Sears
Reviews and Complaints

Over the holidays I ordered a hot water heater from Sears on line. The installation fee seemed reasonable to I ordered that as well. They promise next day installation but since my existing unit is still functional I was not worried about it. The installers contacted me about doing a pre-installation evaluation and I agreed. Where they found several items that nearly doubled the cost of the install. A couple of things seemed over priced but reasonable. However they told me that the pipe that exited the pressure valve could not have more than 2 90 degree turns in it by "city code" and would have to be reworked. Takes minimum of 4 to go in and out of the wall outside and they were only eliminating one? So the next day I contact the city and a house inspector that is in the family only to find out this claim is bogus. I also take the time to price some of the accessories that Sears insisted that I needed to buy to find that they sold me a $20 drip pan for $80. So I return everything but the water heater without issue planning to hire my own plumber. Someone who has a busted water heater an is desperate would most likely have been ripped of for several hundred dollars. To add insult to injury I go to pickup the water heater from Sears and after an hour they tell me that they cannot find it. After another 30 minutes I get a very nice store manager to ensure that the water heater is also removed from my credit card.

I made an appointment to have sears come and check my washing machine that quit working. I was told the tech would show up between 8 am - 5 pm..., apparently I wasted my whole day for nothing because the tech never showed up.. I called sears reair customer service several times to verify if he would show up and customer service always had an excuse for him being late and kept showing up and said he will be there soon or he is on his way. I never received a phone call from the technician. I gave up when I realized it was 8:30 pm and the tech still wasn't here. I can't be how unprofessional sears is and how they allowed this kind of behavior! Now I have to waste more of my time trying to find someone else to repair my washer and pray I won't have to go through this all over again!

I purchased this item (Kenmore Elite 12789) in September '13. It has a leaking problem. A technician has been to my home to service this product twice. The first time he found nothing but tightened a few screws. The second time the technician "fixed" the float. The third time ... well, we will see.
It is a tremendous waste of time to wait for a technician. It is a pain in backside to wait one to two weeks for a Saturday appointment.
I am not a happy customer. I asked Sears for a refund - that would be a no go. The "customer service" at Sears explained that we did not have any parts replaced; that was the technician's call. Anyone else see a problem with that? (In short, to qualify for replacement the technician must order replacement parts a fixed number of time within a given period of time. That is so bogus it boggles the imagination.)
It used to be - way back - that Sears was a company that one could count on. Those days are long over. I have had problems with other Sears products (tractor, snow blower, &c) along the lines of finding replacement or maintenance parts at my local Sears. The "BRICK AND MORTAR" store no longer carries the parts necessary to maintain the products I purchased from them. When I called Sears they told me they could get the products in question to my local store within a week. BIG DEAL! I can order replacement parts through amazon.com for up to 66% off the Sears price and have them delivered to my door for free!
I am done with Sears customer service. I am done with Sears. I am going to have to look into an alternate method of getting a refund for this product.
Meanwhile I will just have to wash dishes by hand ... Oh well, at least I do not leak.
BTW, after looking through the internet a bit I found an unexpectedly high number of complaints about Sears. I guess I should have done more research before buying the product. Fool me once ...

I bought on line a washing machine and paid for delivery and installation, an extra $69.95. The online description says that the deliverer will hook up / install electric clothes washer (top load) . The deliverer refused to hook up either the drain or the water supply. He claimed that the hoses were "old" ones and would not fit the washer. Since I had not ordered "new" ones, he would not connect the washer to the water supply. I connected the existing water hoses myself, it took 15 minutes. The "old" ones were Maytag hoses and fitted perfectly. I complained to customer service about the lack of installation and was told repeatedly that Sears would not connect "old" hoses for reasons of health and safety. I was told that I had to order installation separately and to buy new hoses. None of this is specified in the on line description. The customer service representative just kept reading the same script and refusing to accept the on line version.
My mood was not helped by the inability of Sears to deliver the machine on the day promised. They claimed that my address was "bad" though it is the regular mailing and parcel delivery address. After 3 phone calls, I got delivery 3 days later.

