Tenaj Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I could post all the details but they are probably not very interesting to anyone but me. The nutshell is that this oven is only 14 months old and the control panel is shot. The oven quit on February 5th (the broiler is stuck on no matter what setting it's on) and it took me 10 days to get a Sears repairman out here. Now they are saying the parts (which they confirmed are in stock in the warehouse) are not arriving until at least a week later than promised and I'm sitting here without an oven for at least 3.5 weeks and maybe longer. First available appointment right now is March 1 but if the parts don't come by then I'm looking at longer than that. On top of that we paid less than $1000 for the thing in the first place and this repair is costing over $300 so 1/3 of the purchase price! Out of warranty by two months - of course. Is this the way service is now? Is this just Sears or are all of them like this? My personal "broiler" is stuck in the hot position every time I think about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I'd be hot about that too! What manufacturer? Have you tried contacting higher ups in Sears and the oven company? Their Facebook pages sometimes gets you in touch. I got results with Electrolux that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Call a local appliance store and see what they can do for you. They usually have a repairman or two on staff. My local guy can usually get parts and labor done in a week or so unless he's swamped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I've had a broiler-only oven for a year now, but I'm not sure I'd take a Sears oven for free. I've heard so many bad things about their appliances and service lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafdog Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I have sadly given up on Sears after my latest repair fiasco. It's too bad, because I like Kenmore appliances, but I can not and will not deal with Sears' crummy service any more. Boo. I second the advice to find a local repair person. They will probably not have your part on hand (although it sounds like Sears wasn't much better for you - lame), but you can develop a trusted, personal relationship with them, vs. the horrible call-center outsourced experience Sears is provided these days. No bueno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I could post all the details but they are probably not very interesting to anyone but me. The nutshell is that this oven is only 14 months old and the control panel is shot. The oven quit on February 5th (the broiler is stuck on no matter what setting it's on) and it took me 10 days to get a Sears repairman out here. Now they are saying the parts (which they confirmed are in stock in the warehouse) are not arriving until at least a week later than promised and I'm sitting here without an oven for at least 3.5 weeks and maybe longer. First available appointment right now is March 1 but if the parts don't come by then I'm looking at longer than that. On top of that we paid less than $1000 for the thing in the first place and this repair is costing over $300 so 1/3 of the purchase price! Out of warranty by two months - of course. Is this the way service is now? Is this just Sears or are all of them like this? My personal "broiler" is stuck in the hot position every time I think about it! I hate Sears and will never buy another appliance from them. (Last summer when I called them, they told me that the only repairman who could come was in the southern part of our state and would have to travel to our large city! They seem to be using more independent repair places now, and I'm assuming that many of those places would rather not deal with Sears either.) Are they sending the part directly to you? I know my husband was once able to go pick up some part at their service/repair location which saved a little time but I don't know if this would be an option for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Sorry that you're frustrated. Sears came yesterday to fix our washer. They arrived promptly and charged me less than they said they would. The company I avoid like the plague? Best Buy. Worst buying experience ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I agree, Sears just uses ind. contractors and their warranties are worthless to consumers and a cash-cow for them. What part is it that isn't working? If it is the heating coil, they are easy to replace yourself...and usually cost under $50. PLEASE call the actual manufacturer. The oven may be defective and if it is, the fix is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I know someone who had a stove oven go out just a few weeks after it was installed and a few weeks before the holidays. She bought it from a local Mom and Pop store. For 3-4 months they did the dance to get it fixed. Weeks to get tech out there, weeks to get the part, which never worked, etc. Finally she posted on BBB which apparently the company president looked at. (I mean the manufacturer, not the local Mom and Pop company). He called the Mom and Pop store and ordered them to get her a new stove. If it's not under warranty look elsewhere for the part or call a local handyman. We found a board for our stove on Ebay. I am blessed in that my DH can fix pretty much anything. BTW, we used to use that Mom and Pop store, but not anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 If you aren't under warranty, call a different repair person. Sears has been fairly useless to us (I'm in Canada). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezus Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I used to buy appliances from Sears, but not any more. I had a dryer they could not seem to fix. When we moved we ordered a refrigerator from Sears. I gave the salesman our new address, then called customer service to make sure my account was updated with the new address, gave them directions, cross-streets, etc for the new house. The delivery person wen to the old address and never bothered calling my phone number (which was the same). I didn't find this out until later in the day when I called to see what was up with the delivery. After the fridge did finally arrive at the new address, there was something wrong with it. Sears couldn't even give me a half day block of time when the repair person could come out. I just had to be available for them the entire day and of course, they didn't show up until late in the day. I just got disgusted with Sears. I don't buy anything there any more. I think there are repair places that are more responsive than Sears. Ask around locally. A contractor friend recommended an appliance repair place in town and they were at my house within an hour of when I called about a problem. Sometimes parts need to be ordered, but that seems like a really long time to be without a stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I experienced nearly the exact same scenario, except it was an LG wash machine and just 2 weeks outside of warranty. I contacted LG, who granted a 2 week