Sears Appliance Repair

When we bought a new dishwasher from Sears in Clay, New York a few years ago, we also purchased a "protection agreement." Several times the dishwasher started leaking. The technicians always fixed it under the service agreement, which we continued to renew—in spite of the inconvenience of scheduling appointments.

A few weeks ago, it began to leak once again. We called to schedule an appointment to have it repaired. The technician was supposed to show up on Saturday. They would not give us any estimate of the time, only that it would be between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. We were also told that he would call before he came, and we advised the scheduler that we screen calls, so he would have to leave a message and we would pick up. We were told that “they don’t like to leave messages.” We explained that we run a non-profit organization out of our home, and people often call and keep us on the phone for long periods, so his chances of getting through any other way would be small.

On the appointed day we made sure that we stayed close to the phone, though we had many other things to do. The phone never rang. I called around noon to get an estimated time, and I was told that he had tried to call and since we were not home, he had left for the day! When I explained , once again, to the scheduler, she told me that I have to answer my phone! I had to insist that she put my original instructions somewhere in the record. This is the worst customer service I had ever experienced—but it wasn’t over yet!

After wasting an entire Saturday, she scheduled an appointment for the following Saturday. The technician arrived at noon (though, again, we could make no plans for the entire day because no one would give us any idea of when he would be arriving.) He needed to order a part, and set up an appointment for us on Tuesday, March 27. Though that would mean missing a day of work, I agreed. We had already been without the dishwasher for more than two weeks, and it would be another ten days. I figured if we did it at Sears’ convenience, there would be less of a problem getting him to come.

When the part arrived, I called as he instructed to tell them that it was here, and confirmed that the appointment was for Tuesday, March 27. I arranged to take the whole day off from work because, once again, no one would tell me whether it would be morning or afternoon.

We were a little surprised when the technician showed up on Monday, March 26, while we were at work. My sister found the note on the door and called me, and I called AGAIN to confirm that the appointment was on TUESDAY. The scheduler never admitted a mistake, but agreed to “reschedule.”

So, today I took the day off work. I called at 8:00 to see if there was any estimate of the time yet, and the scheduler I spoke with had no idea. He said he would contact the technician and have him call me. He called me all right. At 10:30, he called to say that they wouldn’t have time to get to us today, but they could come tomorrow or Friday. Do they think that they are the only ones who work for a living? I finally was forced to agree to give up yet another Saturday waiting for Sears to call. I told them that I wanted to be first on the list. It would seem a small concession to make, considering the inconvenience we have already suffered at their incompetence in scheduling and keeping appointments. He said he “couldn’t” do that.

So here we are stuck with a dishwasher that has had the same problem time after time since we bought it, and a service agreement that costs more in lost hours from work than it would to buy a new dishwasher. And it’s not fixed yet! We have seldom purchased these agreements in the past, but it seemed worthwhile for the dishwasher, since it keeps breaking down. However, if Sears service department cannot be depended upon to keep appointments, their service agreements aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. I will absolutely spread the word. This isn’t just bad customer service. It is bad business.

Linda Young

Liverpool, NY

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