Sears claims on their website that they will deliver and install a hot water heater the same day if ordered before 12 noon. My purchase was completed by 9:30AM and was told that someone would contact me to set a time for installation before 12. No calls so I called the dispatch department at Sears they place me on hold and told me that although they could not contact the contractor on the phone that they left a detailed message that I must be contacted so they could install the product. They gave me his number and I tried several times each time being told that the mailbox was filled therefore no message could be left. When I finally got in contact with the contractor he told me he was not the installer and gave me some other guy's number. I called the other guy and he said Sears does this all the time and they should have never said he was coming today the earliest would be Monday. Again another call to Sears Customer Service and they claimed to have another contractor ready to do the installation. This contractor also told us it would not be done same day. Yet again a call to Sears where I was treated to 3 hang ups and when I did talk to someone who wouldn't hang up they came up with every excuse imaginable why it would not be done same day after telling me in the morning that it would be done. Finally spoke to a team manager who I proposed several reasonable solutions which she turned down unable to come to a compromise (she wanted to offer me a Sears gift card for $75 as if I would actually shop again at Sears after all this) I stopped my order found a plumber who came at 8PM tonight and beat the Sears price with a better rated Hot Water Heater. Sears took what should have been a restful day off and turned it into the most stressful consumer experience.

I have a Kenmore electric range that I bought about 4 years ago - model # 790.[protected]. I was cooking a casserole today when I heard a "pop" and smoke started pouring out of the back of my stove. I immediately turned the stove off and turned off the breaker. I then pulled out the stove from the wall and unplugged it and smelled a horrible electric burning smell. My husband came home early and took the top panel off the back of the stove and parts of the circuit board are burned and melted. One of the connectors on the board is all melted as well. I paid over $1000, and more for this stove and the circuit board is burned out? I called Sears and they tried selling me a warranty over the phone for over $250? Are you kidding me? My house could have burned down and they're trying to make a sale? Sometimes, If I am at work, I'll have the kids put a prepared casserole in the over for dinner before I get home. Luckily I was there today, as it could have been tragic if I had been working. I am VERY DISAPPOINTED in Sears and Kenmore. I cannot believe the amount of similar stories that I am seeing regarding this same situation. Is there a recall on this stove? There should be! I could have paid $85 for someone to come out and look at it, along with paying for the $250 warranty, but this is not a misuse situation. this is a serious fire hazard situation and faulty manufacturing on Kenmore and Sears part! Sears should back their service up by fixing this or replacing the unit. However, after reading all the stories, I would be nervous to even use this stove again after the fire. Can anyone help me to figure out the next step? I cannot afford to buy a new stove. This stove was barely 4 years old and this should not have happened for this new of a stove. I have a husband and % children that I prepare meals for and I need a working stove. I did take several pictures of the damage for proof. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Purchased dishwasher and protection plan. Dishwasher installed 12/18/2013. On 1/5/2014 dishwasher has a major leak. Called for repairs but nothing could be scheduled until 1/14/2014. Past experience tells me that parts will then have to be ordered and another lengthy delay for final repairs. This delay is unacceptable for a brand new dishwasher, and customer service on the phone was non-existent.

My parents purchased a Kenmore Elite dishwasher for me last Christmas .A couple of weeks ago a small rubber fitting blew out.

I called 1-888-Kenmore to see about getting a new piece. I was told to get that piece I would have to purchase the entire pump assembly for $200 because it was (barely) out of the 1 year warranty. This didn't sound correct so I called back again the next day. Another rep verified that the dishwasher had a 2 year warranty on the part, but required a $75 service call to fix the dishwasher.

I called back again to schedule said appointment and verified again the part was under warranty and the repair cost was $75. The rep did confirm this information and made an appointment. Several days later when a repair man arrived he informed me that the service call was entered incorrectly and it showed that I had to pay approx. $250 for the parts and $250 for labor.

I then called 1-888-Kenmore back immediately to correct the situation. The rep that I reached had a very thick accent (foreign) and couldn't comprehend the situation. She then asked to speak with the repair man who was still at my home. After he tried to explain the situation to her, she told him she couldn't help and to "have the lady call back tomorrow" and hung up on him.

