Sears Zero Turn Garden Tractor

Greg W. Howard, Sr.

3031 State Highway 134 East

Headland, AL 36345

334-693-2231 Home

334-685-1805 Cell

July 30, 2007

Aylwin B. Lewis

President & Chief Executive Officer

Sears Holding Corporation

3333 Beverly Road

Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

RE: What has happened to Sears?

Dear Mr. Lewis:

I have tried working from the bottom up to resolve my problem. However,

having received no results, I'm going to now attempt to work from the top

down.

By history, I have been a loyal customer of Sears all of my adult life. In

fact, almost every Saturday while growing up, I spent at least part of the

day with my father in the hardware section of Sears. Even when we were

overseas in the service, most of our stateside shopping came from the Sears

catalog, especially for Christmas. Years ago, I told my family, no more

neckties or colognes, just anything with "Craftsman" on it. But now, I am an

extremely unhappy and disappointed former customer of your company.

In August, 2005, I purchased a zero turn yard tractor from your Dothan,

Alabama, store. I also purchased a two-year service agreement. Immediately,

I started having problems with the machine. The arbor drive belt kept coming

off. This is a very heavy piece of equipment to push across a three-acre lot

back to the shed. Each time, it took at least 10 days to get a tech out to

fix it. Finally, the tech modified the spring and the belt has held.

However, then the cutting deck failed. The weld where the deck height

attachment is welded to the deck failed. This should never happen. Basic

metallurgy holds that a weld should always be stronger than the surrounding

metal. Also the carburetor has gone bad after only 82 hours of service. I

reported the problem on July 2, 2007. It took two weeks, July 16, for a tech

to come out and say the deck and carburetor have to be replaced. I've also

tried to buy a replacement left arm rest, but this part is not available,

according to your own website.

In any event, parts have been back ordered since this time. Two service

appointments to install the parts have been cancelled because the parts

never came in. As of today, the parts are still back ordered. Now, I just

got off the phone with Sears One-Source executive level something or other.

That gentleman admits that this machine has had five service calls in less

than 90 hours of operation, but refuses to admit that this is a lemon; in

fact, he states lemon law does not apply to lawn and garden. This may be a

legal fact. But it is not the right business decision in my opinion.

What appears to be going on is that Sears, the place I grew up and my only

source for tools my entire adult life, has decided to wrap itself in

corporate guidelines and procedures, instead of fixing an obvious problem.

There is something seriously wrong with this tractor, either in design or

manufacture. I, as the customer, have paid the price. The right thing to do

would be to replace the machine. Sears does not seem to be interested in

doing the right thing.

I've been fighting with this issue for two years. Within 30 days of buying

the machine, I told the local manager, Beverly, that I thought it was a

lemon and it should be replaced. Now, here we are two years later, and it

still doesn't work. Because I have been so disgusted with your company's

attitude toward doing the right thing, we have closed our Sears account,

paid in full. And the only time I have set foot in a Sears/Kmart store since

I started having trouble with this lawn tractor has been today to try to

complain to someone face to face.

What has happened to the Sears I grew up with? What has happened to the idea

that, if a Craftsman tool didn't work out, that Sears would make it right?

The quality of this machine is a disgrace to the name Craftsman. The service

I have received on this issue is an insult to the word "service" itself.

Today, in our small town barber shop, we were all discussing this matter,

and the consensus was that Sears is nothing like the company with which we

all grew up. (We're all a bunch of middle-aged men now.)

Over my life, I have spent tens of thousands of dollars in Sears, but no

more, not until you put a new, working mower in my hands.

As a former top-level insurance executive, I abhor small time litigation

over matters like these. But I can say for certain, I will hurt your company

more economically by withholding my business and telling others my story. My

home has Kenmore Elite appliances. Until recently, my shop has had nothing

but Craftsman. However, the past two years have found me in Home Depot a

great deal. They still provide superior customer service. And when I had a

problem with a tow-behind yard sprayer I purchased from them, they delivered

a replacement the next day.

Now, the question is posed to you, do you want to lose a customer over a

clearly defective piece of equipment, or do you want to salvage a loyal

customer by doing the right thing?

Sincerely,

Greg W. Howard, Sr.