A Tale of Two Appliances
Sit back, kids, because I’ve got a story that’s over a year in the making. I’ve contemplated telling you this one before but I never felt inspired. Plus, it’s a really really long story. I’ve highlighted the important points for you skimmers out there.
In January of 2006 Dale and I went shopping for a new refrigerator. We went to Sears (cue scary music) because I read up on fridges in Consumer Reports and they liked a particular Kenmore model. It had an ice maker, which was about the only fancy thing I cared about, and it had some nice features like a digital read out of the temperature of the fridge and freezer. Most importantly, though, Consumer Reports recommended it. So, we go to Sears, purchase the fridge and schedule a delivery. Bad thing the first: Sears delivery isn’t free and it will be 4 weeks before they can bring it to us. I get a look from Dale, who wanted to go to a local appliance store for this purchase, but this is the fridge I want so he goes along with it.
The day of the delivery comes. It’s a Friday and I take it off from work. And I wait. And wait. And wait some more. Finally, I call Sears and ask them where the fridge is. After much time on hold I am told that the refrigerator they had to deliver to me was damaged so badly that it never made it on to the truck and my delivery was canceled. No one thought to call me and tell me this and I wasted a day off from work and still have no fridge. Bad thing the second: Sears delivery is unrealiable. After much yelling on my end, they miraculously locate another fridge and reschedule my delivery for the following Monday.
So, I take Monday off and wait for the fridge. It comes, it looks good and then the idiot delivery guy breaks the switch that turns the freezer light on and off. You know the one that automatically turns on when you open the door? Yeah, that one. But he tells me it’s okay because it’s under warranty and repairs are free. I’m furious. I don’t want a brand new, $1000 repaired fridge. I get back on the phone with Sears and yell some more. They can’t find another model like this one and it’s going to be a month before they do. In the meantime, they want to order the part and schedule the repair and then I can decide. So, I schedule the repair for the following week.
The day of the repair comes but the part hasn’t arrived. Neither has my new fridge. I wait. At this point my memory of this whole disaster gets a little fuzzy. There were at least two more fridge deliveries that were denied by me for various reasons. One had a big dent in the side. Another one arrived fine but they hadn’t switched the handles on the doors to open from the right instead of the left and the delivery guys didn’t know how to do it so the fridge had to be denied. I was supposed to receive a $50 gift card for Sears for my pain and suffering but it never came. Then they were supposed to credit my account $100 for my pain and suffering but that never happened either. Bad thing the third: Sears customer service lies.
In the meantime, the part for the light switch arrived and I figured fixing the fridge already in my kitchen was a better plan than relying on a successful delivery from these fools. So, the light was fixed and all was right with the world.
Except for one tiny problem. The ice in the ice bucket was melting and freezing into a solid mass. And the food in my freezer all had freezer burn and ice crystals. The freezer wasn’t working properly. Grrr.
At this point, it was about May or June. I couldn’t deal with Sears any more and I turned the problem over to Dale. I figured he had the summer off from work and he could be around for repair people and at least I wouldn’t have to take any more time off to deal with fridge issues. So, Dale calls and explains about the freezer problems and he gets an appointment for some time in August. The guy that comes takes one look at the fridge, tells Dale there’s nothing wrong with it at all, it’s just not level. He levels it, tells Dale to defrost it, clean it out and it will be fine. He also suggests we buy a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the freezer. Yeah, buddy, okay. Let’s got buy a thermometer so that we can monitor the temperature of our brand new $1000 refrigerator. What an ass. Bad thing the fourth: Sears repairmen don’t actually know how to repair.
But we do what he suggests – except for the thermometer – and we clean it out and wipe up all the frost and empty out the ice block that is supposed to be ice cubes and we wait. One day later and we’ve got frost build up and a block of ice again. Grrr. We get back on the phone to yell at Sears some more and tell them to get a repair man out here who knows what he’s doing.
By now Dale is back to school and he schedules the appointment for a morning when he doesn’t have to drive the bus. And he waits. And waits. And waits some more. He finally calls Sears to ask where the repairman is and they give him the guy’s cell phone number. Dale reaches him and the guy says he won’t be over until 4:00 and what’s wrong with the dryer anyway? Dale says, it’s not the dryer, it’s the fridge and the repairman says, I don’t do fridges. Bad thing the fifth: Sears repair is unreliable.
