Sears
reviews and complaints

I purchased a water heater in '05 and now it needs complete replacement. The product was faulty in the beginnning. They charge $239 to re-install the product. Also the customer service is terrible.
Beth held my phone line for 20 minutes. I tried talking to her, pressing the keys and she still pretended not to hear me. I eventually
had to unplug the phone for 20 minutes for her to release the line.
In order for our voices to be heard, we must boycott anything associated with Sears. Their products no longer live up to the name.

I purchased transition lens glasses in November 2008. I returned them in March because the coating on the lenses smeared with white spots that could not be removed. They replaced them and now I have the exact same problem with the lenses. I cannot use the glasses because the coating is again smudged with white spots. I took them back today and the person in the optical dept afffirmed that the coating has once again failed. She offered me a 50% discount-because they are only guaranteed for 90 days. Obviously, after 4 months the glasses fail. So, 50% is worthless to me-since they will probably fail again in 4 months. I think that Sears should replace the glasses free of charge or refund the original purchase price. I would NEVER again buy glasses from Sears, nor recommend anyone else to do so.

We have dealt with Sears optical for several years and have had no problem. The glasses I am now wearing are my old prescription-and are still in fine condition-except that they are not strong enough.

We purchased this model for our new home in Nov 07. After 4 months the ice maker had to be replaced. Now, it is still less than 2 years old and we came home late one night, opened the fridge to find the lights not working. My husband reached up to see if maybe the bulbs were burned out and he was shocked to find out the plastic cover and the bulbs were extremely hot. It was 10 at night and we did not want to dig for the manual so I hopped on the laptop that was in the kitchen to see if I could find out what we needed to do. SURPRISE the internet is full of very unhappy people with the exact same issue. Several found the plastic piece that covers the lights was melted and had a burning smell coming from their fridge. We called Sears service the next monring (Sunday) to arranged a service call. On Monday we received a message that there was a service flash and that parts were being ordered and would be delivered directly to my house and that the service call had to be rescheduled to allow time for the deliver of the parts. Thankfully, we purchased the extended warranty after the issue with the ice maker, but we still have to take time off work for a service call. My personal opinion is that there are so many people with this issue that Sears should have contacted people with this model to have unit fixed prior to having it melt the inside of the fridge OR recalled the product because it is a fire hazard. I have read lots of bad things about this model being made by LG and issue with the energy star rating. I wish I could make the purchasing decision again because I would not buy a Kenmore. I grew up in a house that bought everything from Sears because they were so dependable. I can tell you that I will not be buying another Kenmore anything. I hope the Kenmore fridge in my garage doesn't go out. I bought it at the same time I bought this one and did not buy the warranty for that one.

I purchased a Kenmore Elite Trio refrigerator almost 3years ago. It is model # 795.[protected] and cost approximately $2300. It worked fine until about one year ago. It stopped running and gave the error message ER FF. The manual was no help but after researching on the internet I found that the FF was for freezer fan. The problem was that ise build up had caused the freezer fan to stop turning. This had happened to a number of people and the fix was to use a hair dryer to defrost the back of the fridge. I have had to do this a total of three times since May of this year...this is annoying and obviously a design error on LG's part (this model is made for Sears by LG). Although this has been annoying and inconvenient I have lived with it.

Then a few weeks ago I received a letter witha check for $3.55 from LG explaining that the energy usage of the fridge had been misrepresented and that thia was a check to cover the average cost of the difference between the reported energy use and what it actually uses. They will schedule a modification to correct the energy usage and will send yearly checks as well. I have yet to receive anyhting about when the modification will take place. I am a reasonable person and so I accepted this problem also. I have not cashed th check yet as I am a little wary of doing so because when you do you are releasing LG and Sears from any other claims to which the payment relates. I was thinking about it but then todaysomehitng else happens.