Then the repair man left. So I called back immediately and spoke with a supervisor. She informed me that the previous reps I spoke with gave me false information and that the parts were covered, but I had to pay the entire labor cost. I told her that was not an adequate solution as I have already spent countless hours on the phone with Kenmore and wasted an entire afternoon on a service call that didn't fix anything.

She said she would escalate the call and someone would call me back to resolve the situation. I never got a call... I posted about my frustrations on Sears and Kenmore's Facebook page and the page administrator did respond and ask for me to email her the details. I did and she replied saying it was forwarded on and I should receive a call by the end of the day.

Nobody called... So I emailed her again the next day, and she told me again that I should be getting a call... Still no call. I then contacted the store manager where the dishwasher was purchased.

He told me to try 1-800-4-my-home to see if they could help. HA! After being transferred a dozen times and disconnected several times I finally reached a gentleman by the name of DeAndre who claimed to be a senior advisor with customer solutions. He listened to my details as I have told a multitude of other reps and finally said "Mam, I understand and I am going to make this right for you." He told me he was entering a new service call that was coded correctly as warranty and was putting in both the notes on my purchase info as well as on the work order that the charges were to be the $75 like I was told twice.

I even got a phone number for him should I have any problems when the repair man arrives... After a little disbelief that the problem was actually taken care of, I called back the number that he gave me and asked for DeAndre. I was informed by the rep who answered the phone that she didn't know who that was and that there was over 350 reps so I couldn't reach him. I then had her check the service call to make sure that it was entered correctly and that the notes were there...

NOPE. He lied! Call was not entered as warranty, no $75 labor charge notes, nothing. I tried explaining what all I have gone through to the rep, but she didn't care.

She said she couldn't help that I had been lied to by previous reps and that there was nothing she could do to help me. I asked to be transferred to someone who could, and the call disconnected, AGAIN. Now let me say this- I didn't yell, cuss, or get nasty with any of the reps. I just kept simply stating my situation over, and over, and OVER again.

I wasn't asking for the moon, just for Kenmore to make right on what they told me twice (no wait, now THREE) times and fix the part under warranty and charge me the $75 to do it. They have no customer SERVICE, just folks who answer the phone and tell you whatever the want and to *** with the results.

This is the most unbelievable experience I have ever had and will never set a foot into another Sears ever again. ...And it is now my mission to tell everyone I possibly can not to buy from Sears or any Kenmore products EVER!

I am looking for anyone who has had a problem with a refund check from sears layaway. Also with there horrible customer service. I am currently having major issues with them waiting for my 500.00$ refund check for two months! So I have called help me Howard and am trying to bring a lawsuit to them. I will need to start a partition to bring to a lawyer! Please email me with contact information if you would like to be apart of this. [protected]@yahoo.com

Consumer beware of sears use of mismatched manufactured dates for a set of 4 tires. — consumer reports recommended michelin primacy mxv4 -225/60r 16 98h for my 1998 lexus ls400. I had a credit with sears of $152 which I decided to use in the purchase of these recommended tires before the credit expired.

I went to the website (Sears.com) to purchase the tires on-line. Even though the local sears was 7 miles away their website (And customer service on the phone) required me to drive to lithonia, georgia to pick up the four tires, over 50 miles from athens and almost 1.5 hour drive. I contacted sears by phone twice (Waiting over 45 minutes on the first call and 22 minutes on the second call), however, they would not allow me to pick up the tires in the athens sears location (And they even confirmed that athens had the tires in stock).

After driving to lithonia and inspecting the four tires, the following manufacture dates appeared on the tires:
Dot # [protected]). The first number being the week of manufacture and the second number being the year of manufacture. The tires even looked different... However, the facility was willing to install them without one mention of the mismatch. I asked the dealer if he could get a matched set... He asked me to come back later in the week. When I told him I lived in athens, ga, he said to check with athens sears to see if they had any of the dates of manufacture matching any of his dates. On the way back to athens I stopped in sears to see if they had a matching set (No), or did they have any tires with dates that would match the ones in lithonia (No). So the athens location said they could not honor the sale of the tires since the website had required me to pick them up in lithonia, otherwise, I would need to request a credit back to my account and then pay the athens sears direct... At a higher price…they are not allowed to match the internet price. — this is a complete failure to communicate and a total failure in customer service.

