8/15/09

Sears is the WORST.................

I had the worst experience with sears these past few days. And while I can accept some responsibility, the customer service I received from my local sears store is the absolute worst. In a day when consumers are very hesitant about making large purchases because of the economic crisis we are going thru, when a customer does decide to make a purchase it would behoove a company to exhibit the absolute BEST customer service. But what did I get........the total opposite. From salesman that neglected to ask essentials questions, to a delivery person arguing with me in MY home and lastly not being able to speak to store manager makes the experience worst ten fold.

Here is the exact email I sent to sears customer service:

I recently attempted to purchase a stacked washer/dryer unit from the Landover store. I explained to the salesman I was looking for a replacement for an existing unit. The only questioned asked by the salesman was if I had a drying coil already, and proceeded to insist that I needed to purchase a new one, since the delivery persons might not want to re-attach the existing one.

The original unit was delivered but had to be returned because it was bigger than the existing unit.

Enter problems: The return/exchange experience was THE WORST. I explained the situation to this salesman and was instructed to go thru the online product availability and let him know when I'd made my choice. (Apparently, he was too busy to assist me with my purchase, only for me to find him chatting with another salesperson later) Once I made my second selection I was then told that I needed to be directed to another department since he was unable to handle the process. He proceeded to call a number and was told to tell me that I had to wait until the first unit was returned to the warehouse before anything could be done. I asked for a manager who assisted with the new purchase and I was promised delivery that day by the local delivery guy.

The local delivery guy arrived to deliver the machine the next morning. But he encountered problems attempting to remove the existing unit. He proceeded to tell me my husband and a friend would need to assist him and his assistant in removing the old unit and installing the new unit. An argument ensued after which I instructed him to return the item to the store.

The regular delivery people arrived to install the replacement, but I was then told that my existing unit was 220 volt and the replacement was only 120. The deliver guy went on to explain that I would not be able to wash and dry at the same time with the NEW unit. He proceeded to get the delivery department on the phone of which I was told that if I returned to the store even though it was well after 6 that I would be ensured delivery of another unit the next day.

I arrived at the store and spoke with a departmental manager and was promptly told that since it was after 3 I could not receive next day delivery (which contradicts what I was told by the delivery department on the phone).

Because of this recent experience I'm regretting the decision to purchase from Sears. I chose to purchase from Sears because of its longstanding reputation for quality products and knowledgeable sales staff. Unfortunate for me that my experience was met with poor customer service and sales staff that weren't all that knowledgeable.

And to further substantiate the poor customer service, I called the Landover store 8 times in an half hour time frame in an attempt to speak with store manager to no avail. I was hung up on several times and barely get the full name of a manager. One sales woman in the large appliance department told me she only knew his first name to be Carlos. The main number listed on the receipts is apparently a customer service support center and not actually the store. So there was a form of disconnect there as well when I inquired about a manager, as someone else told me the store manager’s name is Ralph Saylor.

This whole experience has been unsettling and frustrating. And has changed how I view the company. I no longer feel comfortable recommending Sears as a retailer to friends and family.



I'm hoping to get a chance to speak with someone regarding this experience, but based on my attempts to speak with a store manager I would be surprised to get a call.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs