Sears - Master Protection Agreement - Central Air / Furnace

Sears - Master Protection Agreement - Central Air / Furnace

Sears - Master Protection Agreement - Central Air / Furnace

TO: Mr. Alan Lacy, CEO Sears, Roebuck & Co. 3333 Beverly Road Hoffman Estates, IL 60192-3322 FROM: Jennifer B La Habra, CA 90631 &#160 RE: PLANETFEEDBACK REFERENCE NUMBER 2196578 Dear Mr. Lacy, I would like to bring your attention to a complaint I have about the experience I am having with your Master Protection Agreement. I hope you are able to resolve this situation. I have never been as displeased with your company before as I am now. I am going to write you a synopsis of my experience I have had with your Master Protection Agreement that Sears offers. We were called by your operators to renew our Master Replacement Agreement. The operator offered to add our Air Conditioner/furnace to the policy. Based on the price she gave us we decided to ad the unit. In the process of adding the unit to the policy the operator asked for the model number and serial number of our unit. She then asked me about the installation date and I explained that the unit was installed before we purchased the home.

We advised the operator that we purchased the home 5 1/2 years ago. The operator said that it was not a problem and she would put in the computer that it was installed in 1998. She also asked me if the unit was in working order and we stated that we have used it already a couple of times this summer and to the best of our knowledge it was in good working condition. A few weeks in to the agreement we decided to go ahead and schedule the yearly maintainace on the unit before the hot summer days were to start.

The technician came out and worked on the system. He was supposed to check out the system and do the yearly service. The technician explained to me that he checked out the system and everything was fine and that he had added Freon. I asked him for a receipt and he stated that his printer and computer were not working and that he would mail it to me. The unit continued to run all day without shutting down. The house never cooled down bellow 81 degrees.

Prior to the arrival of the tech the home would cool down to 78. I decided to call the 18004myhome and let them know that his system was not working properly. They advised us to turn off the system and they would send another technician out. If I remember correctly it was 3 days later another technician came out technician # 0808469. He did an excellent job. He looked at the system and notified us that the system was repaired incorrectly by the previous technician. Advised me that the unit was dirty and had not been cleaned. The technician cleaned the unit and noted that the shredder valve was stripped by the previous technician.

This was causing the unit to leak Freon. The tech stated that he would have to order a replacement part and would have to come back and repair the valve. I explained to him that my son has seizures and that we could not be without cool air. The tech stated that he would modify the existing valve and it would get us trough the weekend and until the new part arrived. The tech modified the valve and added Freon to the unit.

Before leaving our home the tech mentioned that if the unit stopped producing cool air to discontinue the use. Lack of Freon can cause damage to the unit. I asked him if the Freon leak caused by the previous Tech had caused any damage and he explained to me that only time could tell, but it seemed that everything was ok. That week I saw a TV program about asbestos in you home “the hidden Dangers". I called Sears and spoke with a Master Protection Agreement agent. I inquired about coverage on asbestos on the A/C ducts. Her 1st response was that ducts were not covered, but she places me on hold as she wanted to confirm with a supervisor.

We she returns to the call she explained that asbestos is covered only if it is disturb or damage. So I asked her what the next step should be. She explained to me that a technician must come to my home and confirm this scenario. I explained to her that a technician was already scheduled to come out and work on the unit. She advised me to request the service tech to examine the ducts and make a note of what is found on his computer. That week the service tech came back to the house and replaced the shredder valve and recharged the unit with Freon again.

To my request he went into the attic to check the ducts. The Tech noted that he did find Asbestos and that there were large tears noted. This made us very concerned. The next day I contacted Master Protection Agreement to find out what we needed to do about the asbestos. I explained to NCR what I had discussed with the MPA rep. The NCR told me that “Ducts are not covered " and he could not find any notes of me speaking with anyone regarding this. The NCR told me that I should look into whoever installed the A/C unit. According to California State Law, Starting in 1983, Asbestos must be removed prior to any installation that involves disturbing the material. The NCR told me since the installation took place with the original owner of the house that I may be able to find some information at La Habra City Hall. I was able to find a permit that was started in 1987 and was never signed off by a city inspector. The Permit called for Furnace replacement including ducts and vents. I have faxed and emailed this information three times to three different people at Sears.

Once to the Installation Department and twice to National Customer Relations for Product repair. After numerous phone calls to the NCR department I was then told that the problem was an Installation issue and that the installation department would need to handle the problem. I was in contact with the installation department and I was told that my case was under review and someone would get back to me. After a week had passed I decided to call back to find out the status of my case. To my surprise the manager that was working on my case had moved to a different department and did not forward my case. So I had to start the whole process over again with the NCR department. In the meanwhile I had to call the service department again because My A/C unit was not cooling the house down again. Sears made an appointment for me a few days later. I waited all day and no one showed up. We called and asked what happened to the technician, but none of the operators knew. They made another appointment the next day with the same technician.

