Sears, you ratfuckers!

The BBQ Pit
1

Nice change from screaming at Best Buy, eh?

So, as some of you know, I’m buying a gas stove. And I go to Sears, because, well, that’s where you buy appliances, right? And they had a pretty good deal on the one I wanted. I went in armed with my Consumer Reports printout and a printout from the website of the one I wanted, knowing I wanted the 0 interest for blah blah deal, etc. Should have been a 15 minute sale, a gimme. The night before, and take note because this is important, I called to see what installation would cost me, as I currently have an electric stove. The guy clearly told me that as long as it was less than ten feet from existing gas line, it was included in installation.. Remember that. Converting the outlet might be more, and they would give me an estimate before they did anything. I asked, because I know a good cheap plumber and I wanted to know if it would be cheaper.

Thirty minutes later I’m still standing in Appliances, waiting for somebody to come help me. Don’t think I just stood there helpless, either - I flagged down a passing guy from Lawn and Garden, and he called for help for me. I pushed the help button, which summoned somebody to Toys. (Somebody from Toys, too. He couldn’t help me.) Finally I went to Layaway and asked, and they also called. It was probably 40 minutes until I finally get somebody to help me who is from Appliances. Aren’t Appliances Sears’ bread and butter? That, and tools?

Guy finally gets there, and he can’t find in the system the one I’d printed out. Okay, so maybe it’s such a good deal because they’re trying to get rid of them and ran out, fine. We go looking for my second choice. By we, I mean I drag this guy every step of the way. I figured out his computer system for him. While he’s away sitting around with his thumb up his ass or shooting smack or something, I find a stove that I like, that’s a little more, but a little nicer. Fine. I wait another twenty minutes for him to come back, tell him, and walk him through the sale. And when I say “walk him through”, he eventually had me start typing for him. If I hadn’t, I’d still be there. Did the credit application, for him, too.

So we get to installation, and I tell him what they told me, and he says, “Well, if they told you…” because he obviously had no idea. And he asked me when I wanted it installed, seeing as it was coming into the store on the 20th. And I said I didn’t know who would be around that week, so the installer should call me. He made a note.

Fast forward to today. I call, to find out if it’s come in and to make sure I talk to the installer. So, for five hours, my stove is lost. Finally they find it and leave me a message with the installer’s name and number. And they tell me it’s being installed tomorrow before noon. (News to me!) I call him to confirm that and make sure he knows there has to be a gas stub and an outlet conversion, and he has no. idea. Also he tells me that it’s going to be at least $250 to run the gas line, probably more. Probably a lot more. And that he’ll have to estimate the electrical when he gets here. And also it can’t possibly be until next week.

What?! You mean after all your fuckwittage you guys lied to me?! I assure you, my slightly stinky plumber can do it for me for a lot less, and plus I have every confidence in his work. Considering Sears is involved, who knows who the hell this installer is? For that matter, I only have their word that it’s the right stove - it’s probably an automatic hotdog cooker from the SkyMall magazine.

I tried calling Appliances and getting a manager, but of course they’re in a meeting. So listen up, the minute I get home and have my paperwork in hand, I am speaking to a manager. I want either that stove to arrive on my doorstep and a refund on my installation AND DELIVERY, or I want all my money back and I’ll take it to somebody who wants my business. And if that manager can’t do it, I’ll speak to his manager, and his manager, and his manager, and so forth. If necessary, I’ll get a shovel out and take this issue up with Mr. Sears. Is God Mr. Sears’ manager? If so, he better get ready, because this phone is going to ring.

All you people bitch and moan because Best Buy tries to sell you PRPs and Entertainment Weekly. You spoiled fucking brats, at least you left with what you bought, and not a package of lies! At least people appear to work at Best Buy, even if they’re hard to flag down! Sears, don’t you ever wonder how you got to be so shit-tastic that you got bought out by K-Mart, of all people? Wonder no more, honey. I, for one, will never give you one more shed of my business.

2

I think I see where you made your fatal mistake. You thought it was 1975, didn’t you?

3

One thing to consider – those pigporkers have already screwed up everything possible so far. And you want them to run a gas line into your home?

I’d think very carefully about this.

4

I’d be apoplectic! Are you? It sounds like it – that’s the appropriate response.

Next response should be to cancel the order and find a stove somewhere else, a small local appliance store. It might cost a bit more, but you’ll have much better service, for delivery and installation and to take care of any problems later.

We don’t buy anything at Sears that we can’t carry home and install ourselves. I could rave on about our local appliance dealer, but it’d just make people feel bad. :slight_smile:

5

Yeah, seriously, what’s up with that? How does the company that filed for bankruptcy gets to buy the company that didn’t?

:confused:

I guess I just don’t understand money.

On topic: We wound up getting our major appliance from Lowes. It was a refrigerator, not a stove, but everything went smoothly when it came time to deliver it.

6

I would cancel the order and find a small local store, as suggested by Auntie Pam. You’ll pay a bit of a premium for that, but it’s worth it to not have to deal with the bullshit.

7

Deep in my heart, I guess it’s always 1975.

