Craftsman
Reviews and Complaints

On October 4, 2007 I purchased a Craftsman Lawnmower from Sears/Oxmoor Center. This was a returned and refurbished mower but I was assured by the sales person that the quality and warranties were the same as a new mower. I also purchased the extended warranty at that time. Because the mowing season was over when I made the purchase I had no occasion to use the mower until the spring of 2008 by which time the 90 day return policy had expired.
The first time I mowed the mower veered left and right and you could not mow in straight line ( I have a flat even lawn) and at the same time the wheel height adjustments kept jumping out of place causing the mower to drop to the ground. I returned the mower to Sears for repair for the first time in April 25, 2008. It was returned to me on May 6, 2008. When I asked what they did to it and employee told me she couldn’t read the paperwork but that they had changed the oil. It was a new mower, so it didn’t even need and oil change.
I returned the mower again on May 20 and was told at that time that on the original return the mower was actually checked for shaking. I never told them it shook and in fact my paperwork verifies I told them the mower would not mow a straight line when the self propelled mechanism was engaged. I asked for my money back at that time and was refused so I let them take it back again.
My son picked the lawnmower up again on 6/3 and that time they replaced the front wheel drive. After trying the mower out at the Sears Repair Center he was unsatisfied but was told by Michelle the Manager that there was nothing wrong with mower and nothing more they would do. My son explained to them that I was a 73 year old widow and the reason I purchased this self propelled/key start mower is so that I could mow my own lawn. Michelle told him I should have purchased that model lawnmower. I wish the sales person would have told me that when I bought it.
I tried again to mow my lawn and the same thing happened so I returned it on 6/5. Since then I have been in an endless struggle with I couldn’t begin to tell you how many people and departments I have been shuffled back and forth through and the store manager at Sears/Oxmoor will no longer even return my calls!
Please help me to resolve this. I am a 73 year old widow on a fixed income and I cannot afford to pay someone $25.00 each time I have to return this lawnmower to Sears.

On April 13th, I dropped off my Craftsman model weedeater to have the trigger replaced. It took me almost 10 minutes before anyone even came over to help me, which should have been my first sign to run out the door. Once someone finally came to help me I told them what was wrong with the weedeater and the work I wanted done. They could not find my name in the system until they looked me up at an old address (from 3 years ago) and did not update my new information. I was told I would have to pay a $30 service charge because the unit was no longer under warranty but that the $30 would be applied to any services. I asked the associate if he knew how much it would cost to replace the trigger and he told me they had no way of knowing but that I could set a limit on how much the service would cost so they couldn't do work without my authorization. I told him I wanted a $30 limit since I had already paid $30. He again said they would call me to get authorization and I asked him to make sure they call my new number so he put a note in the system. He told me the weedeater would be ready on 4/28/08 and they would call me when it was ready to pick up.

4/28/08 came by and I heard nothing from Sears. I called the Customer service number to check on the status of the repair and an Indian woman who I could barely understand could not find my information in the system. I finally gave her my phone number from 3 years and she was able to pull it up but she said it was still not in and could give me no explanation why.

On 5/1/08 I had to go to the Mall for another reason so I stopped into the store and asked about the status of my repair. The associate told me that it was still being worked on and would not be ready until 5/4/08. I again verified that they had my correct phone number in the system and talked to the manager to see if they could update the info since the lady on the phone had been unable to find me in the system. She said there was no way they could do that while the work order was open but assured me that they would call me at my current number and explained the weedeater was out because they had had to order the trigger. She told me it looked like it would be back to the store on 5/4/08 and gave me the number of the store to call to speak to someone who could tell me the status of my weedeater.

I still had not heard from Sears by 5/6/08 so I called the store to see if it was back. They associate who answered the phone said it was there and had been there since Sunday. I asked her why I had not been called and she said she didn't know. I told her I would be in that evening to pick it up.

