Sears Kenmore Elite Appliances Consumer Reviews - Page 3

LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO -- In October 2004, I went to my local Sears store (Las Cruces, NM) to look at sewing machines. I've grown up with stories, as many other consumers have, praising the quality (not to mention the longevity) of the products sold by Sears. My mother remembers with fondness an old treadle style sewing machine owned by her grandmother - purchased at Sears (which one of Mom's cousins took when her grandmother passed on to her reward). That sewing machine still works to this day! Sears had just introduced the "Kenmore" Ergo Elite 3 embroidery machine and, as is status quo in Las Cruces, at least - they only had the floor model in stock.

The Sales Associate was polite and made a point of drawing my attention to the "sale" price of $1,499.99 (normally $1,999.99), with the added "bonus" of completing a rebate form and receiving (49) additional presser feet. She also made a point of telling me that all of their higher end "Kenmore" machines were manufactured for them by Janome - a name I trusted. (Lower end "Kenmore machines are manufactured by Brother).

Well, I bought the speech - and the machine (it was, after all, more affordable getting a Janome machine from a national retailer with buying power than it was to go to my local Janome dealer and pay three times as much for an identical product). The sales person tried selling me the infamous "extended warranty" as I've bought so many times in the past (and I learned my lesson... I thought) for the nominal price of $339.00 a year.

Although the machine had a one (1) year warranty, I was told that testing complaints with the Unit stemmed from the touch screen failing after hours of constant hard use - something I would not be doing to the machine. I was confident in the Janome name behind the machine and I honestly did not expect the machine to fail.

Although I paid for the machine at the time of purchase, it took over a week for it to arrive - not in keeping with the promised delivery time. I had to go to the Sears store to pick it up (UPS would have brought it to my home for an additional $50.00 charge), but all in all, now that I had the machine I was happy with it.

Within three (3) months that "honeymoon" was over. Although I was using the machine infrequently, I had to service it at least once per use. It has also developed a very loud clicking sound that persisted after stitching (simple straight stitches any machine should be able to perform) for just two or three minutes. I was constantly referring to the Owner's manual looking for information / assistance - and for the dozens of pages that made up the manual, there was no real guidance for servicing the machine aside from cleaning lint out of the bobbin relay.

Confident my machine was under warranty, I began to read that section in detail only to learn that I had been LIED to. The Ergo Elite only has a NINETY day warranty - not the full one (1) year warranty I was promised at the time of purchase! I called the trouble line listed in the Owner's manual (JAMAC, Inc. - subsidiary of Sears) incessantly leaving detailed messages and seeking guidance. Was my issue under warranty or wasn't it? No one ever answered their phones and they were proving to be incapable of returning telephone calls.

Cleaning the machine incessantly allowed me to sew with it and minimize the clicking noise, but it was disappointingly. The first machine I had owned that required more time to maintain it than you were able to sew with it. Needless to say, I didn't get much sewing done.

By August of 2005, although I may have had all of fifty hours of sewing time on the machine, it experienced a complete power failure and was now useful only as a VERY pricey, oversized paperweight. Calls to JAMAC, Inc. for troubleshooting assistance (was it a warranty issue or wasn't it?!?) were still being ignored. By now I had received only one call back with a canned message of "returning your call". I was livid! I had been leaving detailed messages explaining my issue - the least they could have done is left the answer to my question on my machine.

When I tried to return the call I was further dismayed - now their answering machine was so full of messages that I couldn't even leave my return message. It took the better part of a week for me to be able to leave a message again! By now I was really starting to wonder how many other unsuspecting consumers had experienced the same problems I was without resolution.

Why else is no one ever available to answer the phone during promised business hours?!? Why is their answering machine so full that it can't receive any more messages?!? Frustrated and tired of being able to use my sewing machine, I took it to my local Janome store for servicing. Three weeks later it came back - UNREPAIRED - IRREPARABLE.

Although the machine is manufactured by Janome for Sears, it is made to Sears' specifications - not Janome's. Two thirds of the parts in the machine are non Janome parts - they are, in fact, brandless "junk" parts that can not be replaced by anyone other than Sears. The few Janome parts of my machine were functional, but the junky electronics and other parts had stopped communicating with the Janome parts.

My thread tensioner was already in need of replacement and no longer functioned. The repairman was stunned by the lack of quality in this machine. He called Sears as I had done, seeking assistance. He wanted to know where he could find the components necessary to make my machine functional. Instead he was told to close the machine up and send it to a Sears repair center in Dallas, TX accompanied by a check for $600.00!

The machine, instead, came back to me. My repairman was kind enough to eat the bill for looking at my machine and urged me to get my money back. I've been trying ever since... I called my store, first. They were of no assistance and refused to answer me when I asked about the failure / return rate of the machine. I then filed a complaint against Sears with the Attorney General's Office (State of New Mexico) Consumer Protection Division. In New Mexico, as long as you have not taken formal legal action against the Company you are fighting with, you can ask the Office of the Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division to intercede.

The first week of October 2005, I received a letter from the CPD. They had contacted my local Sears store and received a sugary response from its' Manager, a **. She sent them a printed page off of their computer system stating that the Ergo Elite 3 did, in fact, have a one year warranty - in direct opposition to the statements made in my Owner's manual.

