Lisa E Yeg
map-marker Kansas City, Missouri

Caught on fire. No Lemon program is in word only

Purchased a double door Kenmore for about $1300. also purchased 5 year extended service contract for about $1500. Had multiple service calls over life of service contract. Refrigerator was a lemon from the start. So, paid about $3000 for a refrigerator that lasted only five years. The compressor relay caught on fire, burnt all the wires including water line. Sears said the best they could offer was a 10% discount on a new refrigerator. I would never purchase from Sears again. Their customer satisfaction guarantee is a lie, so is their No Lemon program. Corporate profit appears more important than quality products and customer satisfaction.
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6 comments
Guest

Im the one from 11-25-2008 i just wanted to share this...

WASHINGTON – Maytag Corp. said Tuesday that it has voluntarily recalled about 1.6 million refrigerators due to an electrical problem that could create a fire hazard.

The problem has led to 16 incidents ranging from smoke damage to major kitchen damage, Maytag said.

The Newton, Iowa-based company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recall involves some Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef, Maytag, Performa by Maytag and Crosley side-by-side and top freezer refrigerators. They were sold from January 2001 through January 2004 at department and appliance stores and by homebuilders.

The refrigerators, which sold for $350 to $1,600, came in black, bisque, white and stainless steel. Those with bottom freezers are not included in the recall.

The recall notice said an electrical failure in the relay component that turns on the refrigerator's compressor can cause overheating and pose a serious fire hazard.

Maytag, a unit of Whirlpool Corp., said 41 refrigerator ignition incidents have been reported, with 16 resulting in various degrees of damage.

Consumers were advised to contact Maytag to find out if their refrigerator is included in the recall and to set up a free in-home repair. Its toll-free number is 866-533-****.

The company said refrigerators should not be returned to the stores that sold them.

Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool purchased Maytag in March 2006 in a $1.8 billion deal.

Guest

Same issues with Sears, I had a GE refrigerator, paid $2000, lasted 2 years and serviced 8 times by Sears. Mother board burned up, I photographed it and complained to the consumer products. Product was made in Mexico by GE, almost set our home on fire. Lost hundreds of dollars in groceries, wasted 16 hours on repair calls, and lost my patience. I called GE direct, they replaced it at 50% off the price of a new one, so I had to pay another $1,000.

I complained to every corporate level at Sears, headquarters, Lemon people, lawyers at Sears etc. They accused me of being "hostile" and said "you are agreeing to decline our offer of $500 to replace the appliance." Are you kidding!!!

I've told everyone I know about the extremely poor service at Sears. The store manager never once returned my calls, the national customer service called me hostile, and I was never reimbursed for all the lost food.

Never, Ever, Never buy from Sears! Do not trust Consumer Reports magazine, who recommends products from Sears and a number 1 rating and the products have failed. I also lost a vacume cleaner from Sears, paid $300, it lasted on year before it too broke. Both items were number one on the Consumer Reports best appliances. What a joke!

Guest

Contact a lawyer and contact UL. Those products are faulty and need to be dealt with.

Good grief, if I spent a lot of money on a fridge and less than 3 years went by and a fire broke out, I would demmand a new fridge FREE of charge. Tell SEARS that you will never shop there again if they don't replace the fridge FREE.

Guest

Same thing happened to me yesterday. I smelled smoke coming from the kitchen, turns out my compressor on my Kenmore side by side refridgerator went into flames.

We purchased it June of 2006, barely 2.5 years new. I have AHS home coverage insurance, they are coming out today.

Guest

Hey there, I'd have called the manufacturer, the Fire Department, ULC, The power company and my insurance company. They, would have done something REAL FAST!!!!

Guest

My refrigerator did the samething relay caught on fire at 3 in the morning luckly I woke up and we got the kids out called sears was told all they could was give my 150 to the repair guys bill and 100 to part.They act like fire is normal ware and tear

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SEARS B Rrd
map-marker Los Angeles, California

Sears Card

I came into a little money and the way things going in the stock I thought I would help out my girl friend and pay off her sears credit card and you think it would raise her credit wrong it dropped her credit score 10 points if this is the way sears want to treat it's customers at a time we are going through now and christmas right around the corner this company just pushed one consumer away and I'm making it known I have lots of friends and I come from a very large family SEARS A BAD ASSET
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4 comments
Guest

I know of the constant phone calls and the $40.00 late fees. Used to be me however I learned my lesson.

I take the payment right to them, always on time, I pay $30.00 to them, they pay $15.00 onto my account. What a great deal.

They love thier customers. We love Sears too, in fact Sears will be gone soon.....bye bye Sears.

Guest

I got a Sear Credit Card in 6/2008, made a credit purchase, was making monthly payments of $100 with mininum payment being approximately $20 per month. Balance never seemed to go down and I could never get an explaination as to why.

In 10/2009 I maded another purchase after first balance was close to complication. Again making payments well in excess of the mininum balance. On 1/2010 payment was 9 days late getting to Sears, on the 9th day I began receiving deliquent calls with calls being 2 to 3 minutes apart from 9AM to 9:30PM, leaving no message just calling and calling. I did not recognize the phone number so I called the number after the 9:30PM call.

I was informed that the calls were for deliquence of 9 days, that I had been charged a $39 late fee, and that the min payment must always be paid even if payment is above the mininum. What a ludicrist way of doing business. I understant that individuals are experiencing financial difficulties however to insult and penalize all customers is a fundamental way to lose business. I will be paying off my balance ASAP and will never do business with Sears again.

I wish to extnd a warning to anyone thinking of doing business with Sears via credit to think twice about it.

It is not a proposition that I would recommend. :(

Guest

I know it might look like paying off the Sears CC made the score go down, and in a way may have, but not because of Sears. The credit score is an impossible number to predict.

