Posts about Sears
Sears, Sears. We know that you're desperate. But acting clingy and desperate is no way to win over customers, especially the ones who have just made a purchase in your store. While it seems like every retailer is pushing their service plans on customers, they don't usually resort to phone stalking, like what you did to your poor customer Mike. He had to resort to contacting the FTC and your corporate offices about the stalking.
It's over, Sears. You should have taken the hint one of the first few dozen times you called. Now Mike really never wants anything to do with you again. More »
For generations of Americans, Sears has simply been where you go when it's time to outfit your new home. (At one point, you could even order your house itself out of the Sears, Roebuck catalog.) They, and their Kenmore appliances, were trustworthy, reliable, and quintessentially American. Now? Is Sears any of those things?
Waiting for the second repair on her two-year-old fridge, Joyce was surprised to learn that her Kenmore is just an LG with a badge slapped on it. Oh, and no one knows when the new compressor is coming, or whether it's actually been ordered at all. More »
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Here's the latest variation on Christmas Creep: Last-Minute Gift Panic Creep. This photo was taken on November 14th at Sears. Sears began its holiday displays back in July, so it would make sense that they've also pushed up last-minute gift panic. More »
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(Image: www.searskilledmydog.com)
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—>Intrigued by a free delivery deal, Danielle ordered a dishwasher from Sears, but the retailer only reimbursed her $75 of the $81.19 fee. More »
—>Glassdoor released its report of the 50 lowest-rated CEOs as determined by employee reviews on its site. I scractched out all the companies you don't care about and ended up with this list of the 10 Crappiest CEOs (of consumer-facing compaines) (according to their employees)... More »
—>One good thing about the bad economy: There are plenty of empty storefronts in malls across the country, and the owners are more than happy to rent them to short-term tenants during peak seasons. And, this year, you can add Toys R Us to the usual gang of Halloween and Christmas stores that pop up suddenly in your local Simon, and disappear in the night a few weeks later. Jeffrey and his posse are expected to open 80 temporary stores next month, along with new toy sections in 260 Babies R Us shops. More »
—>That Sears website exploit we posted about a couple of weeks ago was funny, mainly because it seemed more embarrassing for Sears than a true security risk. However, an independent security researcher had also discovered a more significant issue with the site—it allowed for an unlimited number of gift card verification attempts via an external script, so a criminal could use the site as a brute force method to identify valid gift cards for Sears and Kmart. More »
—>Yesterday a reader sent us a pretty funny screen capture of a Sears product page with a suspicious category description (see above). By the time we got around to checking it out, Sears had corrected the error. It turns out, however, that the real problem was the Sears website was built in a way that lets anyone mess with the category descriptions. More »
—>Sears says there's no Mosquito device at any of their locations. The person who picked up the phone at the Sears our reader complained about said there's no high-pitched whining or buzz noises going on by the entrances or inside, intentional or otherwise. She had read the buzz about the complaint "on Twitter" and sent several "young associates" to check it out and they found nothing out of the ordinary, besides, of course, the plastic humanoids frozen for all eternity, forced to display an ever-changing array of affordable and sensible garments. A commenter says he thinks the real culprit is a cheapo CRT monitor: More »
—>UPDATE: We called the Sears in question and they say there's no high-pitched ringing going on at this store. They didn't install any Mosquito devices and they aren't having any malfunctions right now that would cause such a ringing. The woman who picked up in women's apparel said that in response to what was being said on Twitter, they even sent out some young associates to check out all the entrances and they didn't hear anything. More »
—>Remember Eric, Fleur, and their epic air conditioner ordeal? When we last spoke to them, they were AC-less, hot, cranky, and reaching out to the Internets for help. Now they have their air conditioners, but only after a stunning show of disorganized solicitousness on the part of Sears. More »
—>Eric wrote to us this week with a tale of such epic dysfunction while trying to purchase air conditioners from Sears that there's not much we can add to it. Inside: Imaginary deliveries, super-secret New York City surcharges, and the hazards of daring to order anything over the phone. More »
—>Reader C.W. is wondering why Craftsman (which is part of Sears) doesn't have the ability to cancel a duplicate order. Especially since there appears to be a "cancel" button on the website. More »
