in, they could not find me to notify me, even though I paid for in through my Sears account

As a Sears service tech I am aware of the problem. There is a service flash out that others have refured to. Most of the service flashes (SF's) we have are to make us aware of possable failures but there are flashes like the one indicated by others that are charge back to manufacture (no charge to cust). I do not know why but not all models fall under sf. As bad as it may be I still think Sears is the best of all LARGE retail/service companies. We aren't always up to date on SF's but we can call tech dept. to get current info. If you have a service man out and he does not know ask that he calls STAC dept to see if there is anything. I do have to say that if Sears is repairing some of the Kenmores (free) and LG unit aren't that should tell consumers that Sears/Kenmore does go beyond what other brands will.

If anyone is having it repaired make sure control board and light socket asm +melted plastic are replaced. It will be repaired no charge if it falls under Model and Ser #. I regret all of your heartaches

On 2/10/09 I smelled something burning when I opened my Kenmore Elite Trio Model # 795.[protected] Manufacture Date 2007.02. I opened and closed the door several times to see if the odor was from the refrigerator, freezer or some other source. I was able to narrow it down to the light in the roof of the refrigerator. The temperatures reported on the door were proper refrigerator and freezer settings. I made sure the doors were closed properly and waited about an hour. When I checked the smell was still present and the light fixture was extremely hot. The food on the top shelf was hot to the touch. I needed an oven mitt then changed to welding gloves to detach the housing and remove the light bulbs. The plastic fixture was soft and melting away from the roof of the refrigerator. There is a 1-800-4-My-Home telephone number inside the unit which I called. I asked about fire danger his only interest was about the price of the service visit $75.00 and trying to get me to pay $250.00 for a warranty that could potentially cover the service call, replacement up to $500.00 that was only possible if I committed at the time of the call. I was concerned about the potential risk of fire and I was told I misunderstood the costs being described to me. I declined paying any amount over the phone but scheduled a service visit for 36 -40 hours after my call. Then I searched for recalls or additional information similar to what I was experiencing and found the following link Sears / Kenmore Elite Refrigerator — Poor quality product! and there are over 60 complaints nearly identical to mine that were listed starting July 7, 2007 to as recently as 2/5/09. I am registering this incident at www.cpsc.gov and canceling the service visit. I will also copy and paste this account on www.compaintsboard so that other individuals may know about this potential problem. I also intend on calling the product safety commission during open hours.

I experienced the same situation on 2/7/09. I spoke with the service department, warranty department and recalls and was told that my model 795.[protected] was not covered under the SF46-515. I spoke to OneSource and they offered to reimburse me $250 towards my repair. Unbelievable! Sears is obviously aware of this situation and they will do nothing about it. I've contacted my local news media and hope that someone will take interest. These refrigerators are fire hazards! I'm expecting to have my fridge serviced tomorrow and hope that the repairs are actually covered otherwise they are going to have a serious fight on their hands.

I have the identical model 106.[protected] and my walls are cracking too!

I also own a Kenmore Elite and tonight (2-23-09) I discovered the same problem with the light bulbs staying on (despite the fridge doors being closed) and causing the plastic cover to melt and fall off. The light bulb sockets are scorched brown! I will file a complaint with cpsc.gov and give the Safety Flash a go.

This is so ridiculous! I have two dogs and had I been out of the house longer, this could have turned into a fire. I can't believe so many of us have had the exact same issue. This needs to be a class action suit.

Well, we're still dealing with trying to get this issue fixed and have been trying since Sept 08 when it happened. So, here we are 6 months later still having made no progress and still getting the run around. My husband and I have called numerous Sears numbers several times and no one seems to know what to do. All we get is the "it's out of warranty" line and that's there's nothing they can do for us...we'd have to pay for the parts and repairs since we don't have the extended coverage plan. We even called the manufacturer, LG, to see if we could get anywhere with them and all they could say was to wait and see if there would be a recall issued. Well that was a couple months ago and still nothing... We did, however, receive the letter in the mail from Sears about the fact that our model was one of the many that lost their energy star rating and we would be able to have this fixed for free. So, I called about it and got the parts ordered for free and the parts just came today. So now we just have to set up a service appt to have a tech come install the parts. When I talked to Sears about this part, I had asked him what we can do about fixing our light issue and he seemed uninterested about helping and again said there's nothing they can do since it's out of warranty. He said the only other thing we can do is ask the service tech about it when he comes. We're really hoping that when the tech comes, he will see that something is wrong with the light housing and I hope he knows about this issue. Best case scenario would be that he orders the parts for us for free and returns to fix it for free. I'm really crossing my fingers for this since I have no idea what else to do...

