Just bought my LAST Sears item

Mark E Smith

Member
Messages
190
Location
Arkansas
Ok stove finally bites the dust (15 years had a good run) it was a Kenmore, so I figured lets get another Kenmore. Go to Sears (brick & morter store) got another Kenmore..got delivered this morning and was totally banged up, refused delivery...duh...they say it will be two weeks until they can bring me a another one...what...go online and they have the next model up and can deliver next day...(brick & moter says nope, three week for that one) so I ordered it, should have done online to start with...that's on me. Here comes the Sears purgatory...been on the phone for three hours now, and still have no idea if I got a refund on the first order or not, been getting bouced around from one # to the next, it takes 72 hours nah..nah ...nah...etc...will send you an email...BS..BS..more BS..I have no idea if the original is even canceled yet, much less if I'll get a refund....At one point I actually said can you connect me to some one that speaks english...lol...I really couldn't understand a word they were saying...really, the accent was so strong...why is this so HARD..just issue a credit to my card...jeez..this isn't rocket science. This is my LAST buy from Sear..their customer service SUCKS. Shouldn't be this hard..they have NO PROBLEM charging your card, but they are a little reluctate to give it back...why is that...have a half a mind to drop a letter to the Attorney General, but he is probably an idiot too and it will take 72 hours to get back to me...lol...just can't win. OK rant over
 
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I was a Sears customer - bought many thousands worth of stuff - many times over.

Then Sears changed - don't cover warranty - run around - MANY times over.

Stopped sears about 10 years ago.

One day couple of months ago - I needed a flat repair - bad valve stem. I will not get into the ABSOLUTE - most STUPID - run around I got into. Absolutely absurd. I mean - a tire repair? - Three days to get it right.

I got totally convinced as to why I don't go to Sears anymore. Really!!!!
 
Early in my adult life back in the 60s and 70s, nearly everything I owned came from Sears - appliances, furniture, you name it. I gradually got away from them for one reason or anther. I suppose the main reason was finding out which manufacturers REALLY made Kenmore products. Buying the REAL product - like a Tappan range rather than the same thing with a Kenmore badge on it was cheaper. A couple of years ago, were were looking at new refrigerators and checked the Sears ad that comes in our newspaper each week. A name brand refrigerator that we priced at Lowe's was $500 higher at Sears - the exact, same product. And they wonder why they're going out of business!
 
Sears earned their way off my shopping list a long time ago... perhaps when they discovered that Chinese tools looked pretty and were cheaper, with no regard to whether they worked or lasted.

For appliances, I have come to love Lowes, based on my son's experience in the Dallas area and my experience here in Austin (200 miles away). They apparently do extraordinary training of their sales staff, and their installation team is great. A couple examples...

My son had a refrigerator (I believe it was Maytag, but if not, at least a well known brand) that leaked on the floor once per week (the word used to describe it was more clearly related to a bodily function). Finally I went into Lowe's with the intent of seeing what it would take to make him a gift. The clerk said "From your description, it sounds like a Maytag, about 7 years old." Right on. Bottom line we bought a new refrigerator (Samsung, who also made the ones sold under the GE name), and it was delivered promptly. That night I noticed the ice cream getting soft, and called the sales person for help. "Would a new refrigerator first thing in the morning be okay? Do you have a way to keep the ice cream overnight - like a separate freezer or a neighbor?" Okay, but all I want is a repairman. No, she said, if the repairman has to order a part, it could be a couple days. What time do you want the new refrigerator? It was delivered the next morning, with apologies, and no charge.

My son had another good experience with Lowe's appliances, so when I needed a new refrigerator in Austin I bought one at Lowe's. The super size refrigerator didn't fit through the handicapped accessible front door, so they disassembled it, brought it in, and reassembled it - no charge. Same kind of service for a new dishwasher.

I don't know if this is Lowe's nationally, but it sure was great service (and very competitive prices) at two widely separated stores in Texas.
 
I actually owned a Sears store in the 70's. It had the potential of being a good life long career and business. But, I remember clearly when management changed the "satisfaction guaranteed" policy to 'satisfaction only if we say you can have an exchange or refund'. I well remember the looks on customers faces when I had to decline returns. They knew they could no longer spend their money with Sears and be assured they would get value on return. Look at the numbers for Sears. That day was the beginning of the near end for what was then the world's largest retailer. They forgot their roots. FWIW, Lowe's appliance sales policies have since served us well.
 
I generally limit purchases from Sears to those crazy sale prices that are heavily in my favor....like a $70 blade for $20, or a $200 sharpener for $18, etc. We don't see those deals much lately....
 
It's a shame that Sears has changed so much... back in their heyday, they were the go-to store to get almost anything... even though they didn't manufacture anything, their specs and requirements for their manufacturers was actually higher than the manufacturers... don't know when or why they started their fall, but I think the ultimate end came when they were bought out by K-Mart.
 
don't know when or why they started their fall
As I mentioned, the change came in the mid-1970's. I was there. Previously, Sears always struggled to keep returns under 10% and the bean counters believed that should be reduced. So the policy was changed to reduce returns. What they did not understand was sales were strong because customers bought with confidence and came back for almost all their needs. That changed overnight with the new 'screw them' policies.
 
I saw the fall start in the 1970s when they said there are higher margins in clothes, lets focus there; there are cheaper sources for tools in China. Wonder why the returns skyrocketed selling crap tools?
 
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