Kenmore Power Miser 9 hot water heater / Sears Canada repair

Kenmore Power Miser 9 hot water heater / Sears Canada repair

August 13, 2005

North Vancouver, BC

Re: Defective Kenmore Gas Water Heater Power Miser 9

Incident #1: The original hot water tank-gas Kenmore Power Miser 9 Model No: 409.734100, 40 US Gal was purchased and installed by Sears Canada in 2002. On Sat ,November 20th 2004, the hot water tank started leaking at the base, causing damage to our basement area. The tank had a big rusty hole at the bottom. This occurred at the early stage of the hot water tank’s 9-year warranty period. Our family was left without hot water for three (3) days. Finding the right person at Sears to fix the problem was another nightmare. We were given a toll free number, where we opened a trouble ticket. We later found out that the people @ Sears customer support do not deal with warranties and wanted to send a technician on site and charge us $65.00 to confirm that the tank is indeed broken. We explained that the hot water tank is beyond repair and needs to be replaced. We were referred back to Sears Capilano and were told that they do not deal with warranties either and we should call Sears Metrotown. We did exactly that and talked to Parts and Service department and were advised that a technician would come to replace the tank but we had to pay for it. I had to take 3 hours off work to provide access to the two sloppy techs Sears sent. Here is how much it cost me to replace your defective product: $24.75 - PST for the new tank $159.00 - Installation $35.00 – Haul away $68.75 – Gas permit $262. 75 – Total $18.39 – GST $281.14 – Grand Total Why am I being penalized for replacing your defective product still in warranty? It seems to me that since the tank and all other parts are covered by a nine (9) year warranty, so should be the labour. Incident #2: On Aug 4th 2005 the newly replaced hot water tank broke down and was leaking hot water at the base. Orange, rusty water was coming out from underneath in the same way as the first one. I looked through the pilot light window and noticed a rusty hole underneath the water tank. There was water damage to our basement again and we spend hours cleaning up the mess. This time the hot water tank was only 8 moths young. How is this possible? The tank is CSA and ANSI certified. What kind of cheap and inferior quality materials are being used in the manufacture of this Sear product? Could the steal used in this product be from recycled soup cans? In the owner’s Manual is says ‘’Thank you for purchasing Kenmore water heater. Properly installed and maintained is should give you years of trouble free service.’’ Really? I’m still waiting. The product was installed by Sears certified technicians and the tank has a sticker on it claiming that it is ‘’ Self Cleaning’’. It also says that Sears will replace or repair the unit if it fails due to manufacturing defect. Obviously, the problem is not with the installation but rather the tank itself. Why is Sears charging me for the replacement of their defective product? Location specifics: We live in North Vancouver and have no water meter installed at the house. The water is pure and clean. I have asked around the neighbourhood but nobody has experienced the same problem. The Sears technician, who removed the old and installed the new tank, is a certified plumber & runs a plumbing business, told me that this is quite unusual. I personally believe that there is a flaw / defect with your product and it is causing us grief. I expect to see a check for a full refund for what I was charged. If this new hot water tank fails within the warranty period again and I have to pay for useless Sears service again and waste my personal time cleaning the mess, I would park it on the side walk and put a big sign on it that reads ‘’ Don’t ever buy a Sears hot water tank.’’ I will contact a local plumbing business and have a real – reputable hot water tank installed and bill Sears Canada for the product and installation. I would like to hear back from an Executive level at Sears Canda as to why I should buy and use your product and how you are going to meet my expectations as a loyal Sears customer and stand behind what you sell and manufacture. Regards, Ned and Maria Click this link to e-mail the message author: Email User