I obviously do not know the whole story, but sounds like the account may have been closed, and therefore reducing the amount of credit your GF has, which is not always a good thing as revolving lines of credit are a necessity in having a high score; just need to have a good ratio of debt to income. If you didnt close the account and the account was not past due/in collection when it was paid off then the credit score dropping is most likely related to something else. Also, it takes a few months for equifax, transunion, etc...

to update the credit score, so depending on how quickly after you looked at the score after paying account off it may have not taken affect yet. A lot of tools available in Google

Guest

Sears did not cause your score to go down, the credit agencies have a weird mathamatical way of making credit scores. It is possible for score to go down as she is no longer making monthly payments, to show credit worthiness

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MD C Kgh
map-marker Monrovia, Maryland

Sears Kenmore Refrig Contaminated

I purchased a Sears Kenmore Refrigerator Model 59429 for $1019.99 from Sears In Frederick Maryland Mall in Nov 2006. In that first month I called Sears about it not cooling properly. The tech gave me a lesson in adjusting the temp controller. I called again in Oct 2007 and twice more in 2008 before a Sears technician determined that the compressor had a blockage or some contamination. We lost a great amount of food and were without a refrigerator for several weeks. In fact, in 2008 one Sears Technician left without even verifying that his compressor repair would work which prolonged our being without a refrigerator. Finally, in June 2008 a Sears Tech did replace the compressor, condessor and part of the refrigerant lines. If you google Sears Refrigerator problems you will find articles about unknown contamination from some Electrolux factory in Mexico where my Sears Kenmore Refrigerator was made. The Sears One Source people are of little help. They even gave me hope that we would receive a replacement refrigerator, later a $500 credit and finally just a repair job that I have no confidence to last the number of years one would expect. Sears forced me to purchase an extended service warranty for $252 before they would even send a tech inspite of my refrigerators' service record and it being less than 3 years old. Also, please realize that the compressor is suppose to be warrantied for 5 years even though that is not publicized by Sears. We have always purchased Sears products in the past since our parents did likewise. But now the market has changed and Sears is milking their past years of good will for profit sake. There is no longer a Sears advantage.
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4 comments
Guest

Not only do they sell bad products that break down after a few months, they take a week to come to repair them. this is the so called 'guarantee' they give.

We purchased a Kenmore refrigerator (coldspot) in January 2010 for about $970. It broke down in early June 2010 - about five months after the purchase!

Since it is still under guarantee we called the company service department on the early morning of June 5th to request it to be repaired. The service technician will come June 11th afternoon. For a whole week they leave us without a refrigerator!

Guest

No, and Electrolux has not even bothered to answer my contacts.

Guest

To the person with the cooling problem-I had the same problem with my refrigerator-the non-freezer side stopped getting cold and I was told the part would cost $400. The appliance was onl two years old.

Kenmore owners should e-mail me at saturner55@***n .net. Sounds as if their could be a class action suit, if we had the same problem

Guest

Sears has alot of warranties like that where THE PART is covered but the labor isn't by Sears or the manufacturer.

Since this had problems since day one I would've pushed the issue a little harder.The pressure to sell those warranties is insane.Do not think they will not hold the lack of a service plan against you.

Did you ever find out if Electrolux issued any recalls?

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Anonymous
map-marker Melbourne, Florida

Extremely High cost to repair shell

The shell on my left hearing aid broke in half as I was replacing the battery. I was informed by your representative that the repair woukd cost $399.

I realize that the warranty has expired Feb. 07 but I feel that the shell must have been flawed and that that amount is excessive.

I had always followed the instructions for maintenance and the representative had sent them back to you for check up and adjustment prior to warranty expiration.

In light of this I feel I should get some consideration regarding the amountcharge to have this repair.

Purchased at Sears Hearing Center in Melbourne, Fl.

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13 comments
Fairfield Collectibles

Pissed Consumer does not forward issues to the companies that are reviewed. Since your issue was not communicated to us, we could not help.

Pissed Consumer holds reviews "hostage" and will not release the reviewer's contact information unless we pay an exorbitant fee. We are truly sorry that your experience was not up to our standards and hope that you were eventually able to place an order.

Guest

super glue should not be used because you can't get it off if the hearing aid needs future repair. The top part of the hearing aid is what has to come off to fix inside of hearing aid.

Guest

I agree. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop crying all the time. Grow the *** up and be more careful.

Guest

I fixed my own using super glue. $1.29 and it worked great.

Guest

Sally, you don't know what youre talking about. These shell are like egg shells...very brittle.

If they could be made of a durable plastic, then we would never have to repair them. I've broken mine about 3 or 4 times and have paid the $350 twice. The first time I was careless...walking while inserting...dropping it and stepping on it. But two other times they broke simply by being dropped a short distance.

Yes, now I make sure to be extremely careful, but I really shouldn't need to be...WE CAN USE A BETTER MATERIAL TO MANUFACTURE HEARING AIDS PEOPLE! If not, please enlighten me. I paid $4,500 for two aids...because they have all the bells and whistles, but it's a rip-off because the people that sell these don't have the means and can't spend the amount of time necessary to take full advantage of the features. Add insult by charging me to fix them because they are made of cheap brittle plastic.

I actually had the technician bring in a boom box so we could listen to the music and adjust the music setting on the fly. The tech is a wonderful person, and she was blown away by the concept of doing this. She tried, but there's no way she could dial in the exact frequencies needed to produce the correct sound for my hearing. I'm a sound tech myself, and it's true this has something to do with my pickiness, but it's no less true that we would benefit greatly by having the ability to adjust the EQ settings ourselves...just like we do when we listen to music in our car or at home.

This will make me seem like a ***, but as soon as I FINALLY got one of my aids fixed ($350), I dropped the other on the counter...a 12" drop, and it shattered. The reason I checked this site is because I finally got the bright idea of trying to glue it myself. A missing hearing aid has a big impact on those of us who have hearing loss, especially psychologically. Someday we will be able to but aids for $50 and they can easily be adjusted using our PC's.

I've been using the same sony ear-buds for my music for over two years...$50...still going strong.

Somebody, please take interest in making millions by manufacturing affordable, durable hearing aids! Thanks

Guest

Sally, you don't know what youre talking about. These shell are like egg shells...very brittle.

If they could be made of a durable plastic, then we would never have to repair them. I've broken mine about 3 or 4 times and have paid the $350 twice. The first time I was careless...walking while inserting...dropping it and stepping on it. But two other times they broke simply by being dropped a short distance.