Many of you have met Dale. You know him as an even-tempered sunny-disposition kind of guy. I have never seen him as furious as he was that day. He was so angry he was shaking. I think he even raised his voice. So he got back on the phone with Sears and he laid into them like nobody’s business. He reiterated our problems going back to freakin’ January and he told them that I would be home from work at 4:30 and a repairman who worked on refrigerators had better be in the driveway waiting for me.
Lo and behold, I get home and there’s the repair truck waiting patiently. And this repairman actually knows what he’s doing. He shakes his head in disgust at the story I tell him and orders 2 parts. A main control something or other, and something else. We schedule an appointment for 2 weeks later and I sit back and wait for the parts. And wait and wait and wait.
November rolls around and the parts finally arrive the week before Thanksgiving. So we call and schedule an appointment again and I ask specifically for the repairman-who-knows-what-he-is-doing but they tell me they can’t guarantee who I will get and I’ll just have to take my chances. The guy who comes isn’t the one I wanted but he’s okay. He installs the something else and then hits a snag. The main control something or other part, the part that we waited 6 weeks for, is damaged and can’t be installed. But, he tells me, it’s okay, because the other part is really the one we needed and the repairman-who-knows-what-he-is-doing was just being overly-cautious by ordering this extra part. I’m dubious but figure I’ve got no choice so I sign his slip and off he goes. Bad thing the sixth: Sears repairmen lie.
Things in the freezer look good. The ice isn’t melting into a solid block and the food doesn’t have freezer burn. For about a week. Yes, my friends, one week and it’s all back to frozen blocks and ice crystals.
I get back on the phone and start yelling some more. I tell them to just reorder the part that wasn’t installed but they tell me we have to have a service call first to determine what’s wrong with the freezer. So, once again, I schedule a repairman to come out. And guess who it is? It’s the repairman-who-knows-what-he-is-doing and he once again orders the main something or other and something else which is a different something else than the something else he already installed. And we wait for parts.
Four weeks later the parts arrive. It’s now February 2007, in case you weren’t keeping up with the time line. The repairman comes, it’s not repairman-who-knows-what-he-is-doing, but this guy is okay. He installs the main something or other but says that the something else isn’t the right something else for this model fridge. But he tells me it’s okay because the other part is really the one we needed and the repairman-who-knows-what-he-is-doing was just being overly-cautious by ordering this extra part. I’m dubious (again) but sort of believe him this time because I’m pretty sure this is the part we needed, too.
That was one month ago and (knock wood) so far, so good. I still go into the freezer every day and shove my hand all the way to the bottom of the ice bucket just to make sure they aren’t frozen together. And I’m actually stocking the freezer with things like frozen pizza and ice cream now and it’s not melting/freezing/crystallizing.
That’s the tale of one appliance. It’s a long and sad tale, isn’t it? The tale of appliance two is much much shorter.
Monday, our dishwasher died. It’s been on it’s last legs for a while so this was no surprise. Tuesday afternoon at 12:30 I went to Meserve Appliance, the place Dale wanted to go when we needed a fridge. I walked in and about 5 minutes later I had purchased a very nice Whirlpool dishwasher from the very nice lady at the store. She asked when I would like it delivered and I said as soon as possible and she said they can come this afternoon. By 2:45 pm I had a new dishwasher installed.
I told you it was a shorter tale. You know, I always say “trade local” and for some reason I didn’t when it came time to buy a refrigerator. I learned my lesson the hard way but you can bet that I will never ever ever buy another appliance from Sears. I’ll be trading local from now on. I suggest you do the same.
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I have heard similiar Sears stories. We actually had them out to repair the 1960’s Kenmore stove that was in our house when we bought it. When I told the person over the phone the make, model number and name of the stove she told me they never made those and that I’d have to pay the $100+ service charge even if the repairman couldn’t fix it. I told the repairman and we laughed together. He said they know nothing at customer service. When the oven finally went I went to the local appliance shop, bought a Kitchen Aid (which I love)and they delivered it the next day. They even took away the old one for just $10.
