Complaint Review: A & E Factory Service - A Sears Company

I have been without a washing machine for 64 days and counting! A & E Factory Service, a company owned by Sears, has been absolutely non-responsive and lack any form of client care and assume no responsibility for their lack of organization and incompetent technicians. They just don't care and I wonder how the employees of this company can sleep at night knowing they are frustrating consumers that buy warranties for their appliances.

My saga with A&E Factory Service began on September 21, 2006 when I called for service repair on my Whirlpool Duet washing machine. It was fairly obvious that the water was not draining and therefore the machine would not spin. Okay so I obtain an appointment 2 weeks out for October 5th, sometime between 8 am and 12 pm. My wife is not happy but she is pliable and we now must shuffle our three loads a day to the Laundromat. At the time of setting up the appointment, I provided A&E Factory Service with two telephone numbers to contact me.

On October 4th, I receive a call that the service rep must move my call to the 12 pm - 5pm slot. Okay, thanks for the call.

October 5th arrives and I get a call around 10:15 a.m. Unfortunately I am on the telephone and cannot respond to my cell telephone fast enough. One minute late I call the last incoming number and get the A& E recorded menu. I failed to work my way through the menu but assumed they were calling to indicate they are on the way. At 12:30 pm I decide to call A&E Factory Service and they tell me the technician called but there was no answer so my appointment was cancelled. What?!

Now they cannot see me until October 21, a Saturday, between 8 am to 12 pm. Okay, please tell the technician I am here and to leave a message if I do not pick up in five rings.

October 21 arrives and the A & E tech calls to say that now he cannot arrive until at least 2 pm. Okay, I am home already, sure, it's Saturday. When he arrives, finally, he runs the diagnostics and asks if I use HE detergent. Well of course, see the bottle? He is kind enough to clean the machine and then indicates we need a new control panel. At the time he is ordering the control panel he indicates that when the parts arrive we are to call A & E Factory Service and they will have a tech out within few days to install the part

Two day later the part arrives. I call A& E Factory Service and they say. am sorry but the soonest we can be out is November 10th. What?! So we call Whirlpool direct and they somehow get the date moved up to November 3rd.

November 3rdh arrives and the technician from A & E Factory Service arrives and runs the diagnostics and in bewilderment asks why a control panel was ordered, we have a bad water pump. And besides that, when a control panel is ordered a motherboard must ordered also. Oh by the way your control panel is fine. But just in case, I will order a new control panel, motherboard and pump. And oh, by the way, do you use HE detergent? Now the parts will be here in two days and according to the on-line calendar the first time we have open is Thursday November 16. But call when the parts arrive call the Call center for A&E Factory Service and they will will fit you in sooner. The parts arrive and I call. They cannot fit me in sooner.

I called Whirlpool again This time however Whirlpool had no pull with A&E Factory Service All were at the mercy of A&E Factory Service incompetence.

November 16th arrives, my wife is ecstatic. We have six piles of laundry in the hallway. The A & E Factory Service tech arrives, runs the diagnostics and then installs the parts. Guess what, washer no worky again! The tech is baffled, he runs the diagnostics, makes a few calls and indicates that there is only one part left to change. Gee it must be the Switch. Let me order that part and it will arrive within two business days. Now the first open calendar date is November 30th. But call when the part arrives and A & E Factory Service will work you in sooner...if there is a cancellation elsewhere. What?! I call Whirlpool, they say their hands are tied again, We are so sorry, the A&E technicians should not replacing parts like that
I ask, how about a new washer? They reply, Sorry, all other avenues must first be exhausted.

Okay the story will continue. I am anxiously awaiting November 30th. In the interim I am on a first name basis with all the other people that use the Laundromat and it only costs me $13 a visit plus an hour and a half of my day.

Keith
sterling, Virginia
U.S.A.