—>Can we tag a story "above and beyond" if the customer service cycle is so screwed up that it eventually works out in the customer's favor? When jpodbuild tried to get his Craftsman sander repaired or replaced, he couldn't get anyone on the phone who could actually help him—eventually he would end up back at the first number he'd called. He decided to show up in person and let the store manager handle the phone calls. New sander! More »
—>Acknowledging that skittish consumers are still unwilling to buy big-ticket items, Sears tomorrow plans to unveil a bold new guarantee: if you lose your job after charging a purchase worth $399 or more to your Sears card, the retailer will credit 1/12th of the purchase price to your account for each month you are unemployed. If you stay jobless for one year, the debt is entirely forgiven, and the appliance is yours to keep. More »
—>In 2007 and 2008, Sears invited select customers to join the exclusive "My SHC Community," which involved installing an app that would monitor online browsing in exchange for $10. The app was called spyware by researchers and the FTC, because the data it collected on customers included "details from their online shopping, bank statements, drug-prescription records, video rentals, library-borrowing histories, even the names and addresses of their e-mail correspondents," as well as "data about the users' computers, printers, and other devices." More »
—>Consumer affairs columnist (and my former colleague) Dan Higgins stumbled upon a well-guarded secret—the real reason the Maytag repairman has nothing to do. It isn't because the appliances are so reliable. No, apparently it's because Maytag dispatches Sears repairmen to make warranty repairs, then refuses to reimburse customers because Sears isn't an authorized repair provider. At least that's what happened to this nice elderly lady. More »
—>Is it possible today to buy U.S.-made goods in mainstream, reasonably-priced stores? The answer, ABC's John Donvan learned while reporting a "Nightline" story to be broadcast tonight, is a rather emphatic "no" when it comes to clothing, and otherwise "maybe." More »
—>Max wants to know why he hasn't received the $10 gift certificate that the cashier at Sears promised him for turning over an email address to receive marketing messages. We contacted Sears and found out what's actually going on. More »
—>Quick, what's 2 x 15? Did you get 40? No? Then you're apparently overqualified to run Sears' website. More »
—>Tracy needed a new lawn mower, and ordered one online from Sears. Later that day, an email arrived announcing that the lawnmower was ready for pickup. For whatever reason, Tracy wasn't able to make the 17-mile trip out to the store until more than a week later. The mower was....well, nobody quite knows what happened to the mower. More »
—>A megabank that now includes Washington Mutual? Or a hedge-fundy retail mash-up of Sears & Kmart? Which ruins your day? More »
—>Reader Joel isn't too happy with the service he got from Sears. He was looking to get an older TV fixed and, rather than make sure that they could fix it, Sears sent a guy to drive on Joel's lawn.
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—>Holy $#!@, this lounge chair will eat your fingers! Fox5 New York has a video report on dangerously unsafe lounge chairs sold at Kmart under the Martha Stewart brand. Naturally (we're not making this up), the chairs are designed to complement the Martha Stewart Spontaneously Shattering Glass Patio Tables also sold at Kmart. More »
—>Once upon a time, way back in November, a St. Louis MBA student named Cheri was the one of the first inside her local Sears store on Black Friday morning. She rushed to get the best deal they were offering — a washer and dryer for $599. To her dismay, she found out that the heavily advertised deal was not available — customers were being asked to pay now and get the washer and dryer in 30 days. Even with this disappointment, the deal was too good to pass up, so she agreed. Months later there was no sign of her washer and dryer, so she took Sears to court. And won. More »
—>Earlier this month, we noted how a reader was having trouble getting Sears to properly honor the lifetime warranty on his Craftsman tools. Now David Figler, a vice president of the company, has responded and said, "We stand behind the warranty—complete satisfaction—period." Below is his email, and a portion of the memo he sent to Sears stores on the matter. More »
—>When we broke off from our Sears Craftsman warranty saga last Friday, Brian had been told there were no replacements on tools that have rust on them, which wasn't what Sears told us the last time we had warranty questions. Over the weekend, Brian found more evidence that Sears can't get its warranty language straight. But there's some good news, too: he dressed up a little, cleaned off the sockets, and went back to Sears. This time he got a different associate who seemed to have no problem swapping out the tools, and who never mentioned the supposed "three per day" rule. More »
