Sears review: no such thing as sears customer service 23

I have just been amazed by the total incompetence of Sears.com and I must assume this is representative of the current state of the company in general.
On 12/10/2006 I placed an order for a tool from your web-site.
On 12/14/2006 I received an e-mail from sears.com confirming my order.

This e-mail also contained a UPS tracking number and stated that my order would be delivered in 4-6 days.
On 12/20/2006 I became concerned because UPS kept telling me that although they had received an order for shiping they had never received a package to ship. Due to this concern I contacted your customer service by telephone. I was told that they did not know what was happening with my order but promised I would hear from someone within 24 hours.
On 12/21/2006 (24 hours later) having heard from no one, I called customer service again. Things have changed. Now I am told I have returned the item but it may take a billing cycle for the credit to appear on my credit card bill. Mind you this is the same tool that UPS says it has never received. After this person from customer service reads the notes from the previous day concerning this purchase they again contact UPS and promise to look into it. This time I am told 1-8 days and someone will contact me to let me know when I can expect my order.

On 12/27/2006 (today)I was told that my credit card had been credited on 12/18/2006 and my order cancelled. If you've paid attention you noticed that is TWO DAYS BEFORE I first contacted customer service to find out what is happening with my order. As of the writing of this review no one at Sears can explain why you cancelled my purchase, why two days later no one with Sears would inform me of that fact, or when they might be able to explain any of this.

I NEEDED THIS TOOL! So my advice to anyone, thinking of ordering from Sears, would be to try a reputable merchant and get rid of any holdings that have a fiscal interest in Sears.

This apparently is NOT the same company I used to respect.If anyone from Sears cares, I would be more than glad to discuss these facts.

Since I did need the tool I ordered from a different merchant today. I saved $45...and I bet they deliver.

I ordered a bean bag for my brother for Christmas on 12/11/06. Sears shipped it on 12/12/06. It arrived at the fedex location in St.

Louis, MO on 12/15/06. I first contacted sears.com about this on 1/6/07 and was told that they would put a tracer on this and we would know something within 10 business days. I called them back regularly to check the status of the tracer and to see if they had found anything out for me. After 2 weeks time was up I called yet again and spoke with a supervisor, he said that they would re-issue a tracer and would know something on it with in 24-48 hours and that they would contact me. Well the 48 hours was up and I called them for the last time. Once again I got a supervisor on the phone and asked what the status of the tracer was, she told me that they would not know anything until around 1/29/07. I told her that that was unacceptable and that I would like a refund on the transaction since i was charged for it back on 12/11 and still didnt have it. They would not give me my money back and would not reship the item. I had to contact my credit card company to refute the charge.

A copy of email to Sears:

Dear Mr. Aylwin Lewis,

I would like to share my recent experience with your longstanding company. None of it good. It regards not just product quality, but customer service and repair problems (mostly customer service). Also, it isn't necessarily geared towards one particular store, but the entire Sears Corporation and your overall business practices.

I purchased a Kenmore gas oven range from the Sears Outlet store in San Leandro, Ca on 1/31/05 along with an extended warranty which is due to expire 1/31/08. The purchase price of the oven was $899.00 and the warranty was $179.00. The oven price was discounted from approximately $1300 at the Outlet due to cosmetic reasons only. Or at least that's what was claimed. Once the oven was installed, I noticed that there were burn marks inside and crumbs left over from someone else's use of the oven (I was told the oven was not used—furthermore, why would someone accept the range when it was cosmetically damaged, use it, then decide they didn't want to range due to the cosmetic damage—all very suspicious). Well, not one to make waves, I was just excited to have a nice stainless steel range and didn't want to go through the hassle of asking for an exchange. Especially since, at that time, I was busy dealing with incompetent contractors remodeling my kitchen. The oven became an afterthought.

Unfortunately, it's been much to my own detriment that I did not immediately make waves regarding this gas oven range. Shortly after installation, the gas oven would not ignite. The stove worked, the broiler kind of worked, and the warming drawer worked. However, even though the ignition to the oven wouldn't work initially, after repeated efforts I was able to get it started. I did call for service. They scheduled an appointment with me for April 6th, giving me a four hour time frame in which they would arrive.

The repairman worked on the oven for about an hour before deeming it fixed. The next day, the same problem started. The oven would only ignite sometimes. If it wouldn't ignite, I would have to turn on the broiler to get the oven really hot. Then, after about an hour, the oven might ignite. I called again for another appointment. I had to schedule during a work day and had to put up with a four hour time period in which they would show up. The repairman who arrived said the particular oven I had was very problematic for other customers, in which they experienced the same problem. I explained to him that I could sometimes get it to ignite, but more often than not, it wouldn’t go on.

He managed to fix it and everything was fine for approximately a year. And then the same problem started occurring again. The oven would only ignite sometimes. I called for my third service repair. The repairman came out, worked on the oven, and then deemed it fixed. The very next day, the oven wouldn't work again. I then called and requested the oven be replaced. The customer service rep refused and said they would have to send out another repairman. I scheduled another appointment with them. Same situation. The repairman came out, worked on it, said he fixed it and then a day later the oven wouldn't ignite.

After being denied again after requesting the oven be replaced, I then made another appointment for Saturday, March 30th in which I was given the time frame of the hours between 8 am and 12 pm. They called Friday evening to confirm, but stated they could only show up between the hours of 1 pm and 5 pm. I said that wouldn't work and we rescheduled for Wednesday, April 4th between in which someone was to show up between the hours of 8 am and 12 pm. By 12:15 on the scheduled day no one had arrived or called. I called the customer service line and they said they were running behind schedule. At 1:30 pm the repairman showed up. I had to wait for over five hours for him to show. He spent an hour and a half working on the oven before he deemed it repaired.

