Complaint Review: Sears In San Diego - El Cajon California

I used to work at Sears. Back in the day. Mary, I sympathize with you as a consumer, but certainly not your position as a victim. Do you think this is all an intentional plot to anger you? Mary said: Thats not true Jim, the other stores will replace a product right away that does not function when it's purchased and they do not manufacture Refridgerators, Sears does. First, Sears does NOT manufacture refrigerators. If you think they do, please tell me where the plant is. They license other OEM products under a single name: "Kenmore". Second, many retailers, (with irony, including Home Depot) do not have stock, and often have to order the units from a regional distribution center. Stocking 10 of any large appliance requires real-estate. If a unit arives DOA, it is usually sent back to distribution, in exchange for another unit - also usually in distribution, requiring several days for delivery. They will not, as you say, "replace the unit right away". Also, you purchased the unit in November of 2002, but plugged it in December 2002. If it never worked, why the heck did you fill it with food? And why such a hassle over 10 days of no refrigerator if you had the fridge and didn't use it for a month? Mary said: So we are waiting weeks, eating out, losing hundreds of dollars again in spoiled food. This makes NO sense. Are you filling the fridge every time the service repair guy comes out and tells you he doesn't have a part? Do you get in your car and go shopping? Mary said: Are you kidding Jim? you want to know why I didn't just carry the fridge out to my car, put it in the trunk and take it back? Are you for real? Right. No sense in thinking about picking up the phone and either A) telling Sears that you need to return the item, B) calling the credit card company to dispute the charges for misrepresentation, or C) Calling Sears Corporate if the store and regional managers didn't give you the answer you needed. Of course the salespeople bent over backwards. They wanted you to keep the unit so they didn't lose their commission. Instead of taking it back, THEY told YOU to call SERVICE! Don't take your remaining frustration out on the service techs - demand why they sold a unit on the floor that didn't work, especially if they are ON DISPLAY. Make THEM accountable. Do you get angry at your mechanic because the car dealer was shady? Service techs may be young, old, white, black, hispanic or whatever. But they are NOT your slave, and it would do you well to recognize that, despite your inconvenience, their ultimate goal is to help you with as few visits as possible. They don't get paid for a non-repair if they are paid by the ticket, so it is in their best interest to get you on your way. Why not solicit the help from the regional manager, Mary? Call ANY Sears in your area and ask for the phone number for the Regional Manager. Seriously, tho. A $1000.00 refrigerator is NOT "top of the line". If you use that kind of language to a company that sells almost $3,000 refrigerators, they are likely to think you're an 'exaggerator'. Stick to the facts, explain your case, ask for help, or request the name of the person higher up. If they detect BS, you will probably be ignored. That's not Sears - that is ANYWHERE. Finally, Jim From Slidell - Jim said: I've been a employee of Sears for 36 years,I was a technician for 23 years and management to date. Jim said: I worked for over 40 years at Sears and loved every moment of it Jim said: I was a service technician for 23 years and parts & product sales for 17 years. Make up your mind!! First you say you worked for Sears for 36 years, and the next post, you state over 40 years. You're sympathetic in your first post, and then rude in the next. If you're going to lie to people on the internet, at least be consistent.

