Sears
Reviews and Complaints

I purchased a self propelled Sears Craftsman lawn mower one years ago. That means, this is the second season I have used it. I paid $300 for this mower.

It is a model # 917.377842, 6.5HP Honda engine, and "features" easy height adjustment with one lever each for the front and back wheels (2 levers).

The steel levers slip into slots on the aluminum deck (can you see this train wreck coming?). Thus, after 1 1/2 seasons of adjusting the wheels for various conditions (wet - mow low, dry - mow high), the freaking levers no longer say in the aluminum slots because (are you listening, sears engineers?), steel tends to wear away aluminum, and now the slots are not able to contain the levers and the mower is constantly falling to it's lowest position, scalps the lawn, and what a mess that makes.

Guess what? One year warranty! The "helpful" sears service associate suggested I buy an extended warranty for this mower. The price? $ 300!

So, just into the second season, the options are to either buy a complete new deck (which will probably last another season or so), or buy a new mower.

I won't be buying anything from sears (it doesn't deserve capitalization) and now I realize that the name "craftsman" is Chinese for "cheap."

Too soon old, too late smart.

Bought a Kenmore 370, no problems yet with the appliance, but I am hoping I can stop anyone else from getting ripped of with installation. For less than 2 hours of work I was charged $530 by the installer, which was a lot, but I just wanted this thing done with... the I find out Sears bill me on top of that, $130. Get your OWN plumber / or other appliance installer, NEVER use Sears - they charge YOU the finders fee, apparently.

Two years ago I bought what I thought was going to be a way better lawnmower than what I ever had before. It was a Craftsman Mower, 6.75 Horsepower, self propelled, 21" cut. Model # 917.370730, Out of the box it broke, Little things inside shattered. Took it to Sears, where they fix nothing. Sent to Pittsburgh PA, It stayed for a LONG time. Eventually It came back, and 15 minutes after using it, it broke again. Same things broke! (Remember this fact, you won't believe what happens). I got it back in time to put it up for winter. This year I fire it up, and it is really acting up. I order a tune up kit and a new Blade. After the new blade I take it into the yard and it breaks again! Back to Sears. Now it gets bad. It is out of warranty. I complain that it spent more time in the shop than in the yard. Local Sears guys agree. Off to Pittsburgh it goes! They call after a few days and tell me the shaft is bent and it will cost me $130.00 to fix it. I am furious. I begin the corporate run around. One obscure department head tells me this, "If it (mower) is out of warranty, Sears washes their hands of it." I am given a number to the "Lawn Equipment Recovery Department", the last place I am told, I can contact. The lady on the other side listens, calls Pittsburgh, then tells me I am without satisfaction. She goes on to say that the reason Sears will do nothing for me is because the mower was not in the shop ENOUGH, and that the history she reads about it shows that the same parts were replaced again and again, (DUH), which shows her I USED the mower. (WOW). I ask for some kind of relief, none is forthcoming. I am stuck with a defective product.

This is a major complaint that needs addressed because of the defect in your Kenmore Side by Side refrigerator continues to break. I purchased model 253.5466340A in Nov. of 2005. In Dec. 2006 the water arm paddle broke off when I pushed a glass against it. I was highly disappointed with the quality of the material used to make this piece, a cheap plastic. Since the 1 year warranty expired a month earlier, I had to pay $235.67 for parts and labour to fix it. But I thought OK now this should be good for 15 or 20 years. But I was wrong. In July of 2008 the exact same watering arm piece snapped off again and broke while someone was pressing against it with a glass to get water. This design must be defective, the materials used to make it sub par. You expect a major purchase like this to last years. I was hesitant to buy Kenmore because I didn't think it was known as a strong, dependable brand. However after visiting the store and talking with a salesman I was convinced otherwise and purchased a stove, dishwasher and refrigerator. I'm beginning to regret this. I'm in need of a washer & dryer and was considering shopping at Sears but my confidence is lacking. I cannot spend $235 every year to have this water arm replaced. Your company needs to come up with a new piece that can be installed so this won't happen again. I'm sure you have other complaints from people who have this model, I've read the blogs. This defect needs to be corrected. Please provide a solution to this problem that won't cost me additional monies out of pocket. If I spend $235 to fix this (only to have it break in a year again), it will nearly have cost half of what I paid for the refrigerator to begin with and it is only 3 years old. I would appreciate your immediate and thorough attention in solving this matter. Thank You.

