Company information:
Sears
Connecticut
United States
In April 2007, we purchased a Kenmore 4ET front load washer with a matching dryer, including pedestals for each. In November 2008, the washer had a catastrophic breakdown where the rubber seal around the door ripped and got caught in the drum. We had a 5 year full parts/labor warranty so we called Sears. The first tech came out a week later, stayed on his cell phone the whole time planning to meet somebody somewhere within the next hour. He said the parts needed to be ordered and that they would be sent to our house.
The second tech came 2 weeks later (2 weeks now without a washer with 3 young kids in the house!). The second tech replaced the rubber seal in front of the tub and left. One look at the washer after he left and I knew it wasn't right -- the tub was lower than it used to be. I called Sears again, and a week later, a 3rd tech came out. As soon as he looked at it, he said the tub, pump and everything associated was shot because the initial failure was so violent. He said we needed a new tub and pump which needed to be ordered. Again, parts would be sent to our house.
A week later, the parts arrived and a few days later, the 4th tech came to the house. Replacing the tub was a 2 man job and the other tech needed for the job was going to be tied up for 'a while'. Since this was the 4th visit in as many weeks, we could not wait around for hours and told tech #4 we needed to reschedule the repair. In the meantime, he opened the part boxes to make sure everything was there and wouldn't you know, the tub came damaged so he reordered the tub and pump (and left the damaged parts/boxes in our basement).
A week later, the second round of parts arrived and we scheduled the repair visit. A week later, when the techs were supposed to arrive, the phone rangs and tech #5 said, 'It's a 2 man job and they only scheduled one tech, so we need to reschedule". Now, it's been 7 weeks since this began and a comedy of errors. Tech #3 said it was o.k. to do light loads until the tub replaced. We tried but that resulted in a flooded laundry room which leaked through the floor and dumped a full load of water and bleach on top of our car in the garage below.
It's a very long story from here, with hours spent on the phone with Sears customer service and their national customer service. Utlimately, Sears agreed to replace the washer under warranty. Since the model we have was discontinued and the color no longer available, Sears agreed to replace the washer pedestal so it would match the new washer color. After a call to Sears national customer service, they agreed to replace the dryer as well, including pedestal, so that it would match the new washer, something we did not expect but they offered to help compensate for all the trouble we had. Despite an expensive washer catastophically failing when it was only 1 1/2 years old, this gesture restored our faith in Sears. However, that restored faith was short lived.
After we picked out the color of the new washer to be replaced under warranty, Sears started to reneg on the warranty saying they would give us the depreciated value of our washer to be used towards the purchase of a new washer. WHAT?! Again, long story, but after hours on the phone with Sears National customer service, they 'agreed' (again) to replace the washer. However, the new wrinkle to their new offer was they would not replace the washer pedestal or the dryer. When we pointed out that Sears offered to replace the dryer, the national customer relations person said that she could see that they offered it, but her manager wouldn't approve it, so no dryer. We called again and another customer relation person said 'if we offered it, we have to honor it', then proceeded to put me on hold for 15 minutes. When he came back on, he was singing a different tune and said they would not honor what they offered but would give us a $100 gift card. No thanks. I told them to keep the $100, that I would not so much as ever by even a sock from Sears.
The new washer arrived the other day. Damaged. After all this, the new washer came with scratches and gouges in the top. We refused delivery the guys left it anyway, and again, I was on the phone with Sears. They are now sending a new one. Again.
I called Sears National Customer Service today to say how disgusted I was with this whole episode. I spoke to the highest level person I could from Corporate Sears and was told, "We can go around and around about this all day, but it's not going to change anything." I also told this person we would never buy anything from Sears, KMart, LandsEnd, etc. again. She said threats wouldn't work. I assured her this was not a threat, but rather, a statement of fact. She was beyond rude.
We are a 'Best Customer' according to Sears. We are a family that has Craftsmen and Kenmore names from the Kitchen, to Garage, to Shed. No more. I will NEVER buy another product from Sears or any of its affiliates. Good luck to them -- this kind of serivce will catch up with them. They have lost us as a customer for life.