Well our service tech showed up yesterday (3/12/09) to do the energy efficiency rework that had to be done after a bunch of fridge models lost their energy star rating. He was really nice, by the way. It was a new computer board that had to be replaced, which I think was part of the reason it fried our lights. While the tech was there we had him look at the light assembly and housing and he thought there might be a rework (they pay) or a fix it (we pay) for it and would check on his computer. After he replaced the energy effiency rework of the computer board, he checked on his computer and said it did not say there was a rework, but he said he would call in to check on it and let us know. He did call and check and said that yes, there was a rework for the light assembly/housing and said he would have the parts ordered and set up another service call for 2 weeks. FINALLY. After 6 months of dealing with stupid customer service and going round and round on this, it will finally all be fixed in 2 weeks! I am so unhappy that it took this long to finally get it fixed, but glad it will finally be over with. But, had the energy efficiency issue not come up to where it needed to be fixed, there was no way for us to get a tech out to look at it without us having to pay. The customer service people didn't know what the heck was going on with the service flash and the techs did. That's pretty backwards. Especially since the techs know more than customer service, but you have to go thru customer service first! I hope everyone else will be able to get their fridge fixed and be done with this issue. It's ridiculous that Sears/LG did not set up a recall for this issue and notify it's customers... Instead it came down in a roundabout way with the energy star rating loss.

Our fridge model # is 795-[protected]. I hope everyone else will be able to get theirs fixed without having to pay. No one should have to pay for a mistake made by the manufacturer!

I too own this side by side model refrigerator. I have placed a thermometer in both the frig and freezer sections and proactively pull out all of the food in the freezer to melt the ice block that obstructs the cold airflow into the refrigerator, I have complained to Sears and have received no help with this problem. I will never purchase another item at Sears as long as I live, BOYCOTT SEARS EVERYONE AND COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN to phone number [protected]! REcord your own conversations and date-time-and customer service rep. record! According to the customer service rep, nothing will be done unless there are sufficient complaints.

It Is very sad that some large organizations will wait until something disasterous happens, and have to pay millions of dollars in settlements, instead of honoring consumer complaints.

I also have an Elite Trio Refrigerator, and have the same problem with the interior lights not going out when the doors close.
Fortunately i caught the problem before any plastic melted.

God forbid, a unit catches fire, and there is a fatality because a house burnt down.

What will sears say then, we are sorry for your loss, we apologize for not listening to hundreds of complaints about the light bulbs burning the inside of the refrigerators, causing extensive damage.

A refrigerator can be replaced, A LIFE CAN NOT

No doubt Sears Execs do not use Sears products, they are too dangerous.

This is long, but what I have sent.. PLEASE listen.. PLEASE contact me.. spkar0517@optonline.net

Our families are in danger

In the spring of 2007, I purchased a Sears Kenmore refrigerator from the Galleria Mall, White Plains NY store. The model number of the appliance is 795.[protected] and the serial number is 701MRQK15420.

About two months after the one year warranty expired, we had a serious problem with the appliance. We noticed that the light inside the refrigerator was not turning off after the doors were closed. You could only notice this if the kitchen lights were out as you could see traces of light inside between the doors. We would reopen and shut the doors to get the light to turn off. Sometimes we were sure the lights were out, and returned to the kitchen later only to see that they were on again.

There was a time when we arrived home to a heavy smell of something burning. It did not take long to find the source. The lights in the refrigerator apparently were on for some time with no one home. The bulb housing had actually melted and the entire lighting fixture had fallen down onto the top shelf connected now only by a wire. We immediately disconnected the housing wire. I can only wonder how close to a major fire we were. We have three children living at home at the thought was terrifying.

I immediately called the number listed inside my appliance for assistance. The label actually reads “Call 1-800-4-My-Home” - “24 Hours a day, 7 days a week for Sears Repair Service”. I was told that Sears would not even send anyone to my home unless I paid the $75 or so service fee. I did some online research and found that many other people had experienced the same problem. I was frustrated at having to pay a service fee for such a hazardous exposure. Actually, speaking to someone helpful in customer service is nearly impossible. I resorted to emails, trying to get someone to simply call me to discuss the matter. All I ever received back were more automated emails stating that I needed a service technician to come to the house and yes, I did indeed need to pay the fee. I finally agreed and scheduled the service.