I called back all ready to demand a refund and take my money elsewhere. I had to sit on the phone for at least ten minutes while the girl COULD NOT TRANSFER THE CALL. Grr! When I finally get the manager I blister his ear for a good five minutes relating my story, and I finish, and what does he say? “Ma’am, you won’t have to pay for that. Whatever the installer asks you to pay, we’ll pay it. We told you you wouldn’t have to pay and you won’t.”

Well, that just took the wind out of my sails. I kind of resent him for it. :slight_smile: It’s like when you pick up a can of Coke expecting it to be full, but it’s empty, and your hand shoots up like a rocket. So now it’s so much cheaper for me to let them install it that I don’t want to take my business elsewhere, even though I’d be more comfortable having dear dirty Larry put the stove in. I hate it when good customer service ruins your mad-on.

8

Not to be the wet blanket, but, uh…

Did you get that in writing?

–sofaspud

9

My dad was a Sears salesperson for nine years (not in one of the big, mall stores – this was a smaller franchise store that dealt with tools, appliances and electronics). He hated it with a passion, but he was the only one who made an effort to do the job well. His coworkers were all morons who watched DVDs or played on MySpace.com rather than help customers. But when sales started slipping, Dad was the first person let go.

I’m not sure if that mentality is limited to this tiny store or if it’s the company’s unofficial business model, but I’ve always had a hard time getting any kind of help in Sears.

Good for you for following up with management, Zsofia. I hope the rest of the installation goes smoothly.

10

I am so going to steal this without shame.

11

Sears has come a long way with appliance selection and doesn’t even bother slapping “Kenmore” stickers all over everything. In 1975 (in fact, as late as the 80s), Sears wouldn’t even take a Mastercard or Visa, only the Sears credit card. At least they stopped that stoopid policy before they went out of business. I’ve had pretty good luck with our local Sears.

I’ve purchased a dishwasher there and other stuff without much problem, although the installer was surly and uncommunicative right up to the point where he got his hand stuck under the dishwasher and had to ask for help. I would have let the cat eat his eyeballs, but wanted to wash the dishes more.

12

As I am currently moving, I just bought a fridge, stove, and dishwasher. From Sears.

Now I’m afraid. I can only hope that the border helps.

13

When I was a kid, I had a Sears bike. No other sort of part (brake pads or whatnot) fit. I have not bought at Sears since.

When shopping for appliances, I have found most towns has a place that reconditions stoves, fridges, washers and so on. Much cheaper, you can get most any color you like, one-year warrantee.

In my town hires handicapped people. I like that too.

14

Erg, no, I didn’t get it writing. It was over the phone. Now you’ve got me all nervous again.

I was totally going to go there and get my eyeball juice all over everything and give them all pinkeye. I may still, for good luck.

15

When we got our gas stove, we paid $250 for a gas guy to hook up the line. When we did a major remodel starting 4 years ago we put in a T-fitting for an eventual gas stove. From that T-fitting to the stove, the line, a shut off valve and misc. fittings, gas permit and the piece of mind our house won’t blow up cost us $250.

You are not getting a bum rap, the original person should not have promised that. However, if you can get it, more power to ya :slight_smile:

16

What they should’ve told you is that you have to pay more to get a gas cutoff line if you don’t already have an existing gas cutoff in your home. That’s assuming gas is readily available in your area and you just haven’t had the cutoff installed. LP conversion is something different, and usually costs more than just running natural gas. All that being said, the normal install doesn’t take very long to set up, and should be relatively easy to run (provided that the cutoff is going to be connected to an existing gas line and will be accessible to the range).

If you’d come into my appliance department, I’dve had you on your way in 20 minutes, tops.

And I’m not on commission.

17

Plus, I’m 21 years old and probably know more about appliances than some of those guys that have been doing appliances all their lives.

I actually recently went into Conn’s to apply for a job with them. I asked the guys working there some qualifying questions (to see what kind of co-workers I’d have if I actually got the job). Not one of them knew a damn thing. These are guys that have supposedly been working appliances all their lives (or at least all the time they’ve been working retail) and I was a little embarrassed for them. You don’t know how many times people come into my store from Sear’s or Conn’s and are shocked by the amount that I know about appliances because of my age. I usually have to correct misinformation given by our competitors.

All in all, I don’t have a very high regard for Sears or Home Depot or Conn’s. BB’s got their own horror stories I’m sure, but at my store things like what you experienced just don’t happen.

18

Which one did you go with, BTW?

19

I have gas in the house - water heater, logs, a grill, the furnace. I just need a hookup for the stove. They said specifically, given that situation, it would be included in installation (under 10 feet). So, they’re sticking by it and a little more, and I’m getting the whole installation, including the electrical thing, for the $95 installation fee. Which is a fantastic deal if they follow through with it.

20

I bought five appliances from our local Sears. It was at the beginning of the year and I received 20% discount on four of them, plus they priced matched and beat the competitors by 10%. That being said, all the appliance stores I visited before I bought said that I would have to get the gas line installed for the stove. I called a plumber and he did it in a couple hours(granted it was 20 feet from the exsisting gas line had to run it under the house and work in the icky crawl space.) He also put in a T joint so I could hook up an outside gas line.(BTW he was cute too) So the money I ‘saved’ went toward the gas line.