—>C'mon Sears, rust isn't a magic brown fairy powder that you can sprinkle over any warranty issue to deny coverage. Brian was told he couldn't have his worn-out sockets replaced because they were rusty. He pointed out that he needed them replaced because they were worn out, not because of some cosmetic damage due to oxidation. Now Sears has officially told him that any rust on a Craftsman tool automatically voids the warranty—which is not what Sears told us two years ago. More »
—>Brian tried to trade in some old Craftsman tools, the ones that come with a lifetime, no-questions-asked replacement policy. Unfortunately, the Tool Associate at Sears deemed Brian unworthy of the Cratfsman guarantee and refused him. That's why he's the Tool Associate. More »
—>Sears Tower, the tallest building in the U.S. and abandoned stronghold of the once-powerful Sears, Roebuck & Co., is no more. Its name will be changed to Willis Tower later this year as part of a big leasing agreement with London-based insurer Willis Group Holdings, Ltd. The Chicago Tribune notes that although everyone still calls it Sears Tower, Sears actually moved out in 1992. More »
—>It looks like Sears has finally figured out a way to ensure good customer service for home deliveries. Unfortunately, this method induces extreme paranoia in other Sears employees. The woman referred to as "Delivery" in Jason's retelling below will probably never trust another coworker again. More »
—>Sears Holdings chairman Eddie Lampert has unleashed a 15-page manifesto about the current economic meltdown, short-selling rules, civil liberties, and even offers a suggested reading list that includes free-market Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. More »
—>Sears tried to scare Anthony into buying an unnecessary protection plan several days after he purchased a new plasma tv. The sales rep who called explained that Anthony's new plasma would need to be recharged every five years, which isn't true. According to Consumer Reports: "There is no such thing as recharging a plasma TV with new gas. It is sealed at the factory." More »
—>Sears CEO Bruce Johnson needs someone down to housewares to get him a new telephone. Reader Len called the executive office and was told "his phone isn't working, you have to call back." More »
I went to a local Sears to return some parts (don't get me started) and the attached [photo] amused me. More »
—>A family shopping for appliances were locked inside a Sears store in Maplewood, MN, says the local Fox affiliate. Anthony (who was scheduled to have hip surgery the next day), his wife Kathy and her sister Crystal were just about to buy a stove, a fridge and a dishwasher when they heard an announcement that the store was about to close. They asked an employee if they should just come back another day. He said no. More »
—>Inside, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses for over 100 different companies to inject your customer service complaints into their corporate executive offices, and get it well on the way to success. More »
Man walks into Sears store with broken Craftsman shovel. Moments later, walks out with brand-new, better, Craftsman shovel they let him pick out, for free. True story. [OneProjectCloser] More »
—>To escalate a complaint at Sears past the completely useless 1-800 number, call 847-286-2500 and ask for Mr. Lampert's office (Ed Lampert is the chairman of the board). When the executive assistance picks up, tell them you want to file an "Executive Complaint." Said the reader who submitted this tip, "A single call to this group is actually well on my way to resolving a problem that 4 calls & 3 transfers at the 1-800-4-my-home line could not handle." Don't forget to be calm, professional, and succinct when you speak with them. More »
—>Mike sent us two stories of back-to-back merchandise fiascos with orders he placed on Sears.com for in-store pickup. What's worse, the problems can't just be blamed on a lone rotten employee, or attributed to bad luck—several Sears stores were involved. Our verdict: there's something seriously messed up with the Sears fulfillment chain, and it's not worth your time or energy to bother with it. But you knew that already, right? More »
—>Beep... Beep... Beep... That's all Robin's new KitchenAid fridge does. For the past two months, nothing but !@#$ beeping. Sears claims that they replaced every circuit board in the fridge, and that Robin's only choice is to wait another beeping month for a replacement unit. Think that might drive you a little crazy? Try reading Robin's letter... More »
—>Those "new" tires of yours could be six-years old and ready to disintegrate on the highway. Tire rubber dries out after six years, but unlike in Europe and Asia, American companies are allowed to sell expired tires long after they turn into death donuts. A 20/20 investigation found that the "new" tires on sale at Sears and Walmart can be up to 12-years-old. Inside, how to tell when your tires were born... More »
- Banana Republic: 30% off today only with coupon code HAPPY30 or printable coupon
- Sears: Free Masterlock with printable coupon
- MusiciansFriend: AKG Handheld Condenser Microphone for $100 + free shipping. Today only.