By that time the refrigerator less than 16 months old. In addition to the bulb housing issue, the freezer top sliding tray was totally broken. Our ice maker never worked properly. The insulation around the doors was peeling away. The service tech advised that the cost to fix the other items was substantial, so we had him fix the light housing only.

That lack of attention and service by Sears always bothered me, but I let it go. We now at least had a light in the refrigerator so we could see.

It is now April 2009. The appliance is less than two years old and the bulb housing is new as of early summer 2008. On Tuesday evening April 14, 2009, I was downstairs watching television with my children. My husband came home around 9pm and called me to come upstairs as something was burning. Again, it did not take long to find the cause. The “NEW” bulb housing in the refrigerator was burning again. We immediately removed the bulbs to prevent the situation from becoming more hazardous. It had not yet melted to the point that we could disconnect the electrical wiring, so I do not know how safe it is. The defective housing unit is still mounted inside the appliance.

I immediately called the number listed next to the serial number in the appliance. “Call 1-800-4-My-Home” - “24 Hours a day, 7 days a week for Sears Repair Service”.

I did not get the name of the first ‘customer service’ person I was connected to. I relayed the situation but was told I had to call back during the day. I asked for supervisor and was promptly disconnected with the pretense of transferring me. Call number two resulted in similar consequences after my request to speak to a supervisor.

My husband overheard my conversations and advised me to ask the name and ID number for each person I spoke with.

I understand that it was after 9pm. I was simply looking for a Sears customer service person who cared about this hazardous situation that would have someone contact me the next day to provide immediate assistance which was obviously needed.

Call number three was with Mario- ID # 4607. I asked immediately for a supervisor. I was not going to go through this long history again. I also asked not to be just transferred as I had been disconnected twice. He finally transferred me (I was sure that was going to be disconnect #3) but instead Chris –ID # 46784 picked up. I explained the situation and the urgency of the matter. Again I was told I had to call back during daytime hours. Not one person was willing to take my contact information and have someone call me back first thing in the morning. After some time, Chris just blatantly hung up on me – not even with the pretense of transferring the call.

By this time, my husband was angered as well. This is Sears, a major seller of appliances, AND we are dealing with their own Kenmore brand. We have a serious fire hazard situation. We are a family of five. If this was your family I am sure you would be as concerned as we are over the safety of this appliance. This is the SECOND bulb housing unit. It is obvious that there is a problem with it. I do NOT know and am not comfortable in the idea that just unscrewing the bulbs have prevented continued electrical problems and the potential for a fire. My family and home are in serious risk and the customer service people at sears do not care.

We decided to record call number 4. By this time it is 11pm. I have been trying for two hours to get someone to listen to me, understand our concerns and provide some assistance. I was first connected to Roy – ID # 586651 and asked who his supervisor was. I was told it was Louis. I asked to be connected. He wanted to put me on hold. I refused. I advised the call was being recorded. He wanted to transfer me. I again refused. I asked him to put the phone down, and go ask his supervisor to come to his station to speak with me. After some time Jay – ID # 1229 came on the line. We were never put on hold – Jay picked up the same phone Roy had. I also advised Jay we were recording the phone call.

After going through all of the above AGAIN, Jay advised he could not help me and I would have to call tomorrow. I asked Jay who his supervisor was and he advised that he did not have one. I rephrased, and asked Jay who he reported to. He stated again that there was no one above him. My husband and I continued to remind him that we were recording the phone call. In the end Jay also blatantly hung up the phone.

I also work in customer service. If I EVER spoke to a customer the way the Sears customer service team spoke to my husband and myself, I would be fired on the spot. It was unprofessional and disgraceful. It was also unacceptable to me – the customer.