The very next day the oven would not ignite. At all. And now, for the very first time, the broiler does not work. I called the customer service line to request a replacement. The woman I spoke with said she could not process my request and I would have to call the warranty department. I asked for the phone number, which she provided. I called the next morning and the number turned out to be a fake phone number. I had to call customer service again, which entails a nightmare of a time trying to get through the automated answering system to speak to an actual human being. I was disconnected multiple times. I finally got through to someone who also said they could not process my request and had to transfer me to someone else. I had to give them all of my information again and explain that I had had a total of FIVE repairmen try and fix the oven to no avail. Not to mention the massive amounts of ruined dinners I'v had to deal with because of a defective oven. I also had to spend upwards of thirty hours of my time waiting for repairmen to come. She then started to pretend that she couldn't hear me. It was obvious we had a good connection. After a couple of minutes of this she then realized I wasn't buying it, but still said I was having problems with my phone. I wasn't. She was very amused with her "wit." I was not.

This very disrespectful customer service rep then transferred me to someone else. I explained everything all over again and said that I wanted a new oven range. She said no, my warranty didn’t cover it, but they could send out another repairman. I said fine, but I wasn't going to sit around and wait for another five hours waiting for someone to show up on my Saturday. She said I had no choice. I explained to her that I was a long time Sears customer and had purchased two dryers, two washing machines, two refrigerators and this oven over the course of fours years and they could accommodate me if they wanted. We went back and forth over this and then she HUNG UP ON ME.

I've really had it with your company. Your products are terrible and your customer service is even worse. I just want the oven range replaced. I will pay the difference for an upgrade. My newest refrigerator (that I purchased along with the oven) had to be serviced twice within the first month I purchased it. The brand new Kenmore Elite dryer didn't even work the day they installed it. A repairman had to come out the next day to fix it. It was supposed to be brand new! Now both the Kenmore Elite dryer and washer, which I have not had for a full year, are having operational problems. It's simply gotten beyond absurd and something must be done.

There is a bigger picture here than just the fine print of my warranty. I have found it impossible to contact someone within your company that has a true concern for your customers and can approach the problems I'm facing with a humanistic perspective.

I want to reiterate that I have spent well over thirty hours of my time waiting for your repairmen to service a product I've had continual problems with from the time of purchase. A product I was told was NEW, but was clearly used. I have had countless meals ruined. I didn't have a working oven over Thanksgiving, the Christmas holidays, or when I held a dinner party. I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars at your store and have been a long time customer. When I purchased my first home in 2002, I purchased a washer, dryer, and refrigerator from Sears—all Kenmore products. I also purchased a Kenmore vacuum cleaner, Craftsman lawnmower, power tools, a patio set, and countless gardening equipment. When I purchased my second home two years later, I once again purchased the Kenmore gas range, a Kenmore refrigerator, and Kenmore Elite Oasis washer and dryer. But since 2005, I've had nothing but problems with your products and your employees.

Kenmore oven range: Oven does not ignite. Serviced five times and still not working.
Kenmore refrigerator: Serviced twice due to freezer problems.
Kenmore Elite Oasis dryer: Serviced once. It actually did not work the day it was delivered and installed!
Kenmore upright vacuum cleaner: Broken after only two years. Had to replace it with a brand NOT related to Kenmore or Sears.

I'm appalled over the treatment I received the other day when I called and asked for the oven range to be replaced. I'm sick and tired of being treated like it's my job to accommodate you. I'm the customer. I'm one of the people out there who has contributed to your profits. It's time to give a little and accommodate me for once. I've been reduced to tears stemming from the frustration of dealing with your shoddy products and despicable so-called customer service. I have filed a compliant with the California Department of Consumer Affairs. I'm also posting this letter on multiple boards on the Internet, and I'm including other posts from people with similar experiences along with this letter. Maybe you should start listening.

Kenmore gas oven range
Purchase price: $899.00
Model #[protected]
Purchase date: 1/31/05

I have been without a refrigerator for 13 days now! I bought a Maytag h20. Supposed to be a wonderful item - NOT!

They came out, ordered the part - said as soon as it got to me to give them a call and they'd be out to fix it. The part still hasn't come. How does one live without a fridge for 13 days with 5 kids? Don't ask - it is nearly impossible.

As it happens, the part is on backorder. Is that because there have been too many others that are broken the exact same way as mine? YES - look on the complaintsboard under Maytag.

I've been told since it isn't a matter of "LIFE OR DEATH" (by Sears Rep. David in Arizona) that it is not a priority no matter how much I spent on the fridge or the extended warranty.

I will think twice before shopping again at Sears.

They may be here in 4 more days, so they say.

Sears Customer Service Sucks!

I have read all of the complaints here but I have not seen anyone's resolution method for dealing with Sears. Has anyone found the "magic phone number" to get through to someone who is actually authorized to resolve an issue? I am having difficulty with the repair of a heat pump, and, like one of the authors here, I am hearing "we need a part" this has gone on for over a month. I am seriously considering turning this over to our family attorney. Has anyone used another third party agency or company that got results? What about the better business bureau?

MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT YOU RECEIVE FROM SEARS. I HAVE A TELEVISION THAT WS PURCHASED LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO WHEN A PART INSIDE BLEW. WE CALLED TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT AND COULDN'T GET ONE FOR THREE WEEKS. THEN ON THE DAY OF THE SCHEDULED SERVICE APPOINTMENT I WAITED IN THE HOUSE, NOT BEING ABLE TO DO CHORES THAT I NEEDED TO DO THAT DAY UNTIL 5PM. AT THAT TIME I CALLED THE REPAIR AND MAINT. DEPT TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED THE THE SERVICE TECH THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT MY HOUSE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8-5. THEY DIDN'T KNOW AND WOULD NOT CONNECT ME TO A SUPERVISOR. AT THAT TIME I CALLED THE NATIONAL COMOLAINT DEPT WHEN I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD TRACKED DOWN THE TECH WHO WAS TO SERVICE ME AND HE WAS STILL AT LEAST 45 MINS AWAY. AFTER HE ARRIVED AN HOUR LATE, I WAS TOLD THAT HE COULD ORDER THE PART NEEDED AND IT WOULD TAKE 1-2 WEEKS TO ARRIVE SO HE MADE A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT FOR THREE WEEKS TO AVOID ANY PROBLEM WITH SHIPPING. HE NEVER INFORMED US THAT THE PART WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHIPPED TO OUR HOUSE. I RECEIVED A PHONE CLL FROM SEARS AT 7PM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO RESCHEDULE. WHEN I ASKED WHY I WAS TOLD THAT THE PART WAS ON BACKORDER AND THEY HAD KNOWN SINCE THE MONDAY BEFORE AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT SINCE THE PART WAS NEVER SHIPPED TO MY HOUSE. WHEN I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS NEVER INFORMED THAT THE PART WOULD BE SHIPPED TO THE HOUSE THERE ONLY RESPONSE WAS OH, THEY WERE SORRY. AFTER ASKING FOR A SUPERVISOR AND NOT BEING CONNECTED TO ONE I WAS GIVEN A NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER WHICH ENED UP BEING A JOKE! NOT ONE PERSON COULD EXPLAIN WHY I WAS NEVER TOLD THAT THE PART WOULD BE SHIPPED TO MY HOUSE NOR COULD THEY EXPLAIN WHY I WAS NOT CALLED BEFORE 7PM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SCHEDULED APPT WHEN THEY KNEW THE PREVIOUS MONDAY THAT THE PART WAS ON BACKORDER. AFTER REQUESTION SEVERAL TIMES TO S PEAK TO A SUPERVISOR, FINALLY ONE WAS PUT ON THE LINE WHO WSAS OF NO HELP WHAT SO EVER. SHE LOGGED A COMPLAINT AND I WAS TOLD I WOULD RECEIVE A CALL BACK. THE NEXT DAY I TRIED THAT NUMBER AGAIN NEVER RECEIVING A CALL BACK. I WAS PUT ON HOLD FOUR TIMES WITH FOUR OPERATORS NONE OF WHICH WOULD SWITCH ME TO A SUPERVISOR. AFTER EXPLAINING TO THE LAST OPERATOR THAT I WOULD MAIL A LETTER TO THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER ABOUT H OW CUSTOMER SERVICE DOES NOT EXIST AT SEARS W WAS SWITCHED TO A SUPERVISOR WHO AGAIN WAS OF NO HELP! SAD! WHEN YOU PAY OVER $1000 FOR A TELEVISION SET YOU WOULD EXPECT IT TO LAST MORE THAN TWO YEARS AND YOU SHOULD EXPECT GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM THE COMPANY THAT SOLD IT TO YOU, BUT NOT SEARS. THEY JUST DON'T CARE! IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO KNOWS A PHONE NUMBER ON HOW TO REACH ANYONE IN THEIR CORP HEADQUATERS I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THIS NUMBER. ALL I GET IS A RUN AROUND.

On 12/29/07 – my husband and I were in Sears in Boise, Idaho. A nice sales associate named Seth helped us out. Seth mentioned to my husband that there was this great tool combo on sale that weekend only. I gave Seth gift cards to purchase this Craftsman 673 pc tool set and tool storage combo bundle. We took the receipt from the store and called questioning the status of this order a few days later. First I was told due to the holiday rush – it would take a couple of extra days. Then I was told that everything was fine – the entire bundle would be shipped. Next I was told that Seth must have pushed a wrong button because the tools were not on the order – this was offensive because there was 1 Add To Cart button. The next phone call I was told my order was hung up in the credit department, then I finally received my order confirmation. I called the store’s General Manager who assured me he would look into it. Two days later I get a call from Ricky – a manager at Sears stating that he had spoke with his buyer and tools were no longer available and I should call Sears Consumer relations. I called the GM at the store who told me I should review the TERMS OF USE link on the website which was interesting because his associate sold us the merchandise and call Consumer relations. I called consumer relations and spoke with a VERY RUDE supervisor named Gail – who offered to sell me one of the tool sets for $699.00 (apparently they were in stock). This lady actually said to me “you don’t expect us to honor this bundle price – do you?” My answer was yes because it was advertised that way. The associate at the store told us about it. She said that it was an error and “What part of what she said did I not understand”. I asked for a substitute product – and was told no. I do have a documentation of this ad if needed, I can fax it. I have never seen quite a scam like this or have I been spoke to in the manner Gail spoke to me . From the store, to the website, then to consumer relations – I was sold a product, given every answer in the book as to why I didn’t receive the product and spoke to COMPLETELY unacceptable manner…. Oh yes and told to read the fine print. No email of error in advertising – just basically too bad.

