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Can't Repair Dishwasher, Terrible Customer Service
By -

Never have I spent so much time and been so frustrated in trying to get an appliance under warranty serviced. Here's the condensed version (our notes could fill several volumes): We bought a new Kenmore Elite dishwasher in Feb 2010. Features we wanted were: front controls, SS tub, and TurboZone wash. Got it at a fair price as the new models were just coming out.

After 9 months, dishwasher couldn't complete a full cycle. We researched the web and found out there was a high failure rate with the circuit/control board. Called repair on Nov 30th and told them unit needed a new board. Appointment set for Dec 3. Repairman came and agreed. Had to order the part as they do not stock item on truck. Part to be shipped to our house in a few days and appointment was set for Dec 10th for installation.

Got a call from Sears on Dec 8th to state that part will be backordered with a shipping date of Dec 19th. Delivery could take up to a week. We went to the store to see if we could speed up repair. With the holidays approaching, that was too long in our opinion to repair a Kenmore. We were referred to 'Sears Solutions'. Since the 9 month old dishwasher couldn't be repaired in a reasonable time, we asked for our money back as we would go elsewhere.

Sears refused. They did offer to exchange for a model of equal value (not equal features) as they do not carry our model any longer. We refused as the model they offered did not have the features we had with the original. We would have to pay the difference ($200) if we wanted a model with the feature we had currently. Also, had we accepted the lesser model, the warranty with that unit would end when the original one did. We refused and elected to wait for the repair.

On Dec 19th, we received a call and was informed that the part was again backordered until Jan 15th. At that point, we are very upset and were referred to a 'Blue Ribbon' case manager (CP). Since it would be 6 weeks for a repair of a Sears Kenmore (they don't stock parts for their own line?) we again asked for our money back or a model with similar features. Again, we were offered a cheaper model. We asked to speak to CP's supervisor but was told by CP that he was the final arbitrator of our case. At that point we ended the discussion as we were getting nowhere.

On Jan 3rd we received a letter from Sears Blue Ribbon that they have been trying to contact us. We called Sears and was told by a different representative that CP placed in the case notes that he tried on 3 separate dates to call us. We checked our phone records (ours keeps a list of in- and outbound calls, including calls attempted when the line is busy). There were no record of any calls attempted by Sears. We told the representative that unless CP had anything new to offer, we were not interested in speaking with him.

CP left a message on our voice mail on Monday, Jan 10th stating that he was informed that we wanted the replacement dishwasher. We called back to inform him that was not the case and to question him about his 'calls'. We got his voice mail that stated he would return the call by the end of the next day's business. We did speak to a different representative and found out the part is again backordered... now to Feb 15th.

Needless to say, we did not receive a return call by the end of Tuesday. By this time we started placing our story on the MySears Community webpages. No one could help us since a case number had already been assigned with a Blue Ribbon representative

On Wednesday, I left another message with CP requesting that he call my cell. He finally did call on Thursday but to my home instead of my cell. My guess is that he would rather leave another message than to speak to us directly. My wife answered the call and asked him about the phone calls that he reported making in his notes. His answer was that he must have 'mis-dialed'. Three times on three separate days? I don't think so. Again his only offer was an exchange for a lesser model. He did manage to say that any letters on the matter written to the president of Sears would end up on his desk. Talk about accountability.

So after 6 weeks we still do not have a functioning dishwasher and will not for at least another 4 weeks (at best). There's no guarantee that the part will arrive by then either. We had had the delivery date for the part canceled 3 times and am on the 4th. Sears apparently cannot stock replacement part for their own Kenmore Elite line.

They can't repair their own line in a reasonable amount of time and they refuse to refund our money so we can go elsewhere. Their only offer is a 'take it or leave it'... accept their offer of a cheaper model or wait endlessly. If I wanted fewer features, I would have purchased a cheaper model. Needless to say, we will never step foot in another Sears store and have begun to seek a remedy through other avenues.

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Dishwasher under warranty and I have had 5 repair visit and still can't use the dishwasher!
By -

TEXAS -- I purchased my dishwasher and paid for the unit, tax, installation, and extended warranty... all for about $1000. I could have purchased a regular dishwasher for around $300 but thought that this time I would buy what I considered to be "quality Sears product." Prior to this, I had a builder grade unit which lasted for 12 years with no problems.