Yes, now I make sure to be extremely careful, but I really shouldn't need to be...WE CAN USE A BETTER MATERIAL TO MANUFACTURE HEARING AIDS PEOPLE! If not, please enlighten me. I paid $4,500 for two aids...because they have all the bells and whistles, but it's a rip-off because the people that sell these don't have the means and can't spend the amount of time necessary to take full advantage of the features. Add insult by charging me to fix them because they are made of cheap brittle plastic.

I actually had the technician bring in a boom box so we could listen to the music and adjust the music setting on the fly. The tech is a wonderful person, and she was blown away by the concept of doing this. She tried, but there's no way she could dial in the exact frequencies needed to produce the correct sound for my hearing. I'm a sound tech myself, and it's true this has something to do with my pickiness, but it's no less true that we would benefit greatly by having the ability to adjust the EQ settings ourselves...just like we do when we listen to music in our car or at home.

This will make me seem like a ***, but as soon as I FINALLY got one of my aids fixed ($350), I dropped the other on the counter...a 12" drop, and it shattered. The reason I checked this site is because I finally got the bright idea of trying to glue it myself. A missing hearing aid has a big impact on those of us who have hearing loss, especially psychologically. Someday we will be able to but aids for $50 and they can easily be adjusted using our PC's.

I've been using the same sony ear-buds for my music for over two years...$50...still going strong.

Somebody, please take interest in making millions by manufacturing affordable, durable hearing aids! Thanks

Guest

google hearing aid repair shops online..they should have prices quoted online much cheaper than 400 dollars...and, never shop at miracle ear again, they are the most overpriced dispensing network known with commission paid to their employees!!

Guest

I am in no way close enough to help you, but after reading about your problem, I just had to write. Having not seen the hearing aid I can't say for certain, but it sounds like your faceplate became detacted from the shell.

That is a simple task for any competent dispenser. I usually do this at no charge.

If the shell is truly broken, charges range from $250 to $450 or more depending on the company. Recasing means that the aid goes through a major part of the original manufacturing process.

Guest

HearSource.com would have repaired you aid for only $99.

www.hearsource.com

Guest

Alsip Judge a.k.a Alsip Magistrate -why the pseudonyms?

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DocBennett
map-marker Staten Island, New York

Sears Delivery

I don't have an issues with the store. Our Saleman Jose Duarte was great. He explained things about washer/dryers. He advised us and assist us in our selection. Great to work with. However the delivery was the issue. We were told our purchase would arrive between 3:30pm and 5:30pm. At 5:30 Jose gave me the 1-800 number to contact the delivery section. The lady that answered was too busy repeating "Thank you", "I will look that up" and "I apologize". When I explained I had taken off work to wait on this she wouldn't say a word. Next the delivery guys called me. They begin talking about coming tomorrow. I asked if they could come tonight. They asked me how far I was away from them. Stop and think about that. I told them I didn't know where they were so I couldn't tell them how far away they were. Really smart guys. I told them to take it back to the store. This is the second time this same issue has happened with your company. In Jan 2006 we moved into our new home. We ordered all our refrigerator, stove, oven, & microwave 30 days before we wanted them delivered. We called to ensure they would be delivered on the correct day 7 and 3 days out. The day of the delivery you no showed us. I canceled my order and went to Lowes. That same day, a few hours later Lowes delivered what we ordered. The cost was a total of $125.00 more. Worth every dime. Now we are doing the exactly the same thing with our washer/dryer. Great products, good saleman and then you blow it with a cheap delivery company. All totaled Sears lost about $5000.00 of business because you wanted to save a few dollars on delivery. How many sales do you have to have return items until it starts being worth hiring a delivery company that won't make promises it can't keep. We hoped after two years something would have gotten better. No such luck. Washer/dryer from Lowes? Also cheaper.
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Loss:
$2200
Cherysh Avl
map-marker Louisville, Kentucky

Sears tire warranty a hoax!!!

I just got back from my local SEARS store and can't believe what happened! I had purchased 4 new tires for my SUV in Nov.2005. The tires are 40 000 mile tires.

Last month (July) I had my tires rotated before going on a road trip and also an oil change at the local SEARS store. When I went on my trip I noticed my steering wheel vibrating when at high speed, my truck never did that before. I thought maybe it was the bad highway or whatever and put the thought out of my mind.

Today I went to my car dealer and told him about the vibrating... well, my mechanic told me I NEED NEW TIRES!!!! what???? My tires are only 2 1/2 years old and have only 30 000 miles on them... he told me to go straight to SEARS and show them the tires, they are cupping in tread.

I did! And they totally blew me off! They acknowledge my tires being bad but "probably due to bad shocks or so" Bad shocks??? Are they kidding? There is nothing wrong with my shocks! I have a warranty on my tires and they will not honor it or stand behind their *** tires. I am going to file a complaint with the BBB. By the way, how come 5 weeks ago when I had my tires rotated NO ONE noticed the bad tires? Their answer: "5 weeks ago the tires were probably still good."

Yeah right! My husband called customer satisfaction department, after reading all these blogs here I have very little hope they will even call us back. GO TO *** SEARS!!! Sorry, just had to vent.

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11 comments
Guest

I only had 12,590 on my 40,000 warranty tires. I had to literally speak up for the incompetent manager and assisting manager.

Both taken different readings of tire thread depth. The same company who rotates my 265 tires that are to be rotated across the back and 245 tires to be rotated only across the front. Well, the place the 265 at the front and 245 at the back and took it out of the shop rubbing fender-well.

Their explanation was they thought it was rubbing when it came in. They are so incompetent!

Cambryn Xjn

A 40,000 mile tire is a low end tire. Sorry, but you asked for an inferior product because you wanted to save money, so don't expect premium quality.

Next time but Michellin or Good Year.

Sears is a good place for tires though; I always had good experiences there.

Guest

Sorry, but cupping is a fault caused by....BAD SHOCK ABSORBERS.

Your bad, fix the shocks.

Guest

Of course Sears WILL stand behind their tires --- behind them and as far away from them as they can possibly get.