I have automatic payments scheduled to Sears Mastercard to avoid late fees and hassles in general. Apparently, Sears is going directly after folks like me. My May bill was due [protected]. My June bill was due on [protected]! My July bill is due [protected]! My account was credited with a payment on [protected], but I was charged a late fee of $39.00 and late charges on my balance. Of course I called and had the charges removed, which was done, but there are several issues here that just make me sick. The culprit, according to Sears, is a 20 billing cycle to adjust for accounting stuff. I was told by the account rep or whatever she was, that it was due to a 'walking' billing cycle and the way the days of the week were (she actually said this). She also told me I was free to go to their website to check on billing cycles and such. I told her I shouldn't have to worry about a company shifting their billing cycle and that their accounting adjustment was designed to charge late fees and penalties to those of us who pay on a schedule like online banking. This accomplishes a couple of important things for Sears. First, Sears gets late fees and penalties for those who don't look at their bills for whatever reason, thinking that automatic payments have them covered. Sears also charges penalties on the amount owed, so Sears gets an extra month or so in interest charges (but I think technically, they are not interest charges). Also, for those trusting souls who transferred balances at sweetheart deals when credit cards were begging to have you transfer them, they now have to pay the highest rates chargeable for the remaining balances! How's that for rewarding responsibility? Anyway, check your latest billing to see if this rotten company caught you in their trolling nets. I'm canceling my Sears Mastercard, but I think I should at least try and warn the world of responsible consumers that their credit card companies are out to get them.

Our 7 year old Kenmore washer, on which we are forced to have an extended warranty because it is such a piece of trash, broke for the umpteenth time 5 weeks ago. Sears sent a tech, who could not repair it, and who could not persuade Sears to replace it. Instead, Sears will repair it again. I was told my appt would be 10 days later. 10 days later I had 11 parts, but no one came to fix my machine, though I waited home all day and had checked my appt time and called several times during the day to make sure they were indeed coming. The next day, the tech I'd had called back and said no one could come because the part I needed was on back order for at least 10 more days.

So, we waited those 10 days, plus 4 more. Meanwhile, we have received at least 3 calls per day from Sears, wanting to know if we have received all of our parts, and wanting to schedule service on our washer. The same person never calls twice, nor does anyone call back when we are told they will. No one is ever aware that we have already been called, or that we have been waiting for a month now for our washer to be fixed. Sears wants us to wait for over $1000 worth of parts to arrive at our house, then send over 2 repair techs, when they have time, to fix this sucky machine. They won't replace it, even though it would cost them less, because we didn't purchase that type of extended warranty. We won't purchase from Sears again.

Brand new heat pump installed by Sears on Friday is not working. Men from their subcontractor, Triad Heating and Air left at 3:30 on Friday without turning air back on and said they would be back Monday to finish the job. It is the middle of July and in the 90's. They also left all the old equipment sitting out in the middle of my back yard. I called and complained. The owner of Triad came and supposedly turned the air on. It is NOT WORKING as it has been running for 2 days set at 70 and will not cool below 79 although the unit runs constantly costing me who knows how much. I have been on the phone numerous times with the saleman from Sears who says he is not authorized to do anything about this. He says they have no control over the subcontractors.

This unit is either faulty or the installation is faulty or both. Sears says they offer a money back guarantee. I am hoping to get my money back and get everything restored back to the way it was before I ever let them in my house.

I do not recommend doing business with Sears. I won't again.

Sears has just introduced a new maternity line that does not carry plus size maternity. Their previous line of maternity clothing extended to 3x. So, as America gets larger and larger, Sears decides that they will not service this population of women. There are SO FEW places that offer plus size maternity - only JC Penney and Motherhood Plus are the only national retailers I know that carry up to 3x maternity.