My problems with this unit started early on when the Sears delivery deposited the unit in the middle of my kitchen and told me I would have to schedule it to be installed. After nearly a week of having to squeeze around this huge box in the middle of my kitchen, they finally came and installed the unit. Not too long thereafter, I had a problem with the water not draining... never had this problem with the cheaper unit. A technician came out and made me buy a dishwasher cleaner and now that is what I have to do every few months if I want my dishwasher to drain. But, that is not the problem about which I am wanting to write today.

Since July 26 the door of the dishwasher does not stay closed. It pops open throughout the wash cycle, which immediately stops the wash. I would turn the wash on at night so that I could unload the dishwasher in the morning before work. In the morning, the dishwasher would show that it had stopped the washing cycle and the light on the front door would just blink. (One technician told me that he had gotten a memo regarding this problem, which affects all of these particular units.) I tried holding the door closed but there is only so much time in the day to hold dishwasher doors closed so that the dishes could be washed and then one has to move on with life!

After waiting some time on the first visit, a technician came and simply moved the inside latch up and down and then said that it would work. It did for a day. Then, it didn't. I called again, and again had to wait hours for another tech. to come. The same one returned and this time said that he would have to order a new latch. He returned but since the washer was working at that time, the decision was made that the latch was not needed and he took it with him.

A week later I called again because the unit was now not even closing without popping open. The next tech. came and began using a drill! He reset the dishwasher so that it was pushing up against the granite counter top. We couldn't close the door at all! Finally, after shoving the dishwasher back, we were able to push the door closed. But, then it simply popped open when the dishwasher was turned on.

Finally, the last technician came on the 16th of September, now nearly 2 months without a dishwasher, and he did nothing. Yes, that is correct. He did nothing. He did not open the dishwasher, did not look inside, nothing. I was to have expected him to arrive between 1 and 5 PM and he did not arrive until 7 PM. He took one look at the outside of the dishwasher and told me that he needed to make a call, at which point he went to his truck and returning after some time, simply told me that someone had ordered a new latch and that he would have to come back another time, and that I would have to contact customer service to arrange the next repair visit, once I received the new latch!

At that point I told the technician, "Enough was enough!" and that this was the 5th visit regarding this problem! Hearing my frustration, he assured me that he would advise a replacement unit to be installed, considering the trouble that I have had with this unit. To his credit, he did call me the next day to tell me that he would call management about the issue. He suggested that I call customer service the next day and that he would let them know that I needed a replacement.

On Friday, September 17, (the next day) I was on hold with customer service for 55 minutes and was told that the unit could not be replaced since the tech who came the night before was not working and they could not verify that he had told me that he would arrange to recommend a replacement unit and that apparently, the tech had not made a recommendation to replace the unit. Instead, I would have to accept that I would have to simply wait for a new latch to be ordered and to call the company when it arrived to schedule another tech. to come out to attempt to repair the unit again.

I was then told that they would call me back; that was Friday and today is Sunday afternoon. Still, no Customer Service Management has called me back as they had told me. I was told that my warranty apparently does not allow the replacement. So, what is it for which I paid? Not being able to use a dishwasher for months while the warranty slowly expires? How convenient is that?

It appears that I had bought a lemon. Apparently, Sears was aware of the problem, according to the memo described by the last tech. Does Sears not stand behind their products? Do they not respect their customers? Is it right, that they require a good customer to endure so many attempts to repair the same problem without resolution? Is it right to make customers repeatedly put their lives and businesses on hold while having to wait for someone to keep coming out but not fixing the problem?

With the next visit, it will be 6 times in nearly 2 months that I will have had to await - for hours - a repair technician to come to my home to fix a dishwasher that does not run because it shuts down every time the door pops open, which is every time the dishwasher is turned on! I must say that I hesitate to ever use Sears products or their repair service and certainly would not recommend them as a repair service, in general.

So, what will ultimately be done? Do I have to continue waiting to be able to use a dishwasher that cost so much money? I am so tired of paying so much money for something that does not work and which obviously could not be repaired by different repair people. I have hardly been able to use this dishwasher for nearly 2 months and it is under warranty! What would you do?

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Delivery and Installation: Timing & Communication
By -

LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS -- Working with courteous, helpful sales personnel last Friday and Sunday, I bought a Kenmore Dishwasher. A hefty amount of the total price involved installation, and we arranged for delivery (which I thought included installation) for Thursday. I was told they would call the day before with specific time of delivery, and that happened.

I received, in fact, two recorded messages from Sears this week--both, I would guess, from India since both began by verifying a curious version of my name reversed, sounding like an Indian surname. The first gave me instructions to prepare: simple--make sure passage is clear for deliverers, etc. Done. No problem. The second call gave me the hour for delivery. Accurate, In fact, the delivery was about half an hour early. And the deliveryman in charge (I assume) who spoke to me, was courteous and kind.