I opened my fridge and could smell a burning plastic smell. After a little investigation I discovered that the lights are now remaining on in the interior of the fridge. they had gottne so hot that the plastic surrounding the light casing had begun to melt, not to mention that my fridge was running at full capacity continually to combat the extra heat that was being produced inside the fridge. I once again turned to the internet and have discovered that this is an ongoing problem with many LG and Kenmore Elite fridges. I am not alone, in fact many unhappy and angry consumers such as myself have posted about this. This also seems to have been a problem for LG as they actually had a recall for fridges withe the same problem back in 2005.

So I call Sears...they of course are very sorry and will be happy to send someone out to my home to repair it for $75 plus the cost of parts and labor or if I buy a one year warranty for $261...neither of which are acceptable for an obvious manufacturer defect. I then call LG since the modrators on these boards have pointed out that Sears may sell th item but LG makes it so they should be the ones who provide the resolution to the problem. Well big surprise LG says it should be covered by Sears. In the letter with the above mentioned check from LG they state that the expected useful life of their product (ie. the fridge they produced) should be about 14 years. Hmmm...this is far from the 3 years I am getting.

I saw talk on one or two websites about a possible class action lawsuit of which I would be happy to join at this point. These fridges are obviously covered in design flaws and even downright dangerous as some have cause small fires due to the light problem. What does Sears and LG intend to do about this? I look forward to an answer as I continue to search the internet, make calls and write e-mails about this issue until I get some resolution.

I closed my account on april when I found out that two companies were over charged me. Sears closed my account and tranfer the balance to a new account without giving me credit. The last week of june; I found out that I owed over $1300 and I made purchased on may and june. I being complaining and explaining that they made an error. However, they are horrible and they changing late payments as if the account still is open. To top it all, sears is sending me new statement with no purchase done on may or june. I called the bank controller and send copies of the statement at [protected].

we have tried fo over a year now to get our control panel on our washing machine fixed, we have called sears we have several times and have gone into the store we have even joined the lawsuite that was on the enternet still nothing, not only does the contol panel not work but the 3 dispensing unit above the tub is melting. i am not talking about the one on top that you put your soap in .. they are litery melting. i have never bought such a disgusting washer in my life . we purchased the washer and dryer brand new at the sears in clovis ca. we paid over 2, 000.00 cash for the set. i cannot believe that sears would sell such a product. there is no way i would ever buy anothe product from them because they do not stand behind their products unless you purchase the warrenties, pretty sad when you dont buy the extra warrenty and the thing craps out because you are out of luck. i will never recommed sears to my friends or any one for that matter when it comes to purchashing a washer . i would rather buy a used waher than spend that much money again for a piece of crap.

Bought a SearsO-Pedic mattress in late Jan./09. In July Furn. Medix came down and my mattress on one side is bulging out that your sheets don't fit properly. They told me I needed a new bar across the middle of the frame because this one was bent. The same day I and my husband went to Sears and purchased a new roller frame. I had sears mattress on before the new one and it was fine so nobody asked me about the frame when I bought it or when the men delivered it and put it on my bed. I've shopped at Sears since 1964. I called the 1-800 number and was told the warranty was void. I told them I didn't receive a warranty from when I purchased it or it wasn't on the mattress. This is a default in the mattress with the bulging and having it for only 6 mos. and I think I should have gotten a new one. It's not my fault I didn't get a warranty. We are seniors. Thank you

We have a power miser 12 water heater w/an extended service plan. The heater began to leak last Monday, I called the service dept for water heaters and was sent back and forth between call centers in india and texas. No one could help me. Finally I was told they could come in a week and a day, I was furious & said as I had their product and their service plan next Tues was UNACCEPTABLE.

The next day my husband called an emergency sears number & got the apt changed to this Friday. I emailed SEARS customer service and told them this was unacceptable and I would tell all my friends NEVER to use SEARS. They replied to my email with an 800 number as they wanted me to discuss "my issues" further. I called and was told by the person who answered that she did not deal with water heaters or air conditioners. I was still calm at that time and explained the issue, she told me to hold on and came right back to say a tech would be out the next day. he came and verified that the heater was indeed unfixable and as I had the service plan it would be free and I'd get a call within 4 hrs, which I did telling me about permits I would have to pay for which was fine, the heater and install would be free. She told me that someone would call me from installation in the next 2 hrs, no one did so I called and was told I was on the list for install the next day (today).