The letter encouraged me to contact ** for a seemingly quick, amicable, and painless resolution. I packed up my machine and headed straight for my Sears store. I went to the sewing machine area and showed the Associate the letters from the AG and **. As it was after 7pm, I didn't expect ** to still be in the store - I just wanted to find out how we were going to come to an amicable resolution (I wanted them to take their machine and put it somewhere impolite, and refund the purchase).

Instead ** appeared after making me wait five (5) minutes and began dressing me down, yelling at me in front of her employees and other customers. She was furious that I had reported her store to the Attorney General's office and seemed bent upon making an example of me.

According to ** I invalidated the warranty when I allowed my Janome repairman to touch my machine. I was attacked for not calling the (800) MY number (** just kept moving closer and closer, hands on hips, towering over me with her attitude) to which I responded I had called the number referenced in my Owner's Manual. She berated me for not calling the correct number - but if the number in the Owner's manual is incorrect, WHY is it there?!?

If my machine were truly under a one (1) year warranty as alleged by **, why was I never provided with written confirmation of such at the time of purchase?!? **'s conduct was so egregious a person of lesser patience might have struck her in response to her bullish, immature, and unprofessional attack. I was hatefully escorted (by several employees) to the Service Department and told they would look at my machine - only because it was still warrantied - but that I would be liable for the charges (so how is that "warranty"???).

With that ** turned on her heels and stormed off. A week later Sears repair called and said the machine only needed to be "cleaned" and it was perfectly functional. It remains at the Sears store to this day. I refuse to condescend to set foot on Sears property after how their "Manager" behaved.

The Attorney General's Office is as upset as I am by **'s conduct - she lied to them - and they are still fighting with Sears for me. At least they respond when the Attorney General calls - although that's about all they've done so far. Still no refund. I am boycotting all Sears and K-Mart locations as is my family - and I actively encourage others to do likewise. I can easily take their sales ads to other retailers who will be only too happy to price match. I am also INCREDIBLY disappointed in Janome.

Realizing this is a Company of Japanese origin, it amazes me that they would sully their reputation in such a terrible fashion. Does the revenue generated for them by Sears keep their company afloat? Are they in that poor a financial condition (which I find quite hard to believe)? Why else allow Sears to compromise their own reputation? Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - isn't going to happen. I won't spend $6,000.00 on another Janome "machine"... I'm boycotting Janome, too.

HERNDON, VIRGINIA -- Purchased a new high-efficiency Kenmore washer/dryer at the end of September. We explained to the salesman that we were pretty sure the washer would require a longer drain hose than supplied, because of the layout of our laundry area. We told him we wanted to know what to purchase so it would be there when delivery was made, but he said he would put that on the invoice and the delivery/installation people would have extra items on their truck to change it out with (this kind of thing happens all the time, he told us).

Well, they showed up...and didn't have any parts on-board at all. I was sent to the Sears store, driving like a maniac because the delivery guys weren't about to wait around very long while I tried to get a longer drain hose, and of course, the local Sears store didn't have anything like that in stock, so I came home empty-handed. But it didn't matter, because the delivery guys were already gone by the time I got back home.

They were also missing the dryer manual and some bolts they needed to attach the dryer to the pedestal drawer, so they just left all 4 pieces sitting in our family room where they had been assembling them - and then left! We were supposed to have new carpeting installed in the family room the next day, so this was a major panic for us! They did actually show up the next day with another dryer and pedestal drawer to exchange...but it turned out the first guys had just overlooked the bolts (or perhaps just didn't want to do the installation) - they were inside the dryer the whole time. Took the second crew about an hour to get everything hooked up and working.

Six weeks later, the handle broke off on the dryer. I am NOT pleased! Called for warranty service in mid-November, they came out on the 29th...but they don't carry the correct handle on their trucks, so it had to be ordered. I was rescheduled for 12/8 for second repair visit to put new handle on, and told that the new handle would arrive via mail directly to us.

Got a call on the 5th from Sears...had the handle arrived yet? No. Got a call from Sears on the 6th at 1:30 pm...had the handle arrived yet? No. It arrived later that same day, around 3:30 pm. I called them to tell them it had arrived (I hadn't even set it down since I took it from the UPS driver)...but Sears had already rescheduled my repair call out to the 15th (without asking) and would not reinstate the one for the 8th.

I was very upset as I had plans for the 15th, and had moved a bunch of appointments around to clear the 8th just for Sears. I told them I couldn't schedule for the 15th, and they said they would do it the 16th. I complained, and the guy at the call center said he was positive he would be able to get someone out sooner than the 16th...but today is the 14th, and I haven't heard anything from them.

So, I called them today because I have had two things come up that I cannot change on the 16th, so I can't do it on the 16th either. Asked for early next week...no openings now until Christmas eve. What do you want to bet no one shows up? If they don't, it sure won't be the first time. They've skipped appts on us before (lawn tractor), and we sat at home all day waiting on them to show up...no call to cancel - nothing. We had to call them to find out that no one was coming for sure. We have really learned our lesson with regard to Sears. This was the LAST time we'll buy anything from them.

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- We purchased a Kenmore elite washer and dryer, top-of-the-line series that retail for almost $3000. It was purchased in December 2012 and in doing so we asked the salesperson if it was acceptable to hold off on delivery of that until our new home was completed approximately June or July and she indicated that it was acceptable and that I should call two weeks in advance and they will order both the washer and dryer and have it available for delivery. She indicated that should there be a model change we will receive the newest model that would be available.

