# Sears Repair Direct? I'd rather take the next OceanGate ride **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 22, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372 "2023-07-22T01:23:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/1 "2023-07-22T01:23:03Z")
At least that would be quick. We had our over repaired under warranty - or at least tried to. The technician missed the service call and came the next week. He couldn’t finish the repair because of supply shortage. Next month same excuse. It is now 5 months later and we have been ghosted and Sears won’t send out another technician to complete this warranty repair unless we pay $139. What happened when I explain all this to customer service? It is impossible to get a hold of a person. I have tried (no lie) 12 different numbers for them and they all take you to the same phone tree that only allows you to make an appointment or cancel one. No email contact on their website (big clue). Oh the ghosting ended when the technician said I’m no longer doing Sears, go talk to them. See above why that is not a solution. Look on Yelp, I ain’t the only one. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/2 "2023-07-22T01:26:11Z")
I didn’t know anything of Sears was left. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/3 "2023-07-22T01:28:20Z")
They still need to offer warranty repair or at least contract it out, that’s the law. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/4 "2023-07-22T01:37:30Z")
I had no idea. > **[Is Sears Still in Business? Sears Stores Closing in 2023 - RetailWire](https://retailwire.com/sears-stores-are-still-in-business-to-the-surprise-of-almost-everyone/)** > > Updated 2023 news of Sears closing all physical stores and moving focus to e-commerce only. > Sears and Kmart had nearly 3,500 stores when they were merged by Eddie Lampert. Today the company has just over 20 stores, a fact surprising to many who thought the chains long ago went out of business. > > **Sears Holdings is planning to [close all its stores in 2023](https://footwearnews.com/2022/business/retail/sears-hometown-stores-closing-locations-list-1203385485/)**, with 115 Sears Hometown stores set to close this year. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/5 "2023-07-22T03:14:30Z")
What law is that? Their service commitments have been taken over by another company. They probably made some contractual agreement to service Sears customers so maybe you could sue them or sue whatever remains of Sears. That company might not be able to ever get the parts needed for your oven. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/6 "2023-07-22T04:39:53Z")
I wouldn’t bother suing Sears, but I would take the technician to small claims. He might not be doing Sears repairs now, but he did at the time you made your claim, and he needs to fulfill that. If you are lucky, the judge might have been screwed over by Sears in the past and be sympathetic. I would sue for the cost of a new oven. That’s reasonable. Sears screwed me over on auto service 36 years ago. Actually they screwed a lot of people, because there was a class action suit against them that they lost (my share of the award was a couple of oil changes, which I never used). I have taken delight in the downfall of Sears for a long time. But I don’t hold grudges. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/7 "2023-07-22T06:40:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Their service commitments have been taken over by another company. What other company? They still offer repairs as Sears Home Direct if I’m willing to pay at least $139 for them to do nothing. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/8 "2023-07-22T13:22:43Z")
A company called [Transformco](https://transformco.com/) acquired most of the remaining assets of Sears, KMart, et al. Almost immediately customers began to complain that company wasn’t fulfilling Sears warranties. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/9 "2023-07-22T13:32:57Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I didn’t know anything of Sears was left. I know, I would have thought it was a years old zombie post, if not for the OceanGate reference in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/10 "2023-07-22T14:18:11Z")
I wonder if they are the ones operating the Sears Home Direct website/phone tree ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/11 "2023-07-22T14:20:29Z")
Not sure, you need to do some research. However, is this an original product warranty, an extended warranty, or covered under a home service plan? There may be very different companies handling these functions. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/12 "2023-07-22T14:21:00Z")
Now trying to contact them via Facebook after the official “Go fuck yourself.” text from the technician. Any guesses on how that will go? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/13 "2023-07-22T14:23:08Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Not sure, you need to do some research. However, is this an original product warranty, an extended warranty, or covered under a home service plan? There may be very different companies handling these functions. I was through Sears Home Direct under the manufactures warranty. The point is he never finished the job, the oven is now out of warranty and after telling me to contact Sears he’s gone dark again. And I cannot contact a live person at SHD to explain all this. All I can do is spend $139 on a service call to finish the repair that should be covered. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/14 "2023-07-22T14:24:02Z")
I used to have a Sears extended appliance warranty contract. Twice, in fact. For me, it paid off, as the cost of repair to our washing machine alone would have exceeded the annual cost of the contract. They insured all home appliances, regardless of make or place of purchase. When it became no longer cost effective, I cancelled it. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/15 "2023-07-22T17:14:56Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > I wouldn’t bother suing Sears, but I would take the technician to small claims. Here’s the issue with that. After his first no-show no-call I looked up his company to get them to send another tech out. According to Google it doesn’t exist. There were 3 companies that may have been associated with him and all have 1 star reviews for crap like this. It seems like he changes company names to stay one step ahead to stay ahead of the lawsuits and creditors. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/16 "2023-07-22T19:19:54Z")
Yeah, then good riddance to him. If you are even slightly handy, consider doing the repairs yourself. There are several appliance parts warehouses online, and many of them can help diagnose the issue. [This is one](https://www.appliancepartspros.com/) I have used in the past, but it’s not the only one. And don’t forget YouTube. Sears appliances were usually just rebadged units from other manufacturers, so parts are interchangeable. Sometimes you might find parts really are discontinued, in which case you need a new oven. Also, if it’s an electronic control panel, there are places that fix these as well. I’ve used [circuit boards medics](https://circuitboardmedics.com/oven-control-board-repair/) in the past with good results. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/17 "2023-07-22T19:22:57Z")
Spitting into the wind will yield better results, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/18 "2023-07-22T19:25:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Spitting into the wind will yield better results, I suspect. - After tugging on Superman’s cape. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/19 "2023-07-22T21:15:02Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > we have been ghosted and Sears won’t send out another technician Have you tried calling Roebuck? mmm ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372/20 "2023-07-23T02:35:21Z")
That reminds me, the first washer and dryer my dad bought us, he sprang for the lifetime warranty. It was with Montgomery Wards and they were closed within 5 years. I have never paid for another warranty. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-repair-direct-id-rather-take-the-next-oceangate-ride/987372.md?page=2)