The plummer called me in the am (today)to say he had to "track down "the heater. I had to request a "re ring" meaning I'd be charged twice but after 3-5 days one charge would be removed. Sears said he would receive instructions via computer in an hour. He never got anything but was kind enough to go to the local SEARS where they attempted to give him a gas water heater, they called me, I told SEARS I had no gas in my home, I had told numerous people it was electric.

Finally after hours spent at the local SEARS the plummer who was WONDERFUL brought me the right heater, hookied it up and now (hopefully) it will be good to go.

IMO SEARS is irresponsible, the left hand doesnt know what the right hand does, they keep pushing you off to someone else and NO ONE can help. I would ask EVERYONE I know to never, ever buy SEARS products or their extended service plans. You will be extremely frustrated should you ever run into a problem where you need service or replacemant of a warrantied item.

If you live in MA and want a real nice efficient plummer please call Joseph Barbagallo in North Andover [protected].

The repair man arrived to repair our refrigerator. He put the parts of our refrigerator on the floor instead of the countertop. He then proceeds to repair the refrigerator. The ice maker began to drip on his head, because the door was left open for so long. He then removed the ice maker that was not malfunctioning prior to its removal. He completed the repair. Left the icemaker on the counter and proceeded to his truck to get a receipt. I had to request that he put the ice maker back. The leak that was coming from under the refrigerator stopped, but after he left we had a new leak from the front of the refrigerator. That leak was coming from the icemaker. I called Sears back and requested at least four times that he returns. I called requesting that they give me an estimated time of arrival. He did not call. I was in my home from 8:00am to nearly 5pm because I did not know when he would return. I called a complaint center and supposedly a complaint was filed and someone from management would call. My request was for the return of my fee, because the ice maker functioned properly prior to the service man coming to my house. They said contact would be made within 48 business hours. He returned did something to the ice maker and left. He said that the icemaker would begin to harvest in 2 hours. The two hours came and went. No ice, still leaking. I called back and requested that some else come to repair my issue. I was told someone would return the following Monday. I called on Saturday, trying to speak with management about my complaint again; I was told someone would contact me in 48 hours. No one to date has returned my call. I am very dissatisfied. I still want my refund; I will be contacting Sears again, until I get a response. When I called AHS, my home warranty service that assigned this company, I was not given any assistance either, I was simply told to contact Sears. Thanks! This occurred on 8/7/09, two repair visits. The last repair was made on 8/10/09. Service area is Carbondale, Illinois.

Ice maker in side by side is not working again. Original ice maker was replaced 11 months ago by Sears Service.
It only worked for a few days. Sears returned and replaced the ice maker again. The third ice maker has now stopped working. Sears does not give a warranty on the new ice maker . There is a warrantyon the service for only 90 days. So a refrigerator that is 5 years old is in need of its fourth ice maker. Not a good track record for a product that originally cost over $1000. Without an extended warranty this is all out of pocket for the consumer.

I bought a refrig early part of 2009, in August 2009 needed a filter replace, called for a replacement was told it would be mailed to me at the end of that week. Paid. still no replacement..Called back for a status with my given order number, the clerk could not find a status report to give to me and had to refer my request to customer support. I was told they will get back to me no later than the following friday. Now I am looking at 2 weeks. Never will I purchase any items from Sears again. I will notify family and friends...