WOW - I thought I was the only one disappointed by Sears. Today is March 2nd and on February 4th the glass on my stove top cracked, It took Sear TWO weeks for a tech to come out and say "YEAH YOU NEED A NEW ONE" I think they we are soo stupid that I did not know that- Here is is 4 weeks later and still NO stove top - Long story short they promised it to me Feb. 26th, boy was I PISSED when it it didn't arrive and they told me another 7 to 10 days AGAIN customer service at there best would not do a thing to help me out - I am NOT going to pay for this I told them consider the bill even. I did do alittle research however and found the name of the vice president if Sears his name is William C Crowler Address 3333 Beverly Rd - Hoffman IL 60179 - I am sending him a letter, Not sure its going to do any good but I will keep you posted.

I have used Sears outside carpet cleaning services for many years. I had my carpets cleaned in September of 2007 and the charge on my Sears card was $104.00. I paid this amount when I received my bill. Two weeks ago I received a call from Resurgence Capital, a collection company, telling me my account for $413.56 was being turned in for collection! After at least ten--that is 10---diffent telephone numbers and ten different people and at least two hours on the telephone, none of those numbers nor people can give me an itemized statement of the charges since I do not believe they are mine! I never received any mailed, on line or telephone information saying that there was a past-due amount. I have settled the debt temporarily to avoid a credit report, and the only way I can get a refund of my money is to get a copy of the "original" statement which then has to be notarized. NO ONE CAN OR WILL GIVE ME SUCH A COPY...THEY ALL PASS OFF THE REQUEST TO SOME OTHER PERSON OR COMPANY! I am still trying to get my money back, but no one is cooperating with me. It is a scam and a disservice to a customer who has had an account since 1975. All of those people "understand my frustration" but no one will help me out. I not only will NEVER, EVER, shop at Sears again, and I will tell as many people as I can to do the same, but I am reporing them to the Better Business Bureau. No wonder Sears and K-Mart are losing money...they have no respect for their customers!

I agree with every complaint on here.

I purchased a refrig after validating the delivery would be the next day. The email then confirmed so. After waiting all day I called and was told it is on back order and you will get it in a week. This is after they took my money and charged my credit card. This is deceptive pratices, I would have bought somewhere else because I needed it next day. Sears.com told me nothing can be done until the refrig is delivered! Buy somewhere else please buy somewhere else.

I am a former Sears / A&E Tech Manager and I understand everyone’s pain dealing with repairs with Sears and A&E Factory Service, which many of you know, are in fact one in the same company. And that’s why you receive the same service, or lack of service, whether you purchased your product at Sears or some other appliance dealer.

Many of us have trusted Sears and their products for many years. One thing we must remember about Sears is that “SEARS MAKES NOTHING” Sears sources their products from other manufacturers and places the Kenmore or Craftsman brand name on them. Consumers trusted the products they purchased from Sears, mainly because in years past, the products were quality products and although Sears didn’t manufacturer them, Sears stood behind the product, the service and most of all, were dedicated to ‘Customer Satisfaction’.

But companies in order to make shareholder’s money have cut costs on product components. Parts are manufactured overseas and that increases availability time and cost. Now, I have nothing against overseas manufacturing, many quality goods are manufactured overseas and it certainly enables the US consumer to live the American Dream, but we are not seeing the quality and longevity of products that we are accustomed to having in the past. Let’s face it, I don’t expect my DVD player to last as long as my refrigerator, but I do expect my refrigerator to last many years, or at least longer than my DVD player.

During my experience as a tech manager, I have seen many brand new $1, 500 - $1, 800 refrigerators stop cooling within a week after being delivered at the customer’s home. Most of the time it’s the ‘Compressor’, the heart of the cooling system, which has stopped working. Now the consumer can complain to the retail store until they are blue in the face, but Sears will not replace the unit, they will send out a technician, who most likely will not have this particular compressor in his truck stock. The technician will have to order the compressor and come back in about 7 – 8 days to evacuate the sealed Freon system, braze in a new compressor, test for leaks and replace with new Freon. Nor Sears or any other retail store wants this refrigerator back, why? Because they can’t resell it as new.

In part, the lack of quality on major appliances is due to the consumer. Consumers want stylish appliances with 20 wash cycles or an in-door water and ice dispenser that enable us to have either ice cubes or crushed ice, water or juice, a clock and a cute illuminated night light. Very convenient, but we want all this convenience for a very affordable price. Manufacturers don’t want your refrigerator to last 20 years, as it did years ago. Sears just monopolizes on poor manufacturing. By the way, that electronic control board is about $500.00, + Labor. And if you’re fortunate, you’ll be within the warranty period or have paid for a Sears Protection Agreement.

As I said, I am a former Sears / A&E Tech Manager; I have heard many customers complain about the products and the service. So, possibly I can enlighten the consumer on the Sears / A&E In-Home Product Repair business.

Let’s start from the beginning. Mrs. Consumer has a problem with her appliance and calls
1-800-4-MY-HOME. This call is connected to a Call Center in Round Rock, Texas, where you will be greeted by a representative. If you are a first time caller, the Rep will need to create a new account for you. If you are a repeat caller, your account will be on their computer system. Your account will have the usual customer name, address, telephone number(s) and a list of all your appliances with purchase dates, model/serial numbers and whether you have a Protection Agreement on that appliance.

You cannot ask any technical questions to the Rep, because they only make appointments. You cannot be transferred to anyone for Technical Assistance. Your only option is to set up a service call on a mutually agreed date, either an AM or PM appointment. The Rep does one other very important part of their job description; they will “push the sale of a Protection Agreement (PA)”.

Protection Agreements are the life blood of Sears. Protection Agreement pricing structures vary greatly from product to product. They are historically and statistically priced by the cost and frequency of component failures. One important fact to remember when being solicited to purchase a Protection Agreement; once you purchase it… you are locked into Sears / A&E as your repair company. And once your locked in, you, as the consumer are locked in to missed appointments, late running technicians, waiting at least a 7 – 10 days for a part and the ultimate frustration, after waiting a week or so for the part, either the part arrives broken or once the part is installed, the appliance still does not work and another part needs to be ordered. And YES! This happens daily in the life of as Sears / A&E technician.