- Timbuk2: Save up to 60% off Messenger Bags, Backpacks, & More
- New York & Co.: Extra 20% off Store-Wide Women's Apparel
- Office Depot: Viewsonic N3235w 32-inch LCD HDTV $470 & Free Shipping
—>Aaron visited Sears to pick up a new Craftsman snowblower he bought for 10% off on Sears.com, but the store only had one floor model in stock. Aaron agreed to take the unit after staff assured him that it came with a warranty, manuals, and all the things normally bundled with new snowblowers. Of course, Sears couldn't find either the manual or the keys. A salesman promised that "Ray from Lawn & Garden" would mail the key whenever he returned, an offer Aaron refused. The salesman then offered a key from another snowblower, promising "the keys are basically universal." That key didn't work because, as a different associate later discovered, the unit was missing its electric start socket. More »
—>Consumer Reports says that despite the fact that front-loading washers are more efficient than traditional top-loading washers, they do have one major drawback. Mold. And the problem is severe enough that there have been several class action lawsuits filed against LG, Whirlpool, and Sears, whose Kenmore front-loaders are made by Whirlpool. More »
He just laughed when I went through my story of frustration with the Sears service personnel and told me he had had 75 similar calls in the last 2 days. His bottom line: Sears is not sending him product and he has nothing to deliver. More »
—>Reader Ed says: More »
—>Claudia's father couldn't get a loan because Sears reported to the credit bureaus that he was dead. In fact, it was her mother who had died. After complaints, Sears credit cards, run by Citibank said they fixed the problem. Then Claudia's dad tried to get a loan but couldn't. His credit score was zero. More »
—>Margaret Vail (pictured left), an 80-year-old woman from Mansfield, OH., is fed up with Sears and the numerous collection agencies that claim she ordered a $6 datebook back in 2003. According to the Mansfield News Journal, Margaret never ordered the datebook, yet Sears sent her one anyway and put it on her Sears charge card. Her local store won't accept returns on mail-order merchandise and she refuses to pay shipping to return it. Over the years, the balance has ballooned to $130 which doesn't faze Margaret who is spending over $200 in fees to file her lawsuit. Details, inside... More »
—>Here at the Consumerist we get a lot of emails requesting more "happy stories." While we wait for some to happen, here are 13 headlines we would love to write. They are in no particular order. More »
—>Meet Judy, Sears' ideal customer. When Judy's husband died ten years ago, Sears, like her other creditors, assured her that she could continue using her account. Since then, Judy has used her Sears card to buy a washer, dryer, and refrigerator. Yet when Judy recently tried to buy a $142 saw, Sears insisted on immediately closing her account because it was in her late-husband's name. More »
—>Reader Mike asks: More »
—>Gregg wants us to know that Sears has just hung up on one of the last people in America who hasn't totally given up on them. He's spent quite a lot of time lately trying to give them $1500 for a lawn tractor, but they just couldn't figure out how to complete the transaction. Yes, Sears has finally gotten to the point that they can't take your money even if you want to give it to them. More »
Ex-Sears CEO Aylwin Lewis has taken a position as CEO of Chicago's delicious Potbelly Sandwich Works. Reader Tim asks: "Should I be worried that he will destroy this great sandwich chain?" Hmmm. Maybe, but we think Chairman Eddie Lampert is the real source of evil at Sears. And now we're hungry. [Chicago Tribune] More »
—>Despite the common stereotype, there are some young people willing to work hard. Patrick found a job at Kmart since it is one of few stores that starts hiring at age 16. He was hired under the guise of Customer Service Representative, but Patrick soon realized he was really the "Coach's Bitch." Besides being treated as nothing more than a slaveboy, Patrick says he was instructed to do things that are illegal for minors. His letter, inside... More »
—>As part of a full kitchen upgrade, reader Sean purchased a $1300 dishwasher from Sears. Shortly after he received the unit, he realized it was defective. Sears directed him to an outsourced service company called OneSource. During the phone call to OneSource, Sean logged over 3 hours of hold time and was bounced around to 11 different CSRs, but they did nothing to help. Eventually, he got with Sears Executive customer service who said that they couldn't replace the washer until July. Now, Sean can't even wash his dishes because his hot water isn't connected and his garbage disposal leaks water. Sean's letter, inside... More »