To whom it may concern. Sears is the worst place to work at. F who is the big boss is rude, nasty, and just not rite. He put women down yell at them make them cry. He told one lady that works there to brush her hair and put makeup. When I issue is brought to him he does nothing. I reported two of his workers a man and women were doing some nasty stuff in job behind close doors in the job! He did nothing I find that wrong. A bunch of people have called 88 sears and nothing is being done about it. We have worked our butts off and all we get is bs and yelled at. Very sad that people have to put up with his yelling someone needs to step in and look at this man

Requested service call on upright freezer, model no. [protected]. Freezer is located inside garage of house. Went to put food in freezer and found contents defrosted and spoiled. Outside walls of freezer were extremely hot and compressor was not running. Repairman (tech no. 0005520) came out on 8/17/09 and reported to us that this was normal. He also said that if we use freezer it would probably do same thing again and this was normal. Freezer sets out in floor and not against wall. This should be sufficient for air flow. Repairman said that we need to put a fan behind freezer. I have had this freezer for several years and have had no problem before now. He refused to admit there is a problem and told me that sears was out $125.00 for this call. I have paid for a service policy for as long as I have had this freezer. He also told me that I could not claim the spoilage. I would appreciate someone further looking into this matter.

I had the shingles on my mansard roof replaced one year ago by Sears Canada. The roofers they used (RDF 2000) did a poor job and were extremely rude to boot. The shingles began falling off within 5 days of installation, caulking was either incomplete or they used far too much on the flashing, some shingles were held in place with 7 visible nails, the rows were crooked or improperly spaced. The inspector agreed that repairs were needed and the roofers have now returned at least 6 times. Still the job is not complete. The top row of shingles appear to be held in place merely by the flashing. Needless to say, this is ineffective and the shingles are beginning to slip out of place. I have called Customer Service in Montreal and have yet to receive a date as to when this job will be corrected. I have a 5 year warranty, one year of which has expired, but it seems not to be worth the paper upon which it is printed. I am preparing to retire and plan to sell my home. However, I suspect I may have problems due to the roofing issue. Needless to say, I am complaining wherever I can and have no intentions of ever entering a Sears store. I am also ensuring that I inform anyone I can in order that I cost Sears as much business as is possible. Ultimately, I may have to have another roofer fix the problem and then take Sears to court.

Donalda C.

I am in the process of dealing with the very frustrating maze that is customer service at Sears. My less than 3 year old front loading Kenmore washing machine (Whirlpool Duet sold under the Kenmore name) needs new ball bearings. Surprise, you can’t just buy the ball bearings – you have to buy the entire drum kit. Everything in it will cost the same to repair it as it would be to buy a new one. I paid $85 for the Sears tech to come into my house for less than 2 minutes. He diagnosed the problem in under 10 seconds. He told me that it’s a common problem in 7+ year or older machines, but not in one so new. He had never seen that problem before & suggested I call customer service. Suprise – nothing they can do for me…not even a discount on the parts. I’m not at all surprised at this point. I’m considering dropping the broken machine on the front door of Sears so they can deal with the disposal. Is everything disposable these days? Apparently Kenmore products are.

In addition, I was charged an additional $5+tx ‘Supply fee’ on top of the $69.95 +tx service charge for the technician. When I called to enquire about it even customer service didn’t know what the fee was for (since no supplies were used). They agreed to reverse the charge and call me back when it was done. No call backs. After my 4th phone call (for $5!) I was told that this was an industry standard fee for the technician keeping supplies on the truck whether they were used or not and the charge would not be reversed. WHAT?
They also said that I wasn’t told of the fee beforehand because some techs charge it and some don’t. Now, how industry standard is that? I’ve written letters of complaint and also got the reply from Dene Rogers that David May would respond to my concerns. I have not heard anything from Mr. May’s office yet. I am now in an email discussion with a customer service representative who apparently doesn’t read my concerns as she will not answer direct questions, but rather reiterates what is found on the bill (with no further expanation).
I’m frustrated beyond belief (and being 9 months pregnant with no washing machine isn’t helping to calm me down).

Buyer beware with both Kenmore Products and Sears service calls!

I've always regarded Sears as a quality store with excellent products and knowledgeable employees. However, in April 2009, I went for a service and I was told that I needed to replace four tires as they were claimed nonservicable. I realized that I replaced all the tires 3.5 years ago and tires should still be within time and mileage warranty. They said tires were worn unevenly due to misalignment. So they could not be covered under warranty. I then asked why I had been to Sears for oil change and tire rotation service regularly and every time some kind of points inspection was covered, why no one told me that I needed to do alignment. The manager there insisted that tires were worn unevenly.