courtesy warranty extension. The problem was that I prepaid for the part and labor, as required by Sears one day prior to getting the warranty extension. Sears was an authorized repair service, so it was fine that I had already arranged them to repair. Neither would accept responsibility since I prepaid instead of LG arranging repair (which would have been several weeks without wash machine, and I had an entire load of wet clothes locked inside). It was a nightmare of hours on the phone trying to get a refund from Sears. I gave up and will never shop there again. My advice, is don't pay for anything just yet if you think the manufacturer will grant a courtesy extended warranty. Other than that, I feel your frustration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 No, they are definitely being unreasonable. You could probably look up the part number online, have it delivered by the beginning of the week, and put it in yourself. You can usually find repair manuals online too that show you how to take the thing apart and fix it. That's what we've done with all of our appliances. They work great, and we saved and bundle in time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Call a local appliance store and see what they can do for you. They usually have a repairman or two on staff. My local guy can usually get parts and labor done in a week or so unless he's swamped. Yep. Go outside of Sears. The Sears repair department stinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I haven't had very good luck with appliances and had sticker shock when I called the local appliance store about our fridge. The price just for them to come out and take a look was crazy. I made a few more calls and got similar prices. A year and a half or so into owning our Frigidaire dishwasher there was a "repair note" about a faulty gasket on the bottom, but even though it's a known issue and design flaw on their end, we'd still have had to pay someone to fix it. We've replaced the gasket twice ourselves (it's only $14). Now before calling a repair person I usually Google the issue and see if there's a YouTube video by one of the appliance parts websites that shows how to do it and then decide if I think it's doable on my part. I think if there was a video and it was complete enough, even I'd tackle a control board. Appliances these days are generally built to be disposable so while I wish that I were surprised, I really can't say that I am. Sorry to hear that you're going through this. It's frustrating, to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 It's Kenmore oven. My dh is wishing he had just ordered the part and put it in himself but he wasn't exactly sure that it was the control board that was bad and he'd never done it before. Sears already has the money for the repair because he asked me to pay the first day he was here. Dummy me - I didn't even think about holding the portion out for labor until after I'd already paid. I feel like we're stuck with Sears this time since I already paid. What really frustrated me was the time on the phone yesterday. First, they call my phone with a recording saying that they need me to call them. Then I end up on hold forever waiting on someone to answer. The Repair service department is blaming the parts department, the parts department blames the warehouse and the weather and the repairman, whom they say didn't really order the part until two days after he was here. None of the them will tell me how to pursue the issue that the oven is only 14 months old anyway. They transferred me three times yesterday and then cut me off (I'm sure that was accidental - LOL!). Next time I'll know not to mess with Sears. What is really sad is that they don't seem to care that every appliance in our house is Kenmore. . . we've always been loyal to that brand because we've never had any issues before. Thanks for all the sympathy and advice. I'm going to call Kenmore this afternoon and see if there's any chance they will do something. Also going into our local store to see if any one will show more concern in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Yeah, well Sears has some serious financial problems and has had some company culture issues since the hedge-fund manager guy bought the company so I can't really say that I'm all that surprised. It doesn't excuse it, but Sears really isn't what they once were. Consumerist has had some interesting articles about Sears in the past couple of years. You might want to try some of the Consumerist's communication tactics, you might be able to get them to do something. Sometimes it's not what you say, but who you're talking to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Just a warning. No one else is "allowed" to work on Kenmore. We wil never buy one (or anything from Sear's) again because we had the exact same experience. We ended up ordering the part ourselves. A local shop repair guy walked dh through the repair on the phone because he was not allowed to service Kenmore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Just a warning. No one else is "allowed" to work on Kenmore. We wil never buy one (or anything from Sear's) again because we had the exact same experience. We ended up ordering the part ourselves. A local shop repair guy walked dh through the repair on the phone because he was not allowed to service Kenmore. That may be a local/area thing. Our repair guy does work on them. If you or your DH want to repair it yourself- I order our parts from repairclinic.com. They have videos and people who will help you. Great service. DH and I do most of repairs that we can before we call our repair guy. Or if you don't want to do it, call a local person. Much better service than Sears. Can you get a refund? I found this chart for you. It may get you some help by going directly to the manufacturer of your Kenmore product. . http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/sears.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Our repair guy works on them too. But I'm never buying appliances from Sears again. The last time I called Sears, they told me "Not my problem." And when I asked to be directed to a supervisor they hung up on me. Seriously terrible customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 We had nightmare with our LG stove this fall. Never again. The next time I buy a stove it will be a $100, 30yr old, golden harvest, house-fuse using beast that I can find parts for at the local junkyard. Never will another new range enter this house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 To add some intrigue to the situation, I just out of curiosity went online to Sears Direct Parts and discovered that the parts that they ordered for me at a cost of $176.00, I can purchase for $132.00 with free shipping that will arrive if I order today on Feb. 28, the same day that the order that supposedly went in a week ago is going to appear. Hmmmm . . . do I sense a racket? The same parts cost $40 more if ordered by a service tech! Really? and take two weeks to arrive instead of one week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Cancel the service order and ask for a refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Cancel the service order and ask for a refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevergiveup Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 You are not being unreasonable and it is not just Sears. I bought a high end stove which had problems. They said they had no service man in our area. Fine. We can work on it ourselves. Boxes and boxes of parts later and it still does not work well. They ship me a replacement stove. It has problems. I complain loudly. They say they will issue me a full refund. Meanwhile, I have 2 defective stoves sitting here waiting for pickup. Hence, the thread I started about the crap I buy these days..