I had decided that I was going to approach the corporate officers. On Wednesday morning I found the contact information for the executive offices and the names of some of the executives. I called the main number – [protected]. I just wanted to confirm the name of the current CEO so that I could address my complaint to the proper person. The email addresses for the Sears executives are unable to be found online. I asked the operator to confirm the name of the CEO. That was my question. She told me she could not give me that information and asked what the call was about. I briefly explained the situation. I told her about the call we recorded with Jay. She angrily told me that it was illegal to tape a conversation without the other party’s knowledge. Even though that is not necessarily true, I told her that we did advise Jay that the call was recorded. She then told me she had to transfer me to customer service and before I could say NO, she did. I called back immediately. I am sure the operators have caller ID. My second call was picked up and immediately disconnected. I called a third time - same thing. You can tell when a phone is connected and then hung up.

I pulled out my cell phone and called from a different number. The phone was answered by a different operator. I asked her name –it was Lillian. I asked Lillian to tell me who the CEO was and she did give me your name. I asked to be connected to your office – because by now I wanted to speak with you directly - but she advised that they were not allowed to connect anyone to the corporate offices unless they knew the reason for the call. I told her that I had been hung up on so many times in the last day that I did not know how much more I could endure and AGAIN explained the problem. She was pleasant but adamant that she could not connect me to any corporate officer. Instead she said she would connect me to the executive office.

The call was answered by Chemon. He told me he was the head of Recovery Care Management. I asked what that was and he advised that he was the highest level you could go to for Sears complaints. He did listen to the situation and seemed concerned. I do have to say I was surprised. I told him the initial reason for my call to the corporate office was just to get the correct name of the CEO to file a written complaint. I explained to him that we had the recorded call with the customer service rep and that I planned to post it on YouTube and contact my television stations as well. He promised me that he would address the situation immediately as it appeared this was a serious hazard. Finally, someone who understood. He asked what it would take to rectify the situation. I told him I did NOT want another repair. Obviously there is a serious electrical problem with this appliance. I advised I wanted a new refrigerator, or better yet, take this thing away and refund my money. I will go by a GE. Chemon advised that it normally takes two business days to get a response from the people he needed to approach, but because this was such a serious, dangerous hazard, he would get back to me by days end or Thursday morning latest. I actually said to him “Do you mean that you are telling me that you are going to take my name and phone number and actually call me back?’ Feeling that someone deserved a chance, I told Chemon that I would not proceed with my plans to reach out to public media until he got back to me. I asked for his direct email address and he advised that he did not have one. I needed to email the general e-mail pool. I then told him that I worked during the day and he specifically recorded my work number.

About an hour later, approx 3pm, Chemon left a message at my home even though I had told him I was working and to call me there. He left a message stating that he filed a report with the manufacturer regarding a potential hazard, (Isn’t Sears the manufacturer?) but in order to potentially resolve my request for anything other than a repair, a service tech needed to be sent out to confirm that this was a repeat of the first bulb housing unit problem. My son came home and told me the message was there. I called Chemon back on his direct number – [protected] and got his voice mail. I left him a message that I had no problem with someone coming to inspect the appliance and to please call me. I wanted to make sure I was not going to be charged with the service call and ended the message with “I look forward to hearing from you”. I again left my work number to call.

It is now Friday evening. I have not heard back from Chemon or anyone else. Should I be surprised?

So here I sit in my home, not too far from my hazardous refrigerator, writing a letter because Sears executives and even head customer service people do not release email addresses or phone numbers for people who may listen. At this point I do not even believe that you will listen, but I will not give up trying.

By copy of this letter to several executive officers, local television stations that provide consumer assistance, The Better Business Bureau, local newspapers, (a tape recording of a customer service telephone call on YouTube) and anyone else I can find to listen, I am stating that I believe this refrigerator is a fire hazard. I do not believe that just removing the bulbs has prevented further damage. Thinking about it further, I also find it hard to believe that Chemon needs to send someone to inspect the appliance to confirm that the bulb housing is burning again. Do you actually think I would go through all this and be making it up? My internet research further confirms that many people have had a similar problem with the bulb housing unit and a similar problem with customer service. Unfortunately, I am not satisfied with just complaining with other people on line. I will not be satisfied until this refrigerator is removed from my home and the danger of fire with it.

We are a family of five. We are hard blue collar workers who spend our dollars wisely. We cherish our home that we have worked our entire lives for. We listen to and depend on the reputation of companies for our major purchases. Our last GE refrigerator lasted 10 years. This Kenmore is shot within 2- and is still a danger to the most important thing in my life. MY FAMILY.

It would be very nice if someone from Sears actually took responsibility and respond to me personally. I don’t expect it, but I would appreciate it.