I used to work at Sears. Back in the day. Mary, I sympathize with you as a consumer, but certainly not your position as a victim. Do you think this is all an intentional plot to anger you? Mary said: Thats not true Jim, the other stores will replace a product right away that does not function when it's purchased and they do not manufacture Refridgerators, Sears does. First, Sears does NOT manufacture refrigerators. If you think they do, please tell me where the plant is. They license other OEM products under a single name: "Kenmore". Second, many retailers, (with irony, including Home Depot) do not have stock, and often have to order the units from a regional distribution center. Stocking 10 of any large appliance requires real-estate. If a unit arives DOA, it is usually sent back to distribution, in exchange for another unit - also usually in distribution, requiring several days for delivery. They will not, as you say, "replace the unit right away". Also, you purchased the unit in November of 2002, but plugged it in December 2002. If it never worked, why the heck did you fill it with food? And why such a hassle over 10 days of no refrigerator if you had the fridge and didn't use it for a month? Mary said: So we are waiting weeks, eating out, losing hundreds of dollars again in spoiled food. This makes NO sense. Are you filling the fridge every time the service repair guy comes out and tells you he doesn't have a part? Do you get in your car and go shopping? Mary said: Are you kidding Jim? you want to know why I didn't just carry the fridge out to my car, put it in the trunk and take it back? Are you for real? Right. No sense in thinking about picking up the phone and either A) telling Sears that you need to return the item, B) calling the credit card company to dispute the charges for misrepresentation, or C) Calling Sears Corporate if the store and regional managers didn't give you the answer you needed. Of course the salespeople bent over backwards. They wanted you to keep the unit so they didn't lose their commission. Instead of taking it back, THEY told YOU to call SERVICE! Don't take your remaining frustration out on the service techs - demand why they sold a unit on the floor that didn't work, especially if they are ON DISPLAY. Make THEM accountable. Do you get angry at your mechanic because the car dealer was shady? Service techs may be young, old, white, black, hispanic or whatever. But they are NOT your slave, and it would do you well to recognize that, despite your inconvenience, their ultimate goal is to help you with as few visits as possible. They don't get paid for a non-repair if they are paid by the ticket, so it is in their best interest to get you on your way. Why not solicit the help from the regional manager, Mary? Call ANY Sears in your area and ask for the phone number for the Regional Manager. Seriously, tho. A $1000.00 refrigerator is NOT "top of the line". If you use that kind of language to a company that sells almost $3,000 refrigerators, they are likely to think you're an 'exaggerator'. Stick to the facts, explain your case, ask for help, or request the name of the person higher up. If they detect BS, you will probably be ignored. That's not Sears - that is ANYWHERE. Finally, Jim From Slidell - Jim said: I've been a employee of Sears for 36 years,I was a technician for 23 years and management to date. Jim said: I worked for over 40 years at Sears and loved every moment of it Jim said: I was a service technician for 23 years and parts & product sales for 17 years. Make up your mind!! First you say you worked for Sears for 36 years, and the next post, you state over 40 years. You're sympathetic in your first post, and then rude in the next. If you're going to lie to people on the internet, at least be consistent.

I used to work at Sears. Back in the day. Mary, I sympathize with you as a consumer, but certainly not your position as a victim. Do you think this is all an intentional plot to anger you? Mary said: Thats not true Jim, the other stores will replace a product right away that does not function when it's purchased and they do not manufacture Refridgerators, Sears does. First, Sears does NOT manufacture refrigerators. If you think they do, please tell me where the plant is. They license other OEM products under a single name: "Kenmore". Second, many retailers, (with irony, including Home Depot) do not have stock, and often have to order the units from a regional distribution center. Stocking 10 of any large appliance requires real-estate. If a unit arives DOA, it is usually sent back to distribution, in exchange for another unit - also usually in distribution, requiring several days for delivery. They will not, as you say, "replace the unit right away". Also, you purchased the unit in November of 2002, but plugged it in December 2002. If it never worked, why the heck did you fill it with food? And why such a hassle over 10 days of no refrigerator if you had the fridge and didn't use it for a month? Mary said: So we are waiting weeks, eating out, losing hundreds of dollars again in spoiled food. This makes NO sense. Are you filling the fridge every time the service repair guy comes out and tells you he doesn't have a part? Do you get in your car and go shopping? Mary said: Are you kidding Jim? you want to know why I didn't just carry the fridge out to my car, put it in the trunk and take it back? Are you for real? Right. No sense in thinking about picking up the phone and either A) telling Sears that you need to return the item, B) calling the credit card company to dispute the charges for misrepresentation, or C) Calling Sears Corporate if the store and regional managers didn't give you the answer you needed. Of course the salespeople bent over backwards. They wanted you to keep the unit so they didn't lose their commission. Instead of taking it back, THEY told YOU to call SERVICE! Don't take your remaining frustration out on the service techs - demand why they sold a unit on the floor that didn't work, especially if they are ON DISPLAY. Make THEM accountable. Do you get angry at your mechanic because the car dealer was shady? Service techs may be young, old, white, black, hispanic or whatever. But they are NOT your slave, and it would do you well to recognize that, despite your inconvenience, their ultimate goal is to help you with as few visits as possible. They don't get paid for a non-repair if they are paid by the ticket, so it is in their best interest to get you on your way. Why not solicit the help from the regional manager, Mary? Call ANY Sears in your area and ask for the phone number for the Regional Manager. Seriously, tho. A $1000.00 refrigerator is NOT "top of the line". If you use that kind of language to a company that sells almost $3,000 refrigerators, they are likely to think you're an 'exaggerator'. Stick to the facts, explain your case, ask for help, or request the name of the person higher up. If they detect BS, you will probably be ignored. That's not Sears - that is ANYWHERE. Finally, Jim From Slidell - Jim said: I've been a employee of Sears for 36 years,I was a technician for 23 years and management to date. Jim said: I worked for over 40 years at Sears and loved every moment of it Jim said: I was a service technician for 23 years and parts & product sales for 17 years. Make up your mind!! First you say you worked for Sears for 36 years, and the next post, you state over 40 years. You're sympathetic in your first post, and then rude in the next. If you're going to lie to people on the internet, at least be consistent.