However--here is where this all goes wrong! He asked if the water was off and disconnected. No. He asked, shocked, "had I not called a plumber to do that?" No. I thought the installers dealt with that. "What about the electricity?" he asked. Same answer. "Had no one told me?" he asked pityingly. They were only deliverymen. They were forbidden to touch plumbing or electricity. They, therefore, could not take out the old dishwasher from my small kitchen; they hauled in the new one and dumped it in my dining room.

Someone should have told you! he said. Get a plumber to install this; then call Sears and they will arrange for us to come back and pick up the old machine. Another charge? I asked. He agreed--a second trip naturally involves another charge. I reread all the handouts I had received. No mention of calling plumbers before delivery; no promise either that deliverers will be plumbers. All strangely vague. So, unhappily, I called a plumber, leaving a message on his answering machine. He must be on vacation, probably fortunately.

Last night at about nine, I received a call from a man who gave me his first name and said he was my dishwasher installer, and could he come tomorrow (that's now today) sometime between one and four? I was confused. Was Sears sending him? Was he a plumber? Would he be actually installing the dishwasher? Yes.

I suppose I should have waited to write this review after he shows up this afternoon. But my point now is that Sears fails to explain anywhere that delivery and installation are two separate events. I knew I had paid a hefty fee that I believed included both, but I assumed they would take place on the Thursday I had set aside for this.

Now it appears to involve three days set aside: a day for delivery, a day for installation, and a day for removal of the old dishwasher. It involves both kitchen and dining room, upsetting much more than I had expected. Next time I buy an appliance, I will buy from a local independent company which prides itself on full, convenient customer service. They don't, of course, carry Kenmores, but...

Resolution Update 08/30/2010:

Plumber/installer came the next day, quietly and efficiently replaced the old dishwasher with the new, and took the old one away.

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Sears Has Lousy Customer Service And Needs Their Own Installers!
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- Well, where should I start? I have a Kenmore Elite dishwasher that is only 4.5 years old that failed on me. It wouldn't start. I thought dishwashers were supposed to last 20m years, but I guess not anymore. I called Sears and A&E Factory Service came out to look at it. They said that the front control panel was out and that it would be $450.00 to replace it. The tech said that I would be better off with a new dishwasher. I went to Sears because I have had good luck with them in the past. Wow, what a WRONG decision!

I bought a dishwasher there and paid over $800.00 for it. But, here's where the problems begin with Sears' DISMAL service and lack of caring. The installation tech (H&M Service - don't use them) that came out was not uniformed, was driving an old truck and was dirty. I almost didn't let him in the door! He stayed about 5 minutes and said that he couldn't get the old dishwasher out because of my tile floor. He wanted to charge me for the call, but I refused telling him that this was all part of the purchase price. I had paid for installation already! So I called Sears and told 'em to forget the deal and to credit my account.

They begged me to not do that and to let them get another tech. Well, Deon ** of Quality Pros called and said that the dishwasher was not at the warehouse so he couldn't install it. He wanted ME (the customer) to find out where it is and to call him when I found it! I called the Sears store manager, Senta, and was finally connected to her. A few days later, she called me back and said that the dishwasher was in the warehouse.

She helped in that respect but has never followed up and just seemed to treat me like another complaining customer. I called Deon ** of Quality Pros over SIX times and he NEVER returned my call! To this day, he has not called me back. I then called Sears again to get a new tech, maybe someone competent this time. They said that they would have someone contact me within 48 hours. But they probably won't.

This is their last chance. Sears needs to have their own installers and a specific customer service number that you can call if you need help! I have endured the phone tree and numerous employees that could care a less about helping me. No wonder Sears is in trouble!!! I have been without a dishwasher for over three weeks and I have a family of 5.

While it's not the end of the world, it is inconvenient to hand wash dishes when this could have been resolved a while ago if Sears cared about their customers! I am going to give them this last chance (3 strikes). If I don't get someone to call me back within the allotted time frame, I will go to the store and cancel my order. Sears can lose the $800+ in revenue.

I will get someone else besides Sears to fix it too. Don't use A&E Factory Service either because they're owned by Sears. The way I have been treated is ridiculous. I will NEVER use Sears again and I recommend that you don't either. Support your month and pop appliance stores. Even though their prices may be a bit higher, you would probably come out WAY ahead in the end because most of them care about their customers and would never treat them like I've been treated.