As it turned out there was in fact a new model of washer and dryer and we contacted them in July to have the items delivered and the salesperson who sold them to us no longer worked for Sears. Imagine that! Upon speaking with the manager and upon speaking with the department we were told that we would get the one we ordered and that they did not know why that salesperson told us that but they would not honor her commitment.

We accepted that and they delivered the washer and dryer. As soon as was delivered, they delivered the wrong dryer that had the wrong plug and was unable to set it up. They did not have the door to the dryer reversed as was ask for and the driver told us we would have to call service to have that done

The washer that was delivered that day had a failure immediately on set up and would not pump any water into the washer tub. They replaced the washer which I commend them for doing and this time we Receiving an unbalanced error and could never wash anything without the load being unbalanced and the computer system shutting down. Sears replaced the washer again at their choosing rather than to send out a technician which they should be applauded. That unit has the exact same problem.

It took one other call to get the door adjusted on the dryer. The dryer cuts off unattended. We will put a load of close in the dryer, walk away and come back and find out that the display is blank, the power is off, and the closer sitting in their wet. The new replacement washer continues to have the same problematic issues with unbalanced load and we have a service technician scheduled to come out to look at both of them.

Prior to this we had contacted Sears and indicated that we wanted to return the Kenmore elite product and purchase either a Maytag or a Whirlpool product or at least something different if not simply give us back our money because it appears that there were problems with these units. They seem to have no problem with replacing the units because I suspect the busted once went back to the factories.

They however, would not give us our money back as they said 60 days had passed since we purchased it on I said no, we had it installed in July and it was far less than 60 days but we were told by their customer service people which I suspect with their accents were not in the United States that we purchased it in December and I indicated yes, we did purchase it in December but it was not installed until July and that we wanted to return the items and I was again told no.

We escalated it to the corporate offices in Hoffman Estates and talk to what was to have been the office of the president escalating customer service issues we were treated rudely, we were talked down to, and we were told simply sit down, shut up you have purchased the unit and were not going to replace it, were not going to return it, call service if you have a problem.

I am a long time user of Sears as my mother worked for Sears and Roebuck in the 60s when Sears is owned coincidentally with Allstate insurance. So I go back a long way both with Allstate insurance as well as with purchasing my three pairs of jeans and my five shirts that all matched from Sears so that I can head off to grade school. Sears has always stood behind their products at least until now and the last time that we purchased a product at least before this purchase was in 2000 with a washer dryer in refrigerator. Those worked flawlessly.

We now have invested a substantial amount of money and my wife has to regularly babysit the washer because we will get an unbalanced error and it will continue to fill the washer with water trying to rebounds the load and we have had some instances where the washer has run for three hours and we simply had to stop and take the wet clothes out and start over again.

We continue to have the problem with the dryer where it simply turns off on its own and unless we babysit it we will end up having three hours gone by and wet close sitting in a dryer that has no power no display and is not working. My judgment is that Sears does not care and since they were purchased by Kmart, their attitude is that every consumer is dumb, ignorant, and they are doing them a favor to give them something from their stores.

I must say, this is the worst experience I've ever had with a product or a service in my life and the people that I dealt within the Hoffman Estates escalation department should be fired and they should rehire people and train them on at least how to be respectful. I am open to have my mind to change but those are the facts and that is where it stands right now.

OHIO -- In 2006 we did an $85,000 renovation of our kitchen and chose to use all Kenmore Pro appliances. Our kitchen won NARI remodeling awards in northeast Ohio after its completion. Unfortunately, choosing Kenmore appliances has turned out to be a nightmare and that is an understatement. Shortly after installation the problems began.

We have had our dishwasher fixed approximately six times for leaking. If my memory serves me right we had it fixed three times in one year. As I write this today the dishwasher is leaking all over the kitchen. The Sears technicians have replaced the door seal multiple times and it obviously still leaks. We have paid repeatedly for subsequent repairs because Sears will only stand behind their repair 90 days, if at all. Even if it has been fixed five times for the same problem if the sixth event happens on day 91 Sears employs the “gotcha” and we have to pay again.

I contacted a chat agent at Sears today. They told me to fix it myself by going to managemylife.com! They would be happy to send another technician and charge me again but other than that I have been told to fix it myself. The agent then went on to say that Sears appreciates my business. That is not true. In addition to the dishwasher problems we just had our Kenmore Pro refrigerator “serviced” because the inside rusted. Yes, you read that right, a Pro refrigerator rusted on the inside. The technician said it was defective workmanship but since it is no longer covered by warranty I have to pay for it.

Now we have our freezer scheduled for repair on Friday 8/9/13. We think the technician did something to the freezer when he repaired the refrigerator but do not anticipate Sears owning up to that. Additionally, the numbers for the heat settings on our cooktop knobs all wore off. My wife used a Sharpie to write the numbers back on because Sears said it is normal wear and tear and that replacement knobs will cost us $50 each. That is a nice addition to an $85,000 kitchen. A dream kitchen that in reality is a nightmare kitchen. Buyer beware. Sears will not stand behind their products. It is not the same company it once was.

Update: Sears sent me an email in regard to this post. They offered to "assist" with another repair of the dishwasher. "Assist" means they will offer me a discount on parts. Unreal. Insulting. Why would I pay any amount of money to have the dishwasher "fixed" again? Their technicians have not been able to fix it and they are now suggesting I should buy parts. If I don't laugh I will cry.