I have been in the manufacturing business for 45 years and I know that changes will occur in the manufacture from one lot number to another lot number of every product we purchase. When there is a problem, the first thing the manufacturer ask for is the lot number. I am always concerned while driving 65 to 70 mph on a 5 lane highway — is there any other vehicle passing me that may have a tire problem and cause an accident?

Now, my consideration for any future sears auto center purchase and recommendation to go to sears auto center has been totally destroyed!

I feel like the company doesn't consider the employees so its a sales job right? every call that we get we are suppose to ether offer a protection contract or sell them one. We are SALES department so the company gives OUR phone number to ALL customers so that they would call if they have any concern! why is that? because they want our sales scores to go down and not give us the commission we deserve. Anyone can just call in regarding to ANYTHING example broken appliances, credit card inquiries, replacement under contract or warranty, even car services our company offers and its not fair because we have to transfer the call 85% of the time because they aren't even calling for the protection program. The company has set it up that people that have been there longer ALL the calls that they get all day is people wanting to RENEW their contract with a credit card over the phone. What the new people or people that haven't been so long get is all the remainder calls and occasionally one that wants to renew. Last month they lowered our pay, raised our goals and raised commission saying that they are doing a good thing. How can they do a good thing by raising the goals we weren't even meeting to begin with. So all the people that are getting that nice pay are the ones that have been there longer! Makes me sick then they wonder why people are looking for another job!
We have a bunch of departments in my company... when the customer calls all of them transfer it to us SALES. Why I don't know, repairs issue SALES dep, service issue, Sales dept, and most of the times when the customer is having a big problem they transfer them without knowing. WTH so when I answer "thank you for choosing Sears how can I help you?"' the customers like "oh I was just talking to _______ where is she/he?" its so wrong bec my dep is Sales if they aren't renewing that will lower my score and I have to transfer them again to the correct dept which will get the customer angry because they are getting the run around. Im highly upset because I don't know if its lack of training or if the company does it to again ruin our changes to actually get Sales but the people have no clue what they are doing in the other departments and we end up suffering the consequences. The management is horrible! I tried to tell them what is going on and why im not meeting expectations and its because all the cold calls im getting that are unrelated to what I was trained to do. I know life is unfair and we cant expect to be perfect but at least be honest to yourselves that the system set in place is horrible. I already got my first warning and I was in a 60 day probation period and my manager didn't even tell me! I found out 2 weeks later about it. And Sears does not have any customer service nothing has a resolution, people who call are expecting us to do something about their 1 year old fridge that broke (again not my dept) and expect us to do something so when we cant because the company doesn't stand by their products (which btw are mainly Kenmore) they get mad at US? The people there curse all the time and are very loud and don't have our own work stations which means that its pretty much a turn stile job in there people come and go all the time. And I don't blame them ether. Customers have to be transferred at least 3 times before they resolve their issue and sometimes more times and that makes me angry as well. Their health benefits is a rip off! and commission sucks now that we aren't getting commission if we don't meet expectations you know how much money I made for sears and got ZERO commission they are truly ###s and my paycheck is decreasing which means so is the quality of employees lives. They should fix the toilets pluming problems too one day I got off just to see a huge puddle of toilet water in the halls because the toilet was over flowing. Every time I go to the bathroom is stinks like poop because people cant flush because the broken toilet systems its quite disgusting.

i was looking to upgrade my furnace for a more efficient model late in 2012. the sears representative said my current furnace was operating at about a 50% efficiency, and he would recommend a 80% efficient
furnace for a savings of 30% of my propane usage.

after getting the furnace installed 1/13 i made numerous attempts to contact someone about the continued high usage and failure to heat the house the way the old one did. i spoke with a representative about my problem and he sent a contractor out to check the system. they said it was working fine. i continued to have the high usage and tried to contact them again, now i get an email address to send my info. back and forth-back and forth and still no resolution. now it's time to shut off the furnace and use a/c. i can not make any decision until i am using the furnace again. all i can get is email and no solution.