Guest

Mileage warranties, to begin with, come from the manufacturer of the tire (goodyear michilin etc) not the store you purchased them from. Any warranty adjustment is not coming from sears it is coming from the tire manufactuer.

A tire can and will not "become" defective. If you actually read your warranty information i guaruntee that it outlines the terms and conditions. In order to receive a warranty for premature wear on a tire the wear must first be all the way down to the wear bar (2/32 of tread), and be even wear. A tire will not wear unevenly on its own only a vehicle can cause that.

My quess is you drive an explorer with original shocks which are known to cup tires. I also guess that you rarely take advantage of the FREE life time balance and rotations that come with sears tires nearly as often as you should.

Again an unbalanced tire WILL cause cupping. Before you start contacting the BBB you might want to actually have a clue what you are talking about

Guest

The (HEAR THIS CONSUMERS) Mileage warranty that a tire manufacturer gives on a tire such as 40,000 miles is exactly what it is 'A WARRANTY, NOT A GUARANTEE'!!!

What this means the tire manufacturer is stating that with proper tire maintenance, which is your responsibility:

1. properly inflated tires

2. making sure your alignment is within vehicle manufacturer specs (also making sure suspension parts are still good and not need replacing like tie rods)

3. Replacing worn shocks/struts (vehicle manufacturers actually suggest replacing them after 50,000 miles

4.(can't stress this enough) rotating/balancing your tires every so many miles (typical is 5,000 - 6,000 miles) as suggested.

If you do all this, you should achieve as many miles out of the tires as the tire manufacturer states.

Lets say you were doing all the stuff as stated before and the tires are at 2/32 and need replacing, well you got 30,000 miles out of 40,000 mile warranty tires. It doesn't mean Sears has to now replace your tires for free. What they could do is give you a dollar amount of the 10,000 miles that was not used towards the purchase of new tires. I won't explain simple math and ratios here.

It's your responsibility to take care of your tires, not to mention your vehicle. Like that ole adage says 'Take care of your car and it will take care of you'

I only side with your 'moaning' a little being that when you went to rotate your tires they didn't point out that your tires were worn or close to needing replacement. :roll

Guest

Cupping of the tires can be caused by bad shocks, improper tire balance and lack of rotation. All 3 of those can be the customers fault.

Okay- your shocks are good. How often did you take the tires in to get rotated and balanced? I bet not as often as suggested.

We get people in everyday who demand that we warranty out tires that were messed up by the customer because of lack of maintenance. Hopefully you take care of this new set of tires better than you took care of the last set.

Guest

By the way,LADYLUCK21, my SHOCKS, brakes and suspension are fine. AND SEARS does NOT stand behind their tires 100%, I am PROOF.

Guest

This is now 2 months later and I bought NEW tires from my dealership. I will NEVER set foot into a SEARS store again, I paid off my SEARS card and as far as I am concerned, they can go you know where.

I could have started and opened a can of worms but decided my life is too short.

They will get what's coming to them. By the way, NOT ONE customer service person called us back!

Guest

I am an Sears auto center associate and what Sears told you was absolutely right!! Manufacturer warranties will not cover unusual tire wear due to bad suspension parts.

(I can prove it!) If we found your alignment and/or front end parts are good, and you kept up your end of the bargain with regular maintenance of your tires WE WILL STAND BEHIND OUR TIRES 100%. You are right about Sears being wrong for not bringing up the fact your tires were worn five weeks prior to the visit to the dealership. Its no doubt about signs of tire wear were visible at the time. My guess is that they didn't want a conflict at the moment.

Keep in mind you only bought 40,000 mile tires, in about 30,000 they will indeed look worn no matter how much money you spent for the tire or where you got them from.

If you bought a 4 ounce bottle of oil and used up 3 ounces, wouldn't it look low?? Look at your paperwork concerning the warranties, it's all inside!!

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Elexus Zbx
map-marker Immokalee, Florida

Customer service is horrible

I moved into a brand new home in July and purchased a new Kenmore, French Door, Fridge. Not 2 months later the refridgerator side of the unit stopped cooling. The freezer side still worked but I called Sears on a Thursday to have a tech come out and service it. The closest appointment was for the following Tuesday between 1pm -5pm. I waited and supposedly the tech called at 3pm, and due to not hearing the phone he skipped my service repair and went to the next appointment. I called Sears and they told me because I didn't answer I got skipped and now have to wait till Saturday for the next closest appointment. So now everything in my fridge has gone to waist and am now eating out of two coolers filled with ice. Learning lesson, Don't miss the tech phone call even when your home cause Sears will make you take it right in the tail pipe...
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Loss:
$500
Suzy S Gnf
map-marker New York, New York

Untrueful 5 yr warranty

I purchased 5 yr. extended warranty policy when I purchased new dish washer in Sears store. After I get home, I realize that the policy expiration date is 1 yr. shorter than I expect. After calling store back, I was informed that 5 yr. master product protection plan is actually 4 yr-1st yr. is under manufacturer warranty. The person on the phone advised me that it's written on policy and he can not do anything about it. After reading through the entire pre-print document, I finally locate this statement. However, 1. The term of 5 yr. is not ture and shall not be called 5 yr. plan. Car extended warranty policy kicks in after initial warranty expires. Why and how can this policy be written in this tricky term? Can 90% Fat Free milk be labeled as 100% Fat Free milk? Can 55% Poly; 45% Cotton fabric be called cotton rich? What happened to Federal Fair trade regulation? 2. The sales rep in store never explained this REALITY. Shouldn't customer be informed needed information in details prior to purchase?
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Loss:
$188
3 comments
Guest

It was explained to me as coverage by sears from the date of purchase. I was worried about a new front load washer I was purchasing and took the 3 year in home protection.

I asked about 3 years beyond but was told it over lapped the original warranty, since it was not protected by sears, except by exchange during the return period. Sears has its own service plans, while others use extended warranties

Guest

I ment to say rewards quantity and NOT ethics.

And "to show you how" should be part of one paragraph.

:roll :sigh

Guest

You have to be very carefull when dealing with Sears service agreements.Especially when they are trying to sell you one.Alot of employees don't even know the details of the plan or ommit them.There is tremendous pressure to sell these things which rewards quantity and ethics.