I hold Sears responsible for any and all consequences that result from your lack of attention, response, service, and most importantly the production of a defective and hazardous product.

Thank you all for your comments. It really helped me out.

I also have a Kenmore Elite Trio Bottom Freezer Refrigerator with an external water dispenser. The Model number is 795.[protected]. A few months ago I had the problem with the light not going off when the refrigerator door was closed, and there was this burning smell. The plastic housing over the bulb was starting to melt.

Fortunately my one light bulb burned out, and that seemed to resolve the immediate problem.

I did call the phone number for the Sears Recall Dept in San Antonio [protected], and they were eventually able to help me. The first time I called I was cut off, but the second time they ordered a part for me, and scheduled a technician to come out and fix it.

Here's the thing. The technician came out, and put a new electrical component board in the back of the refrigerator, and some extra stripping around the door to make it more energy efficient. I was perplexed, because I had called about the light fixture housing. He said that what he was fixing was Service Flash SF 46-520. The actual fix was quick and easy. We found out that the light bulb housing problem was under Service Flash SF 46-515R3. He tried to call a number of people to get it straightened out for me. Eventually, I had to call back San Antonio myself, and they just ordered the plastic housing and a "harness" to fix the electrical problem, so it won't happen again.

If you had a problem with the plastic housing you may want to call and see if Service Flash SF 46-520 might also apply to your refrigerator.

We just had one of these refrigerators delivered 12-01-09 and the fan motor burned up and the racks for the freezer are worped. They have not been nice to work with and totally indifferent.

Disgusted!

Julie in Florida

Here I sit a week before 4th of July, after dragging 7 heavy 33 gal contractor bags to the curb with spoiled foods that I purchased for holiday, from freezer AND refrigerator of Kenmore Trio model [protected], it was purchased at its NON DISCOUNTED rate of 2200.00 in 2005. Freezer has been repaired 3 times, now both refrigerator and freezer is out at same time! Lights are on, fan comes on as expected...but inside of doors are HOT to touch and only warm air...in freezer too. I always counted on Sears for reliable, quality appliances as did my grandparents...needless to say...things have changed!

I am angry, disappointed, and downright PO'd about the HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS worth of food ruined. As expected, no one can come and repair it before the holiday so, 33 other people will be hating Kenmore Elite Products as well as SEARS!

Same story here as many others: we bought our Kenmore Elite Trio (mfg 6/2006) in August of 2006 and had it delivered & installed in October of 2006. Have loved it until last night when I opened the fridge doors an hour or two after dinner and smelled something funny. Determined it was melting plastic when I saw the light casing all warped and falling down. My husband and I tried to remove it, but it was stuck to the rubber seal in a few places. We got it down far enough that we could unscrew the light bulbs (with oven mitts) to cool it off. When I later tried to remove the casing, it snapped right off.
I went online and was shocked to find all of these posts. I called Sears around 9pm to describe the problem and was told I could have a service visit next week Monday and that I'd be responsible for the service fee (think they said around $75 but I've read so many of these messages that I can't remember if that's right). Since I still had several days to research, I scheduled the visit. Later last night I tried calling the recall line [protected]) but it was after hours.
This afternoon I called the recall line again to find out if my model qualified under SF 46-515. The customer service rep took my model number (795.[protected]) and serial number and told me that mine did NOT qualify. So I went back to online reading and read through all of these posts up to the end. I also filed a report online with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (As a side note, I've been subscribed to the CPSC recall email list for years since my kids were born. I get 3-4 emails a week noting one or more products that have been recalled, often because of FAR fewer reports than I've seen here. Perhaps it's because there haven't been any actual injuries yet? I certainly hope that's not the case.)
Anyway, after reading Bill's comment about SF 46-520 from 60 days ago, I decided to call again to see if I qualified for anything under that SF. I called the same recall line [protected]) and talked with Margie (she said they don't give out ID numbers...). What I said when she answered: "I'm having a problem with my Kenmore Elite Trio, and after researching online I'm curious if it qualifies under one of your service flashes" (not saying which one). She took my model number (but NOT my serial number) and said "this is about the light?" I later asked how she knew, and she said she read it on my service request that she'd pulled up. She then shocked me by saying she was going to order the replacement part, and that she could send someone out to fix it, but that she'd have to delete my original service appointment and schedule a new one. I said ok, and they're supposed to come next Weds (July 8) between 8-noon. The part is to be shipped directly to me, and if it doesn't arrive before the 8th I need to call them to reschedule the service visit. I couldn't believe it. I confirmed that there was going to be no charge to me for any of this, and she said that was correct.
I hated to jeopardize my good fortune, but I told her I was a little confused as I'd called and asked basically the same thing two hours before and had been told I didn't qualify. I asked which SF they were addressing, and she said 46-515. I then asked about 46-520, and she said I'd have to contact LG directly to see if I qualified under that and gave me the number [protected]). I'm going to call them soon...Margie couldn't explain why I'd been given wrong information before and apologized. I don't know if the first person looked up my service call from yesterday or not. Anyway, thanks a TON to all of you who posted, and to Bill who prompted me to call and ask again. I plan to keep an eye on this even if our repair goes smoothly, as it sounds like it's not unusual to have the problem again.