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Cancel the service order and ask for a refund. done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 We avoid Sears and Best Buy like the plague. Go around them as pp have said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Sears is evil. If I type anything else about my feelings about them, I might have flashbacks and conniptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I will say that the times we've had to use Sears they've been fast and competent but from the stories here I think there's a big deference between Sears in the US and Sears Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 My parents are in the market for a new house, and are looking to fix one up, so they'll need appliances. It has been at least 10 years since they have been appliance shopping, so I told them we LOVE Lowe's and to stay away from Sears & Best Buy. We haven't had a "bad" experience with either place, but we haven't had a good one, either. It's just overall feelings and perceptions. They were wandering about, pricing things, and went to Sears. Oh heavens, did I get an earful about the salesman and the store! They won't be returning to Sears any time soon, and definitely *not* for appliances. They did say they felt welcomed and right at home in Lowe's, so that is where they will buy their appliances when they are ready. I think WishboneDawn is correct in the differences between Sears USA/Canada. My parents *love* Sears Canada and just can't wrap their brains around the atrocity Sears USA has become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aug17girl Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I think WishboneDawn is correct in the differences between Sears USA/Canada. My parents *love* Sears Canada and just can't wrap their brains around the atrocity Sears USA has become. Sears in Canada is about to get more like the USA Sears. The recently laid off more staff including service and repair departments. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/canadian-press-newsalert-sears-canada-to-lay-off-nearly-800-staff-say-sources/ My husband, who generally is not that handy, has taken to fixing our appliances himself when he can. He searches youtube for tutorials by make and model number then buys the parts himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 The saga continues . . . last night I cancelled the tech's order and the pending service call because I discovered that I could order the parts and the web site indicated that they would be delivered by Feb. 28th. My dh decided to to the repair so I ordered the parts. They were both shown as "in stock" and would be delivered by February 28th. This morning I checked the order status and the parts are both on backorder! I fired off an email and received a lame apology about how they have no idea when the parts will be in - no explanation of how they were shown in stock last night (I had also been told on the phone yesterday that they were in stock by the repair services department). I'm furious . . . don't even know what to do next. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 The saga continues . . . last night I cancelled the tech's order and the pending service call because I discovered that I could order the parts and the web site indicated that they would be delivered by Feb. 28th. My dh decided to to the repair so I ordered the parts. They were both shown as "in stock" and would be delivered by February 28th. This morning I checked the order status and the parts are both on backorder! I fired off an email and received a lame apology about how they have no idea when the parts will be in - no explanation of how they were shown in stock last night (I had also been told on the phone yesterday that they were in stock by the repair services department). I'm furious . . . don't even know what to do next. . . . I would check and see if repairclinic.com has the part. I have ordered quite a few parts and the service is great. The people who answer the phone are great and actually know what they are talking about. I normally get my parts in 2-3 days from when I order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I would check and see if repairclinic.com has the part. I have ordered quite a few parts and the service is great. The people who answer the phone are great and actually know what they are talking about. I normally get my parts in 2-3 days from when I order. I'll try that this afternoon. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 You might also check to see what company actually makes your "Kenmore" oven. For example, I believe it is Whirlpool that actually makes their washing machines so you can order parts from them instead of Sears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 The saga continues . . . last night I cancelled the tech's order and the pending service call because I discovered that I could order the parts and the web site indicated that they would be delivered by Feb. 28th. My dh decided to to the repair so I ordered the parts. They were both shown as "in stock" and would be delivered by February 28th. This morning I checked the order status and the parts are both on backorder! I fired off an email and received a lame apology about how they have no idea when the parts will be in - no explanation of how they were shown in stock last night (I had also been told on the phone yesterday that they were in stock by the repair services department). I'm furious . . . don't even know what to do next. . . . Have you checked Amazon? When our dryer broke, dh found the exact set of parts he needed on Amazon for $26, which would have cost over $100 more from a parts store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I would check and see if repairclinic.com has the part. I have ordered quite a few parts and the service is great. The people who answer the phone are great and actually know what they are talking about. I normally get my parts in 2-3 days from when I order. Well . . . I checked and they don't have them in stock either. They are expecting them in stock sometime between March 5 and March 12th. At least I have some (maybe) real dates from them . . Sears can't seem to even figure out that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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