Getting back to your service appointment date. Your service date is directly connected to ‘CAPACITY’. Capacity relates to the number of Technicians (that work on your appliance) and the geographic area in which you live. Capacity is fed into a computer by the Regional Routing Center. Daily capacity is built by the number of technicians scheduled to work in any given day by location and industry. Capacity is built like airline companies sell seats………… they overbook!

Sears has the ability and does overbook technicians, why? Because they know there is always the possibility that on the day of the scheduled appointment, either the customer has forgotten about the appointment and went out, or the customer has cancelled because of any number of reasons. But a customer, who has waited a week for a scheduled appointment for a refrigerator that is not cooling, will not forget about the appointment. Also, there is a process in place, which automatically telephones the customer the night before the scheduled appointment to remind them of the service call. The District Management also has the authority to force overtime capacity into the technician’s schedule, which they have done.

Everyone in the Sears Product Repair business is rated on PRODUCTIVITY. From the District Service General Manager, the District Technical Manager, the Technical Managers and the Technicians. Productivity within Sears / A&E is rated on the number of jobs (Service Calls) per day. When a customer is ‘not home’ or ‘cancels’ their scheduled appointment that reduces the number of service calls the technician has on his route that day. Sears will do everything in their power to insure a technician does not complete his route early.

There are many reasons why a Technician is late for their scheduled AM or PM appointment. I have already touched on the practice of overbooking. When a technician has a full route and there are no cancellations or not at home’s, most likely, the technician will run late on his/her AM appointments, which has a domino affect on their remaining route. Worst case scenario, the technician may not complete his/her route that day and service calls will need to be rescheduled.

Another reason why technicians run late is because frankly, the appliance refuses to cooperate and it takes longer than normal to complete the diagnosis and/or repair. One of the biggest complaints technicians have is that there in not enough time allotted for the repairs. Each repair is allotted a certain amount of time which equates to the number of parts to be replaced. I have seen the auto-routing software schedule 5 AM appointments for a technician, with considerable drive time to each customer.

Additionally, Tech Managers have been known to add emergency service calls to technician’s daily routes. Emergency service calls are added because of irate customers, who may have been rescheduled the day before, or a multi-attempt repair that has stopped working, once again.

Another big frustration by customers are Reschedules. Reschedules at Sears are a way of life. Customers take off from work, wait all day for the technician to arrive and they never show. Why? Well, overbooking can play a role in reschedules, adding an emergency service call to a technician’s route can also contribute to a reschedule. Some common reasons are sickness and truck breakdowns. When a technician calls out sick in the morning, there may be 10 -12 service calls on their route that day. Now, given the fact that technicians’ routes are overbooked by design, doesn’t provide an avenue to redistribute 10 – 12 service calls to other technicians. Also, technicians do get sick during the day and elect to go home prior to completing their route. And of course truck breakdowns, their mechanical and are subject to breakdowns. This also contributes to reschedules.

The last reschedule problem I want to touch on are two man, helper calls. Many service calls require a HELPER to assist in moving appliances or completing the repair. I have seen the Sears automated scheduling system schedule the primary technician as his first call of the day and schedule the helper as his 3rd or 4th call of the day. This frustrates the technicians and at times both the primary and helper never get together and the service call is rescheduled. It is the responsibility of the primary technician to contact the Regional Routing Center to find out who his helper is, than he must call the helper to see when they will be available to meet. Helper calls can be ugly to both technicians and customers.

Now, customers may or may not get a telephone call notifying them their scheduled appointment, the one they have been waiting for all day, will need to be rescheduled. Technicians will not make that dreaded phone call to the customer and frankly, it’s not their responsibility. The responsibility to notify the customer that the technician is running late or their service call must be rescheduled, falls on the ‘Router’ at the Regional Routing Center. And frankly these Routers get beat up by angry customers, who Sears once again disappointed.

Each Regional Routing Center has a Router, this person is assigned a group of technicians and monitors their route throughout the day. Technicians can contact their Router when they need to notify them of potential problems with their route, if they get sick and are going home or when their truck breakdowns. The Router also contacts the Tech Manager with technician issues and problems. Technicians will also contact their Tech Manager directly throughout the day with problems and issues.

Another problem that frustrates customers are product replacements. As I stated earlier, even a brand new appliance in the customer’s home will not be replaced, if it can be repaired. Sears and A&E are in the ‘Repair’ business, not the replacement business.

I have spoken to angry customers who have a Protection Agreement on their appliance who will argue to have the appliance replaced, because the price of the repair is more than the replacement cost. Customers must remember, Sears is in this business to make money. Technicians are paid by the hour and installed parts cost about half of what a customer is charged for the parts.

An In-Warranty replacement of a product is charged back to the manufacturer, a product replacement under a Protection Agreement is charged back to the District. Each District maintains a monthly product replacement budget, but will do everything in their power to repair the product and not replace the product. For this reason I have seen customers wait many weeks for a part that was on back-order to arrive, rather than replace the product. The only sure way to obtain a product replacement is, if it needs a part which is ‘NLA’ – No Longer Available.

It is the responsibility of the Tech Manager to forward all replacements for approval. Replacement approvals are generally reviewed by the District’s Operations Manager. The operations manager has responsibility for the districts budget as it relates to product replacements, technician’s tools, supplies, safety equipment etc. Once the operations manager approves the replacement, the retail store is sent a replacement authorization, generally by e-mail and the customer is notified to come to the store.