Alternatively they offered a discount on a new Kenmore dishwasher. Again, this makes no sense. Given their track record why would I purchase another Kenmore dishwasher? That is nuts. They have proven repeatedly that they don't stand behind their products. However, they repeatedly say they value my business. They value an unending stream of revenue for repairs that are the result of poor quality. They don't care that their substandard appliances are an Amityville horror for the homeowner. Message to Sears: Divest of Kmart and not loyal customers.

WOODBURN, OREGON -- We purchased a microwave/wall oven combo from Sears last June (2012). From the start it didn't work as it said it should in the booklet of instructions. Called for tech to come. He didn't seem to know what he was doing with this appliance. While he told me the story about how awful customer service was when he had to order a part for one of his appliances he ordered a part for my brand new oven without hearing me tell him that we would be gone for the next week so not to send parts to house no one here. Oops, sorry already did.

Asked neighbors to watch for item which they did. We got home on a Friday they were to come the next morning and neighbors were not home to find out if parts had come. Had to cancel. Took two weeks to get anyone else out there. Second guy came, said it might need two other parts. Ordered them, first one came (they use UPS) in horrible shape so called them to say that I was afraid that the part may not be good. They ordered second one.

It came the day before appointment. Got the reminder call someone would be here between 12:00 noon and 5:00. At 6:30 I finally called to be told that it had been cancelled because their records didn't show that the part had been delivered here. No call to cancel but one to confirm appointment. It was two weeks out from Christmas at this point and I was getting ready to do yearly baking of cookies and goodies with grandchildren. Couldn't use oven since it wasn't working properly not to mention that I was having all my kids and their kids for Christmas dinner so needed the oven to work.

They scheduled the repair for Christmas Eve. I shared information about my health and the fact that I may not be here by next Christmas and had already lost the opportunity to do cookies and goodies with grandkids at which point they fit me in on Dec. 20th (2012). The first tech I had, had come again with help since they were going to have to remove the oven from wall to work on it. After all the having to wait for different parts it turned out the first part ordered was the problem. It was the heating element which is hidden under the bottom of the oven instead of exposed. Still acted up so called again. Made new appointment only to have oven stop acting up.

Cancelled that appointment only to have another problem pop up. My husband was making pizza when a small bit of cheese hit the bottom and caught fire. Smoke filled the oven and wouldn't dissipate. Set off our fire alarms over and over again. This problem continued to happen if anything hit the bottom of the oven regardless of how hot it supposedly was ruining food with smoke smell. I am sixty years old married forty years and have worked with at least 20 different ovens in my years. Never had this problem. Spillage caused smoke but it dissipated after short time. This isn't happening with this very expensive unit.

By the time the tech. (same one who came on the very first call with the other problem ) left all he had done was say that I needed to keep my oven cleaned (I had left some stuff on the bottom so he could see what happens with the smoke issue) and if something hit the bottom I would need to stop the oven, wait for it to cool down, wipe it off reheat the oven and continue cooking the meal.

I asked him if he was serious since it is ridiculous to suggest that if I am preparing say a family holiday meal and something hits the bottom that I would have to take the turkey (or whatever out) cool the oven then reheat and continue cooking. He said he was only the repairman and not the designer of the machine and left. No fix, nothing.

Apparently he told my husband that he would check around to see if there was anything he could find out but have worked with this guy before. He is a person who didn't want to be here, was supposed to show up between 8:00 and 12:00 but called at 7:15 to ask if he could come right away. I wasn't even out of bed yet.

My husband had to rush to get dressed to be able to deal with this idiot. If I don't get satisfaction with this issue I will sue. Have had enough of this type of customer disservice and am going to fight back. Sears is the worst when it comes to customer satisfaction and may go out of business as a result according to online business story I read the day before this latest problem and tech visit. I hope everyone who reads this will join me in writing to the board of directors for Sears, all the top officers and demand that they stand behind their products or close the doors.

PARKER, AZ, ARIZONA -- I am going to list a timeline on our problem: 10/23/10 - We bought, from Sears, a Kenmore Refrigerator Model # 106.60932900 at Parker, AZ. for the amount of $608.04. 5/1/11 - Turned off electrical service to Bouse, Az address. We are snowbirds and leave during the summer. 10/08/11 - Turned electrical service on at Bouse, AZ. Refrigerator not running for a 6 month period. I have paperwork to prove this. 1/25/12 - Discovered the freezer had completely defrosted, losing about $250 worth of food. Refrigerator fan and light on but not cooling.

1/27/12 - Called Sears 1-800 number. I explained the problem and they stated that since it had been purchased more than a year ago they could not help. They transferred me to another customer service person. After I explained it had only been working for a 10 month period they agreed to pay for the service call but stated that we would have to pay for any repairs. So they scheduled a repairman to come in a week.

2/2/12 - Repairman arrived 2 hours late and wrote up a quote that the compressor was not working and the cost to repair would be $905.32. ($626.02 for compressor((which I can order online for $447))and the rest to install). Since this would have cost us more than a new refrigerator we opted not to have that done. 2/3/12 - We went out and purchased another refrigerator from Lowe's, since we had been without a refrigerator for 10 days and we had company coming for a week. 2/7/12 - I found a email address for Sears on another web site and emailed to Social Media Support Team at Sears Corp. and stated my problem.

2/13/12 - **, case manager of Social Media Case Manager, called and offered to replace the refrigerator. I said I already had purchased another one, since this was 20 days since the refrigerator stopped and I wanted my $600 refunded because it had only ran for 10 months. Then she offered us a $150 Sears gift certificate. I asked if she would email this offer to me as I was going to complain to everyone I could. She said she would.

