Complaint Review: SEARS

Complain against online order placement on Sears Website.

I had purchased a range for my kitchen from Sears recently, since the company was on my mind at the moment, I went perusing through their website.  They had a special on wiper blades going on, so, I placed an order online for four sets (Order #  718210238).  I confirmed the order.  Sears sent me an email confirming the receipt of the order and shortly thereafter another email confirming that the order was ready for pick up.  The pick up email included instructions of how to use the online pick up kiosk at their store.  First thing that went wrong (albeit small still annoying) was that after I tried to find my order using their online kiosk nothing would come up, after I finally got a real human being to come out and talk to me they explained that all car care items, no matter how small, had to be picked up from the car care center.  Nothing about that on the pick up email though. 

So, I went to the car care center, there I was told that fisrt, the item was out of stock because it was on special and it went out fast (that should not matter, I placed the order online and it was confirmed for pick up, so, the item should have been put aside waiting for my retrieval).  The item was not put aside because the order was received at the car care center but never initialized.  They were wondering if I had really received a pick up email, I sure had, and still had it on my phone to show to them.  It did not matter, the item is not available so he (I have to say, very nicely asked me if I wanted him to call and get my money refunded).  Yes, I did want him to, but regardless of who got my money back that goes without saying, of course I am going to get my money back. 

What I am not going to get is my item, bought on special, promised to me by their order system to be ready and waiting for me, and I am not going to get my trip or time back.  Why would anyone ever bother to purchase something online with them, waste precious days when the item could have been bought at another online store, just to go to pick up your purchase and find out that you had been lied to?  This is not how online ordering works, this is not how customer service works, and this is not how you keep your current customers. 

If Sears is trying to make inroads on the online shopping community as it seems that they are based on their seemingly pretty fancy and useful (as long as it is not a car item) online pick up kiosks, this is definitely the wrong way to go about it.