~*~ HTOOOS ~*~

This is the saga of my attempted purchase of a dishwasher from Sears - and why I will never, ever, EVER set foot in that store again!

On 2/21/12, I purchased a Dishwasher at the Sears Outlet at 65 Holmes Road in Newington CT. The order itself includes a $139.99 delivery and installation and $10 hauling away of the old appliance.

The installation date was scheduled for 02/24/12 and I was told I would receive a phone call within 72 hours of the install with a deliver window.

1. As of 2/24/12 7:00 am, I received no phone call with a delivery window.

2. Approx 7:30 am I called the delivery number ( 800-341-2517) asking for a delivery window, sharing that I received no phone call and was told that their records show the installer would arrive between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. I was told that they called the installer asking them to call me with a delivery window.

3. Approximately 12:30 pm, I called the Installation Number (800-497-4402) to verify the delivery and installation. It was confirmed. I was told that the installer would call about 20 minutes prior to arrival.

4. At 2:22 pm, I called the Installation number again for a status. I was told the installer would arrive by 3 pm.

5. At 3:35 pm, I called the Installation number again for a status. I was told the installer was running late and would be there by 4/4:30 pm. I stated that I have to leave by 5:00 pm to go to my second job. Again I was assured that the installer would arrive. And again the installer was contacted to call me.

6. At 4:48 pm, I called the Installation Number again, stating that I did not receive any calls from the installer and I was leaving in 10 minutes. Again, I was told the installer will be contacted and would be calling me to make arrangements.

7. I left at 5:00 pm and arrived home very late that evening. Checking my Caller ID and Voicemails, the installer – Patrick left me a message at 5:45 pm asking me to call him in regards to my dishwasher.

8. Saturday morning (02/25) at 9:45 am, I called Patrick with my information. He said he would call me back in about 10 minutes once he figured out where I was on the schedule.

9. At 10:14, (having not heard from Patrick), I called the installation number yet again. I was on hold for about 25 minutes before I was able to speak with someone. Around 10:50 am I was told that the installer would be calling me back within 30 minutes, that later in the conversation within the hour. I asked to have this issue escalated and to speak with a manager. As of 11:30 was still on hold and had yet to hear from the installer.

10. At 11:40 or so am, I sent the above information via this site:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/nb_10153_12605_NB_CSeMail?i_cntr=1330188192487

11. At 11:56 am, the SEARS call line disconnected me.

12. I then Liked" Sears on Facebook and posted:
"I am only "liking" Sears to show my DIS-LIKE for their customer support and Installation services.”; which was followed up by a response from Sears Cares suggesting with an email address to contact. I gathered the above notes into an email and sent it off to SMAvisor@searshc.com. The Email attempts at 11:37 and 11:42 failed “Delivery to the following recipients was aborted after 1 second(s):”

13. Stated the above on my FB Sears post and was asked by SearsCares to try again, this time it went through successfully, I cc’s CEO Bruce Johnson on the email (bjohnson@searshc.com).

14. At 12:20pm, I received a response from Scott J. “ Thank you for your email. My name is Scott and I'm a colleague or Brian's on the Sears Cares Facebook page. I have already forwarded your information to our case management team. A case manager should be in touch this afternoon to assist you. We do look forward to speaking with you soon”.

15. At 12:31 pm I responded with: “Thank you - because at this point I am ready to cancel the order altogether. This is completely unacceptable Customer Service. I am hoping to reach some sort of resolution, but I leave for work at 5 pm and if this is not resolved by then, I will indeed cancel the order”.

16. As of 2:00 pm – I received no additional follow up from Sears.

17. At 2:15, I called the Sears store in Newington to tell them the story and spoke with Ryan. He was going to call the installer and call me back. I did not hear back from them that day.

18. At 3:10 pm, I called yet another Sears "issue line" that I found online – 1-800-326-8738, and after waiting on hold yet again, I spoke with Julie at 3:21 pm.

19. I told her the saga and she looked up my information. At 3:23 pm – Julie told me that the install rescheduled for Monday. I stated that is unacceptable and I want the entire order cancelled. I stated that at this point, I am not comfortable allowing these people into my home. Was told refund is handled by the purchase location.

20. At 3:25 pm – I was transferred to Newington store and put on hold until I spoke with someone and asked for Ryan to call me back.

21. At 3:35 pm, Ryan called me back and I told him I want the entire order cancelled. I suggested that we handle the refund over the phone so he could save me the trouble of driving 47 minutes up to the store to handle it in person, because I am sure he doesn't want me to arrive in person to get a refund. Ryan stated that he would call me back with a cancellation number. He never did.

22. Day 3 - Sunday - 11:00 am. I did not receive any phone calls from Sears after 3:35 yesterday. I did receive an email:
“from:Sears Holdings - Social Media Support Case Opened 3947360

Sent By:
searscares@customerservice.sears.com On: Feb 02/25/12 5:39 PM

Thank you for contacting Sears Holdings Corporation Social Media and allowing us the opportunity to address your concern regarding your recent experience. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced and we appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

Please be advised your issue is being addressed and case 3947360 has been opened. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this email or contact us via phone.


Thank you,

Michell W
Social Media Case Manager
Sears Holdings Corporation
Phone: 888-572-8119 / Extension 26
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8am-7pm CST, Saturday 8am-5pm CST

P.S. Your feedback is important to us! Click here to take a quick survey on your phone experience today.”

23. Sunday around 11:30 am I headed up to Sears, arrived approx 12:30 pm

24. I spoke with a Supervisor since no managers were in the store. Explained the situation and that I was there to get my money back. Was told that since the dishwasher is still in the possession of the installer, that I couldn’t get a refund. I firmly stated that since I waited for 2 days to hear about when they would install, receive no very little communication and co-operation from Sears, and that I spent over 6 hours on the phone the day before, that I simply was not leaving until I got my money back.

25. We went back and forth, her telling me how there is no manger on duty and I simply stated “That is not my problem. I am not leaving without my money back”
I said " Call him at home, call anyone, but I am NOT leaving without my money".

26. We stood there at the counter, her calling into the Sears main office, on hold for 40 minutes before she got thru.

27. Approximately 1:30 pm, my money was refunded.

28. The next day I received a follow up call from “Sears Cares” – wanting to know how they could make the situation better. I flatly stated that my relationship with Sears is terminated forever. She wanted to know what Sears could do in the future to assist other customers. I stated that they simply need to align their relationship with their installation and delivery team with their relationship with their customers.


The moral of the story? Don’t trust Sears. And you have to fight in this world to get what you want. If you purchase something, ANYTHING and are not satisfied, don’t settle, don’t let yourself be taken advantage of.

Back in a bit, I gotta go buy more Palmolive….

Labels: consumerism, customer service, diswasher, sears, social media