The worst home improvement I've ever experienced in my life. After giving a deposit on May15 2013, I still do not have a door. Ordered the door wrong three times. The people I am dealing with act like this is business as usual. They never call you back when they say they will. Then when I call them, of course always voice mail, I leave message, and when they finally call you back they act as though you making a call thats wasting thier time. Mean while wind and rain are coming thru the old door. When they said they were coming to install the door the first time, July 5th, later than promised by the way, we removed the strom door did some brick point up and prearations for the installation. I don;t know how they stay in bussiness . More to follow.

SearsCard from Citibank allowed unauthorized illegal charges to my credit card. When I saw the illegal charges (made in California, and I wasn't even there) I phoned to correct the issue and close the account. That's where the nightmare begins! Two months later, dozens of emails and approximately 40 phone calls have not resolved the issue. Citibank has denied me access to the account information so that I can either verify or deny the charges and pay the bill. At this point, I will take the ding on my credit report but NOT pay them one cent, even if the charge was legitimate (but, how am I to know if it is MY charge because I have been denied access to the account information)!

Sears/Kenmore produced a looser product. I encourage others to do research before purchasing expensive appliances based upon the name on the product. Sears has chosen to ignore me and I know that I am not the only consumer they have shunned.
I bought a Kenmore Elite side by side at the end of 2003. By the end of 2004 the ice maker that dispenses through the door had failed. Bad design cause door fails to close all the way and ice melts and then refreezes thus burning out the shoot motor for the door. That was over $100.00 for that part however the bad design and repeated repairs would be profiting to Sears technicians and store. The plastic drawer slides crack and broke in the second year. By the time the appliance was 6 years old, that cost $2200.00, completely failed due to the compressor that over heats. The compressor part was $600.00 plus the service call and labor. Since the appliance had already had to have the main control panel replaced in the 3rd year of the use of 2 adults that worked full time and traveled, I decided to roll the appliance into my garage. As consumer, I think that this is excessive repairs on an expensive major appliance.
Sears has had site monitors call me which they have promised to make it right with me as a consumer. The beautiful appliance has now been in storage for 3 years waiting on them to follow through with their promises to make it right. The only thing I have received from them are calls from managers assistants in Texas that are not familiar or versed on the issues and cannot not begin to find my file based on old telephone numbers. It really speaks volume when a big corporation uses a telephone number to identify their customer and product. I have made repeated calls to Sears throughout the many years of having their appliances in my home and there were times that my now ex spouse ordered maintenance or repairs for our appliances throughout our houses and rental properties. It's mind boggling that a retailer cannot find history of service calls and service warranties purchased based on the product and return a simple call.
If you are a complaints monitor for Sears, please don't contact me again with your empty words, just come get the appliance out of my storage. It has been an expensive hunk of problems and no need to make anymore promises to me.
For other consumers, please do lots of research on major appliances before purchasing. Service contracts don't protect the consumer either and fattens the hands of the retailer. Ask your friends and family about brands and about the service technicians because that's important. My purchases throughout the years was because of the added value of the Kenmore Technicians that use to be contentious about good service. The last Sears technician that serviced my dryer because I kept smelling burning smell, over looked the real issue. I decided to purchase new units and gave my working used units to my son. Before he came to get them I so happened to pull the cord off the back panel for safe transport. It became clear why I was smelling the smoke when doing my laundry. It so happens that I got charged for a heating thermostat replacement part that I probably did not need because the technician over looked the 3 prong plug that was arcing and very fortunate my home was not caught on fire..
Appliances are expensive and I hope that this complaint and facts contained will help others in choosing machines for their homes.
Kenmore (SEARS) has been a huge disappointment in customer loyalty, service and product quality.