When I arrived at the store an associate came out and told me I had a balance to pay before I could get my weedeater. I asked him how much and he told me $60! I asked him how it could be so much, it was a broken trigger that should have cost, max, $40. I expressed my frustration that I had NEVER been called to authorize them to fix the weedeater at that price. He apologized and said he wasn't sure if they could do anything. My boyfriend and I told him we wanted to speak to the manager and he said he would get her. We waited for about 5 minutes and the associate came back and said the manager had told him that we had no choice, we could either pay the $60 and get our weedeater back or be out our $30 deposit and they would keep it. I again said I wanted to speak to the Manager as both choices were unacceptable and he said he would have her come over. When she came over we asked if she had remembered us from last time and she said she did. We explained how poor our customer service had been throughout the service period and the fact that noone had called us to authroize the repairs. All she would say is that we had the two above choices and there was nothing we could do about it. She kept telling us that either way we were out the $30, which we said we understood, but I kept trying to explain to her that I didn't think I should have to pay the $60 since it had not been authorized by me. She kept interrupting and saying either she couldn't do anything about it or that either way we were out the $30. I explained to her that I could get a brand new weedeater for $90, which is the same price as what I would be paying for my old one for the so-called service. I asked what had cost so much and she would not explain the charges, she would only say that the service was $60/hour. My boyfriend asked her if that was the standard rate and she said it was. I asked why I had not been told that when I had dropped it off, as I had asked the associate, and she said she didn't know why. I told her I was extremely unhappy and that I would never be a customer at sears again. She shrugged her shoulders at me! I asked for phone numbers of her manager so i could talk to them and she gave me a number so i could complain to the service but would not give me any numbers for Sears. My boyfriend suggested to her as a fellow retail employee that she should have her employees tell people the rates, especially when the know them, if they wanted to avoid these kinds of problems. She looked at him like he had a horn growing out of his head, said she there was nothing else she could do, and started to walk away. My boyfriend asked her if she would wait a minute so we could decide if we were going to pay the $60 or get a new one. She said she would and walked into the office.

After we walked over and looked at the weedeater's (and verifying that, in, fact, a new one does cost $90) I told him I had been insulted, by both the process and the manager, that I was not giving Sears one more cent of mine again. He agreed and we went over to let the manager know that we would not be taking the weedeater back but she would not come out of the office (we waited for another 5 minutes). We were so disgusted at that point that we left.

BlowerG2YR
Model# [protected]
Serial# 04062N200858 Tag # 128757(SQ-01
Since Oct the tech has rebuilt this blower 3 Times Oct Feb and again in March. Feb it ran for 20 Minutes March we had it a whole 5 minutes. Tech says we put straight gas in it. My husband works for the county and uses mix gas every day he knows what kind of gas it uses. We have owned a blower for 20 years and I think we know by now what kind of gas to use. WE NEVER USED STRAIGHT GAS. He said this to save his own behind cause he could not fix it and broke it himself. We are very upset about this that he would lie over a 100.00 blower. Every time I pass Sears I will probably keep going to some one who cares

Here is the text of a letter that I sent :

John C. Walden
Executive vice president
Chief customer officer.

Sears Roebuck and Co.
Sears Holdings
3333 Beverly Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

Dear Mr. Walden:

In March, 2004 I bought a Craftsman model 917.273641 riding lawn mower for $1,637.08. It was my first riding lawn mower as well as my first major purchase from Sears Roebuck and Co. Over three years later now I can safely state that it has been one of the biggest mistakes and worst purchases that I have ever made. If the lawn mower I bought is any indication of the quality of the products that Sears sells, then it will be the only purchase I ever make at Sears.

While I have meticulously maintained the Sears Craftsman riding lawn mower from the day of purchase, I have had nothing problems.

In the beginning the problems weren't serious, - all of the tires developed slow leaks and the gas line was constantly clogging. Although there was plenty of tread on the tires, they were developing small leaks in their sidewalls. They appeared to have a case of "dry rot" something that is usually not found in rubber products for at least several years. I was lucky and four cans of stop-leak fluid solved the problem, though not after a lot of frustration. The gas line clogging problem was due to dirt in the gas tank. I have no idea how it got there, but it appeared to have been sold with it in the tank. It required a thorough flushing of both the gas tank and gas line, after replacing numerous fuel filters, to resolve it.

Six months later, in December 2004, the main drive belt broke. The reason that it broke also seemed to be "dry rot." The entire belt had segmented into 6 inch sections before it broke. The replacement belt has been in use for two and a half years with no problems. Please note that none of these items - tires, gas tank and belts were covered under warranty and their repair cost was $200.00.

In September 2006, the mower would not start. At that time there was only 98.9 hours on the engine. It was discovered that the engine had a bent pushrod. I consider this to be highly unusual. Nothing can explain why it happened, and it certainly wasn't anything that I could have done. Luckily, I managed to have it replaced for less than $100.00. Once again, the warranty didn't cover the cost. It was then over two years old and no longer valid.

The latest problems occurred in June of this year. The electric clutch bearings seized. This is not only very serious, but also very expensive. An electric clutch costs $218.52 (uninstalled.) In addition, both of the mandrel bearings located on the deck need replacing. The total cost for all the repairs necessary to have a functioning mower would cost $680.00.

The only thing that I would consider being "normal" in all of the maintenance that needs to be performed is the battery replacement. But two years is a considerably shorter life than I would normally expect to receive from a battery. Please note that I have not included any oil, air and oil filter changes, spark plugs, new blades and lubrication in any of the above mentioned maintenance costs.

I honestly do not know what I am going to do. I am very hesitant to put any more money into what seems to be a very poorly made piece of equipment. I would have to put more than half the value of the original purchase price in repairs (for just three years use) to be able to continue to use it.

