Sometime in April, our dishwasher broke. When you have a huge family like I do, having a dishwasher is really important.
On April 20, 2010 our experience with Sears Outlet – Online Department Store Featuring Applicances, Tools, etc. – began.
Here is my experience. But, first, the timeline 1:
- April 20, 2010: Went to sears.com to schedule a technician visit. I thought that my dishwasher could be repaired, so I called the Kenmore people, which Sears owns 2.
- April 22, 2010: Service technician arrives, assesses our Sears Dishwasher Appliance, tells us it’s broken, and suggests that we buy a new one. Okay, he gives us a deal for a nice Kenmore Green, Energy Star Sears Appliance. The Sears technician said that the Sears Kenmore Dishwasher Appliance is broken and will cost more to fix than to replace. We buy a Dishwasher from the technician and tells us that it’ll be delivered and installed on May 12, 2010 and that someone will call us on May 11, 2010.
- May 11, 2010: No phone call.
- May 12, 2010: Sears installation – No Show, No install.
- May 13, 2010: I called Sears Outlet to inquire about our Kenmore Green, Energy Star Dishwasher. I was transferred 4 times, 36 minutes on the phone. They apologized and promised to install our Sears, Kenmore, Energy Star Dishwasher Appliance on May 14, 2010.
- May 14, 2010: Sears Outlet Service Technician – No show.
- May 17, 2010: I called Sears Outlet Customer Service. Transferred 8 times, 47 minutes total on phone. I cancelled the Green Appliance, Energy Star Sears Dishwasher.
- May 28, 2010: My money will be refunded into my account by this date. I should have just gone to Best Buy.
Visually (click for a larger image),
Sears Customer Satisfaction
Suffice it to say, I’m still washing our dishes by hand. I’m not happy with Sears and I won’t be shopping there again.
Let me be clear: I’m not interested in bad mouthing brands or companies, but I want to provide some simple things Sears can do to improve the Sears brand image, improve the Sears Service.
In Part 2, I’ll share what I know of Sears Logistics, Sears Field Operations, and Sears Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
- Sears Outlet is Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more where you can shop for Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances, tires, mowers, electronics, and much more. Get service and installation help from the Sears Blue Crew. Sears: Life. Well Spent. ↩
- Sears Grand is a chain of hypemarket department stores typically located away from shopping malls. Many Sears Grand locations are retrofit remodels of existing kmart supercenter stores. They carry everything a Sears Full-Line store carries, plus health and beauty products, toys, baby care, cleaning supplies, home décor, pet food, cards and party supplies, books, magazines, music, Little Caesars Pizza station, movies, and a selection of groceries which is limited mostly to dry goods. Sears Grand stores range from 165,000 to 210,000 square feet (15,300 to 19,500 m²).The first Sears Grand opened at Jordan Landing in West Jordan, Utah in 2003. At 225,000 square feet (20,900 m2), the Jordan Landing store is currently the largest in the chain.Sears Essentials is a chain of department stores that are common retrofit remodels of existing Kmart stores. Their product lines are similar to that of Sears Grand stores. Current locations include: Elmhurst, IL, East Ridge, TN (now closed from a recent flood), Bethlehem, PA, Lakeland, FL and West Palm Beach, FL.Sears Appliance.Hardware, formerly Sears Outlet and Sears Hardware is a chain of hardware stores that carry the whole line of Sears hardware and are usually free-standing. More than 110 Sears Appliance & Hardware stores averaging 40,000 square feet serve customers nationwide. Stores were expanded to include Sears’ full line of appliances in 2005. Sears Optical is a chain of off-mall optical shops which carries all the same products and services as the optical department at regular Sears stores.Sears Hometown Stores, LLC, (formerly known as Sears Authorized Dealer Stores) is part of the retail operation of Sears Holdings Corporation and is a small store version of Sears full-line department stores. Sears Hometown Stores provides a bricks-and-mortar, standalone store front through two owner operated formats.Sears Traditional Hometown Store established in 1993 is the locally owned and operated store and Sears Home Appliance Showroom established in 2007 is the leader in home appliance shopping. The stores are located away from shopping malls and meet customers’ needs in local communities across the United States and Puerto Rico. Both formats carry the national power of Sears’ brands, products, and services combined with an entrepreneurial spirit to serve customers in predominantly rural and some metro communities and the new name was adopted in 2009.Sears Department Store is a chain of department stores that are located in shopping malls; they carry clothing, jewelry, home appliances, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, lawn mowers, paint, sporting goods, automobile repair, office supplies, electronics and school supplies. Sears stores are usually multi-level.