I hope your fridge keeps working and Sears never darkens your doorstep again.
Oh, god sears just sucks ass doesn’t it? never ever had a good experience there: my Kenmore sewing machine— they don’t know anything about fixing it, cleaning it, etc… have zero info on it. Their response? “buy a new one.”
My cousin ended up suing them b/c of a fridge that they had delivered that leaked (freezer issue!) and warped their floors and the delivery guy backed up and took out their back porch.
My mom has bought all her appliances from “pokey”, a guy she went to high school with who now runs his dad’s appliance shop in downtown Melrose. 🙂 You’re right: trade local.
Sears sucks…we always buy local, too. It’s good to have a cauntionary tale expose such inexcusable service.
O.M.G! What a horror story! My appliances are from Sears and we didn’t have any problems….but you can be sure I will remember this story the next time we need an appliance. Bummer!
I have a similar Sears tale — but I won’t use up your bytes telling it. Suffice to say there have been no Sears appliances in this house since … duh, duh, duh, … the dryer (read that with a deep, echoey voice). And the repair saga from hell. We’re lucky to have choices when we buy, but I know some folks don’t — in rural southern MO, they can’t get any kind of service but you know who. Yuck.
Oh, and I’m coming over to your house — you have way better stuff in your freezer than I have.
Ditto on the Sears tale but for us it was a vacuum. Three replacements and they all broke almost immediately. Won’t tell the long version but suffice to say we don’t shop Sears.
A sad and tragic tale, indeed. I’m surprised you didn’t just make them take it back at some point. Oh, and I like how you stock your freezer. 😀
We have a Kenmore refrigerator. Got it long enough ago that it actually works. Though twice now the plastic water line that feeds the ice maker has broken, spilling water all over our hardwood floor. When we bought the thing, delivery was within a day or two. Recent repairs, though, take weeks and multiple repairmen to fix. It’s a plastic hose, people. I could replace it, if I could pull the fridge out from the wall.
I feel your pain.
I have actually had reasonable experiences with Sears, but they can screw up like nobody’s business. We do business with a similarly competent local place.
OMG…I’ve had troubles, but nothing like this story! I’m surprised neither of you were in the paper for breaking someones legs or something!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news by I believe Whirlpool is made by Kenmore! But at least you didn’t buy it at Sears and you can have it serviced by someone who’s much more reliable!
Jeez…If I were you I do some letter writing to Chicago!
I have my own “Sears story” and avoid it like the plague for any number of reasons. And for future reference, a phone call or letter from your lawyer almost always seems to light a spark under most businesses. 😉
Geez, that’s much worse than my dishwasher story. We did buy it at a particular big hardware store and when it was installed it leaked, but two days later, they came out with a brand new one that hasn’t given us a bit of trouble. And their customer service was actually so top notch that it was annoying. (She kept calling to see if the installers had arrived, if we were happy this time, etc.)
Congrats on your new dishwasher; hope the fridge holds up.
Ha ha! I used to sell appliances at Sears! Oh, the stories I used to hear. The people we had as repairmen were just the worst. Untrained, unprofessional, unreliable, you name it.
Good for you to keep fighting with Sears. I believe that these big businesses just assume the consumer is going to give up and deal with the crap they have been given.
Sometimes local business is SO.MUCH.BETTER than the big guys. We were going to get our sheetrock at Home Depot. $80 to deliver and they won’t bring the sheets in your house (Okay, they will but for $2/sheet). Instead we called the local place, paid $1.50 more a sheet but got free delivery and they carried all 20 sheets into our house. We were SO HAPPY with the service that we tipped them $20 and figured we still got a better deal at the local place.
Whirlpool owns Kitchen Aid (which is their “permium” brand) and just bought Maytag. It’s a separate company from Sears. Sears owns Kenmore. Sears sucks.
Glad it seems to be working but after three months of them dicking around, I would have called them and told them to take it back and gone to the local place. You are more patient than I am!
I have a VERY, VERY similar Sears refrigerator story. I suppose I’ll have to tell it someday, too. The word needs to get out!!! My story, though, so as not to jinx myself, is not QUITE as bad as yours. But close. It’s sad, because their appliances and services used to be so good and so reliable, and there is Consumer Reports actually endorsing them. I, too, got my info from C.R. UGH.