Since the development of the bearing problems, I have endeavored to look at riding lawn mowers made by other manufacturers to see if they would have the some of the same problems. I have made some interesting observations that I would like to share with your.

1. Craftsman riding lawn mower deck design is the only design that seemed have completely neglected what happens to yard clippings after lawn is mowed. All other mowers have a flat top that prevents the collection of debris. Craftsman has an indentation where the bearings that hold the spindles for the lawn mower blades that does an excellent job of collecting and holding debris. It is also difficult to remove. If water is used to remove debris, it results in the eventual destruction of the mandrel bearings which leads to observation #2.

2. Almost all other riding lawn mower manufacturers use shielded or sealed bearings. If they don't, then they equip their bearings with zerk fittings so that they can have additional grease added which flushes out debris in addition to providing new lubricant. Craftsman mowers have almost no zerk fittings anywhere and they have none on any of their bearings. This guarantees that there will be significant maintenance problems for the life of the mower.

A piece of equipment that is intended to be used outdoors, should be designed appropriately and have parts that are intended for outdoor use, or at the very least, be able to be maintained to continue reasonable operation. Exposed bearings, in a location that has been designed to collect debris will cause rapid deterioration of the bearings. This applies to the mandrel bearings as well as the clutch bearings.

I was told recently that the engine on the mower has "good compression." However, considering the repairs that have incurred for less than 125 hours of operation, I have serious doubts as to the overall longevity of a lawn mower that requires over $900 in repairs every three years.

As a result of my experience, I have very serious reservations about ever buying anything at Sears Roebuck and Co. I can't imagine why anyone would want to purchase what appears to be nothing but problems.

After reading numerous complaints about Craftsman riding lawn mowers on the internet, I have have noticed several things about Sears and Craftsman products:

* I am not alone with my problems. In fact, compared to some other people I have been relatively lucky.

* Craftsman quality seems to be an oxymoron. There appear to be a LOT of Craftsman riding lawn mowers that are unreliable. The reason appears to be that they are poorly designed and use inferior parts.

* Sears service is an oxymoron. Repair and service of Sears Craftsman products is not only expensive, but unreliable.

* Sears doesn't seem to care very much, if at all.

As a result, there are a LOT of people who emphatically state that they will never buy anything from Sears and have told their friends to not buy anything from Sears.

--
"Commune hoc ignorantiae vitium est: quae nescias, nequicquam esse profiteri"

(A common thing with the ignorant, to despise what they do not understand; James Leoni's translation, London 1726 - this translation is not entirely to the point, either, I feel - a better one might be: "A common vice among ignorants is to reject the idea that there is anything to know" i.e., "don't confuse me with the facts.")

"It's much easier to suggest solutions when you know nothing about the problem." -- anonymous

Corporate Headquarters
Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Attention: Alywin Lewis, CEO
3333 Beverly Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
United States

Re: Craftsman Gasoline Powered Blower/Vac Model No.

358.794880

Mr. Alywin Lewis,

Today is February 3, 2007 and I just received the Craftsman Gasoline Powered Blower/Vac Instruction Manual that I was requested to buy so that the person who I called, but I do not have his name since I assumed that any person at that telephone number on the equipment and is also stated on the front cover of the Instruction Manual, said that he is going to transfer me to the Orders Department to order the Instruction Manual, with that he could assist me with my fixing the blower vacuum as happened just before my warranty expired.

I called perhaps a week before to reach this person. I called him at [protected] which is the telephone number on a label on the machine as I just said.

Before my warranty expired another guy who I will refer to as a technician, since nobody whom I have talked to today, and I talked to at least 10 people. Perhaps half of them said that this would be the last time I would be transferred because the who I was talking to said that he knows that that department can help me over the telephone, at my fixing my equipment.

This time, the first person who I talked to, when I told him that I need help fixing my blower vacuum, just like the last time somebody, step by step, told me how to fix the blow vacuum.

The guy of about a week ago asked me if I have checked the spark plug. So I said that I should explain my situation.

There is a pull cord naturally, to start the engine. It told him that when I pull it out, it comes out easier than normal. He stopped me to ask me, if I let the pull cord go, does it go back in by itself? I told him that it does so he asked me if I have an Instruction Manual.

Perhaps I did not have an Instruction Manual because I bought it somewhat discounted because the box
had been opened.

Whoever bought it previously and returned it, must not have put the Instruction Manual back in the box before returning it.

Just for reference, I paid by credit card, and I could go on-line to find out exactly how much I paid for it but I don’t think that is necessary. I was charged a bit under $10 to have it mailed to me.

The only other person who I talked to who I wrote down but I do not know if that helps any from my earlier information, is Olsen at [protected], who told me that he would transfer me to the department that has people who are able to talk me through the fix.