Another complaint customers have are that the technician wasn’t familiar or knowledgeable with the product they were supposed to diagnose and repair. I have already touched on the fact that some technicians cross train in another industry and do not possess the same product knowledge or experience as the technician who work on these products exclusively.

Years ago, manufacturers had technical representatives who would visit regional training centers and train technicians on new products. Manufacturers have stopped this practice of providing field training. Sears now has employed the practice of providing Computer Based Training (CBT’S) disks. Technicians don’t like the CBT’s as it doesn’t provide the same level of training by hands-on instructor training. Also, the time a Tech Manager can allot to training is minimal, at best.

Tech Managers generally have “Ready Meetings” with their techs. Ready Meetings are designed to give the Tech Manager the opportunity to get his/her technicians together to disseminate information, procedures, handouts, or update their SST’s. Many Ready meetings can only be scheduled for 1 hour, because remember, everything revolves around ‘Productivity’ and a technician cannot be productive if he’s attending a meeting.

Many Ready Meetings are held for mandatory procedural education by Sears. Procedural education has absolutely nothing to do with product troubleshooting and repair. I can safely say many of the technicians get their training while under fire at the customer’s home. Many new appliances technicians are sent to repair, they have never even seen before. I have been told by technicians they were embarrassed in front of customers, because they didn’t even know how to open up an appliance. At the very best, possibly the technician was given a training CD, but he was never given the adequate time to view it.

HAVC technicians at Sears are specialized. They had to go through formal training and have a certification in Freon handling. Again, Sears does try to hire experienced technicians, but experienced HVAC Techs are very hard to find. Sears will hire an HVAC tech right out of Technical School. Some technical schools are very good, some just teach enough to pass the certification test. Many HVAC technicians do not possess the troubleshooting skills to adequately diagnose and repair a problem the first time or the second or third time. That’s why there are so many repeat service calls for the same problem. And this is not just HAVC, this practice runs all industries. Sears will send a new technician out on the road with an experienced tech for maybe, 2 - 4 weeks of training.

This training focuses mainly on how to operate as a Sears tech on a daily basis, learning how troubleshoot and repair are weak at best. The tech must learn how to operate his SST (Sears Smart Toolbox), this is the metal laptop that each technician uses to order parts, reschedule follow up service calls and oh yes, to determine your service bill if this was a collect service call. The SST also has product diagrams which show the technician a schematic of product components, which the tech uses constantly.

The technician also has another alternative HELP Hotline, ‘STACK’. STACK (Sears Technical Assistance Center). Also located in Round Rock, Texas is a technical call center, providing additional technical assistance. They have diagrams and microfiche
diagrams to assist technicians in the field. But STACK is only as good as the technician is able to clearly communicate the problem. I have myself spoken to STACK and some of the complaints were that the technician wasn’t able to clearly articulate the problem.

Parts, lets talk a little about parts. I have been told by technicians and angry customers that when they called the 1-800-4-My-Home, they were told by the call center agent that the technician would have the part on their truck. In fact, there are many parts, hundreds of parts on each service vehicle. But the vehicle cannot carry every part for every model and manufacturer, it’s just impossible. Now there are two possibilities the customer was told the technician would bring the part, either the agent was new and shouldn’t have committed that the technician would have the part on the truck or the customer was angry and demanded the technician bring the part with him and the agent agreed, just to end the call. Yes I have heard about both scenarios.

You may wonder why the technician schedules his return service call 10 days out in the future. This is done because of the US Postal Service. Sears knows it takes at least this long to process the order and ship it out. Yes, the part will most likely arrive days prior to your scheduled service date, but to be sure the part does arrive, Sears uses a 10 day lead time, to insure the part arrives. Sears does not want to cancel a scheduled service call because the part did not arrive. (It’s a PRODUCTIVITY ISSUE). And yes, parts can be Emergency ordered, but technicians generally need to obtain permission from their tech manager before emergency ordering a part, why? Because it is very expensive to emergency ship replacement parts. So who suffers ?. The consumer suffers.

Why does it take so long to get someone out to look at my appliance? Well, if it’s your refrigerator that’s not cooling during June thru the end of August, good luck getting a service technician to diagnose your problem. These are the peak periods for ‘No Cooling’ and the technicians are normally swamped with calls. I have seen some customers wait for two weeks for a service call. And on the day of the service call, the tech called out sick and the customer had to be rescheduled.

The period of time, when you call for service and when you can obtain a service date is known by Sears as “State of Service”. State of service can be all over the calendar. If you call for service and you are not happy with your appointment, call the retail store and complain. The retail stores have a relationship with the District Service & Repair managers. Often the relationship is strained due to poor service, unhappy and often angry customers. But the retail store’s Brand Central or Operations managers can place some pressure on the district to satisfy the customer.

I think you can now understand, why at times, technicians have such a hard time diagnosing and fixing your appliance the first time and why it takes so long to receive replacement parts. Sears sends inexperienced technicians out in the field and they leave the local Customer Service departments and Tech Managers to do ‘Damage Control’, when they don’t or can’t fix the product. Believe me, there are way too many ’Better Business Bureau’ and ‘Attorney General’ complaints reaching Hoffman Estates, then funneling down the respective District Offices.

Let’s talk about Technician Productivity a little. Technician Productivity is rated on the number of ‘COMPLETES PER DAY’, not ‘CALLS HANDLED’. There is a distinct difference between the two categories. Completes per day simply means the technician diagnosed and fixed the problem on the same day of the appointment. Calls handled means the technician diagnosed the problem and a part needed to be ordered and a future follow up date needed to be scheduled.