2/21/12 ** called back and offered the $150 again and said again she would email the quote, but all I got was a statement that the case was closed. I understand that it was under warranty for 12 months. But we only used the refrigerator for a total of 10 months. This product was not of satisfactory quality, fit for one year of use, as laid down by the law.

To resolve the problem I request Sears to refund the $600 for the refrigerator. I also lost $250 worth of freezer food and went without a frig for 3 weeks. It would have been longer before being contacted by Sears. Refrigerators usually last longer than 10 months. If Sears would have let me know that it might be possible to have it replaced from the beginning, we won't have bought a new refrigerator. We couldn't wait forever.

HOFFAMAN, ILLINOIS -- I am appalled by the lack of customer service at Sears from the local store to the representatives over the phone and managers from the executive office. I spoke to a case manager by the name of ** who for starters barely speaks English. He is the rudest person I've spoken to in the last month from Sears.

This case manager not only falsified his remarks in regards to my dealings with the 3 technicians that came out to my house and left me with broken appliances still and tried to persuade me to pay for services that weren't rendered. He also bluntly told me that my service wasn't important and that he has better things to do. I spoke to a Supervisor by the name ** who promised she would call me back and now she is unavailable at all times.

Now they are giving me more of a runaround. Voice mails... "she's not available right now"... Just the worst EVER! I bought a full high end (SUPPOSEDLY) laundry appliances less than a year ago and is still under the manufacture warranty as well as the extended service plan. The appliances were over $2,000 was all Kenmore. It has taken Sears so far over 4 weeks and I still do not have a repaired washer and dryer. I'€™ve spent hours on the phone with them trying to get a simple repair. I was promised numerous times that someone would call me back within a certain amount of time and not once did they ever do so.

They are the most incompetent people ever. First they sent a repair guy out and he couldn't even figure out how to turn the washer and dryer on to see if it worked. After I showed him how to do that, he said "yes, washer and dryer doesn't work". He said he had to order parts and that I would have to pay for them and the travel expense. I declined not to order the parts because washer/dryer is covered under warranty, the technician became angry and demanding I had ask the gentlemen to leave.

After many more hours, (I'm serious about that, hours!!) of phone calls and unfulfilled promises later to the national headquarters and I'™m still without working appliances. I feel that I'€™ve made a legitimate complaint to Sears about the conduct of a Sears employees via phone and that was dispatched to my home to perform maintenance on my washer and dryer and they still display lack of responsiveness and lack of accountability.

Today is August 30, 2012 and here I am still fighting with Sears for justice. After months of leaving messages waiting for the supervisor ** to call me back I finally was able to speak to her on today which she acted like to have no memory of our original conversation. ** was supposed to be researching and attempting to collect the receipt for my purchase.

When I asked ** if she could tell me what resource she done and what location she attempted to contact (even though the warehouse/Outlet) is closed, she provided me with a number and said she do not know what store that number is for. Bottom line she has not attempted to verify any information or assist me. When I cough her in her lie she begin to get angry and started to repeat things about the technician coming out. Sears is a freaking joke and I am not stopping.

SUBJECT: We, the consumers, have a right to educate ourselves about misleading claims that companies make. This is one reason our experience is being told to warn other consumers that work hard for their money. It's our opinion that SEARS made claims to us that were untrue and will not be honored. Following is our experience with SEARS.

My husband and I are very disappointed in SEARS LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. SEARS sold us a Kenmore “last year's model” at a discounted price, untouched or removed from the carton. We were told it was guaranteed to work just as well as the newest versions of refrigerators.

We complained that our frozen food was being thawed out and then refrozen. We were very upset that we had to keep throwing food away because of this. We didn't want to take the chance of becoming sick. We were told on the first 2 repair visits that they could not find anything wrong with our refrigerator. We were just told to keep food away from the proximity of the mechanisms on the top and bottom of the refrigerator and the repairmen turned up the cooling level setting on the refrigerator. IT DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

The 3rd visit from a repairmen found out (via a phone call he made), that our refrigerator model had a history of a faulty freezer mechanism. It would get “stuck” in the defrost mode too long and then the mechanism would freeze everything again afterwards. With this history of a freezer problem, they should have taken it off their sales floor when they found out about it. By this time, it was now 7 months into our warranty, which meant we had 7 MONTHS OF WASTED FOOD WE HAD TO TOSS OUT. VERY INCONVENIENT AND BAD TO THE WALLET, TO SAY THE LEAST.

We wrote a letter to: CEO: W. Bruce Johnson, of SEARS, Roebuck & Co., 3333 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179. We thought it would be fair that SEARS honored our monetary loss, by reimbursing us for all the food we threw away to avoid food poisoning or getting sick from it. We also thought it was unfair that we had to wait hours (one time we had to wait 6 ½ hours past the repairman's estimated time of arrival.) Again, VERY INCONVENIENT and A LOT OF WASTED TIME, TAKING TIME FROM OTHER THINGS, LIKE OUR JOBS.

SEARS hadn't even offered to lend us a “working compact freezer” to use while we waited for the new part. SEARS knew our complaint each time was that we had to throw the frozen, then defrosted, then frozen food away. As I previously said, they knew that model had a history of a bad freezer mechanism and they still had it on the sales floor.