I used to work at Sears. Back in the day. Mary, I sympathize with you as a consumer, but certainly not your position as a victim. Do you think this is all an intentional plot to anger you? Mary said: Thats not true Jim, the other stores will replace a product right away that does not function when it's purchased and they do not manufacture Refridgerators, Sears does. First, Sears does NOT manufacture refrigerators. If you think they do, please tell me where the plant is. They license other OEM products under a single name: "Kenmore". Second, many retailers, (with irony, including Home Depot) do not have stock, and often have to order the units from a regional distribution center. Stocking 10 of any large appliance requires real-estate. If a unit arives DOA, it is usually sent back to distribution, in exchange for another unit - also usually in distribution, requiring several days for delivery. They will not, as you say, "replace the unit right away". Also, you purchased the unit in November of 2002, but plugged it in December 2002. If it never worked, why the heck did you fill it with food? And why such a hassle over 10 days of no refrigerator if you had the fridge and didn't use it for a month? Mary said: So we are waiting weeks, eating out, losing hundreds of dollars again in spoiled food. This makes NO sense. Are you filling the fridge every time the service repair guy comes out and tells you he doesn't have a part? Do you get in your car and go shopping? Mary said: Are you kidding Jim? you want to know why I didn't just carry the fridge out to my car, put it in the trunk and take it back? Are you for real? Right. No sense in thinking about picking up the phone and either A) telling Sears that you need to return the item, B) calling the credit card company to dispute the charges for misrepresentation, or C) Calling Sears Corporate if the store and regional managers didn't give you the answer you needed. Of course the salespeople bent over backwards. They wanted you to keep the unit so they didn't lose their commission. Instead of taking it back, THEY told YOU to call SERVICE! Don't take your remaining frustration out on the service techs - demand why they sold a unit on the floor that didn't work, especially if they are ON DISPLAY. Make THEM accountable. Do you get angry at your mechanic because the car dealer was shady? Service techs may be young, old, white, black, hispanic or whatever. But they are NOT your slave, and it would do you well to recognize that, despite your inconvenience, their ultimate goal is to help you with as few visits as possible. They don't get paid for a non-repair if they are paid by the ticket, so it is in their best interest to get you on your way. Why not solicit the help from the regional manager, Mary? Call ANY Sears in your area and ask for the phone number for the Regional Manager. Seriously, tho. A $1000.00 refrigerator is NOT "top of the line". If you use that kind of language to a company that sells almost $3,000 refrigerators, they are likely to think you're an 'exaggerator'. Stick to the facts, explain your case, ask for help, or request the name of the person higher up. If they detect BS, you will probably be ignored. That's not Sears - that is ANYWHERE. Finally, Jim From Slidell - Jim said: I've been a employee of Sears for 36 years,I was a technician for 23 years and management to date. Jim said: I worked for over 40 years at Sears and loved every moment of it Jim said: I was a service technician for 23 years and parts & product sales for 17 years. Make up your mind!! First you say you worked for Sears for 36 years, and the next post, you state over 40 years. You're sympathetic in your first post, and then rude in the next. If you're going to lie to people on the internet, at least be consistent.