I agree if SEARS is selling you a five year plan SEARS should cover it for 5 years.

I'd bring these details up to the local BBB,a national agency like the Federal Trade Commission or the local insurance commission.

To show how routinely these things were incorrectly sold

their Replacement Plan used to cover the product for replacement for 15 months after the manufacturers warranty expired.The average employee sold it as a 2 year plan but in reality if the product had a 90 day replacement warranty that would equal only 18 months of coverage.

But in a twist of fate for many customers most employees didn't realize that the plan was a onetime deal.Some employees would give replacements numerous times under the same plan.

Point being Sears or its employees really do not understand the plans they are selling.And tight budgets are forcing service to not let things go or make sure the manufacturer is charged during their warranty and not the plan.

If you buy 5 years of protection from Sears or anyone else they should provide you with 5 years of service.

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sjs S
map-marker Charles City, Iowa

Sears "protection agreement"

Opened my credit card statement for my brand new gold master card from sears yesterday. Was amazed to find that the caring personel in the sears protection agreement dept. had kindly taken upon themselves to provide me with coverage on three appliances I had purchaced in the past from them. The first one being a TV I bought in 1998, which was struck by lightning in 2001 and replaced with a new unit from a different retailler. The second was a chest type freezer i bought in 2001 and the third a dehumidifier purchased in 2003. All of these items they took upon themselves to insure for me for the paltry sum of $475. I didn't even have to autherize it! Of course it would have been somewhat troublesome for me to do so since I was 1500 miles away on vacation on the very date they stated the agreement was autherized!! I do recall that some months previous to all this a call from a telemarketer trying to sell me this same insurance. At that time I did unconditionally decline the offer. Guess I just don't know what's good for me. This is fraud plain and simple, no other way to describe it!! Other than theft. I will never ever darken the door of another Sears or K-Mart again!! Where are the lifesucking lawyers when you need them.
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6 comments
Guest

sears protection agreement plan is fraud :grin :upset :cry

Guest

Sears wants you in debt, to them. When they renew your protection agreement, they don't send you a nice letter in the mail.

No bill, no invoice. They wait and call you ten days before it will expire and tell you that you have to do the renewal on the phone. They say that it's the only way. They will NOT send you a bill.

This way, you have no time to set aside the money, and you have to add it to your Sears Charge card.

Neat trick, eh? :(

Guest

It is unfortunate for the consumer to accuse a store of "fraud" or "theft" when in fact the information provided lacks dates, contact information of people spoken too, and other information which would make the story plausable. As a retail employee if I work someplace and felt it was a rip off to purchase said warranties, I myself would not purchase them.

I do purchase extra warranties from several retail establishments because I have had a need for them. Look at a retail establishment (a store) as a box. Place items inside the box from various places (manufacturers) and then sell from inside the box. The box is not the manufacturer of these items they just sell them.

It really isn't the store's obligation to stand behind a manufactured product, and this why the better warranties are offered. In this day in age you will find manufactured items do not last as long as items from days of old.

We have entered an era of a "disposable society."

Customers have admitted they would just purchase a new one if the one they just purchased broke down. How silly, is that when for a fraction of the cost they can get a refund or a replaced product?

Guest

WORKING AS A COMMISSION ASSOCIATE FOR AN ELECTRONIC RETAIL CHAIN I AM AMAZED JUST HOW MANY IGNORANT PEOPLE THERE ARE IN THIS WORLD. NONE OF YOU PEOPLE SEEM TO REALIZE THAT NOTHING IS MADE LIKE IT USED TO BE.

ELECTRONIC NOW A DAYS SUCK. YET YOU PEOPLE JUST SEEM TO THINK THAT BECAUSE ITS A KNOWN BRAND IT WILL NOT BREAK DOWN. YOU ALSO BELIEVE IN A 1 YR MANUFACTURER DEFECT WARRANTY. THOSE WARRANTIES ARE THEIR TO BEND YOU OVER HARD.

THEY KNOW THE PROBABILITY OF SOMETHING HAPPENING IN THE FIRST YEAR IS SLIM TO NONE. THEN YOU ARE SOL AND NEED TO BUY A NEW ITEM. WAKE UP. SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY.

GET THE STORE PROTECTION AND HAVE PEACE OF MIND FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS. I BOUGHT A SAMSUNG LCD TV FROM SEARS AND DID NOT GET THE PROTECTION. THE TV DIED IN LESS THAN 3 YRS. THE TV WAS RATED THE BEST BY CONSUMER REPORTS.

YET IT DIED IN LESS THAN 3 YRS. I ENDED UP BUYING A SONY LCD FROM SEARS WITH 5 YRS PROTECTION AND THAT *** OUT IN LESS THAN 2 YRS. SEARS TRIED EVERYTHING TO FIX THE TV BUT THEY COULDNT SO THEY GAVE ME FULL CREDIT TOWARDS A NEW TV OF MY CHOICE AND THE REMAINDER OF MY PROTECTION TRANSFERRED OVER. WAKE UP GUYS.

THE ECONOMY SUCKS. HOW MANY OF YOU ARE SO SURE YOUR PLACE OF BUSINESS WILL STAY OPEN AND YOU WILL HAVE A SOLID SOURCE OF INCOME?

I KNOW I SURE CAN'T. SO I CAN;T HAVE THE MINDSET IF IT BREAKS ILL BUY A NEW ONE.

Guest

Learn how to spell *** head

Guest

Force them to give you the facts such WHO spoke to you,WHEN they spoke to you.

On most of those agreements you are entitled to a full refund if not used.Cancel them.

There is humungous pressure to sell this *** so someone is simply trying to fill a quota.