I asked Olsen for the name of the department and he said Craftsman Parts and Tools at [protected]. I said to Olsen that it does not sound right to me that a parts and tools department would have a person with the knowledge to instruct me, even with having my Instruction Manual on how to fix it. Olsen said that the name of a department does not necessarily indicate all that it does.

When Olsen transferred me, he actually transferred me to Scott who is in the Parts Department. So I said that I was supposed to be transferred to Parts and Tools. Scott said that since he is Parts, he knows that there is a Part Department and a Tool Department but they are not the same department but since he cannot help me, clearly Olsen does not know what he is talking about.

Olsen said that this conversation has been a waste of time.

It bothers me a lot that when I call a company, people who are getting paid to talk to me, and naturally I get nothing for my time talking with them. However people saying that happens all the time and a small fraction of those times, the person who I have been talking to hangs up the telephone but Olsen did not.

Olsen was good enough to ask me if he could help me in any other way. So I asked him if he could give me the corporate address, which he did. However, he did suggest that I call instead. However to me, to spend so much to perhaps get the run around again, I would not like at all.

Olsen did say that if I lived in a city that has over 100,000 people, would I know all the people that I could get in touch with? I told him that I live in a city that easily has over 100,000 people and I am not familiar with the actual jobs of any of my neighbors but I do have an idea of what they do.

Olsen said that that is like calling Sears. There are so many people that it is possible that somebody could help me fix my machine over the telephone but he has no idea how he could find out where or who that person is.

As the CEO of Sears, surely your Executive Assistance has the means to go down the hierarchy of your corporation to get me the name and preferably the full name, but perhaps Sears does not allow that. With so many employees, you must know that the name of any given person has a reasonable probability of there being another person at Sears who has the same name.

I worked for Intel Corporation for 8 years and the closest name that came to mine was a person with the same last name. However, I have no idea if any given person at Sears is going by their last name, middle name, or even a nickname.

Since I have twice, from the [protected] number reached a person who, the first time actually helped me fix it, but the second time I was told that after he asked me a specific question, that informed him that he could easily instruct me and get it running again. I essentially have said this previously but I am trying to make it absolutely clear that I know a person can be reached.

However, looking at the Instruction Manual, only on page 24, which is in Spanish but I speak very little Spanish, do I see a picture of a man who has pulled on the cord. So I do not know how much help the Instruction Manual would be even with somebody talking me through it.

From having talked personally with one person who has told me that he could easily talk me through the task and perhaps a year ago, another person who did talk me through that fix, I am extremely confident that somehow, you can get me to a person who can help me over the telephone and if I do not have the correct Instruction Manual as it is not like a car, as they have shop manuals, perhaps the Orders person sent me the wrong manual.

As the conversations alone took me almost an hour, your Executive Assistant, as has happened many times when I write to the office of Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America, which is my bank, I have always received a telephone call from a person who has been able to help me.

If Bank of American can help me every time, I am extremely confident that soon after this letter has been read, I will get the help that I need and not be told that I have to either go to a service center or have a service person come to my home as both have been suggested to me. However, the second suggestion makes no sense to me since my machine is easily portable.

I know that Sears does not make Craftsman, so it might be necessary for somebody of your staff to get me in touch with a person at the company that makes this particular product.

Once, somebody who I called told me that Craftsman is made by two companies and due to the machine that I am talking about, he told me which company manufactures it.

However, Olsen said that so many different companies make the various Craftsman power tools that he would have no idea which company makes my blow vacuum.

My mother purchased me a Craftsman Riding Lawn Mower in 2005. Every since I had the mower it has had to be repaired so many times that I can not even count. Just in 2006 the repair man has been out to my house, March, April, May and June. It has had two head gaskets replaced and the engine has been replaced 3 times. The mower was not cheap and it should have never broken down. I am sick and tired of not getting anything done. All they tell me is to call the service department and get an apointment for them to come out to fix it. This mower is a lemon and I emailed sears to get them to either replace the mower or credit my mother's account. All they say is call the repair service. My husband talked to the local Sears department here in Natchez and they said that they would replace it but when it broke again they said I had to call the service department to get a repair man to fix it. The mower cranks one day then will not crank the next day. I should not have to be out in the heat trying to get the stupid thing to crank. I am sick and tired of dealing with Sears and with their repair department. The last time which was in June I called they were so rude to me. I am sick and tired of dealing with this. I want a new mower with full warranty or either my mothers account credited. In June I had to do all the calling and got to the point I was so stressed out and pissed off because of the way I was treated. I refuse to be treated the way Sears treated me. I want a new mower with full warranty or either credit my mother's account. This is just a big headache and I will never buy anything from Sears again. I have told all my friends not to buy any thing from Sears. I will not even step foot in a Sears store. I do not want to get the run around again from Sears and if I have to get my attorney involved in this matter I will. I know my rights for I worked for an attorney for 8 years. I am not going to mess around with this mower anymore.