Amazing, I googled the term "replacement bulb for Kenmore Elite" BECAUSE
my bulb had exploded and the plastic panel was seared. I WAS concerned
about leaving a live socket without a bulb because what if water got inside somehow (E.g. condensation from a power outage) NOW I don't want a new bulb ...ANY SUGGESTIONS...?
THANKS!

I just got off the phone with Sears Repair. Have the exact same issue. Bulbs stayed on - melted the buld cover and mounting. After a short runaround, I got transfered to the technician. After a short discussion I was put on hold for what seemed forever, turns out they were checking on everything you see in the posts above.

They are coming out friday. I was still under warranty (bought the unit from the outlet 358 days ago! (whew that was close) but through the conversation with the tech I found that they are covering this issue for 3 years.

Hope they know what parts to bring, I don't want to take another day off of work.

I see all those nice looking LG tv's that are all around these days. I think I'll stay away. By the way my son told me that LG is GOLDSTAR. Do you remember that crap?

I'm also facing the same issue... The light won't turn-off. Now I've got to figure out how to get the bulbs out before I leave for vacation or I'll mworry. Please email me if you know of a class action lawsuit being filed. john-young@comcast.net.

Sears Kenmore Elite. Well I did not experience the burned bulb yet but my refrigerator stopped working in the middle of the night. I called Sears today for service and explained the problem. We are sorry but we do not have any openings until Tuesday. Called another repair company who "supposedly" repairs Sears Kenmore models took one look at it and asked "Is this an LCG refrigerator"? Last I looked, I was not a repair person. The tech called his boss and described the refrigerator and the bosses comment was turn around and walk away. Ok so back on the phone with Sears I go hoping for a resolution. If someone cancels today we will be out otherwise we cannot come out until Tuesday. After giving the CS rep an earful I asked to be transferred to a supervisor. I instructed the supervisor to make sure the technician brings every possible part with him when he comes because I expect this refrigerator to be fixed. After hearing all your comments I guess that is not going to happen but stay tuned. I will report back after the service call.

WOW! It seems like Sears has a big problem with the Trio, well, maybe it's more of a problem for those of us who bought these lemons. Mine, Model [protected], has not experienced the light problem but we have had Sears out 8 times for different problems. Mine was delivered 9/5/06 along with a slide-in Elite electric stove, diswasher and microwave.

The day after it was delivered, the fridge stopped working. I called for service and the tech came out on 09/07/06 and replaced a faulty control board. He asked if I had purchased the service agreement for the fridge and the stove and said if I was smart, I would. Boy, now that's a confidence builder.

I did eventually purchase the service agreement/extended warranty and I am glad that I did. Most of my problems are the fridge just stops cooling and everything in the freezer thaws. That has happened 5 times now.

In addition, they have been out to replace two ice makers and one of those times the tech made a note that it was my fault, blaming a clogged water filter (even though I change the $35 filter when the light comes on).

It always takes a couple of days for the tech to show up and they do give me a choice between 8 & 12 or 12 & 5 but it would be nice if they could narrow it down some.

They do have a couple of habits that annoy me. They always ask "Was the door closed tight" (They must teach them that in service school). That question makes me furious. Like I don't have enough sense to make certain the doors are closed (our children are grown and gone so it isn't like a youngster left it open). I also get the feeling when they ask that that they approach the problem blame the customer first.