I asked Sears customer service repeatedly for their maternity buyer to contact me directly and received a boiler plate canned response in return each time.

Sears, shame on you!

I am writing to tell you about the worst experience I have ever had with any business. On May 2, 2008, My boyfriend and I bought a washer and dryer from your Sears outlet in Melrose Park, IL. We set up the delivery for 5/25/2008. On the 25th, the delivery came as scheduled, however when the installer hooked up the washer, it was leaking water everywhere! Instead of taking it back right away when he was there, he told us we had to go all the way to the store and settle the issue there. We went back to the store and spoke to Juan the supervisor who said that he would give us a new washer and this time it would be tested. I understand that the outlet store products are not brand new but you don't test them to make sure they work before giving them to a paying customer?!

Juan then said that the earliest they could bring the new washer and take the old washer would be on wednesday the 28th. We explained that we would not be home during the day and he said that he would put in a request for evening delivery, since a working washer should have been there the 25th.

On the 28th, I received a call from the delivery men at 9am stating they were in front of my house! I called the delivery company in which you work with and explained that it was an evening delivery and Laura said that there was no such thing as an evening delivery and that they delivery company tells me when they wanna come! Well, I believe that if I buy a product from you and you give me one that doesn't work than I should be accomodated a little better. Laura was very unhelpful and rude. I asked what the point was of having an evening request if no one was going to honor it. Needless to say, I did not get my washer that day. After this horrible experience, we went back to the store to get out money back because we no longer wanted anything from Sears. The extremely incompetant worker at the store said there would be no refund without the washer and dryer and they did not know when they could come and get it! So I couldn't get my money back without giving the products back, but no one could come get the products! That was the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard. Since we really did not have a choice, my boyfriend and I decided to reschedule the delivery considering we had no way to wash our clothes. We set up the delivery for Saturday the 31st.

At 5:30 pm on the 31st, there was still no washer or delivery men! I called the delivery company, who transfered me to someone in Arizona, that said "Oh Ya, Im sorry. The delivery isn't coming today". Not one person called to tell me that the delivery wasn't coming that day. Here we are waiting all day for our washer and its not coming but no one felt the need to inform us that they would not be giving us the washer that we paid for. When I asked why it was not going to be delivered, the person I was speaking with(Jennifer) told me that she had no idea why and had no way of finding out why your store was not delivering my product! I am really glad that the people that take care of customer service have no idea how to tell a customer why she is not getting the washer that has already been paid for. When I told her that I would just go to the store and get the washer, Jennifer stated that she did not know where my washer was and there was no one there who could find out. At this point I was livid and extremely upset. How can a company take you rmoney for a product and then refuse to give it to you?! Not only refuse to give it to you but not tell you why?

A short while later, Jennifer called me back to tell me that the reason I was not getting my washer was because someone overseas had screwed up. She then explained that the earliest delivery date was June 3rd, which was a tues. I was going to be at work that tues, so the earliest I could now have the washer delivered was june 7th! That is 18 days after buying the washer!

The next day(Sun) I called the Sears store and spoke with Barb. I told her my situation and told her I would be coming to get the washer as opposed to delivery. She checked with the warehouse and told me that the washer was there and I could pick it up. My boyfriend and I had to borrow a truck to go and pick it up. When we arrived at the store, the washer we had picked out had a huge dent in the front that had not been there before! The nightmare continues! Barb said that we could not exchange the washer. So after waiting almost 2 weeks for a washer, we have go home with a damaged one. Honestly, By this point I didn't even care, as long as I never had to deal with Sears or there delivery company again!

A few days later, A delivery truck pulls in front of our house and is supposed to be deliverying our washer! Because we are honest people we informed the delivery men that we already had our washer. We could have been dishonest and kept the extra washer for out troubles.