—> While Sears Auto may not be the division of Sears that leaves you without hot water for three weeks, or refuses to refund the money on the TV they never delivered, they are the division that magnificently screws up changing a tire then tries to bill you for the labor it took them to fix their mistake. Reader R writes in to tell us when he needed to replace a damaged tire, Sears Auto had the cheapest price. After three hours and two different tires, he left Sears Auto with the damaged tire he drove in with. Sears botched the first attempt at a tire change by giving him a tire in the wrong size, then presented him with a bill for the additional labor it took them to get it right. When R balked at paying to fix their mistake, the manager on duty put the busted tire back on the car. Classy! Read his story, inside. More »
—>Bad news for Sears Holdings — the parent company of Sears and Kmart lost $56 million in the first quarter, and some experts are saying that boss Eddie Lampert may have to face up to the fact that Kmart needs to close. More »
—>Each year Fortune magazine does a survey to determine America's most admired companies. We took a look at their data and found the top 10 most admired companies for the quality of their products and services. We also found the least admired. More »
—>If you read our story from this morning "Sears Kicks Off Holiday Weekend With False Advertising" you should remember Nazar who couldn't get the advertised discount on his garage storage. He wrote to us with the following update: More »
—>Most people consider Kmart's merger with Sears the marriage from hell. It should come as no surprise that this sinking chain is leaving thousands of upset customers and employees in its wake, which perhaps explains a letter we received marked "10 Confessions" from a person identifying his/her self as a Kmart manager. The confessions, inside... More »
Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears are all contesting the FCC's recent fines against them for not properly following analog transition rules in their stores, reports Ars Technica. Last week, Best Buy submitted a 41-page response (PDF) that claimed among other things that the FCC has no authority to fine them. More »
—>It seems the floors aren't the only thing that's dirty inside Sears. According to Style Weekly, former Sears assistant manager, Robert E. Lee of Virginia, is being sued for $2.7 million for allegedly spying on a young girl and her mother through the ceiling tiles of a dressing room, while hiding inside of a "peeping hutch." The alleged crime occurred in March, 2006 when Lee was discovered spying from the masturbation station, strategically located above the ladies' dressing room. The young girl, whose age is described as "prepubescent," is said to have been traumatized when she suddenly noticed Lee leering from the ceiling while she and her mother were trying on bathing suits. Lee admitted his culpability. The lawsuit states, "During the search of the room, police officials recovered sexually explicit magazines and seminal fluids." Oh Sears. Before we were only ashamed of you, but now that shame has grown into disgust, with loathing not too far off in the distance. More »
—>Reader Nick's mother bought a coat that was on clearance at Sears. A week later she saw that the coat had been marked down even further, so she brought it back and asked if she could return it and then buy it again for the cheaper price. More »
—>Reader Christina has a (broken) water heater from Sears. It's covered under a warranty, but Sears isn't willing to replace it. She's been without hot water for 3 weeks and Sears just doesn't care. More »
—>Sears is pretty desperate for that stimulus check money. They're offering a 10% bonus to anyone who converts their stimulus check into a Sears Gift Card. More »
—>Unlike other companies, Sears seems a fortress of indifference; our readers, even after arming themselves with our standard escalation kit, dash themselves against their facade like a spray across the face of a giant stone statue of Stalin that for some reason had found itself in the ocean. One reader says he's been able to get traction out of calling the Sears Public Relations department: 847-286-8371. " I have used this number before and things have worked out pretty well," he writes. It's worth a shot, especially if we're talking about $1070 they're refusing to refund for a TV they never delivered. More »
—>The FCC handed out a whole basketful of fines to electronics retailers today: $1.1 million for Sears and Kmart; $992,000 for Wal-Mart; $712,000 for Circuit City; and amounts between $168,000-384,000 for Target, Best Buy, CompUSA, and Fry's Electronics. What made Christmas come so early? They were all failing to warn consumers that analog-only TVs and tuners will stop working on their own when the digital switchover comes next year. More »
—>Dan sent us this pic he snapped in a local Kmart and writes, "I remember a previous post on a Wal-Mart card that offered a 2-liter bottle, but I guess inflation caught up with big K as they are only offering 20-oz." More »
—>Reader D has a Worst Company In America-themed success story. D writes:
The information on your website helped me get an error corrected with how Sears/Citibank credited my Sears credit card payments. Since you have Sears and Citibank going against each other today in your "worst company" tournament, I thought you might like to hear my story.More »
—>This is Round 18 in our Worst Company in America contest, Sears vs Citibank. More »
—>When Sears chairman, Eddie Lampert, took over Kmart, he was determined to revive the long dead "blue light special." Excited about bringing back the old favorite, Lampert's chief marketing officer called the new campaign a "marketplace of discoveries." More »
Suburban Chicago-based Sears Holding has named John W. Froman as president of tools and lawn operations. This makes Mr. Froman the "Tool and Lawn King of Chicago." [BusinessWeek] More »
Half an hour of arguing on the phone with a Sears rep and I was able to get the discount credited back to my card, but no free shipping, and it could take 10-14 days for them to "trace" my $20 blow gun. I am filing a claim with my credit card issuer just to be safe. This is the same company that sends me a free ratchet in the mail every time I exchange one in the store, so I can't complain too much.This order is tragic. Just another reason customers avoid Sears like bird flu and the company can't turn a profit. If Sears further bungles the response or fails to send a free ratchet, share the failure with Sears' executive office—but don't ask for Mr. Lewis. He was fired for gross incompetence. More »
Restoration Hardware has rejected a takeover bid by Sears and will be bought out by a private equity firm, Catterton Partners. More »
—> The American Customer Satisfaction Index has released its latest scores of retail businesses, so we thought we'd take a look at the department store rankings by constructing a handy graph. When it comes to customer satisfaction, apparently Dollar General is doing something right—and Wal-Mart, as usual, is doing lots of things wrong. More »
Consumer groups, which were not involved in the lawsuit, say more than 100 people have been killed or injured from scalding and burns caused by hot foods and liquids spilling from the stove top, or from being crushed by the weight of a stove that has tipped over. More »
Sears will eliminate 200 "support" positions as part of their new "deck chairs on the Titanic" strategy. [Chicago Tribune] More »
—> Reader David writes in to contrast the Sears Ultimate Appliance Promise ("a promise only Sears can make") with reality. He notes that although there's a cute graphic on the "promise" that implies that Sears will deliver every day of the week... he had a hard time getting Sears to deliver no matter what day of the week it was: More »
—>Bad at your job? So was Aylwin B. Lewis, president and chief executive of Sears Holdings Corp.. More »
—>Aylwin B. Lewis, CEO of Sears, has been asked to step down as part of Sears' restructuring plan, says the Chicago Tribune. In a prepared statement, the billionaire hedge fund guy who controls Sears, Eddie Lampert, explained the reason behind Mr. Lewis' departure: More »
—>On paper, the merger between Kmart and Sears looked almost fool-proof. Investors were confident that hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert had the midas touch, and that Sears' real estate holdings were worth more than $150 on their own. Sears' well-regarded brands would be paired with Kmart's convenient locations—and everyone would make tons of money. More »
—>Sears might be be poised to sell off some of the sadder, dirtier, and lonelier of its department stores. In addition, it will reorganize itself into five distinct companies based around different sectors of the business. Details are sketchy, but so far it looks like one company will just deny warranty repairs and replacements, while another will focus its entire energies on sending incompetent technicians to your house. More »
I've been an avid reader of Consumerist for quite some time. Reading the good/bad experiences other readers had and the shortcomings of some companies is an eye opener. Unfortunately, my recent experience at a nearby Sears Automotive Department is worth mentioning. I've noticed my car would pull to the left while driving on a straight road. My initial thought was to get the wheels aligned. I decided to have it done at Sears. More »
—>Sears Holding Company, a conjoining of two defective retail companies, Sears and Kmart, expects to lose 60% this quarter. "Come see the poorer side of Sears." Lack of price competition, Abysmal customer service, warranty repair services contracted out to incompetent skeezebags, oh, and let's not forget two bollixed attempts at getting jiggy with the internets only to violate customer's privacy (exhibit A, exhibit B)... what's there to like? That shiner looks good on you, baby, you deserve it. More »
Oh, by the way, KamberEdelson, the law firm that filed the class action against Sears over its website exposing customer's purchase histories? They're the same folks who successfully sued Sony BMG for selling all those DRM-riddled music CDs. Sears could be in trouble. [Washington Post] More »