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mumbulo
map-marker Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sears Service Dept. Stinks

On April 13th, I dropped off my Craftsman model weedeater to have the trigger replaced. It took me almost 10 minutes before anyone even came over to help me, which should have been my first sign to run out the door. Once someone finally came to help me I told them what was wrong with the weedeater and the work I wanted done. They could not find my name in the system until they looked me up at an old address (from 3 years ago) and did not update my new information. I was told I would have to pay a $30 service charge because the unit was no longer under warranty but that the $30 would be applied to any services. I asked the associate if he knew how much it would cost to replace the trigger and he told me they had no way of knowing but that I could set a limit on how much the service would cost so they couldn't do work without my authorization. I told him I wanted a $30 limit since I had already paid $30. He again said they would call me to get authorization and I asked him to make sure they call my new number so he put a note in the system. He told me the weedeater would be ready on 4/28/08 and they would call me when it was ready to pick up. 4/28/08 came by and I heard nothing from Sears. I called the Customer service number to check on the status of the repair and an Indian woman who I could barely understand could not find my information in the system. I finally gave her my phone number from 3 years and she was able to pull it up but she said it was still not in and could give me no explanation why. On 5/1/08 I had to go to the Mall for another reason so I stopped into the store and asked about the status of my repair. The associate told me that it was still being worked on and would not be ready until 5/4/08. I again verified that they had my correct phone number in the system and talked to the manager to see if they could update the info since the lady on the phone had been unable to find me in the system. She said there was no way they could do that while the work order was open but assured me that they would call me at my current number and explained the weedeater was out because they had had to order the trigger. She told me it looked like it would be back to the store on 5/4/08 and gave me the number of the store to call to speak to someone who could tell me the status of my weedeater. I still had not heard from Sears by 5/6/08 so I called the store to see if it was back. They associate who answered the phone said it was there and had been there since Sunday. I asked her why I had not been called and she said she didn't know. I told her I would be in that evening to pick it up. When I arrived at the store an associate came out and told me I had a balance to pay before I could get my weedeater. I asked him how much and he told me $60!!!!!! I asked him how it could be so much, it was a broken trigger that should have cost, max, $40. I expressed my frustration that I had NEVER been called to authorize them to fix the weedeater at that price. He apologized and said he wasn't sure if they could do anything. My boyfriend and I told him we wanted to speak to the manager and he said he would get her. We waited for about 5 minutes and the associate came back and said the manager had told him that we had no choice, we could either pay the $60 and get our weedeater back or be out our $30 deposit and they would keep it. I again said I wanted to speak to the Manager as both choices were unacceptable and he said he would have her come over. When she came over we asked if she had remembered us from last time and she said she did. We explained how poor our customer service had been throughout the service period and the fact that noone had called us to authroize the repairs. All she would say is that we had the two above choices and there was nothing we could do about it. She kept telling us that either way we were out the $30, which we said we understood, but I kept trying to explain to her that I didn't think I should have to pay the $60 since it had not been authorized by me. She kept interrupting and saying either she couldn't do anything about it or that either way we were out the $30. I explained to her that I could get a brand new weedeater for $90, which is the same price as what I would be paying for my old one for the so-called service. I asked what had cost so much and she would not explain the charges, she would only say that the service was $60/hour. My boyfriend asked her if that was the standard rate and she said it was. I asked why I had not been told that when I had dropped it off, as I had asked the associate, and she said she didn't know why. I told her I was extremely unhappy and that I would never be a customer at sears again. She shrugged her shoulders at me! I asked for phone numbers of her manager so i could talk to them and she gave me a number so i could complain to the service but would not give me any numbers for Sears. My boyfriend suggested to her as a fellow retail employee that she should have her employees tell people the rates, especially when the know them, if they wanted to avoid these kinds of problems. She looked at him like he had a horn growing out of his head, said she there was nothing else she could do, and started to walk away. My boyfriend asked her if she would wait a minute so we could decide if we were going to pay the $60 or get a new one. She said she would and walked into the office. After we walked over and looked at the weedeater's (and verifying that, in, fact, a new one does cost $90) I told him I had been insulted, by both the process and the manager, that I was not giving Sears one more cent of mine again. He agreed and we went over to let the manager know that we would not be taking the weedeater back but she would not come out of the office (we waited for another 5 minutes). We were so disgusted at that point that we left.
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Loss:
$90
1 comment
Guest

I am a 70 yr. old consumer who took my Sears Die hard battery back to be recharged ,or replaced they looked up my purchase record , and varified my purchas date ,my name , and address .

I walked out and forgot about my battery for 3 wks. , and it was explain-ed that they assumed I'd abandoned my nearly new battery , and it was gone.

Extremly p
map-marker Hartford, Connecticut

Try to collect a paid in full debt.

This company needs to get their information in order. I paid my bill in Nov. 2007 and they keep forwarding my information to creditors to collect money from me. I have documentation that I paid it. I fax over it to these different creditors that happen to get this false information and I ask for CACV number so I can straighten this out and they won't even give me their phone number. How full of *-#* are they. Because of this unorganized company it continues to mess up my credit. Whenever you see CACV of Colorado LLC run for dear life.
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Demarquis Cnd
map-marker Washington, District Of Columbia

Sears at Montgomery Mall has ripped me off $8180.95

Bought $17000 in kitchen appliances in March 2008 from Sears at Montgomery Mall, Bethesda, MD. Everything came except the refrigerator which was scheduled later because Kitchenaid required their own installation and only after the cabinet to house the built-in fridge was built. Remodeling schedule was on track and in June 2008 we scheduled the fridge delivery for 8/15/08. Sears delivery company tried to deliver it 7/16/08--30 days early. 7/16 I spoke with Jack at the Excel Delivery company told me the woman I had been working with was fired and they don't know why it was delivered early. The delivery company returned the refrigerator to Whirlpool because they couldn’t store it for 4 weeks and told me that I would have to order it again from Sears. 7/19 Loree, delivery company manager said that Whirlpool said they refunded the fridge already. No refund has been credited to my credit card and I spoke with the bank and they were not holding any transactions. 7/28 I went to sears and spent 1.25 hours trying to get this fixed without success. Gave it a few days more for a refund to show up on my credit card. 8/6 Loree said she can't help me anymore, the computer says I have been refunded though my credit card company has no record of refund. 8/6 I printed my credit card statement all the way back to 6/26/08 and spent 1 1/2 hours at sears with a Dennis who says he was the manager and that it was the Sears helpdesk that needed to fix the problem. He said he would call me the next day and get an email. Never heard back from him. 8/11 called Sears and left a message for Dennis to call me immediately. No response. Today, 8/12/08 my credit card bank still has no refund processed. I have spent more than 3 hours during 2 visits to Sears (with 4 kids in tow) trying to get this fixed and another 4 hours total on the phone. I can not get anyone at Sears to process the refund so that I can order the refrigerator again. The delivery company blames Sears, Sears manager blames Whirlpool and the Sears helpdesk, and I can't get anyone to do their job and fix this order so we can get the refrigerator we paid for in March 2008. I have no refrigerator and I am out $8180.95. No one should ever buy so much as a pair of socks from Sears! They have absolutely NO customer service, and no accountability. There is no information on line to escalate up through management either.
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Loss:
$8180
4 comments
Guest