Are you kidding Jim? you want to know why I didn't just carry the fridge out to my car, put it in the trunk and take it back? Are you for real? Jim, If this were a radio or a small tv thats what I would have done. When is the last time you picked up a frige by yourself? I'm a 46 year old female by the way. Ever put one in a Ford Escape? give me the secret to that one. You aren't doing Sears any favors here Jim Of course I asked them to just bring me another and take the lemon back. Their answer was "no" I now purchase all my appliances at Home Depot. They have been wonderful!

I recently used to work the the home services regional routing center for the San Diego area. I saw a lot of these problems with merchandise from the outlets. The problem you had mostly to do with the season your problem occurred. The summer time is when most refridgerators tend to go out so when you called in; there was a backlog calls. Technicians have a lot of calls to do in a day, and sometimes when there is a problem with the coolant these calls take 3 hours to repair. When this happened they can only work so much overtime before calls start to get cancelled whether you stayed home all day or not. They can't work until 10pm. Your warranty at Sears has a provision to pay you back for spoiled food. They should have let you know about that. Sears is the typical major corporation. The technicians are understaffed and overbooked. During peak seasons sometimes even under trained. Most of the management for the technicians have to balance this out between long hours to keep the customer happy, but also keeping the technician happy. It takes a long time to train on of these guys. The management in the routing/dispatch center had a higher turn over than McDonalds. It was hard to keep the customer happy when policy is changed on a monthly basis. Add that to the fact that the dispatchers also had a high turn over rate and you have an office full of people with very little experience. I still have friends who work in the regional routing center. I understand that it is not getting any better. Good luck. Myself, I don't know if I could ever shop for a major appliance at Sears. If you do understand one thing, if your appliance quits working or never works right after delivery don't let them send out a technician. RETURN IT. Think about it. If you buy a shirt and it has a hole in it you don't have them send you a taylor, you return it and get a new one. Greg

Mary Thank you for your response. Sometimes the truth hurts, both ways. I totally agree with you about the 10 days and the reschedules,it is totally unexceptable. However, rather than wait if the product was new,why didn't you return the product and get your money back? Sears would had gladly given you your money or a replacement.To answer some of your questions, I was a service technician for 23 years and parts & product sales for 17 years.When I left service and went to another state to work in parts and sales there were customers that called me long distance just to get my advise and say hello. As a technician my customers were like family, I treated them with respect and they did likewise. Over the 23 years as a technician there were customers that greated me when I arrived at their homes to service their merchandise with a smile and come on in lunch is ready! then there were the ones that were calling me every dirty word you could think of before I could even get out of my service truck. They weren't really mad at me, but at Sears, either way it was hard to handle. People don't realize it, but Sears does not manufacture anything,they purchase the products they sell from independent manufactures just as Wal-Mart or any of the other retail stores I mentioned. We have all been in the same boat as you at sometime, so please don't feel like the Long Ranger. By the way,what kind of businees are you in? maybe I can tell you some of my dissatisfactions.......Have a nice day.

