For an update on my Sears Hardware story, I got another call from them yesterday, from an 888 number I didn't recognize. They told me the same thing again: they needed me to to approve the $90 repair bill that I had spent several hours last week seeking clarification on, and finally rejected asking for my lawn mower back. The person I spoke to said there was no record of my asking for my lawn mower back. I firmly and insistently (euphemism) repeated my request for my lawn mower back, saying this level of record keeping and customer service was simply atrocious.
Once again, if you value your equipment, don't let Sears Hardware do any repairs or maintenance on it! Link to this blog and tell all your friends to stay away.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Don't use Sears Hardware for your repair needs!
Hello, blogosphere. I haven't gotten as fast a start as I imagined. And I apologize, but my very second post is going to be a rant. However, apparently this is how you get the attention of corporate America nowadays, so here goes.
I encourage all of you to save yourself some trouble and not get any of your hardware repaired by Sears Hardware. I have had not one, but two horrible experiences with them, and have again resolved never to let them have an additional penny of my hard-earned money.
A few Saturdays ago I decided to give Sears Hardware a second chance. It was Saturday afternoon, nobody else that I knew was open, and this was the time I had available to deal with my problem, so I decided it was worth the risk. The only problem with my mower was that the starter cord would not retract after I tried to start it. I knew that Sears Hardware does not do any repairs locally and would instead be shipped out to a central repair facility, but it was late in the year and I decided I could do without it for a few weeks. I dropped it off at the local Sears Hardware store, told them the problem, paid $35 in advance, and left thinking everything was fine.
A couple of weeks later I got a phone message saying that the repair estimate would be $89.99 and include repairs to the wheels, the starter, and an adjustment bracket, whatever that is. Since I was on Thanksgiving vacation at the time, I didn't return the call immediately.
Starting Monday, November 28th and continuing through Wednesday, November 30th I tried calling once or twice a day to say that I wasn't willing to pay $90 for repairs that I hadn't requested. The first problem was that the voice mail at the number I was giving didn't have a clear option for my situation. Nevertheless, I was able to get through to a person, told my story, and got transferred to another department where I thought I could explain my situation. However, each time I got cut off or the phone never picked up, or something else happened that prevented me from explaining my situation.
Thursday I decided I had waited long enough and decided to persist until I got the situation resolved. What happened was a customer service and voice mail hell that I hope nobody else ever has to endure. Over the next two hours I called the 800 number I had at least 8 times, spoke to Sears personnel in Hilliard, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, maybe Chicago, and Timbuktu as far as I could tell. As far as I can tell I never reached anybody close to the repair facility where my lawn mower was. Nobody that I spoke to seemed to understand what I was asking for, which was simply an explanation for why the additional repairs were necessary and the chance to accept or reject them after having full information. All the people I spoke to on the phone were kind and genuinely seemed interested in helping and not being obstructive, but my simple goal of trying to speak to someone who had actually seen my lawn mower was never accomplished.
After 2 hours or so I had had enough. I called the 800 number one more time and said I just wanted my lawn mower back. Nobody should have to endure this much misery just to get a little information about a repair bill. Sears, if you are reading, you need to seriously retool your repair system. Why call it a proposed repair bill if the customers can't ask questions to find out more about it? You might as well call it a ransom note for whatever they have asked you to repair.
What burns me most is the this is not the first time this has happened to, nor am I the only one it has happened to. So I will conclude the way I started: if you want to see your equipment in better condition than you started in, don't give it to Sears Hardware. You might never see it again.
I encourage all of you to save yourself some trouble and not get any of your hardware repaired by Sears Hardware. I have had not one, but two horrible experiences with them, and have again resolved never to let them have an additional penny of my hard-earned money.
A few Saturdays ago I decided to give Sears Hardware a second chance. It was Saturday afternoon, nobody else that I knew was open, and this was the time I had available to deal with my problem, so I decided it was worth the risk. The only problem with my mower was that the starter cord would not retract after I tried to start it. I knew that Sears Hardware does not do any repairs locally and would instead be shipped out to a central repair facility, but it was late in the year and I decided I could do without it for a few weeks. I dropped it off at the local Sears Hardware store, told them the problem, paid $35 in advance, and left thinking everything was fine.
A couple of weeks later I got a phone message saying that the repair estimate would be $89.99 and include repairs to the wheels, the starter, and an adjustment bracket, whatever that is. Since I was on Thanksgiving vacation at the time, I didn't return the call immediately.
Starting Monday, November 28th and continuing through Wednesday, November 30th I tried calling once or twice a day to say that I wasn't willing to pay $90 for repairs that I hadn't requested. The first problem was that the voice mail at the number I was giving didn't have a clear option for my situation. Nevertheless, I was able to get through to a person, told my story, and got transferred to another department where I thought I could explain my situation. However, each time I got cut off or the phone never picked up, or something else happened that prevented me from explaining my situation.
Thursday I decided I had waited long enough and decided to persist until I got the situation resolved. What happened was a customer service and voice mail hell that I hope nobody else ever has to endure. Over the next two hours I called the 800 number I had at least 8 times, spoke to Sears personnel in Hilliard, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, maybe Chicago, and Timbuktu as far as I could tell. As far as I can tell I never reached anybody close to the repair facility where my lawn mower was. Nobody that I spoke to seemed to understand what I was asking for, which was simply an explanation for why the additional repairs were necessary and the chance to accept or reject them after having full information. All the people I spoke to on the phone were kind and genuinely seemed interested in helping and not being obstructive, but my simple goal of trying to speak to someone who had actually seen my lawn mower was never accomplished.
After 2 hours or so I had had enough. I called the 800 number one more time and said I just wanted my lawn mower back. Nobody should have to endure this much misery just to get a little information about a repair bill. Sears, if you are reading, you need to seriously retool your repair system. Why call it a proposed repair bill if the customers can't ask questions to find out more about it? You might as well call it a ransom note for whatever they have asked you to repair.
What burns me most is the this is not the first time this has happened to, nor am I the only one it has happened to. So I will conclude the way I started: if you want to see your equipment in better condition than you started in, don't give it to Sears Hardware. You might never see it again.
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