I have never wrote a letter complaining of a business before but this experience was just too horrific to keep to my self. During all this trouble and inconvenience, not one person from you store offer to compensate us in any way. We spent a lot of money on this washer and dryer and feel that we should be refunded some of our money back. Plus we had to go and pick up the washer ourselves, yet we still paid for delivery fees! I have since had friend looking to go to Sears for products, but after hearing my experience, they decided to go elswhere. I want you to know that I will NEVER, EVER shop at ANY Sears for ANYTHING again! I am completely disgusted with your store and the way you do business. I will also be forwarding this letter to the Better Business Bureau if possible. I understand that your delivery service is contracted but they are still using you company name(Sears Home Delivery). I believe that either Sears or the delivery service should be more accomodating and I would like to be fairly compensated for the stress, inconvenience, and trouble that was caused.

I placed an order on their website at the end of May. I was charged a delivery of $65.00. Sears made a $1.00 run on my card to make sure it was valid then didn't hear from them. I called and was told the item was out of stock in my area. After numerous e-mails back and forth, they advised me my order was cancelled because the item was no longer available. Their website still lets me order it in my zip code Yesterday I spoke to a manager of their Lawn and Garden dept in South.Fla who assured me they had 3 of those in stock. Sears refuses to ship it to me in Atlanta. This is 2008, we do have ground shipping available in this country and as a matter of fact all over the world. Sears has no interest in Customer satisfaction.

Sears...what can one say? They seem to have good prices on their appliances and their service technicians promise nothing but the best, but what do you get? If you aren't careful, you get ripped off!

We called Sears for an estimate to repair the dishwasher purchased from them two years ago. We scheduled an appointment for Wednesday, which is the only day they come to our area. The repairman came and gave an estimate of $287 to repair the machine but informed us that the part had to be ordered. According to him, our options were: a. Choose to have the repair made. We call Sears to schedule it and the service charge for his visit that day will be deducted from the estimated price, or b. Choose to replace the dishwasher. We use the receipt and envelope he provides for $65 off a new one purchased from Sears. He said I had 2 weeks to make the decision, so I paid the $69.22 service charge.

Our research indicated that the repair option was best as the $65 could only be applied to an appliance costing much more. I scheduled the repair the next day and asked if the repairman would bring the part as it was not a part they carry in the truck. Customer service assured me he would.

The next Wednesday, two repairmen arrived...neither of whom was the person who had been here initially. They were unaware that we had already been given an estimate. They confirmed it on their computer and informed me that they did not have the part as it had not been ordered and I would have to pay for it to be shipped directly to my home. Another appointment would be scheduled for installation the next week. I inquired about the guarantee to deduct the $69.22 from the cost. They agreed this was correct but it was to be applied to the labor cost. My receipt shows that the balance owed when they returned to install the part would be $71.12. I paid $140.81 for the part.

The part arrived in the mail within a few days, but the man who came to install it was not one of the previous three. He installed the part and attempted to use his laptop computer to print the receipt, but claimed his computer had no reception in the house so he went outside to his truck to charge my Discover card and print the receipt. I followed him and signed the receipt outside.

After he left, I discovered I had paid $149.33. He had not deducted the $69.22 from the charge. I called the phone number on the receipt but was told that I had been charged correctly and nothing could be done. I asked to speak to someone else and was transferred from one person to another often being put on hold for up to 20 minutes at a time. Finally I was told that a message was left for the billing department and they would call me back.

I waited six days for that call and none came, so I called again and got the same run around. I am unsure how many calls I made because for some reason I kept getting mysteriously disconnected. I had to go back over the same questions with whomever answered each call. Eventually I was transferred to someone who seemed very understanding. She agreed that I was correct and promised a credit would be applied to my Discover card and a customer service person would call within 24 hours to tell me when the credit would appear.

After two weeks, there has been no call and no credit. I called again and asked to speak to the last person who spoke to me. The standard answer was given that they have no way of knowing who it was, despite the fact that the one "understanding" person claimed to be able to trace back all the calls I had made. (Maybe I was transferred to the "patronizing department.") I asked once again to speak to A & E Services (the people who actually do the repairs) but was told that I was already speaking to them. I asked again to be transferred to a supervisor. Instead I was put on hold for over 20 minutes. When a new voice answered, I had to go through the whole list again of my phone number, name and address and problem. This person put me on hold and eventually came back to tell me that she "tried to contact the billing department but they weren't answering their phone, so (she) left a message for them to call me." I am not holding my breath.