Jim, You are a great example of why Sears service centers have a problem...it's an attitude. I would like to address your comments below.......................... Quote by Jim "I worked for over 40 years at Sears and loved every moment of it, most of their customers were really wonderful to deal with, but then there were the butt holes that came to Sears to shop because no other company would put up with their bulls..t." Jim thought Sears was a great place only when customers left him alone, didn't complain, didn't have problems with the purchased appliances, this is a very poor attitude for anyone working at a service center. Did you work in service or sales? people in sales would see just happy customers, who bitches when they are buying a product they think is going to make life easier? sales people just do not see the final outcome of the sale in most cases. If you were in service Jim your attitude is typical for that area of Sears. Quote by JIM "It seems some people buy from Sears just so they can b***h and cry if their product breaks down 10 years after the purchase and expect the company to back up that product even tho it only had a 1 year warranty." Jim, you need to go back and read the original posters comments (that would be me) the product was brand NEW and didn't work. Quote by Jim "because you have had trouble of some kind 2 or 3 times, they would tell you tight wad bastards to go straight to hell and make you ask for directions." well Jim, thats pretty clearly the way they do handle their customers, you are a great example of Customer Service at Sears and I have to add you are not doing Sears any favors here :) I have news for you Jim, I am not a tight was, I put down over $1000.00 for a refridgerator, I just wanted it to work, thats all, does that make me a tight wad?, I would have paid for the part, money was never an issue, I would have slipped the service guy $100.00 tip if I thought he could get my part to me right away. The issue was that no matter what I did, I was going to be without a refridgerator. Quote by Jim "Buy a washer, dryer, or any other appliance from Home Depot, Lowes, Cir,City, Best buy, or who ever and go back for service or parts and they will tell you, "sorry,you have to call the manufacturer for that" If Sears told you the same thing,you would get a lawyer and take them to court. You people that b***h all the time need to shop somewhere else and give the Sears associates a break!!!!" Thats not true Jim, the other stores will replace a product right away that does not function when it's purchased and they do not manufacture Refridgerators, Sears does. Thank you for the suggestion to take our business somewhere else, most people stumbling upon this thread probably will after reading the comments made by employees of Sears...it's kinda scarey Jim but you make my point well. Also Jim, Your assumption that people will waste hundereds of dollars worth of food, sit at home while they could be working and making money, and spend money eating out 3 meals a day jut to make your life and those of your fellow employees miserable has more then an attitude problems and I do hope that the top management of sears will read this and realize that they need better training in customer service or Sears can kiss their appliance business goodbye. It is clear to me that Sears needs to implement a program NOW where they retrain all of their customer service people and teach them what customer service is and how to treat their customers because it is clear that they just don't get it. Jim, Thank you for your reply here.... you should be the wake up call Sears needs.

I worked for over 40 years at Sears and loved every moment of it, most of their customers were really wonderful to deal with, but then there were the butt holes that came to Sears to shop because no other company would put up with their bulls..t. It seems some people buy from Sears just so they can b***h and cry if their product breaks down 10 years after the purchase and expect the company to back up that product even tho it only had a 1 year warranty. Try to take your car back to where you purchased it and get a new one because you have had trouble of some kind 2 or 3 times, they would tell you tight wad bastards to go straight to hell and make you ask for directions.Buy a washer, dryer, or any other appliance from Home Depot, Lowes, Cir,City, Best buy, or who ever and go back for service or parts and they will tell you, "sorry,you have to call the manufacturer for that" If Sears told you the same thing,you would get a lawyer and take them to court. You people that b***h all the time need to shop somewhere else and give the Sears associates a break!!!!

Rob's reply to this just complaint sounds like he has passed Sears' Customer Relations course with a perfect score. With his attitude of "the customer is worthless", I expect him to eventually rise to CEO of Sears. Rob sure put a smile on Mr. Sears' face.

We ate out for almost 10 days, lost 5 days pay (4 due to cancelled appointments 1 due to being home only to have the wrongt part replaced). And everytime we complained we were told how sorry the company was but that they couldn't reimburse our wages or our spoiled food. Trust me I empathize with you and your family!

My Goodness.... Where to start? Of course people buying scratch-n-dent appliances know what they are buying. There should be descriptions of what the damage is as well as a discount for people who happen to purchase this appiance. It is supposed to be a win-win situation for all. If you think that Sears is making a whole $10 million then you need to go back and learn higher numbers. Try almost $3.4 billion. If it takes 10 days to get a service technician to a home, then it is pretty obvious that there are a lot of appliances out there that are being repaired. Enough to justify hiring a few more techs? You know why companies pay so much to have public relations departments to speak for the company? Because of people like you that think you are doing anyone a service by speaking out. I am sure that Sears is glad that you decided to not give any more advice. They can't afford too many more people "helping" the way you are. I have to ask, do you really work for Sears? Because if someone worked for another chain and wanted to hurt Sears, they couldn't have done a better job! Thanks,