Industry is a term used by Sears to designate the type of work performed by a technician. Sears service multiple industries; IE ‘Laundry’ for Washers and Dryers, ‘HVAC’ for gas and oil boilers and furnaces, Central Air & Window air conditioners, Dehumidifiers, Water Softeners, Reverse Osmosis water filtering systems, Hot Water Heaters, ‘Home Electronics’ for tabletop and wall mounted TV’s, ‘Lawn & Garden’ garden tractors, snow throwers, power washers etc and
‘Refrigeration’ for Refrigerators and Freezers and ‘Cooking’ for stoves, ranges, microwaves, dishwashers.

It is worthy to note, many Sears Technicians cross industries, as many industries are seasonal. A Technician could face a layoff if he didn’t expand his skills and cross train in another industry. This is one reason why some technicians aren’t as comfortable diagnosing and repairing appliances because they don’t repair these appliances on a regular basis.

Sears brags about being certified as an ISO 9001 company. For a manufacturing company, being ISO certified means constantly reviewing the manufacturing process, to cut down on waste and defects. Manufacturing companies strive for ZERO defects. And, if a manufacturing company consistently uses quality materials and processes, that they themselves set forth as the standard, hypothetically, a quality product will be manufactured the same way; day and day and week after week.

But Sears does not have ISO standards for troubleshooting and diagnosing problems, technicians don’t have ISO standards for fixing the appliance, right, the first time. Sears does have an ISO Standard which states: the Technician will be in his/her service vehicle and punch in on their SST at 7:25AM each and every day they are scheduled to work.

Sears does have a standard that states the technician leaves from his driveway at 7:25AM and drives to his first call of the day, period!. The standard goes on to say that the technician cannot stop on the way to his first call to get a cup of coffee, he can’t stop for gas. The technician is not even allowed to call his first call of the day to be sure the customer is home.
Plenty of technicians have arrived at their first call to find an empty house. The same standard applies to the technician’s last call of the day. The technician can only drive from his last call back to his/her driveway, no stops, not even for gas.

Sears Tech Manager’s are just as overworked as the Technicians they manage. The Sears Tech Manager who manages his team is part ‘Manager’ and a big part ‘Detective’ and ‘Enforcer’.

Sears mandates compliancy from its Technicians and the Tech Manager is the instrument of Enforcement. Sears places more rules and regulations on its technicians than our current day military. Under the umbrella of being “ISO Compliant”, Sears mandates their technicians to follow many, many, rules and frankly, the technician does not have a ‘Rule Book’ to refer to, all the rules must be set in his /her memory. Tech managers spend too many hours trying to smooth over angry customers and trying to catch technicians doing something they shouldn’t be doing.

Many Technicians strive to get away with doing less. If a Tech wants to reach his Tech Manager and can’t reach them, he will contact another tech manager to forward a message. But if a technician doesn’t want to be contacted, he will not answer his cell phone. Then the tech manager has no alternative, but to call him at the customer’s home telephone number. Some Tech’s will do anything and everything to get out of work and they know how to do it while in the field. Especially at the end of the day, when you need to add an extra call to their route. They will not do it.

One last note, there are many knowledgeable and friendly Sears Technicians and many that are not. Think twice about your past experiences with Sears before you purchase another Sears Protection Agreement.

I hope I have been able to bring to you some consumer education about the Sears / A&E repair business. And provide you some insight into making an educated decision with your purchasing power.

i am so frustrated i am a diabetic. my refrigerator is warm. i just pleaded for some service[i have a 5 year protection plan. my insulin will be compromised. i was told that a supervisor will call me back within 24 hours. is there a corporate number to call?
thank you

Sears customer service basically sucks. I'll never buy another item from them and I'm making sure to tell as many people as I can how sucky they are.
Long story short...bought 2 sets of luggage last Christmas. Parts of both sets were damaged first time on an airline. Called Customer Service...Finally after talking to 10 (seriously) people, the 11th person could even find a record of my order. After going round and round with them, they told me my 30 day warranty with them was over so I would have to contact the manufacturer. Inside tag said"Manufactured in Taiwan for Sears Robuck & Co.". Several more people pretty much called me a liar stating that they don't make luggage. Okay, but this is what the tag says. Finally some overpaid arrogant dufus tells me I have to call the manufacturer IN TAIWAN. Are you serious?
Thanks anyway. R.I.P. Sears. I'm in a pretty good position to make, many people aware of your lack of responsibility. I'll enjoy passing this negative information on. I'll never spen another cent in your stores and from the sounds of all the other complaints, I'm in good company.

I purchased a 46" Sony bravia LCD from sears. In less than two months remote fuctions failed. A new remote was sent to me from Sony. Remote functions on TV still would not work with new remote. Contacted sear service, and explained the problem I was having. Sears service sent up a appointment with a serviceman. I was told he would arrive at 3:30 PM with the part to repair. The night before the appointment Sear called, and stated the the repairman would be at my home between 8:00 Am -5:00 pm. I had to call my boss, and ask for the day off. Serviceman arrived at 10:00 PM. Checked out the TV, and then told me he would order the same part I was told he would have. Another appointmen was set up. It would be just over two weeks from contact as was the first. That appointment is two days from now. Part was to be shipped to me, it has not yet arrived. New appointment also will be between 8:00 AM-5:00 Pm. I will have to ask for another day off. If part does'nt arrive tomorrow I will have to cancel service call. Just contacted Sears inquiring about part. No help. After reading some of the comments others have left. Looks like just the start of a good time. Sears is a sinking ship. Don't go down with it. I purchased from Sears thinking if anything went wrong they would work with me. I will hold on to that glimmer of hope.

all of you guys should get a life and stop waisting your time crying in all the notes you poste here, obviously if you not happy with something you just dont do it. Which means if you dont like sears customer service dont buy from them, go some were else but it seem like you guys never get it, so you all of you guys will always stay in a little corner crying llike babies i didnt mean to be mean but some of us deserve what we got and thats it.; stop crying and blah blah blah blah get a life and move on, , , you guys take sears like a drug...and wake up ppl it is not...