Sears deserves the bad press it gets. Never again will I be treated like this when I am paying them and they're in business because of ME and others like me. Sears needs to realize that customers come first, not the bottom line. If you treat customers like gold, the bottom line will follow. Obviously, Sears doesn't know this.

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Several Sears Appliances
By -

LAKELAND, FLORIDA -- I have been a customer of Sears for over 38 years. Before moving houses I had problems with my previous appliances which I had had for less than two years. First the heating element went on my dryer and the Sears repair replaced the heating element on my dryer. After that it made a terrible noise when drying. Apparently another repair service person later found they had forgotten to replace the screws to re-attach the part they had taken off to repair the element. Then the knob for my washer's setting went a few weeks later, it was made out of plastic. They replaced with a metal one after that. Why it didn't have a metal one to begin with, I have no idea!

And a short while after that I had flooding in 2 rooms, the hallway, plus the washroom from the washer overflowing. And to top it off it was also leaking oil. When the service people came they said it was normal for it to leak oil. The repair people said they could not find anything wrong with my washer. It so happened the knob to regulate the water level they had changed would get stuck, causing it to overflow and the water hose also had a cut something my husband found. When they had reattached the hoses in the back they had accidentally cut the hose and only under pressure it would overflow or leak big time.

The problems, some caused by the repair people, were not found because they were always in a hurry due to their heavy schedule. Altogether I had problems with the washer at least 6 times within less than a year. I should have had it replaced according to the contract, but they didn't honor that. Sears repair service people were impatient, rude, until I put my foot down and complained with their Customer relations department. The heavy oil leak which was not normal was finally repaired and the hoses changed, also the noise from the dryer. I should not have gone through that.

So I moved about a year ago and ended up with Sears appliances again, because the home builder was using Sears elite appliances for the home. My new appliances have had problems as well. My new microwave was not heating properly. When they came to fix it was tested and they found out it was leaking chemicals according to them. They were going to give me a new one but ended up fixing it.

Also the convection oven fan was loose and very noisy and they had to fix that. I also scheduled an appointment to get the latch fixed or replaced more recently to my dishwasher. I mentioned exactly what the problem was when scheduling. The day of the appointment came and they called me to reschedule because they did not have the part, even knowing days ahead they would have to replace it. They waited until the day of the appointment to order it. I had wait more than another week and reschedule.

I am so disappointed with Sears appliances, as well as their repair service. Not once or twice but for several years now. What has happened to Sears and the people that run it? The sign of the times. I wonder if there is anyone out there with any decent appliances or service anymore.

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Nasty Services From Sears
By -

MASSACHUSETTS -- We have been trying to get our dishwasher repaired by Sears for the last couple of months. The Master Protection Plan for a year will not mean much if you get an appointment that is too far dated. The problem started in the third week of August 2007. We got an appointment after two weeks. Well, that was just the beginning. He ordered new parts and asked us to wait for a few more weeks to get the parts. After three weeks, we got the parts and scheduled an appointment that Sears could not keep.

I took a day off for the technician who was supposed come anywhere between 8AM and 5PM. I haven't seen other companies giving a time-window like this. They think their time is so valuable and ours is not. Late in the afternoon, got a call from the routing department that the technician cannot make it. The rep said she will give me a date sooner, but that turned out to be another unkempt promise.

Finally, we got the appointment in third week of October. Unfortunately, we missed that date. We paid the price for that, maybe a little too much. The next date we got was mid-November, again another 8-5pm window. Okay, we thought it was our mistake, let us not complain about it.

Then that November date came. My wife had to be away from home for 30 minutes in the afternoon. Considering what had happened earlier she decided to be proactive. She called the customer service at about 9:00 am and told that no one will be available between 3:00 and 3:30. They said they will pass it on to the routing department. You guessed it, the technician called at 2:50 and said he will be coming at 3:00. She told the situation to the technician and asked him to come back after 3:30. She came back home at 3:25 to see the note from the technician that there was no one home.

I checked with Sears again. They said as per their note, the technician came home at 3:40 and there was no one home. Either the technician was lying or the rep! They just don't accept the fact that it was their mistake. The next date I got was December 13th. They are a bunch of ** who just don't care about us.

Well, I was given another number to report any complaints. But, it did not make any difference. When I told about the long wait, the 'customer care rep' said "Problems with dishwasher take a back seat compared to issues with oven and refrigerator." She said dishwasher may not get the immediate attention. That is a good point and I agreed to it but when I asked her "When the problem with it prolongs for something like 2-3 months, don't you think it should get the attention sooner and it cannot take a back seat forever." She immediately agreed to that but that did not make any difference.

