ADVERTISEMENT

I bought a Kenmore-branded range from Sears a year ago and it has never worked correctly. I understand that some times there are just lemons. However, after the process I have been put through to qualify for a replacement, I am really wondering what has happened to Sears. Everyone that came to the house was very nice, everyone I spoke to on the phone was very nice, but no one really had the power to go the next step unless I got really mad an showed them that I knew what my rights as a consumer were. Then they started to get a bit more helpful. At each and every step I had to fight for my rights - the product was less than 12 months old, it had documented call-outs, every major part had been changed - and now the tech center wanted to change parts that had already been changed!! The repair tech couldn't declare the unit a functional failure as the tech center said there was a part, the PABA escalation person had written in the service request not to do anything at the call, but to declare it irreparable.

I was supposed to hear back about the mount approved for "shopping" for a replacement - no one called. When I called in for status, the amount that has been approved is $200 less than the list price of the unit they are replacing - not including taxes or the 3 year extended warranty that I paid for on the non-functioning unit. I'm also wondering whether I will have trouble about delivery and haul-away charges...

As I said, the people themselves were very nice and seemed to want to be helpful, but only within the "rules" they had been given. I had the constant feeling that they rules were not to help me, but to help Sears not replace my unit. There was no reason that the last service request was needed just because the one 3 days before was "closed" and they needed one "left open" That meant I had to stay home from work again that week. Think of the cost for Sears to send out a technician twice in one week to do nothing on both occasions. For me to stay home and send lots of time on the phone with Sears.

This is a very disappointing experiencing with a company that I used to recommend for their service ethic. I do not think they put their customers first anymore. It would have been less costly, more productive and more service minded to empower the front-line agent to say that they would replace the unit as they could see it was a lemon rather than force the last visit and associated process stupidity.

"Thanks MeasuredUp for helping solve my customer service complaint. The company I reviewed saw my complaint and contacted me to solve it. I like MeasuredUp better then Twitter because I could get into detail about my complaint." Lila C.