A representative that worked under SEARS CEO W. Bruce Johnson's response was to offer us a “one time offer, take it or leave it” of a $150.00 gift card to SEARS to cover the wasted food. We spent a lot more money than that on food that we had to throw away, but it was better than nothing at all.

A week or two later, a repairman came with a new part to replace the “malfunctioning one.” But after using the refrigerator and adjusting the mechanism to different levels of cooling settings, the REFRIGERATOR STILL CONTINUED TO GIVE US PROBLEMS. The ice cream, frozen waffles etc., in the freezer would be “deformed” in the freezer area from not being frozen enough and at the same time; the bottles of water in the lower refrigerator area would be frozen, along with rice, strawberries, and various other food items in the lower fridge. We would have to take the bottled water and let it sit for hours in order to drink it.

So we once again called for service. On Sept. 10th, the repairmen came out again and said nothing was wrong with our refrigerator (déjà vu) and told us to keep the food away from the mechanisms, to leave space around them. This is what we were told to do before they discovered the faulty history of the refrigerator (déjà vu).

In the meantime, SEARS Warranty Service kept calling us to give us the opportunity to extend our warranty. I told them I was not happy with the service warranty we had now and that we would probably never buy a large appliance again from SEARS. They then said that after 4 service calls within a year, we could opt for a different refrigerator from SEARS if we were not satisfied. SEARS Warranty Unit didn't even know why we were unhappy and threw in this claim to make the warranty sound so good. One of the repairmen also told us this, too.

On the last day of our one year warranty SEARS Warranty Service called a 6th time, and reiterated the same claims of satisfaction to customers. This was upsetting, since it didn't seem to be true, so, I put in a call to the SEARS Blue Crew Home Repair spoke to a “real person,” and also left a message that we wanted a new refrigerator because ours was still not working properly. I also called SEARS in Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, WA and left a message with an “apparel manager” that was filling in for the large appliance manager.

The next day my husband and I went to talk to the large appliance manager, **. He had not read the e-mail from the apparel manager yet. I told him that I had requested a new refrigerator on the last day of our warranty with both his department at Southcenter, Tukwila and with Customer Service repair people.

** seemed sincerely interested in helping us with our problem and said he understood. He was very polite and professional and we felt like we were finally talking to someone that believed our problems with the refrigerator. He said he had also had trouble with a refrigerator he purchased from Home Depot, and that it wasn't just SEARS appliances. It did, however, make me wonder why he had purchased a refrigerator at Home Depot when he was the manager of large appliances at SEARS!

NOTE: There is a guy that works here that had bought a refrigerator at HOME DEPOT with the same exact problem we had, and they actually replaced his refrigerator with THREE DIFFERENT ones in 4 months until he was satisfied. I do not know what the outcome for ** when he had the dysfunctional refrigerator from Home Depot. ** sent an e-mail to his supervisor and said we should be contacted by him within a couple of days. He said there probably wouldn't be a problem in replacing our refrigerator. But **'s supervisor never called (no one did, including the SEARS Blue Crew Home Repair.

On Sept 18th, 2011, my husband, (2nd time), went back to see ** in person at SEARS. His response was that his supervisor had not responded to his e-mail, but that he had been informed that we had to have 4 service calls plus 4 parts replaced before a refrigerator would be replaced. ** said that this policy was new to him and he had not been made aware of this new change. He told my husband to send in the original receipt of the refrigerator.

As of today, Sept. 22nd, 2011, we still haven't heard from the SEARS Blue Crew or **'s supervisor. IS IT SEARS NEW POLICY TO PROLONG OR IGNORE THE CUSTOMERS UNTIL THEY GIVE UP HOPE? My opinion is that it seems to be their policy to be VERY persistent when your warranty is coming to an end so they can get more money from you, but not to be persistent when you need something.

Although I had already told SEARS that I wasn't going to buy the extended warranty, they kept calling us, after I had told them, “no thanks.” The very next day after my husband spoke to ** the 2nd time, SEARS called us again to extend our warranty and although I had no intention of extending our warranty, I asked them about customer satisfaction and getting a replacement for your refrigerator if not satisfied. They said the policy was 4 service calls and that you DID NOT HAVE TO HAVE 4 PARTS REPLACED to get another refrigerator that was satisfactory to the customer. They, of course, was NOT aware of our situation. Uhm… different responses for different circumstances.

SUMMARY: We, the consumers, have a right to educate ourselves about misleading claims that companies make, either in writing or verbally. If it's a verbal promise, a good company would honor it. This is our experience and we wanted to share it with those who might have the same problem with SEARS.

I'm sure there are a lot of satisfied customers buying large appliances from SEARS, but our experience has left us very disappointed. We were told for 7 months that nothing was wrong with our refrigerator until the “history of the bad freezer model” was revealed before we were taken seriously. Now it's happening again and we feel like they don't believe or care. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH SEARS!!!!!

We just bought our first home last year and had to buy most all appliances. Our first experience with Sears delivery was very good. Our 2ND avoided disaster because luckily our contractor was there when they delivered and attempted to install the washer/dryer. The delivery guys were saying that we were not hooked up to a water source or something to that effect.

Our contractor figured out the problem immediately fixed what ever very minor issue there was and the delivery guys then installed the washer/dryer with no problem. Had my contractor not been on-site though, their knowledge was extremely limited and it could have been a problem as ugly as the one I'm about to describe in this post. However, our Dishwasher was installed by I think a subcontractor of Sears who was excellent. So overall my experiences with Sears was just okay at that point.