—>Reuters reports a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Sears for its managemyhome.com site which allowed you to type in anyone's name and address or phone number and get a record of everything they ever bought at Sears. The suit alleges that in doing so, Sears engaged in "unfair or deceptive" practices. Not too long after our post went up on Friday reporting on the matter, the purchase history feature was turned off. Sears said it had "turned off the ability to view a customer's purchase history on Manage My Home until we can implement a validation process that will restrict access by unauthorized third parties." Yes, a validation process, that would be good to have. More »
—>Want to see all the major appliances and repair services that your friends and neighbors... (and anyone else who you can look up in the phone book) have ever purchased at Sears? More »
—>Reader Kimberley writes to tell us that in the course of trying to find out why the vacuum she ordered had not been shipped... she was ignored, hung up on or transfered to the phone directory six (6!) times. 6. More »
—>Not content with having some of retail's worst customer service, Sears has decided to wring out more dollars from its customers by jumping into the spyware game. Sears recently sent out an email inviting customers to join "My SHC Community" where they will have a chance to earn fabulous prizes and journal their online shopping experience. All you gotta do is provide your address and install a little ComScore program that monitors your every single step on the internet, from Sears to Myspace to your online banking, to your email headers. More »
—>After WCVB in Boston did an investigation into Sears' awful, awful customer service record when it comes to installation and repair of appliances (a category in which they used to excel), Sears has now apologized to its Boston customers. More »
—>On Sept. 1 2006, I purchased a Kenmore HE2 Washer and Dryer from a Sears store located in Richmond, VA. These were full-sized units with the dryer stacked on top, and it was installed inside a utility closet in my kitchen by Sears technicians. I paid an additional $233 for a 5-year warranty for the washing machine.
As I will document below, Sears failed to live up to its warranty on multiple occasions, and because of this negligence my home has experienced considerable water damage. More »
—>Best Buy, Sears, and Circuit City all promise fast and easy in-store pickup for online orders and are willing to pay if they fail to deliver. Mouseprint scoured the fine print of each guarantee in search of loopholes. More »
—>Karen, a self-described, "Stinky Mom," writes:
I have had nothing but trouble w/ my high efficiency washer - my house STINKS, my clothes STINK, my towels STINK and now my FAMILY STINKS!!! I think as a Mom you've had enough when the kids at school laugh at your son because his jeans STINK!!!! I've had Sears out a number of times (will get my service) records - and even had the senior customer service person who deals with this type of washer say "I'm surprised they haven't recalled the washers, we get this complaint all the time"!!More »
—>The fact that Eddie Lampert isn't even a CEO didn't stop Herb Greenberg at Marketwatch from slapping the coveted "Worst CEO of the Year" award on him. Eddie beat out such unemployed luminaries as Chuck "Whoops" Prince, formerly of Citigroup, and Ed "I Hate My Customers" Zander, formerly of Motorola. More »
—>GE is recalling 92,000 microwave/oven combos because "door switch in the microwave oven can overheat and ignite plastic components in the control area, posing a fire hazard to consumers." The CPSC knows of 35 fires caused by the overheating door switch, one of which set fire to the adjacent kitchen cabinets. Whoops. More »
—>According to a poll cited by the Chicago Sun-Times, Sears is the #2 holiday shopping destination this year (after Walmart.) So why can't they make any money? More »
—>The New York Times has an article that attempts to diagnose what's wrong with Sears, and it mainly focuses on their (ill-advised?) cost cutting strategy. More »
—>The deep discounts some retailers offered on Black Friday are biting them in the ass - they were too popular and can't fulfill all the orders. Some are trying to scramble to offer alternative deals, but since they can't compare, they smell like bait and switch... and now that it's been almost a week, bait left over from last Friday sure don't smell too pretty. Here's what reader Ian has to say about Sears failure to sell him a TV at advertised price... More »
—>Sears' earnings are down 99% and there's really no denying that something is going wrong with the retailer. Same store sales, the most important indicator of the health of a store, fell 4.2 percent in the third quarter. More »
—>Reader Chris writes the CEO of Sears to let him know why he'll never step foot inside Sears ever again.