There are 926 full-size Sears stores in the United States. There are also 301 Sears locations in Canada and 66 in Mexico. The largest Sears Department Store is located at the Toronto Eaton Centre in Canada.Sears Hardware Stores are chains of small hardware stores usually located in small towns that are far away from a larger Sears department store. They carry Sears’ complete line of Craftsman tools, plus things like paint, electrical wiring, water heaters, tractor-mowers, bug zappers, thermostats, etc., generally things you would find in hardware stores, but only Sears’ brands. Many of these “Hardware” stores have been changed over to Sears Appliance & Hardware Stores, but there are still many of the original ones left, usually in smaller markets.
Sears Outlet is an outlet version of Sears department stores located in various retail locations across the United States. The stores carry new, one-of-a-kind, out of carton, discontinued, used, scratched and dented merchandise at 20–60% off regular retail price. While a wide variety of products are available, appliances make up a large majority of available merchandise.
Sears Parts & Repair Center is a chain of service centers that typically sell parts for lawn & garden equipment and appliances and also feature a carry-in point for customers to bring-in merchandise which needs to be repaired, either in or out of warranty. Typically labeled Sears Service Center or Sears Home Central, two names that also refer to the Parts and Repair Centers. Sears has started closing many of these down as more and more of its service and repair business is home-based.The Great Indoors is a chain of free-standing home decor stores that carry high end home appliances, bedding, and kitchen and bath fixtures. The Great Indoors also offers custom kitchen and bathroom design services. The Great Indoors stores are 130,000 square feet (12,000 m²) on average.
Lands’ End aside from carrying the Lands’ End clothing line at Sears stores, Sears Holdings also operates 16 Lands’ End stores that carry only Lands’ End clothing. These stores are located in outlet malls and regular malls.
Orchard Supply Hardware is a chain of free-standing hardware stores that carry home repair, hardware products and lawn and garden supplies. Orchard Supply Hardware stores are 40,000 square feet (4,000 m²). There are currently 84 stores, all of them in California. Sears now owns 80.1% of the chain, and revealed intentions in May 2005 to spin it off. Richard Karn of Home Improvement fame was a spokesman for the chain.
A&E Factory Service is the newest name for Sears’ longstanding on-site repair service, servicing larger items such as home appliances, electronics, and garden equipment. The A&E brand name was purchased from Montgomery Ward, which used it for their home service unit, and is a joint venture held by Whirlpool and Sears Holdings. A & E Factory Service is a network of mobile service vans with a long history of performing appliance repairs. ↩
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This post was written by Pete Abilla | ||||
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
All of the other ridiculousness aside, why would they make you wait from April 22 to May 12 to get the dishwasher even if that went well? They don’t have these in a warehouse ready to deliver?
Supply chain FAIL and customer service FAIL.
My bad appliance experience with Sears is what motivated me to start my blog 5 years ago. They improperly installed our gas range/oven such that we had a slow gas leak. That one could have killed us all according to the gas company that came out to fix it.
Today= may 26
april20, sears technician checks my Central AC. We have a master protection agreement with Sears. Says unit must be replaced.
Today, may 26, after spending many hours on the phone, speaking with, so far, 18 sears representatives (most polite, a few stupid/rude) we still can’t get them to come to give the “written itemized estimate” for the replacement of the unit. This requirement is issued by Sears.
Not once, in all of our calls, have we been allowed to speak with a “supervisor” or manager. we have had this contract with sears since 1970.
They lie on the phone, usually politely, but they lie.
Glad I walked out of sears and went elsewhere. I was only mad because the sales person would not stop telling me how great the extended warranty is. I do not buy them.
Ron
Not surprise. Sears took a month to inform me that they can’t install an exterior AC for my mobile home, which is brand new. Like if their techs can’t install the AC in my unit, they should have told me when they came to look at my home! No, they have to call me instead. Wasted a month with Sears. I recommend to not ever use them for home improvement. Not ever.
This company is a disaster and it won’t change – the employees with a brain aren’t scheduled or are fired so managers can hire 16 year olds to party with. The technicians aren’t even trained. Sure go buy a 3 dollar shirt off the clearance rack that will shrink and fade (orginally price 36 dollars) but don’t buy something major in this cf company. No air conditioning in the stores either – so why would anyone think they could install AC in someones home?
Worst repair service in the world!! Sears does not repair they merchandise on timely fashion. Have no recommendations for any one else either. This is 9/3/10 at Myrtle Beach, SC Sears. I have called the 800 number, I think china answered, and call the Myrtle Beach location, no on available. OK what do you want me to do with my food that is heating up!! I will bring to you, HA, I will not buy another product from some on that does not care about their customers!! I am telling everyone not to by from Sears.