Sears has done a horrible job delivering a dishwasher that was purchased with a warranty and delivery charge all paid for up front. After almost two months of phone calls for lack of delivery when scheduled, they can not even locate the dishwasher and keep passing me to their deliver people who are usually off when I call them so no one has access to the case information--Their system does not recognize my phone number every time I call so I need to re-share my information to them--they never have adequate information on an escalated case so I repeat my story at least 6 times now and they seem very concerned and NEVER call me back-

What is most appalling is that Sears, a brand you would consider taking care of a problem, continues to pass the buck when the sale is in their name and they don't even share who they "outsource" this to-They will be reported to the appropriate agencies for this disregard of delivering on a contract-6/28/2011

Guest

U Mad Kitchenfags? :grin

Guest

:( I had my tires rotated at Sears in Monkey Mall last summer and one of the jokers stole my Cobra Radar Detector that cost me $250. They had to go into the trunk to get out a tire and BAM no more radar detector. I got 2 speeding tickets since then i wouldn't have gotten if it wasn't for the *** that they hire at Sears.

Guest

Besides small claims court and the BBB I'd see if I could get somekind of paperwork from the local delivery company.Since this is a contracted delivery you should have their info and they should have yours.On their paperwork should be an order or salescheck # which is your transaction #.If you can get paper that says the refrigerator under that order# was returned you could use that to show the credit card company.

This is a cumbersome situation but Sears should know how to handle it.It sounds like Sears had to special order direct from manufacturer which should be on the receipt some where.

You're still loosing money in the deal so a lawyer still might be away to go after you have gone through the motions of filing a complaint with the state of Maryland.

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AndrewJ J
map-marker Richmond, British Columbia

Sears Canada - hidden restocking fees

1. Description of the purchase A the beginning of July'08 I went to Sears to buy an Air Conditioning unit. When I asked the seller what is their return policy on that he told me that I've got 30 days to return it if I don't like it. After finalizing the deal I got the unit home. 2. The merchandise and it's quality The AC unit: portable AC Kenmoor 1000BTU for $649.99 First run was a little bit disappointing - the first impression was that it is too loud we could't hear that in store where background noise was apparently high. 3. Problem description Over couple next weeks we barely used it due to spending most of our time outside of our apartment. One day in the nigh wave of heat came and we turned the unit on. Unfortunately in the night the noise was even bigger - we couldn't sleep even on it's lowest setting. Next day we decided to return it because we had about 5 days left before the 30 days return time pass. To my surprise when I brought it to the store I was told that there is 20% of the restocking fee. I calculated roughly that it is around $120 - it wasn't cheap AC unit. I mentioned that I wasn't told about any restocking fee when buying the item. The associate didn't want to listen to my arguments and she mentioned that all rules are on the reverse of the receipt. I checked and yes there is a statement: "If for any reason you are not satisfied, simply return your purchase with your receipt within (...) 30 days for Electronics, (...) and Seasonal Merchandise*, less a restocking fee if applicable." Nice statement but it doesn't say anything about what is considered the "Seasonal Merchandise" (for me it could be shoes) nor it says anything about the 20% fee. I asked the associate where the 20% fee comes from and she told me that she is telling me that this is the fee. I tried to convince me to show me some rules which were saying about the fee amount but what she could do was connecting me with, I think it was a customer service which turned out to be already closed. Also the text on reverse of the receipt doesn't clarify under what condition the restocking fee is applied - everything is fogy here and open to interpretation. When I was paying the seller didn't even mentioned that there are any rules on the reverse of the receipt. The receipt itself doesn't say that signing it (I was paying via credit card) I agree to those rules. Nowadays usually the revers carries some ads which I never bother to check but in case of sears it contains a fuzzy rules (comparable to fine print you can find on some tricky user agreements). 4. Steps I has taken so far I tried to talk to the store manager but I was told the same story that everything is on back of the receipt and he cannot waive the fee. I asked him to date the receipt what he did. 5. Steps I'm going to take I'm planing to take the case to court and fight for my right as a customer. I used to be a good Sears customer but it has changed now. 6. Final impression Freedom of choice is an illusion at Sears. I'm stuck now with *** AC unit while on the market there are some models with better quality (meaning quite) for lesser price. I'm not going to pay $120 for the Sears version of freedom of choice. This was my last deal with Sears and I'll also let all my friends know about Sears approach to a customer who is buying more expensive merchandise. Any customer who is planning to buy anything from Sears should recall my case.
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Loss:
$649
2 comments
Guest

It has happened to me as well recently buying a TV. what did you do next?

I am also victim of same totally unfair business pracice. Can we do together something?

Guest

This issue has been dealt with by the courts. If the retatiler made you aware of these additional terms of seanonality at the time of sale you eat it.

If they neglected to make you aware of those additonal terms after you asked the question related to their return policy, they did not provide you with full disclosure. If you did not receive these additional terms you may have cause or you have just rented a air conditioner for 20% of the purchase price.