That’s the HardWay, isn’t it?
sheet!
Yeah, count me in on the ever growing list of folks no longer satisfied with Sears.
I’ve actually done quite well with Sears but that was in Virginia. Now ask me my Montgomery Ward story and just how soon after my refrigerator hissy fit did they go out of business ;.). Also why I will never recommend American Home Shield Warranty. 2 days after moving to TN on 2005, air conditioning broke- oh this is the end of June so 98 degrees at night here. It was my fault for not ever having the system cleaned. I’ve owned the house for 48 hours but I should have known back in 1978 when the house was built and I was 10 yeras old that I should have cleaned the system every year. People are just plain stupid!
Been there, done that with Sears too. Never again. Ever.
Sears is terrible. Plus–true story–a few years ago we had a neighbor who was an independent builder, and he had a lot of financial problems, and Sears credit used to call us and tell us to go to his house and tell him to call them! Like that was going to happen.
Oh for the love of Pete. I think I’d report the whole thing to the BBB. What kind of incompetence is that? When we’ve had issues like that, the repairmen/service people do NOT enjoy talking to me. I am not a sunny dispositioned kinda gal with stuff like that. Customer service makes or breaks a company. Thank goodness you can finally have Mystics at home!
Yes. We ordered a fridge from Sears last August…the one recommended by Consumer Reports. Took 10 days for delivery, then they told us it was damaged & couldn’t be delivered. (Maybe it was partying with one of yours??) I hadn’t had a fridge in weeks & had a meltdown. DH went to a local place, found the same exact fridge with a different brand, had it delivered the next day.
We need a new dryer soon & we are going local for sure!
Sears really does suck. Thanks for the reminder. I do like the way you stock your freezer though – lots of ice cream.
Yup, been there, done that. I was told by one “customer service” (such as it was) rep that I would probably have more luck if I had my husband call because they’d be more likely to listen to him. That little comment helped when I talked to the supervisor, let me tell you. Free repair.
Sears is horrible, horrible, horrible. Sad to say your story is no surprise at all.
You know, I have a story too. The problem I have is not with the appliances, my washer is 30 yrs. old, but with the repair people… well… the people. They lie, they try to sell you parts you don’t need, and they are unreliable. I did have fun once, nearly eating one of them for breakfast. Just get me going….. I was lucky and knew what the problem was BEFORE the repair guy showed up.
I’m glad all would seem to have turned out well, but the horror, the horror! When one spends MAJOR bucks for a MAJOR appliance, one oughta get a great, trouble-free product and great, trouble-free service. CR needs to hear your story.
What a terrible story, but thank you so much for sharing. Our fridge is on it’s last leg – the ice creams in SOFT and our beverages are frozen (and no, we can’t just swap the contents of the fridge and freezer – LOL) I now know I won’t be looking at Sears!!
Oh my god, what a freakin’ nightmare. Hooray for fantastic local service, too. And yes, that picture of what’s in your freezer makes me really happy.
OMG. I had a really bad experience sending AWAY a CD player/AM/FM/Cassette player from Sears (more than once)…about 8 years ago. Many screaming fits. Have stayed away from them ever since. How do they stay in business?
Buy local…except for knitting stuff…in my area, too.
(((hugs)))
My dad has always been a buy local person. As I get older, I find, more and more, that I would rather buy local from a smaller retailer than buy from big chains. Smaller local shops know how important their customers are, treat you with respect, and generally don’t have the enormous business hierarchy that obscures communication. They also know that word of mouth makes a big difference.
Moving back into the city has been great for my husband and I, because we’ve have so many opportunities now to shop with local independent stores that we just didn’t have when we lived in the burbs. Chuckle. Now if we could only find a local cable company!
Good luck to you, the fridge and the new dishwasher. Hopefully you won’t have to see those Sears guys any time in the future.