I am a former Sears associate, I worked in Home Electronics, in store 02515, aka Hickory, North Carolina, Valley Hills Mall. I was terminated simply because ONE customer had a problem with me, however my CSAT (customer satisfaction rating) was #1 in my department, I had rap sheets long of compliments from customers. The Store Manager, notorious for being a ###, excuse my vernacular, takes this one customer to heart, and fires me on the spot, without any previous warnings or anything. I saw a lot of bad things go down at Sears, from the Store Manager's part, down to how some of our customers were treated, I ill advise anyone thinking of shopping at Sears.

My wife and I went into Sears in Capilano Mall in north vancouver a week ago and met the rudest manager by the name of Andy Procter (Proctor?) Not only was he short on any kind of customer appreciation but he was terse to the point of extreme rudeness. He had not a clue that the customer is king and he cost the company a large cash sale
by his extremely inept behaviour.
Not only that but my phone calls to the regional manager were ignored and I never received one reply to either the written or phone messages that I left.
What is amazing is that retailers cry about business being down yet treat good customers with disdain, unfortunately indicative of Vancouver's reputation for disgusting service.
I am not diminished by the atrocious behaviour from Andy Procter but maybe he has had time to reflect on his
caddish boorish action that day.

jerome henen
north vancouver

3/Jan /2010

Sears Auto service in LITTLETON, CO at Southwest Plaza is absolutely the WORST. The power steering stopped working on my car and Sears just happened to be the closest place for me to take my car. NEVER AGAIN. I was told by the technician that it would take 2 hours. SO I went and did some shopping in the mall and headed back to the Auto place after 2 hours. I called to see if the car was finished and was told NO they received the wrong part and had to get another one that would take 20-45 minutes. I asked why noboby bothered to let me know that #1 they didn't have the part and #2 why it took them 2 hours to even figure out they had the wrong part. After 25 minutes I called to ask if my car would be done as they had said. AGain I was told no it wasn't finished. I then asked them to find the manager. The manager is gone for the day and wouldn't be back until today (Saturday) I told them to call him at home. If they couldn't get the car fixed within the next 10 minutes I told them they'd need to find me a rental car and they would be paying for it. THe guy came back and informed me that they had contacted me to tell me there was an issue. I pointed out that I had called them to find out if my car was finished as I was TOLD it would be done in 2 hours. This continued for another 45 minutes. The last time the guy came back to talk to me and told me the car wasn't done AGAIN I told him to go call the manager AGAIN -this is unacceptable and unprofessional. He went back into the shop and then 5 minutes later came to tell me the car was finished. THis never would have happened if it had been a MAN who took the car in -we all know that. THe car would've been in and out within an hour no questions. I complained about this while I was at the store -and I doubt they'll get in touch with me over my complaint. NOW I see why everyone I know recommended I not go to Sears Automotive for anything. Well I certainly won't be returning.

PLEASE! I am also getting the run-around from sears, tech, cust. service, STACK, cust. relations, everybody! I bought an oasis dryer 14 mos ago. 3 mos after I got it, it smelled like smoke and had a fire outside the drum. 4 times in the first year it required repair and new parts. I bought the extended warranty and now that it is past the first year, the service dept . is trying to say that customer error and neglect is causing this problem. Hours on the phone, with probably 8 different people has gotten me to a worse place. They now say that they will not repair it, replace it ----and won't let me talk to anyone else! So, are we stuck with this $1, 000 LEMON? PLEASE, IF ANY ONE HAS A PHONE NO. OR NAME OR EMAIL OF SOMEONE WHO HAS ACTUALLY HELPED YOU, PLEASE, PLEASE, POST IT! THANKS

I bought a pro range 04-2008 with the 4 year extended warranty, it has already been worked on 4 times and the fan still rattles. I also bought the refrigerator freezer and its really hard to get the ice to dispense.
THIS HAS MADE UP MY MINE ABOUT BUYING FROM SEARS AGAIN. I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM SEARS AS LONG AS I LIVE.

we orderd a frig, and stove 5/31 when we ordered it we were not sure it woul fit so the sales man said we could order it and cancel the order if it did not fit that way we would not have to to go home and come back, well it tured out to be 1/4inch to wide we called on 6/1 to cancel the order and today is the 6/15 and still did not get my refund today i called sears for the sixth time and the said it would be credited back today and if if not to call back a seveth time and tell them to start a truoble ticket, we would have gone back to sears to order another frig. that would fit but when we ordered the frig and maching oven the did not have free delivery i tried to get free delivery i said i by the maching dishwasher and a another frige for our recroom and still could not give me free delivery so when we had to go get a frig that would fit every one else had free delivery and we we went to lowes befor going back to sears the had free delivey and where about 25 persent cheaper we got a new 2 frigerators, convection stove, dishwasher i will never shop sears again
Bill Neiman, akron ohio [protected]

I have been having major issues with Sears Customer service. I bought a Dishwasher Oct 2010. It needed repaired June 2011. Now Jan 2012, it is having the same problem. I have waited on hold, been transfered all over the place, hung up on three times and still have no resolution. I will not buy another appliance from Sears.