The water is held up the dishwasher and it is nasty. I am fed up with this. Even if the technician comes on Dec 13th, I don't think he/she will be able to fix it right away. Typically they will have to order the parts and then wait for a few weeks to arrive and then fix it. It is not worth taking their 'Master Protection Plan'. If you don't get the service in time then what is the point? I am going to buy another dishwasher from Home Depot and going to live happily ever after.

The Sears customer service is so poor, well, maybe there is no such thing as 'Sears customer service'. I am going to stop doing business with Sears. I will cancel the credit card and also cancel the so-called Master Protection Plan that literally protects nothing. Goodbye SEARS...

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Dishwasher
By -

NEW JERSEY -- 9/9/07: The last conversation with Sears, on 9/6/07, is supposed to result in a call within "two business days" (which may be Wednesday due to Columbus Day - they weren't sure if they were going to be open on Monday!) I'm going to give them until Thursday close of business.

At that point, if there isn't a firm plan in place I am going to send a letter to Aylwyn ** that includes high quality photos of the installation and damage to the dishwasher door and counter top. I am also considering contacting my credit card company and initiating a dispute for the amount I paid for installation.

Dishwasher purchase from a Sears retail outlet on 9/1/07:

  1. The installer did not offer to schedule the time of installation. I was told to take or leave the day/time they specified.

  2. The installer was 3 1/2 hours late. On arrival, he told me that "Sears probably didn't tell you this..." per GE specs and current plumbing practice, I needed to "upgrade" to flexible braided stainless tubing for the hot water connection (I had copper already.) The charge was $99. Subsequently, I contacted GE about this. The response is that they have no such requirement. My township indicated that the stainless hose isn't bad, but that there is no requirement for it use, and copper pipe is fine. I also verified that the diameter of the original copper pipe met GE's specs.

  3. When I went to fill the dishwasher that evening, I noticed that the installer had gouged the top of the stainless steel door.

  4. After many phone calls with different departments at Sears, each of which gave me a different story ("the installer has to handle it", "Sears will send someone out for a $75 minimum fee...") I was able to have Sears inspect the damage without charge (at least they haven't billed me yet) and schedule the repair. The paperwork indicates that the installer claims not to have caused the damage.

  5. The installer had also left off the trim around the edges and top of the unit, so there were unsightly gaps.

  6. I was able to schedule the subcontractor to come out again (Sears refused to allow another of their contractors to be used). He installed the trim, but now the dishwasher is installed so low that there is a 3/4" gap through which you can see the top of the dishwasher. He said he's seen worse and left in a hurry.

  7. That evening, I noticed a gouge in the counter top in exactly the shape of the screwdriver bit in the installer's cordless drill. It has the shape and line from the ridge on the bit... I had seen the drill on the counter, but didn't notice that damage at the time.

  8. I've been getting the runaround from Sears since then - it's up to the installer to repair the damage; National OneSource will cover it, etc. Each time I've been told to expect a call within a specified period of time from anyone - Sears or the installer - it never happens.

To summarize, Sears' stance is that they're not responsible for their subcontractors even though the payment goes to Sears. It is nearly impossible to reach anyone who can resolve a problem. Trying to reach a person to speak with means literally hours of waiting on hold, being hung up on, and hearing different explanations (in which each person says the other person/department doesn't know what they're doing).

At this point, if the latest promised call doesn't materialize in the specified two business days I am going to write to the president of Sears and initiate a dispute on my credit card for the cost of the installation. I am never going to purchase anything else from Sears that requires delivery, installation or post-purchase involvement in any way from Sears. If you do, please note that you've been warned.

Resolution Update 04/12/2008:

See my update in the comments section.

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Bosch Dishwasher Service Complaints
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SUGAR LAND, TEXAS -- I would like to express my extreme dissatisfaction with my recent Sears experiences. I have been a very loyal customer for years, but in light of my recent encounters, I will need to look elsewhere for purchases and services. Last month, I spent about 4 hours on the phone with about 20 different Sears people, trying to get a situation rectified. I had purchased a Bosch dishwasher from Sears a few years ago and we had a plumber at our home last month who needed to remove our dishwasher so he could install a new garbage disposal in our sink.