Sears is just terrible. I own 3 Kenmore appliances, all purchased at the same time. Not one of them works well. The refrigerator runs all the time, the dishwasher leaks (I think that’s a Sears installation problem) and the washing machine can only run in Super Duper Heavy Duty mode. The repairman told me that was the way each appliance is supposed to work. Oh really? A dishwasher is supposed to leak all over the floor? All the extra dials on the washing machine are just for decoration? Ugh.. I feel your pain. I just gave up and have learned to live with my faulty appliances. Good for you for following through! Let us know if you ever get that credit 🙂
I can’t believe you got actually got through that without killing someone–perhaps by bludgeoning with a frozen-solid. freezer-burned leg of lamb, like in that awesome urban legend.
Yowser! Over a year to having a working appliance. Yikes! I’m glad it is working now. I’ll knock on wood that it continues. Indeed, local is the way to go.
I think I remember this story…didn’t you just get the fridge when I came out for our IKEA trip (to buy the cabinet that STILL hasn’t been installed)? I remember you being very not happy about your fridge…I’m glad that your freezer appears to be working…finally. How frustrating.
We have to replace a standing freezer and the ‘beer fridge’ very soon…and we pretty much have to go to Sears since there’s nothing else out here…pray for me ;o) (though RR refuses to use them to deliver. We always end up doing the schlepping)
I ordered a washer and dryer from Sears and paid extra for a small truck to deliver it since we live on a narrow winding road and have a steep driveway. Waited forever, then they sent a SEMI which turned onto our road and got stopped by reality and the local cops. Ended up cancelling that order and buying local, and have gone back to the local place very happily each time an old appliance bites the dust.
I’m glad your frig finally works. Yikes!
I know I shouldn’t be laughing at your pain and suffering, but I just can’t help it. BTW, I am not reluctant to disclose my lawyerness when dealing with appliance repairmen, especially during the warranty period………………One of the few times when I do.
Kudos for not going crazy and taking a handgun into the Sears Customer Service dept. with you. I don’t know that I would have held my cool for so long! 😉
I was cringing throughout that entire story – it’s just HORRIBLE – reminds me of DELL and how horribly they treat customers also…thank God the dishwasher was a much easier process!
Hear! Hear! I agree whole heartedly with you. We own a Sears Fridge that makes a glacier in the bottom of the freezer. When the glacier has moved are enough out from the ‘holding basin’ it starts to melt and makes a puddle on my floor. I guess you could say I have my own global warming in my kitchen. Side note…we’re selling our house, yup you guessed it, the fridge stays.
What a nightmare story. I hope the fridge holds up! We had an eerily similar story with our 36″ TV and Best Buy and will never shop Best Buy again. Unlike you, though, after many months and service calls, we ran out of steam fighting with them and accepted that our TV will never be as crisp as when we bought it.
Wow. You sure got smacked on that one.
You both have the patience of a saint. There’s no way I would’ve kept the frig. I would’ve returned it by March and bought a new one somewhere else. And called Consumer Reports to tell them how wrong they were.
(Funny aside – G just ordered a new Toaster Oven – one that CR said was just GRAND! It’s sitting on our kitchen counter waiting for me to pack it up because we both hate it.)
that story is just outrageous and i commend you and dale for being so patient. joe would have picked up the fridge and brought it back to the store demanding a refund. the anger would have given him the strength of several much larger men.
it’s unfortunate because sears used to be the company you could trust.
Oh my heck, as the locals say here in Utah. What an ordeal. You must send this post to Sears Corporate. You will probably get the $1000 returned if you ride them enough. Seriously, add up all the time you took off from work at your salaried rate per hour. Present it as a bill to the Vice President of Customer Service. And carbon the CEO. You’ll get some results. They’ll be happy not to be sued.
You and Dale are truly wonderful patient people. I hope that fridge lives a long healthy life. I would not have been nearly so nice.
Yeah, add me to the list of Sears haters.
My Sears horror story centers around a water heater. It is similar to yours—lots of lying involved. No more Sears anything for me, either.
My parents had a similar delivery ordeal with their new fridge. I definitely agree with the idea of buying local! It’s worth the dramatic reduction in hassle. (Too bad some companies, like U-Haul, tend to have few local competitors — U-Haul is beyond disgusting to work with.)
After that whole story, you know what I took away – man, that woman has a neat freezer!! 🙂 Maybe it’s because ours looks just the opposite.
So, I can’t seem to locate the Margene’s Mountains roving. Would I just email Mama E about it??