| Author |
Message |
    
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 1054
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 5:48 pm: | 
|
Long story short: my husband just spent ALL DAY installing a new Craftsman garage door opener he bought at the Essex Green Sears Hardware going out of business sale, only to realize at the end that the kit he bought was missing the infrared "eyes" that keep the door from closing on a small child -- and without which the door is completely unoperational. When he called customer service to get a replacement part he was told by "Supervisor" LeBaron (would not give his last name) that -- because we bought the opener at a Sears Hardware rather than a regular Sears -- the usual Sears guarantee does not supply, and he could not supply the missing part free of charge. When we expressed our dismay that Sears would be willing to lose lifelong customers over such a little matter, we were told that was "company policy", and when we asked to speak to LeBaron's supervisor to make sure they understood the ramifications of following "policy" in this case, he told us that we had, in effect reached the end of the line. Unbelieveable!!!!
Hubby is now outside trying to jerryrig(?) our new door opener to close, so our garage will not become a free for all for would be thieves passing by.
Any suggestions on how to get resolution from Sears on this, and hopefully get that prick LeBaron canned? |
Mayor McCheese
Supporter
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 1016
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 7:00 pm: |
|
I had a terrible problem with Sears a few years ago and have not been back since. They shipped a broken snow blower to the house. When we brought it back to them they refunded the money right away, but none of the people working would take back the blower. Eventually the threat was made that the blower would be left in the parking lot. I wasted more than an hour dragging the stupid thing from department to department.
I don't know what to tell you, amandacat. My solution was to never go back to Sears again. So far; so good. |
composerjohn
Citizen
Username: Composerjohn
Post Number: 770
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 7:11 pm: |
|
Ugh. How frustrating!
Here's some contact info for Sears online - they might be able to help. Good luck!
http://www.sears.com/sr/misc/sears/custserv/custserv_index_contact_us.jsp?BV_Use BVCookie=Yes&vertical=SEARS |
cmontyburns
Citizen
Username: Cmontyburns
Post Number: 1783
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 7:35 pm: |
|
Have had nothing but great customer service experience with Sears (including a complete replacement of a lawn mower that was well past its warranty).
My advice would be to go in person to the Sears store at Livingston Mall, and tell them what you need. My guess is you'll walk out with the part in your hand, or it will be FedEx'd to you free. |
Mayor McCheese
Supporter
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 1017
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 7:54 pm: |
|
cmonty, the Livingston Mall Sears is the place I had my problem at. Sears is the devil.
It can't hurt to give it a try. Although someone almost got hurt when I attempted to make a return. really believe that the people working at Sears there just do not care.
I actually remember that I did attempt to make a purchase at Sears once since then. I tried to get a small refrifgerator for my sister who was starting college. They were sold out of every (4 or 5) model. They tried to sell me a floor model at a reduced cost of $20 off. I just walked out. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 6945
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 8:03 pm: |
|
Tomorrow morning, call the company HQ in Chicago. Ask for the VP of customer service. That always works for me. |
Monster©
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 2560
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 8:39 pm: |
|
Sears, Roebuck and Co.
National Customer Relations
3333 Beverly Rd.
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
847-286-2500
Toll free: 1-800-549-4505
Fax: 800-427-3049 |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4412
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 9:58 pm: |
|
And if you bought it on an American Express Card call and speak with someone in the Buyers Assurance Dept. Plus dispute the charge. |
Carla
Citizen
Username: Elbowroom
Post Number: 63
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 7:06 am: |
|
"Going out of business sale" means you probably bought it "as is" without the usual guarantees and refunds, right? Did the box show any signs of being tampered with? Was it opened and then taped shut? Did you open it and check the contents list to be sure everything was there? |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 10984
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 7:41 am: |
|
I suspect Carla is correct. Sometimes a bargain isn't a bargain.
Amandacat, if you haven't figured it out, there is usually a red handle that releases the opening and closing mechanism and allows manual operation of the door until you get the situation resolved.
|
Mr. Big Poppa
Citizen
Username: Big_poppa
Post Number: 517
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 11:10 am: |
|
We bought a washer and dryer at Sears in preparation for our move to Maplewood. We canceled the order upon learning the previous owners left their units in the house. However, Sears charged us for the washer and dryer since their records indicated it had been shipped to and received at someplace in Brooklyn. It took us a year to resolve that issue.
Never go to Sears.....very poor customer service. |
kevin
Supporter
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 642
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 11:39 am: |
|
In regards to what Aunt mentioned, I had purchased something from Expo when they were going out of business last year. The box was sealed, but it was still missing an important part.
I went back to the store within 30 minutes and they refused to do anything about it. There was still 15 more of the same item on the shelf and they wouldn't even let me exchange it.
I disputed it with American Express and ended up with the item for free. I tossed the item anyway because it was useless without the part and purchasing it from the manufacturer would have been more than I paid.
Point being, if you paid with credit card, you might be able to dispute it. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 2640
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 12:11 pm: |
|
Amandacat, you could also remind the nice people at SEARS that it's a legal requirement that the garage door have that electronic eye thing, and that they sold you a garage door that cannot legally be installed as is.
Even if you were to find a way to make it work without it, you are required to have some mechanism (either the electric eye, or some type of pressure-sensitive thing on the door) so that it cannot shut on a child.