I looked on line for a place to direct my complaint and found that there were innumerable complaints similar to mine. One person told that he received his $69 back after filing a complaint with his state attorney general. I am following his lead.

I anticipated a pleasant day at Sears in Laguna Hills, but a rude employee threatened to call the "security" police because I had my sweet golden retriever with me.

I didn't see a "NO Pets" sign on the entry door. (She's welcome at Macy's and Nordstrums, why not.) I walked past several registers, bought my $300 vacuum and none of the employees objected. That's when one of the "Brand Central Lead" personnel began yelling at me and telling me I had to leave immediately. His voice echoed throughout the department as he bullied me with his unprofessional behaviour. Though I had no problem if Sears refused pets in their store, I wanted to explain. That's when he leaped for a phone to call police "Security."

If customers aren't treated with respect at Sears, I'm not sure I want to shop there again.

I bought a lot of hand tools from Sears based on their lifetime warranty just in case something breaks and needs replacement. Well my Craftman rachet wrench (the one with a round knob used to drive small sockets) broke the other day and I took it to the Eastland Mall in Charlotte to get a replacement. The guys at the return counter said no way since they don't make them anymore. After an escalation to the department manager named Robin Carlton, she would not give me an equivalent wrench which consists of a rachet and an extention - instead offered me a small rachet wrench which does not do me any good without the extention. I refused to buy the extention from Sears and later bought one from Husky tool instead. It's only a few dollars to buy an extension rod but the experience left a sour taste in my mouth. The lengthy wait, the take it or leave it attitude of those Sears employees add to the fact that the Sears Craftman tool lifetime warranty is basically worthless. I was going to contact the Sears Customer Relation dept to complain but after reading the horror stories about them I've decided not to waste my time. Instead I've decided not to ever buy from Sears again.

Dean Tong

Sears is a horrible company. I worked there for a year and there is so much drama and unfairness. First they make almost everyone in the store get credit apps and warranties etc. If you don't meet their unrealistic goals of one credit app per hour, you get written up and eventually fired. They also like to fire employees without warning and for tiny little mistakes that most other companies would just talk to their workers about. The Sears I worked at, (#2278) had horrible management as well. Managers took at least 7 breaks a day to smoke or eat or whatever, while the employees often missed lunches etc. and still had to punch out for them. The managers also hire people that they are friends with, and pay them more than other workers even though they have no previous experience or skills. Bottom Line: Don't even bother applying to Sears. They will use you and never appreciate you.

I bought a sears kenmore front loading washing machine with a 5 year extended warranty. From the beginning, it breaks down every six to eight months. When I call the service to get it repaired, sometimes they come and sometimes they do not. When I call to complain it they don't arrive, they tell me that the technician called the house and there was no answer! I explain that I was home waiting for them and that I need to have my washing machine fixed. They try to get in contact with the supervisor of the techs and put me on hold. Then they come back and apologize and say they could not reach the supervisor, reschedule the appointment. Some of the technicians get upset if you ask them for identification, especially if they are not wearing a sears uniform. They automatically leave if they don't have their ID and you have to reschedule. Meanwhile, your machine is not working and you cannot wash your dirty clothes. Beware of sears extended warranty.

Warning! Do not purchase anything from sears! I purchased the kenmore elite stainless steel refrigerator with ice machine in sept. 2006. Within that time the ice machine had to be replaced 6 times. It basically broke every 3 months. There customer service is absolutely horrific. They give you the runaround about everything and their service people are very rude and just try to sell you things. They told me since I had so many problems with this that they were going to replace the whole thing but what I had to do was have one more service call which I did where as the service man told them that it yet again was broken and had to be replaced. Afterwards no one returned my calls as they had promised to do and I was told that their "one source" department no longer supported the sears store that I purchased my fridge from so they were closing the case. What a nightmare. I warn all consumers to avoid sears at all costs. I am also reporting them to the bbb for their terrible business practices. They should not be able to get away with ripping people off like this.