Another thing they seem to do is what I call the 'shotgun approach' to the problem. They throw all sorts of parts at it hoping to hit the right one. I have had one guy show up and said it was the door slides and seal on the freezer door. He ordered the parts, showed up a few days later to install them assuring me that that was the problem, and the thing thaws everything out a day later. I scheduled another appointment, waited a couple of days for them to show and the new guy orders and installs a new main board. Keep in mind that each of these calls requires me to stay home from the office twice. Once for the initial call and again to install parts that they need to order.

They have changed circuit boards, fans, motors, doors, seals, etc. It seems with all the parts they have changes I would have a rebuilt fridge but the thing still acts up.

It went into work stoppage mode again this week 08/17/09. Fridge cool and freezer in meltdown. I called and scheduled a call for 08/19/09. Well wouldn't you know it, the thing starts working again on its own before the tech shows up. He is befuddled (the same guy, Lannie, who ordered seals and slides that it didn't need) and does not even bother to check anything although he did ask the did you leave the door open question.

He goes out to his truck and comes back a half hour later with a piece of paper with an 800 number on it for their Lemon Policy call center and advises me to call them on 08/20/09. I told the guy I am sick of this thing and that there is a problem with it and they can't seem to fix it even by throwing parts at it. I wasn't yelling but I can be intimidating when the situation calls for it and he is back-pedaling for the front door during this conversation. As part of the conversation I tell him about the refrigerator I have in the garage that has never given me a problem in 12 years (its a GE) and he says mabe I should move that one into the kitchen. Great customer service Lannie.

Anyway, I call the Lemon line and they review my history and tell me I need one more parts failure by 9/10/09 for it to qualify for the five parts failures with-in 12 months to qualify for a repplacement unit. The call I just had does not counyt since they didn't cahnage any parts. Needless to say, I am frustrated as hell about this thing.

Stay tuned, I am certain there will be a parts failure before my deadline.

I bought Kenmore Elite Trio with confidence that I had had with performance of previous Kenmore products. However, as reported by so many others mine has the same problems i.e. ice dispenser in the bottom freezer is a flawed design and lights failed to turn off causing burning and melting of its plastic cover. Seasrs response during the warranty period was that I do not know how to use this product. Repairman threatened to leave site if kept on insisting that it is a design problem. I could not afford to let him go as I was not prepared to another day off from work to wait for another repairman to show and risking that it may be the same repairman again. I am stuck with this as others have described well by calling it a piece of junk. Will never buy Kenmore and will never buy from Sears again.

I have the same problem with my Kenmore Elite since years ago, melted bulb cover and deformation of the whole light fixture. I'm glad I found this site because I was looking for solution. Now I know what to do and thanks for this.

We bought the Kenmore Elite, model 795.[protected], in Dec. 2006. Last spring we received a recall letter regarding the energy usage. We called the number provided, they mailed the necessary part and a repairman came and installed it. Then the food in the left vegetable drawer started freezing. We called again--same repairman came. He said it was a bad part that he had installed and he ordered another one. New part arrived, he came back and installed it. Food still freezing. Called again--different repairman. He says the food freezing has nothing to do with the new part; that the insulation under the floor of the fridge is separating and there is nothing that can be done; and that if we had bought the extended warranty they would have brought us a new fridge. We really expected an expensive appliance like this to outlast the extended warranty. So at this point, we cannot use the vegetable drawer. After reading the posts here, a little bell started ringing in my mind and I remembered that several times I have opened the fridge and noticed heat when I placed something on the top shelf. Thanks for the heads-up. We need to check that light. We will be contacting Consumer Affairs, too.

On the morning of 9/14/09, I opened up my Kenmore model #795.[protected] (purchased 9/29/09) refridgerator. A big chunk of warped plastic fell out. It was the cover to the control unit. The lights had not turned off when the door shut and had been on all night. The control unit itself was very hot and is now barely hanging onto the the ceiling of the fridge because the connectors have melted. This unit should be recalled NOW!, before some poor family dies in a house fire caused by this defect. I googled this Kenmore model and immediately found that this is a common problem. No one at Sears "Customer Solutions" number seems to have ever heard of this dangerous issue and all to whom I spoke were at a loss about how to help me other than to schedule a repair for which I would have to pay. I guess the next step is to find out if Service Flash 46-515 applies to this model. I reported the problem to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, but am not too sure how effect that will be.