The next day I took the car to Sears Auto in Carson. The technician checked the car and said tires were evenly worn and wrote this statement on paper. The two sears auto centers had complete different opinions on the same set of tires on the car.

So I complained to Sears, but they insisted that tires worn unevenly due to misalignment and finally they agreed to give me 29% credit of tire price (based on rest of mileage unused toward warranty) IF I replace all the tires in Sears again, but they never addressed my question why their services were inconsistent. Where is the quality of auto service?

I paid good money on the tire replacement and all services there before, I would rather avoid use Sears again for any kind of service anymore because I do not trust their service standard anymore.

Bought a combo microwave/range fan dec 2008 it broke may 2009, repair company cannot fix it I still have no fan no microwave and sears will not refund it even tho I have no product in my house as they are deciding which one of the 6 people I talked to were going to fix it all. Then finally last week I thought ok I finally get some answers that are good I can nnow order a fan and a microwave separate at no extra costs to me even the extra $20 dollars over the price of the single unit is waved new warranty and no shipping or handleing. Yeah! Finally! Not another call today, to infom me all other dicisions are void I will pay extra and I will not be compisated at all for the three months of having nothing for my $499.99 plus tax and shipping and handeling what customer satisfaction is that.

I am writing to you with a problem I have about an upright Kenmore freezer that was purchased about a year ago, along with an extended warranty. My daughter and family came to visit me from California, I live in Nebraska, to celebrate my 71st. birthday. Knowing they were coming I stocked up on a couple of beef roasts, fresh vegatables, and deserts, two icecream cakes, and three gallons of ice cream. This was done about ten or so days before they arrived. The morning after they got here I opened the freezer door to remove one of the roasts for dinner that night, and immediatly got physically ill. The smell was overwellmeaning undiscribable. Some time in between putting the food in the freezer, and taking the food out the freezer quit working, and the red light never went off warning me of a problem with the unit. The freezer was crawling with live MAGGOTS and of course all of the food was ROTTEN. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. Thank goodness my family was here to throw out the food, because I know I could not have cleaned it out myself. What a great homecoming gift I gave them. I got on the phone and called SEARS HOME SERVICES, the next day a service tech arrived at my home and inspected the unit. He informed me of the problem which was a CIRCUIT BOARD CONTROL UNIT failure. He informed me the unit would be replaced free of charge since I had the extended warranty coverage on it . I asked him if there was a chance that the freezer could be replaced, I don't think I will ever be able to get the smell or the image of all those maggots out of my memory. He called his supervisor and asked if it could be replaced, his supervisor said no, and the two other people that had the same control panel replaced, were told to keep the freezer door opened and put newspaper down on the bottom shelf and some baking soda on top of the paper, and eventually the smell would go away. He wasn't sure of how long it would take, maybe several weeks. This is one reason why I am writing this complaint to you the Sears Co. If this was an isolated incident, I wouldn't be as upset as i am, I would still be writing to you and asking for a replacement freezer. But knowing now that two other people had the exact same problem with the same Kenmore freezer Model#[protected], Serial#WB64323390 in the same general area of Nebraska that makes me wonder if maybe there is some type of manufacturer's flaw that Sears knows nothing about, or it is known by Sears, and they aren't letting the general public aware of the problem, because of the cost of replacing the appliances to the probility of thousands of owners. I am a widow, living alone, on a Social Security income. My late husband and myself have been loyal Sears customers since the early 1960's. Every hand tool and power tool that we have owned has been a Craftman's tool, almost every home appliance has been a Kenmore brand, our lawnmowers, our shoes, our clothes, our televisions, and even alot of our pets were purchased at Sears, our children, and grandchildern are carrying on the tradition, by purchasing Sears products. By writing this letter to you I am hopeful that you will do the right thing and replace the unusable (I'll never use it again) Kenmore Upright Freezer with a brand new freezer, so the tradition will continue on with me and my family.
Rose M. Hill