Now here's where my Sears Delivery/installation experience gets as hairy as the experiences others have written about on this site. I ordered the Kenmore Pro 36" duel fuel freestanding stove. I have been eyeing this stove for a long time and finally took the plunge and purchased it when it went on sale... I ordered it online with next day delivery. The delivery guys, number one, did not have the 60" gas connector I had also ordered.

Okay I let go of the frustration of just having lost $14.98 because of their inadequacy, and also because at that point my main concern was to get the stove installed and running and I apparently already had a gas connector that was fine. Then they installed the 30 amp cord onto the stove and told us that we would need an electrician to get us the 220 volt line installed (we had a standard 110 outlet... my command of electrical speak is limited).

Fine, we called a wonderful electrician who did a great job. He told us that the cord Sears installed on the stove (they install it upon delivery)was no longer used for stoves and was not up to current code. The electrician installed the correct 30 amp up-to-code cord on the stove. We were thrilled. I decide I'm going to roast a chicken in my new electric oven that evening. I do everything the instructions say and after waiting ten minutes no heat. I try several times, still no heat. Sears customer service was great... they offered to deliver a new stove.

Here's where the real delivery/installation nightmare starts... The delivery comes as scheduled. They hall away the defective stove and I ask them to use the cord my electrician had installed. They said no they can't do that. They install instead a 50 amp cord and tell me that the electrician got it all wrong and that they can not hook it up and to get the electrician back to correct his mistake and then to call Sears back to have them come back and install the stove. I call my electrician in a panic as I really know nothing of any of this technical stuff at that point (this experience of course gave me a crash course!)

My electrician says he followed the instructions provided with the stove to a T. I go and find the instructions and sure enough he is right... the instructions specifically calls for a 30 amp cord NOT a 50 amp cord. My electrician explains that 50 amp is used for all-electric stoves and since this is only partially electric (oven) then only 30 amp is required. I call Sears up and explain all of this to them and they say I'll receive a call as to whether someone can get back to my home in the same day or not.

I get a call from the same delivery guy that delivered the stove that morning, insisting he cannot come back and that no one can come back and to call Sears to schedule for the next day. I call Sears very frustrated explaining the whole situation yet again. In the meantime, I get my electrician over who installs the 50 amp outlet box so that the big 50 amp cord the delivery guy incorrectly installed can be plugged in... my electrician said it would not hurt the stove because he did the wiring for that outlet to accommodate 30 amps... We do the 50 amp outlet box since Sears installed the big 50 amp cord.

Finally Sears Delivery manager calls and says the guy that delivered my stove will be over in 10 minutes. The delivery guy arrives and seems very frustrated that he had to come back and he completely discards the fact that he installed the incorrect cord and has me test the stove so that he will not be liable if anything goes wrong with the stove. Fine, I do it.

But then he has the nerve to BEG me to give him a good review when Sears calls the next day for a rating of the delivery/installation experience. His only saving grace in this story is that he did give me the 60" gas connector I had ordered that the first delivery crew did not have with them... at least I will be able to go to a Sears store and return it.

I was in shock at his overall very disrespectful attitude and more so for his not willing to correct the situation let alone admit to the fact that he did not know his product. He was very obsessed with not wanting to take responsibility for his mistake by not answering my questions regarding putting the wrong cord on my stove and he was also very obsessed with not wanting to test the stove so that he would not be deemed liable if the stove did not work or if anything broke as a result of testing it. But he very blatantly had the nerve to literally BEG me for a good customer service review.

So as far as I can tell, the oven and stove appear to work fine now but I am completely disgusted with Sears delivery/installation team. I had to miss a whole day of work because of the delivery guys incompetence and lack of caring to know what he is doing. I lost a days pay because I had to stay home and call my electrician while going back and forth with Sears. SHAME on SEARS for allowing this kind of service!!! I read countless other stories that sounded even more brutal than mine on this site. It is so sad and shameful to see such rampant incompetence.

I hope I made a good purchase and I hope I do not have to deal with any defects on this stove. With this kind of service it is hard to feel confident of anything Sears installs or sells for that matter. I hope Sears does something to make sure their staff are trained at reading the products instructions so as to avoid others having to deal with as much incompetence as I dealt with yesterday. Had they installed the correct cord on my stove,

I could have gone to work yesterday but instead I lost a whole days pay calling Sears and my electrician who also had to deal with Sears incompetence! My electrician was kind enough to not charge me for the extra visit but it wasted his day as well as mine. This is not an inexpensive stove and to have to deal with such vast incompetence is absolutely unacceptable!

GREENVILLE, TEXAS -- I purchased a Sears Kenmore Sewing Machine in 1996, my 3rd, which was my 1st top loading bobbin. My previous models were front loading bobbin's & holder constructed out of stainless steel. This newer model purchased the bobbin holder is constructed out of plastic. Today I contacted the Sears Customer Relations Center & spoke with the 1st Rep. & was told the manufacturer was Electrolux Home Appliance. He & I became into a heated debate when he implied that I the Consumer, misused the machine to cause the defect which is causing my machine not to pass the top thread to catch the bobbin thread & allow the machine to sew.

As I EXPLICITLY explained to this Rep. when you have a plastic bobbin holder which has been hitting against a fixed stainless steel niche, something that is TOTALLY out of my hands, the vibration of the machine itself, something again I am unable to control.