My SEARS story... bought a new washer dryer from them, but found a better deal at <gasp> Home Depot. cancelled the order from SEARS. But since I was opening a new SEARS charge card with them, they couldn't simply cancel the charge. They issued a check for the full amount. Of course, they missed the various discounts that we got on it, so the check was for about $200 more than the actual charge. |
Gordon Agress
Citizen
Username: Odd
Post Number: 374
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 4:44 pm: |
|
Sears, at all levels of its local and national customer service response, thinks a brand-new washing machine cannot be expected to go more than a year without rusting. On the inside. Where it stains the clothes.
We will not be back.
|
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 6995
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 5:05 pm: |
|
I've found that Karl's will match/beat Sears prices, has 0% financing for 12 months, has reasonable delivery charges and the salespeople are pleasant and helpful. If you shop in the Orange store, it's 3% tax. When we bought our washer, I was expecting a hassle because we bought a pedestal and it would be two different guys to deliver and install the pedestal. They coordinated coming at the same time without our having to ask and were in & out in under an hour.
We have a regular salesman at Karl's from whom we've purchased thousands of dollars in appliances. We have no reason to go to Sears ever again. |
upondaroof
Citizen
Username: Upondaroof
Post Number: 608
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 5:25 pm: |
|
Look at it this way. Sears was bought up by KMart last spring. Kind of like the blind leading the blind! |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7000
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 6:52 pm: |
|
Hmmmm...
I'd have to disagree, Up. It's more like the incredibly stupid leading the grossly incompetent.
There! Now I can answer Reingold! |
upondaroof
Citizen
Username: Upondaroof
Post Number: 609
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 9:58 pm: |
|
"I'd have to disagree, Up. It's more like the incredibly stupid leading the grossly incompetent."
Whatever, but they're both riding in the wake of "The Tidy Bowl Man"! |
themp
Supporter
Username: Themp
Post Number: 2698
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 4:24 pm: |
|
By Jason Embry, Friday, December 31, 2004
Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle dismissed a felony indictment Thursday against Sears, Roebuck and Co., the second corporation to avoid prosecution after agreeing to help Earle's investigation of corporate spending in the 2002 legislative elections.
The Illinois-based retail giant was one of eight companies charged with making illegal political donations. The indictments, handed down in September, stemmed from Earle's two-year investigation of Texans for a Republican Majority, an organization that U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay helped create. Three DeLay associates also were indicted. |
Lou Michetti
Citizen
Username: Rexaroo
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 6:09 pm: |
|
My wife and I had the worst customer server experience ever at Sears and have vowed never to return. However, after writing numerous individuals, I finally called the CEO, if you call the headquarters after hours, you will get a voicemail system where you may enter the last name of the person to whom you wish to speak. I left a voicemail message and I received a return call the next day. I was able to get a few hundred dollars refunded not nearly enough to make up for the amount of time and frustration. |
Mr. Big Poppa
Citizen
Username: Big_poppa
Post Number: 528
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 7:38 pm: |
|
Lou,
You are my hero! That really is awesome....I wouldn't have even thought of that. How did you figure that out? I'm assuming the CEO himself didn't give you a call back, but nonetheless, very impressive! |
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 1058
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 10:26 pm: |
|
Good for you, Lou!
After a pleasant but ultimately unproductive call to Sears National Customer Relations (thanks Monster!) we bit the bullet and ordered the damn part. We're out an extra $60, more than wiping out any savings we got on this thing in the first place; I think we only saved 10% or 20% off of retail price to begin with.
Oh well, lesson learned -- the hard way. At least now I don't have to waste any more of my time reading the Sears Sunday circular, seeing as I will NEVER shop there again. Too bad for them, we're probably going to be in the market for a new washer & dryer in the near future and I've kind of got my heart set on one of those fancy high efficiency front loaders . . .
|
upondaroof
Citizen
Username: Upondaroof
Post Number: 612
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 11:10 pm: |
|
amandacat, you don't say in your post if the sale was "final and as is". If it was, (which it probably was, being that the store was closing), then you can't expect the vendor to make good on the deal. I'm not a fan of Sears, but I've had my good and bad times and more recently, more bad times with them, but I've always been able to get the problem resolved to my satisfaction when I was in the right. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4451
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 11:40 pm: |
|
I still think you should have called your credit card sompany. As someone pointed out it's against the law to sell these garage door openers in NJ without the safety switch. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7030
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 10:08 am: |
|
Amanda - Just this past January, we originally bougth our fancy, high-end front loader from Sears & cancelled the order after too much crap. We went to Karl's and got the Whirpool fancy, high-end front loader. It was cheaper and had the same 0% financing. |
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 1060
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 11:48 am: |
|
Yes, the sale was final as the store was going out of business, and Sears was indeed following policy when they declined to provide us the missing part free of charge. They may have been "right", but they've also lost a customer for life, and if you ask me that was a poor business decision on their part.
Some of the items we've purchased from Sears in the last four years since buying our house: assorted garden tools, hand tools, snow shovel, hedge trimmer, lawn edger, power washer, direct tv receiver, hydraulic lift for motorcycle, garage door opener(!). Items we will purchase at Sears over the next 40+ (god willing!) years: Nada.
Alas, hubby paid for the opener with our VISA/ATM card, with the money coming directly out of our checking account, so I don't think we have any recourse there. Can't decline payment if payment's already been made!
Greenie, I read all about your washer saga as it was happening; who do you think got me hooked on the idea of a front loader???!!! We intend to check out Karl's when the time comes, hopefully later rather than sooner; it'd be pretty hard to make the case for a ~$1,000 washer while I'm still out of work . . . 
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page