Well Sears, go to you no where. I went out to my freezer this past Friday September 3, 2010. To my surprise the Freezer had stopped working. As you can imagine I was stopped in my tracks. After checking everything from circut breaker to outlet, I finally realized that service was needed ASAP. I have a Sears service contract and have had it for 7 years, the freezer is 10 years old and never had a problem. This is only the second time I had a problem with any of the appliances I purchase from Sears. Well as you can imagine my freezer was fully loaded. I immediately called Sears service and told the representative what was wrong and that I needed to have emergency service within 24 hours. I also related that I had over 1000 dollars worth of food in the freezer. Well guess what? I was told that no one could come out to my house for another 6 days at the earliest. The re[ went as far to tell me that this was a holiday week-end and that it was impossible to get someone there earlier that September 9. I asked well what do I do with my food. I was told put it in the Refrigerator. I gagged. I wanted to talk to a Supervisor, and was told one would call mr back. Guess what? No one has called to this day 3 days later. Subsequently I called an outside service company, they came repaired it, (Loose Wire) and was surprised and was told the charge was only $40.00. Well Sears you can go pound salt. I am through with you and will never ever purchase another one of your products, and neither will any member of my family. In plain English. “GO TO BLAZES
I had recently placed an order for a computer monitor online at Sears. LESS THAN 24 HOURS later, I realized it was the wrong size. We found the correct size at a local Sears. The Sears customer service reps INSISTED it could not be cancelled once placed (although 1 guy told me he cancelled it, and I would be getting my money returned, the lying that is mentioned above I’m sure, since after, they had no record of that). Needless to say, the one we found at a local Sears will be returned and bought at a different store, and I put a stop payment on their charge (so lets see them “NOT BE ABLE TO CANCEL” an order they have no money for)
If you need home renovations, stay away from Sears Home Services !!
In fact, stay away from Sears altogether.
Formerly Sears Home Central. Don’t be fooled by a name change. It’s the same crowd who botched my roof job, with the same lousy attitude.
June 20, 2002, 25-year roof shingles and attic vents installed by Sears Home Central. They installed the ventilation improperly, causing premature deterioration of shingles, also water infiltration as a result of ice dams. I had requested that they make sure there was proper ventilation at the time of contract.
I called Sears rep the next day to express concern about the placement of Maxi Vent. It is half way down the roof. The rep, Ken Campbell, looked from the ground, from one side, never went up on the roof, never checked for blocked soffits or other vents interfering with the Maxi vent. Still he said it was good enough. Against my better judgment, all I could do was hope for the best.
That summer, I noticed excessive falling off of granules from shingles, a sign of trouble.
July 11, 2009, I noticed shingles becoming bare, curling and breaking. I called Sears Home Central to report this. It took several calls before someone got back to me.
July 31, Sears sends an inspector to have a look. Without hesitation, he informs me that the ventilation was not properly installed, that this was causing excessive heat buildup in the attic, and it was Sears’ fault. He told me that Sears would fix the ventilation and replace the shingles at no cost to me.
Meanwhile, I visit Maxi Vent website and found, according to their very clear instructions, that indeed the ventilation was all wrong.
Since that time, Sears has flatly refused to fix anything. All I get from Corporate Customer Service and the local manager in Ottawa is excuses, untruths and gobbledegook.
This is the most deplorable and shameful performance I have seen in my life. STAY AWAY FROM SEARS !!!
Talk about sheer dishonesty. I have a 3-yr. warranty on my fridge. I was hoping to have my third visit this week, but supposedly, the warranty expired a couple weeks ago. The customer service rep insisted there was nothing they could do about it. I paid for the warranty—prepaid, essentially, for three years (they got their payment three years ag0). How could a two-week difference bar me from getting service that I had alraedy paid for? It doesn’t make sense to me.
The catch is this: the customer service rep said that my best option is to renew for another year—at the cost of $208 for one year. Are you kidding me, Sears? How much more disrespectful can your customer service people, approach, philosophy be? How much greedier can you get?
Do the right thing—for those of us who buy appliances from you. Have a social conscience and treat everybody well. You live well by hurting many of us who support your business.
To all: I respectfully request no one purchase a mattress from either Sealy or Sears. I purchased a king-size through Sears (having their brand name) that I’ve had problems with – it has collapsed to the point I sink into a hole more than 6 inches deep. When I contacted them they referred me to Sealy saying it was their mattress with a Sears tag. Problem appears to be that I removed the tag that says it can only be removed by the “consumer”. They both claim my “warranty” paperwork would have spelled out the need to keep the tag. Funny thing is, I have never been given warranty info on any mattress I purchased (and I keep ALL that stuff!). Their collective answer has been to the tune of “too bad, so sad…” So much for their warranty…
I bought two jackets from Sears.com and it has been awful. One was not in stock, but they charged me anyway. No credit ever showed up on my account 10 days later. So I call my credit card company and find out not only did they fail to issue me a credit, they charged me twice for the entire order. Call Sears.com and guess what? They can’t see the financial transaction only the order information. It came from a store so we have to call the manager of the ladies department in South Carolina. Really? Are you fricking kidding me? Never, never buy anything from Sears. No wonder they are closing stores… I wish them well as their business goes in the toilet and deserving retail establishments take away all their customers!