He showed us that the drywall was all rotted, as well as the floor and cabinet because the hose was kinked and judging from the extent of the rot, had been leaking for quite a long time. Obviously, since the dishwasher has never been moved since it was installed, this kink must have occurred when it was installed. But yes, we are unable to prove that. I called Sears and told them that I suspected it was installed improperly and that I was not trying to charge them for any of the damage; however, I did expect them to send me a new hose no charge (a $20 item). They refused. I took this all the way to their corporate office and they still refused.

I begged the woman to please look up my phone number so she can see that I have spent about $40,000 with Sears in the past few years, but she did not care. I asked, “so then we are going to terminate our relationship because of a $20 hose?” and she said that wasn't her decision. So, I called back and told them I needed to order a hose and told them what type it was and what type of machine it was. The woman told me that they needed to send someone out to look at it anyway, and then they charged me $85!!! The guy who came to look at the hose told us to make an appointment to have him come back out to install the hose and re-install the dishwasher.

So we did. Today, two men came out to replace our hose and then they asked us for $95!!! My husband asked if they were going to re-install the dishwasher which is what we wanted and what we called for and they said no. They said that since our plumber had originally removed the dishwasher a couple of weeks ago, that he would need to reinstall it!!! I called up to speak with the service unit and the woman told me the same thing. I have always called Sears for everything and we have always gone to Sears whenever we needed any home repair, home improvement, or major appliance purchased, but no more.

People won't just come to Sears because you have good prices. They want to know that Sears will properly service the items as well, and it is evident that they will not. When I called to say that I wanted to make an appointment to have my dishwasher hose replaced and the dishwasher reinstalled, they should have told me at the time of the call that they would not be reinstalling the dishwasher. Had I known that, I would not have called Sears. I would have called my reliable plumber.

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Sears Broke My Dishwasher
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MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA -- I had a service/maintenance contract with Sears for my dishwasher that provided for an annual inspection at no charge. So, I had Sears come out to do the inspection. At that time, my dishwasher was working to my full satisfaction. The service person took my dishwasher apart, found that the pump was clogging, and ordered a new pump. He then put the dishwasher back together again so it could be used in the meantime. After he left, and we started using the dishwasher, we noticed that there was some water on the floor after the washing had completed.

We didn't pay much attention to it the first couple of times, thinking that it might just have been some water that dripped from the dishes when our daughter emptied the dishwasher. When the problem kept happening, however, we concluded that the water was leaking from the dishwasher itself. By that point, we had also noticed that our wooden floor in the kitchen had been damaged by the leaked water. We called Sears to report the problem. They said the service person would take care of it when he returned to replace the pump. A few weeks after the original visit, the service person returned with the pump to be replaced, and some other miscellaneous parts.

Then, another problem came up. He was unable to open the dishwasher door (which had worked fine before). He then said the only way to open it was to force the door open, and that there was a risk of the control panel (which is in the door) being damaged. So, he ordered 'backup' parts for the control panel, and said he would return when all parts arrived. Several week later, we were informed by Sears that 'parts' were no longer available for our dishwasher, and there was nothing further they could do.

I pointed out that I had started with a working dishwasher that was no longer functioning because of Sears service, and suggested that they provide me with at least partial compensation to replace the dishwasher. However, because I was unable to provide them with a copy of the original receipt for the dishwasher, they refused to do anything further.

As of the date of this writing (about 6-8 weeks from the time of my original call to Sears), and numerous phone calls to Sears, I have heard nothing further from them, and am exploring other steps to get the problem resolved (possible direct contact with Sears management, possible suit in small claims court, etc.). In all my dealings with service organizations, I have never yet experienced such a lack of service and responsiveness. Calling the Sears 800 number and asking to be put through to a supervisor or to Customer Service directly has almost always resulted in a "sorry, we can't do that" response.

It was only through many many phone calls and requests that I was able to get through to a supervisor. However, as you can see from my story above, even that yielded no results. I am at a loss to understand how Sears can wash their hands of any responsibility, after my having paid for a maintenance agreement, and after their taking my dishwasher from a working condition to a non-working condition. Although I've made most of my major appliance purchases from Sears in the past, and spent many thousands with them, that certainly will not be the case going forward.

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Dishwasher Repair
By -

When we bought a new dishwasher a few years ago at Sears in Clay, NY, we also purchased the protection agreement. Several times during that period, 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 were up early, waiting for his call. 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 the service department cannot be depended upon to keep appointments, these service agreements aren't worth the paper they are printed on. This isn't just bad customer service. It is bad business.

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119 reviews & complaints.
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3333 Beverly Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192-3322
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