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Massiah Hov
map-marker Alexandria, Louisiana

Sears lawnmower the same

I went through about the same thing with a Sears lawnmower. It just happened to be a "lemon" and I made complaints, took it back 4 times for repairs. It never did work. I complained to several managers, too. Even the district manager and their main office. It was under warranty when I first took it in but after 12 weeks of back and forth to the repair shop, the shop wanted to charge me. I said it was under warranty when I first brought it in for repairs. It had not been repaired. The store manager called the main office and he looked up on his computer and saw how things had gone. Not only that, I lived in a small town and I had to drive 45 miles each way to a Sears repair shop. The lawnmower was never repaired, they would not replace it, and I ended up with a credit card bill for a product that never worked. By then the grass was so high I had to hire someone to come and mow it. Another expense. He continued to do the lawn care until I moved.
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1 comment
Guest

Friend, I am sorry that you had a lot of problems with your lawnmower. If I were you, I would bring that mower into the SEARS show room and tell people not to buy CRAFTSMAN brand lawn equipment.

That SEARS could careless about the way they treat the customers. Do that for a while and a manger will come out on the sales floor. Then, you can tell him how much you are ticked off about your lawnmower that you just bought. After some talk, they will more than likely give in and give you store credit or replace the faulty lawnmower at once.

Just to get a ticked off customer out of their sales floor. By the way, bring the reciept with you.

I did that at SEARS with a pos rocking chair that was leaking oil and *** all over the place. And also a vacuum that never worked right. The Store gave us about $200 to get out of their store.

I voiced myself to all the customers that were in the furniture department. We even told the associatess not to put that chair on the carpet because the stain will never come out.

emarshbuck M
map-marker Cleveland, Ohio

Sears Craftsman Mower - Horrible Design!

I purchased a self propelled Sears Craftsman lawn mower one years ago. That means, this is the second season I have used it. I paid $300 for this mower.

It is a model # 917.377842, 6.5HP Honda engine, and "features" easy height adjustment with one lever each for the front and back wheels (2 levers).

The steel levers slip into slots on the aluminum deck (can you see this train wreck coming?). Thus, after 1 1/2 seasons of adjusting the wheels for various conditions (wet - mow low, dry - mow high), the freaking levers no longer say in the aluminum slots because (are you listening, sears engineers?), steel tends to wear away aluminum, and now the slots are not able to contain the levers and the mower is constantly falling to it's lowest position, scalps the lawn, and what a mess that makes.

Guess what? One year warranty! The "helpful" sears service associate suggested I buy an extended warranty for this mower. The price? $ 300!

So, just into the second season, the options are to either buy a complete new deck (which will probably last another season or so), or buy a new mower.

I won't be buying anything from sears (it doesn't deserve capitalization) and now I realize that the name "craftsman" is Chinese for "cheap."

Too soon old, too late smart.

Ed Marshall

Akron, OH

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Loss:
$300
9 comments
Guest

I've had this same lawnmower for ten years... runs great and have never had the problems you are describing, but have had them slip when I have hit an object.

The motor, built by Honda is the the best thing on it. Starts on the first pull every spring.

Guest

Same Sears Craftsman mower, 917.377842, same exact problem. Poor engineering/design.

The adjustment lever has a stamped detent with rounded shoulders. It pops out seconds after being adjusted.

Guest

I also have the same design of Sears lawnmower and the exact same thing happened to me as Emarshbuck has explained. I've owned mine for about 3 years and it started the front lever started wearing down this summer.

The reply Gordon had implying misuse is off-base- I never stored anything on my lawnmower and Emarshbuck's problems happened exactly the same way for me.

I think the vibration was causing the lever to rub against the deck, causing the slot to wear.

Guest

Your mower was not manufactured by MTD, it was manufactured by American Yard Products (also known as Husqvarna Outdoor Products). These are the same people who make Weedeater and Poulan Pro mowers.

If you see a craftsman model starting with 917, it was made by AYP. MTD has not been in the craftsman game for several years.

Guest

As far as the aluminum and steel issue maybe the issue is a vibration one while the mower is operating.Which means the grooves were designed write or an additional locking mechanism is needed.

Sears used to have a 2 warranty on the mowers-using one bought in 2006.

I would still do some research and see if there were any recalls.Maybe MTD might do something as a courtesy.It seems to me that if the product was never designed or built right or the customer never received a defect free product from the get go you would think there would be some type of recourse.

One last thing.Sears trains their associates to ask the customer for the highest price agreement first and then offer lower priced ones if they do not accept.You were probably offered the maximum delux service plan.

Guest

rebeccaamerocco, don't act like a dunce. The warranty he was offered was probably a 3-4 year warranty and would probably not go into effect until after the current repairs were completed, anyway.

To your point that "if sears contracts with the companies to build mowers using THEIR SEARS CRAFTSMAN NAME, then they are responsible.", you are correct. And, from one year from the date of purchase, they were responsible.

After reading the original complaint again, I can't help but think that there's more to the story than Emarshbuck let on. First of all, so what if one part is steel and the other is aluminum? Unless you're constantly moving those parts across each other, you won't have a wear problem. I'm thinking you probably used the mower as a storage shelf or put some large amount of weight on it to cause it to "wear" out.

With my mower, I notice wear, but my mower is also 5 years old, and still a long way from being rendered inoperable by the problem.

Guest

Wow! "me" do you often pay the same amount for an extended warrenty as you paid for the item?

And then do you always believe there would be "no problem?" the warrenty probably doesn't even include the parts that break down the most (as in many warranties i've seen in the past) No wonder they sell such expensive warrenties if people like you buy their *** - You think it is financially responsible to pay the same price for a warranty as you paid for the mower? Rather than pay $300 for a mower and $300 for an extended warrenty (***) why not just put that $300 in a savings account and then you could just buy a whole new mower, instead of fixing the *** one.

ALSO, if sears contracts with the companies to build mowers using THEIR SEARS CRAFTSMAN NAME, then they are responsible. If I put my name on a product, I would surely want it to be a good one.

It's their responsibility to make sure the products they put their name on work well. The manufacturer might be building to the specs, you don't know!

Guest

That's why Sears offers the extended warranty....you would have no problem. Sears and Craftsman is not the manufacturer of the mowers, a comapny called MTD is, so find their info and complain to them.

Guest

Honda is a Japanese company. I have a Honda brand mower that has the same feature you were talking about with the lever, and it's having the same problem.

I'm pretty sure it's not a Sears problem, it's the manufacturer. Thus, trying to hold Sears responsible after the warranty expired is like holding Mother nature responsible for getting a fly in your soup.

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