Mary I've been a employee of Sears for 36 years,I was a technician for 23 years and management to date. I really hate to see situations like this and feel bad that a few employees do not take to mind that the customer is the source of their monthly income. As a manager I promise you I would not have employees with a attitude working for me. Please except my apologies for your discomfort. I agree with you completly about it taking soo long to resolve your problem, I only wish I had the power to keep this from happening to others. One thing I would like to add is, Sears is really a great company, there are no other companies in the nation that will go the extra mile to take care of there customers like Sears does. However, there are always a few bad apples in the bunch. Please don't give up on us. Thanks,

I worked at Sears during college, I know a lot of people who've worked for Sears and I've bought merchandise from both Sears Store and Outlet stores. Contrary to what a previous poster said, you should no expect poor quality merchandise just because it is at an outlet store. Sears outlets do sell merchandise with scratches and dings. The also sell overstocker merchandise, older models that have been replaced and closeouts. Sometimes they sell returned merchandise, but it usually becausse the customer didn't like (i.e. the fridge was too small or the dishwasher was too big for the space. One thing I wouldn't buy an a Sears outlet store is bedding. If a used bed is returned, they steam clean it and it doesn't come with a warrenty.

I would like to add, my beef is with Sears service center. The outlet store bent over backwards for me, their hands were tied. By the way....I bought a dishwasher the same week and it's broken now. As for purchasing at an outlet center. I did not purchase a used product I purchased one new and paid over $1,000.00 with a ding on it.(they sell appliances new that were damaged on the exterior and they sell appliances that were used and had to be repaired)This refridgerator was NEW. I bought a dishwasher the same week (new with a ding) it's dead now (just one year later)

Rob, People who spend a LOT of money for appliances do have a right to expect good service at a fair price. I think waiting even 2 days for a response to their problem is excessive. You are obviously an employee of Sears. They are truely a SORRY company. Get a life Rob.

Rob, People who spend a LOT of money for appliances do have a right to expect good service at a fair price. I think waiting even 2 days for a response to their problem is excessive. You are obviously an employee of Sears. They are truely a SORRY company. Get a life Rob.

This is how Sears responded, it was ok that my family had to eat out for 10 days, it was ok that hundereds of dollars of food spoiled. Too many customers and not enough service people. My point, thanks for makeing it. You shouldn't sell appliances you are not prepared to fix quickly, this is poor business.

First off, you bought the first fridge at an Outlet store. What did you expect? Do you not know what an outlet store is? Usually appliances sent back for slight dings, dents, or other malfunctions. Anyways, what you buy there is not 100% brand new. Second, yes, the tech has to order parts and it might take a while. Do you honestly expect a technician to have all 10 billion parts for every kind of appliance on his truck? No, he doesn't. He usually has the most generic and easily fixable part with him, as does any repair company. That's the way it works, sorry, stuff happens! Third, yes it might take a while for a technician to get out to you. You are not the only person in the world and you are certainly not the only person trying to get repair for a fridge that's not working. That's why you waited 10 days, because the techs were booked up. And your warranty has absolutely nothing to do with getting sooner service. It says so in your contract if you would read it. "We are not liable for delays in service." Sears makes at least $10 million a year. When Sears starts getting all $10 million from you, then they'll have someone out to you right away. Until then, start thinking of others besides yourself all the time! And of course no one showed when you finally talked someone into getting someone out 3 days earlier. They told you before that no one was available for 10 days but you had to keep pressing the issue until someone told you 3 days just to get you to shut up. And then when the guy came out that 3rd night, he wasn't happy? Probably not, he was probably looking forward to getting home with his family until his boss called him and said "Hey we need you to do some overtime and go to this woman's house so she'll leave us the heck alone." Your whining and complaining cost some poor guy to not spend time with his kids and wife and then your upset because he wasn't in the best of mood???? Well excuse us!!! You know I was gonna keep giving advise but I'm so disgusted with you and people like you that I really don't want you at Sears anymore. So please don't come to see us. P.S. - That is the way it works! Don't like that excuse? Tough! Life sucks!