As I stated to him my previous machines were constructed of ALL stainless steel as the bobbins were stainless steel. The roughness of the plastic hitting against the stainless steel has now totally prevented me from sewing on my machine, as none of the top thread with catch the bobbin thread, without making a disaster inside the bobbin holder. He again implied that I did not maintain my machine properly. I asked him if he sewed? He replied no.

I then told him that I felt I had been Deceived as a Consumer on a Fixed Income & since my illness has caused me to lose 25 lbs. I only wanted to sew my size Sm clothing into a smaller size to fit me & he remarked that he did NOT care about my clothing or the fact that I did NOT have monies to purchase new clothing since I am on Social Security. I then told him that had I known at the time of my purchase in 1996 that the vibrating of this machine would cause the bobbin holder to hit the metal niche, I would have purchased "another brand sewing machine" with a metal bobbin holder.

I asked him WHO the manufacturer was & was told Electrolux Home Appliance made this machine. HE LIED. We then got into pricing particulars, MANUFACTURER PRICING & STAMPINGS OF PLASTIC PARTS ~vs~ stainless steel costs & WHY Sears chose to allow their manufacturer representative & vendor to shift from a stainless steel bobbin holder to a plastic holder. This Rep said it was to make the machine itself "lighter".

I INFORMED him that the millimeter weight he "thought" made it weighed less, was actually charged MORE in the CONSUMER'S POCKETBOOK. The Cost Savings Analysis was actually passed onto Sears, that is why they approved the deal & went plastic for a part that was stamped in a tool & die shop for 2Cents on the American dollar & the replacement part is now being sold for $11.99, as it becomes defective from hitting the stainless steel part attached to the machine.

This bobbin holder has NO part number which a Owner/Consumer can look up on their manual which also states, we have a FULL 25 YEAR WARRANTY ON DEFECT IN MATERIAL OR WORKMANSHIP, which appear in the internal mechanical part of the sewing machine. This Rep hung up on me before I could even tell him of this FACT. He has a name, I will leave him nameless.

I called back & spoke with another Rep & another & then demand to speak to her Supervisor after I obtained her location & ID# & that Supervisor also refused to allow me to speak with his over all Supervisor & HUNG UP ON ME, after telling me to either buy a new part or buy a new machine.

I used to work for a Manufacturer's Representative in Detroit, Michigan, he Repped a Stamping plant that made the GM Cadillac Emblems so I know how the game is played, & how corporate companies underbid each other to obtain the job & in this case the "plastic bobbin holder" which replaced the stainless steel bobbin holder which I have found out the hard way & at my expense to be DEFECTIVE PART marketed & sold by the Sears & Roebuck Retail Stores to Consumers like myself.

As I told Each & every Representative I spoke to today 11/29/2008, I am NOT the only Consumer that IGNORANTLY purchased sewing machine model 385.16524000. However most ignorant persons who sew & that includes myself, as my machine prior to this purchase in 1996 had technical problems, so what did I do, I just threw it away & drove to Sears & forked over my money & bought a brand new machine... because that it what IGNORANT people do. We throw away the old & buy brand NEW & companies like Sears love to see us come through "their" front door.

But when we call "their" telephone lines with OUR COMPLAINTS, legitimate complaints, they don't want to hear about it. And when their smart mouthed Customer Service Reps tell you to contact the Manufacturer & they LIED TO YOU from the very GET GO, that just tells me just how much more deceiving this company is. WHY should I complain to the Manufacturer when Sears is WHO sold me, the Consumer, a 3 time Customer of their sewing machines not to mention, vacuum cleaners, washers, dryers, lawn equipment, Craftsman tools, home decor, furniture, need I go on?

Customer Service Representative when they are addressing a Customer and they have the name of the Customer & that Customer is a WOMAN, DO NOT ADDRESS THE WOMAN AS "MS. **" 3 times in a row & have me correct you 3 times until I explode! I do NOT sound like a MAN when I speak & then hang up on me. These Sears Reps are HEARTLESS, REITERATING their notes that I have great problems a Consumer on a Fixed Income & since 1985 my illness has caused me to lose 20 lbs. in the last 6 months. I only wanted to sew my size Small clothing into a smaller size to fit me & he remarked that he did NOT care about my clothing or the fact that I did NOT have monies to purchase new clothing since I am on Social Security.

My MRI says I have Cysts in my spinal discs & ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS MAKE MY CLOTHING FIT. When I told the last of these Sears Reps that Singer still sold a machine that had a stainless steel bobbin holder, but due to my IGNORANCE at the time of my purchase, plastic hitting metal was going to make the edge rough & NOT allow the thread to draw the bobbin thread up into the feed & allow me the Purchasing consumer to sew happily. THAT IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND FLAW WHICH HAS PREVENTED ME FROM SEWING. It is not from abuse. It is not because the holder is broken. It is not because my machine has not been maintained.

This is because this particular machine, which cannot even be found upon the Sears.com website, which only leads me to also believe that it also may have design flaws, which is what corporate companies do when products are NOT free from defect and Consumers have bought and paid their hard earned monies.

Each & every time the subject of a Court of Law was brought up, such as how a court of law would look at this particular claim of action the legal terminology is reviewed as "deceptive trade act" the Customer Service Rep immediately ended my call after I was asked if I had plans on contacting a lawyer. My response was, "you would hardly be the person to remedy this issue, as you do not have the authority to do so" and they hung up. Anyone who deems this information a legal worthy matter, please contact me at **.