The next day came, and the technician showed up only to tell me that My A/C unit has asbestos and he is not allowed to touch my unit. He also stated that my unit was older than ten years old at that it should never had been signed up for coverage. The tech would not even listen to him and decided to leave with touching the A/C system. (Remember sears has already serviced the systems three times prior and not once mentioned they could not service me.) I called the NCR department explained to them what had just happen. The NCR explained to me that yes they should not have signed you up, but because sears have already touched the system they are responsible for servicing it. The NCR scheduled service to come out and service the unit. A few days later the service guy should up (suppose to be at the house from 8-12 and ended up showing up at 4pm) and serviced the unit. He explained to me that the system was low on Freon and that he could not find the leak. He explained to me that I would need to call sears and setup service for two guys to come at the same time and properly check out the system.

I then called sears and tried to set this up. Here I was told that sears do not schedule multiple people for jobs and if one service guy could not fix the problem, then they need to replace the unit. So, I was transferred to Product Replacement. This NCR told me that adding Freon to the unit does not qualify for replacement and that the records show that sears has only replaced one functional part. So I pretty much got thrown in an endless loop. A few days later I got the energy to call back and explain the whole story again.

Here I was told that a Chuck Shelby would be in contact with me. Chuck did call me a couple of days later. I explained to him to what was going because he was informed incorrectly of what was going on. He told me he would review the case and call me back. A week had passed before he called me back. He stated to me that Sears will not warrant any repair even though he agreed that the Sears contractor was at fault. He stated that the installation took place to long ago and that sears would not help me. I even told him I would pay for the Asbestos removal if he could reinstall new ducts.

He told me he would check with his manager regarding my requests. The next day he called me back to inform me that sears would not help. A few days later I had to call sears service once again because my A/c unit was not cooling the house down. Service was setup for the next day. The technician was scheduled to be at my house from 8-12. I called scheduling to make sure that the technician would be on time. They reassured me that they technician was on his way....12:30 came and no technician was on his way...I called and asked where the technician was and the operator insisted to me that we were next.....I told the technician I had a Dr.'s appointment for my son and I would be returning home after 3pm. She stated that the technician would be there at that time. Right before I left the house I get a phone call from the service department telling me that my policy had been cancelled and that if I need service I would have to pay for.

After explaining to the Michelle the tech manager from Montclair, CA service depart, she told me that my policy was cancelled due to the age of the system and that was final. I asked to speak with her manager and she told me her manager would be in a 4 hour meeting and that could not speak with her. When I asked I would wait the 4 hours for a call back she than told me that her manager would be going home. She than told me that he call was over and that she was going to hang up on me. Later that day I called the NCR department and explained the whole entire story again. The NCR again told me that the service department could cancel a policy, they could only recommend it. The NCR told me not to worry that he would setup a service call and they would have to show up. That day came, and I received a phone call from the service guy that was supposed to show stating that he would charge me if he wanted me to show up. I explained to him what was going on and he agreed that his manager and his office were incompetent.

I called the NCR department right after, and again I was told the same thing that service could not do that. The NCR rep told me that she calls over to the service department along with her manager and that they would call me back. I received a phone a few hours later telling me that my policy had been cancelled because according to California State law A Master Protection Agreement could not be sold until all items were inspected prior. So to sum this, last year when I had purchased the MPA there was never such an inspection on any of my items. When the Sears MPA rep called me to renew, there was no inspection that took place.

I feel that because I complained about the asbestos that Sears has found/made up a way to cancel my police so that they can avoid the charges of the repair. If sears had told me on the very 1st visit that my unit was too old, then I would have been ok with that. However, since sears has touch and tried to repair my unit 4 separate times, and that all these could have been caused by the 1st service guy, I find them obligated to continue and stand by there policy. I have always used sears for all my small and large appliances; I feel that the outcome of this problem will definitely affect my decision of continuing to do so. I visit Sears, Roebuck & Co. About 4-6 times a month. On average, I spend more than $115 when I patronize your store. Here's what I'd like to see happen: Come to some kind of a mutual fare agreement to handle the asbestos issue and I find sears 100% responsible for fixing and or replacing my A/C unit. I seriously doubt that I will ever buy from your store again, and I will urge everyone I know to steer clear as well. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response. Sincerely, Sal & Jen Click this link to e-mail the above consumer: //