I brought my 2007 Saturn Relay (minivan) in for wheel alignment and wheel balance (both covered under policies) and to diagnose the "check engine" light. During intake, the serviceman tried convincing me that since the car was front wheel drive, only the 2 front wheels needed to be balanced. I told him that was not true, and to please balance all 4 as the car was handling poorly. When I was finally notified that my car was finished 3 hours later, I was charged $79.99 for the diagnostic but was not informed of this charge when I brought my car in. The work summary showed that only 2 wheels had been balanced, that the alignment check showed that the alignment was out, and their check-sheet further attention is required (orange box was marked) but the alignment was not done. A special note was made that there was uneven tire wear. The list of suggested additional repairs included some relevant work (new spark plugs and wires, air filter and 4-part fuel system cleaning), but also included expensive repairs including a new serpentine belt, upper and lower hoses, and shocks that an independent GM mechanic later stated to be unnecessary. Before leaving Sears, one of their mechanics reviewed the repair suggestions with me but was unable to show me any signs of glazing or cracking in the belt. When I picked up my car and was asked to pay the $79.99, I asked to speak with the shop manager, Harry, who did remove the charge. So, after giving up a half day of my work the only repair that was completed was the balancing of 2 out of the 4 wheels and a diagnosis of a check enging light. The Sears Auto printout shows my check-in time as 11:38am and also check-out time as 11:38am, with promised time of 10:00am. I arrived at 8:20am that day. Sears Auto is failing to make requested repairs that are documented as necessary, and lying to customers about work that is necessary (that rear wheels do not need to be balanced, only when they are rotated around to the front). An independent GM mechanic reviewed Sears' suggestions and stated that the hoses were fine, serpentine belt was in good condition, and that the shocks are gas shocks and look in excellent condition.

We purchased a Kenmore electric range, model 790, on 3/29/2009. We were recently heating something in the oven when the house began to fill with the smell of something overheating, but there was no obvious sign that it was from the oven itself. Within minutes there was a sharp sound from the back control panel of the oven with an bright electrical flash. The panel had burned out. This would seem to be a potential fire hazard, but I've received no notice of any recalls on the product. Fortunately we were home. The stove top still works, but the oven itself is out of commission. I've seen many similar complaints on this forum related to the same product. I'll be reaching out to Sears to see what their remedy is. Clearly this is a defective product that didn't even last five years despite being one of their top of the line models at the time of purchase. I could see if there was an electrical surge, but nothing like that happened in this instance.

- Bought a Maytag dryer last year.
- Since my washer/dryer room is on the second floor and has a rather long and elbowed vent, my previous Kenmore dryer didn't last long. Evidently, I had to clean out the dryer vent every 6 months for long survivability. My dryer lasted 10 years or so only.
- So, when I got this Maytag dryer at Sears, even if Maytag has a very good reputation behind its name, I allowed myself to be convinced to get the Sears Protection Agreement plan, thinking that they would provide for the dryer vent cleaning services yearly for me and I would not have to do the dryer vent cleaning myself.
- The service was provided within a week of my call for protective service. That was on Monday 9/23/2013. My dryer was working just fine but I wanted to avail of the preventive service I had paid for. The serviceman cleaned out whatever lint (and a few escaped coins and stuff from pants pockets) inside the dryer and underneath the drum of the dryer. He said that dryer vent cleaning was not in the service plan.
- Well, I thought I just had to live with that agreement going nowhere towards helping me with the dryer vent problem. I still had to clean it out myself. But I still got preventive care on the dryer itself, right?
- Sadly, when we used the dryer on Wednesday evening 9/25/2013 and Thursday morning 9/26/2013, my dryer was now spewing out damp clothes. Whereas, if I had let it alone, my Maytag was performing beautifully.
- Called Sears again and explained the problem. This time, they couldn't find a schedule for me until a month away.
- Lesson learned: Don't bother with purchasing protection agreement plans, especially, I suppose, with Sears. I mean the people you call and/or talk to, from sales rep to customer rep to service personnel, they are nice but, Gosh! the agreement plan just is not worth it. Don't anyone else fall for it like I did, please!