Dear Mr. Lewis, More »
—>Trixare4kids writes:
I went down to Sears today in Oakland, California, and as I am walking by the treadmills this caught my eye. The sale price on this treadmill is .91 cents higher than the original price. Someone at Sears needs a to re-take basic math.Actually, the portion of this sign that says, "save" bears no relation to the rest of the sign. It's just a general reminder to all of us in life that it's important to save things. Like receipts, memories, and rare stamps. More »
—>Dyson is not the Excalibur of upright vacuums, it's the Kenmore Progressive with Direct Drive 35922, according to survey and test results released in the latest issue of Consumer Reports. More »
—>The current email address for Aylwin B. Lewis, President & Chief Executive Officer of Sears, is alewis1@searshc.com. More »
—>Sears needlessly left William and his insulin-dependent wife and daughter without a working refrigerator for eighteen days. For three weeks, William chilled his food and life-saving medication with bags of ice, waiting for Sears to send a part that their intolerably rude repairman insisted would take at least ten business days to deliver. When a second repair team arrived to install the part, they found leaky copper tubing - a problem the first repairman could have easily fixed. More »
—>Walmart will offer 10 to 50 percent discounts on 16,000 items to boost sales during the lucrative back-to-school season. The cuts are part of Walmart's broader plan to abandon its pursuit of the upscale market, which "confused customers," and return to its core business of undercutting competition and instigating price wars. More »
—>We posted about how Ian started blogging his quest to get Sears to make up for delivering the wrong dryer, repeatedly. Now, the executive customer service types are ignoring his requests for a refund, despite their promises to do so in full. Ian has vowed to take Sears to small claims court-the last recourse for aggrieved customers. More »
—>Here's a good way to lose customers. Tell them that their order is in stock and ready to be picked up, even though it is not. Hey, at least they came in, right? Maybe they'll buy some gum on their way out of the store... forever. More »
—>Got a Sears complaint regular customer service can't handle? Kick it to the top. More »
Sears is aiming to be a one-stop shop for the home, while Kmart is turning its discount stores into a "marketplace of discoveries," Lampert's chief marketing officer, Maureen McGuire, said as Lampert looked on. More »
—>We asked Sears about their warranty policy on rusty Craftsman tools, and they said the life-time warranty doesn't apply when the rust is cosmetic. More »
—>UPDATE: This has nothing to do with Katrina victims. Clarification: Craftsman Lifetime Warranty Doesn't Apply To Rusty Tools More »
—>We love Sears Home Repair. We love the missed appointments, the 9-hour-windows, the crazy guy who dumps your olive oil all over your dishwasher. Today's complaint about Sears Home Repair is unusual in that Sears keeps telling our friend Michael that he bought his fridge somewhere other than Sears. Now, Michael may be crazy, but we've never heard of "I Bought My Fridge At Searsophrenia," so we're going to take the man's word on this. From his email: More »
—>Sometimes tips come in and they're too insane not to be true. Not that you people don't have imagination, but a Sears Repair Guy that pours your olive oil all over the inside of the dishwasher? We had to ask for photos. Joseph writes in after two experiences with Sears Repair Guys. The first guy was nice, on-time, and couldn't fix Joseph's dryer. So he didn't charge. No problem. The second guy was, apparently, insane. From Joseph's email: More »
—>Nary seconds ago, Sears Black Friday ad pooped onto the internet. More »
That annoying Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus guy is taking money from Sears (yes, the department store) to study whether or not cooking more improves your sex life. More »
Apparently, we're not the only ones who've had Sears repair people not show up for their appointments. Meet Jim, a man with a broken fridge. Not knowing how to fix a fridge himself, Jim called Sears Home Repair and scheduled an appointment. He was given a $65 estimate and a four hour repair window. Jim waited patiently, earnestly, for his hero to arrive. Guess who didn't show? Jim says: More »
—> Dan and Marguerite found out the hard way that Sears uses a "minimum charge" to extort repair fees from their customers. More »
—>Consider it Christmas in September. The Action Figure Archive has a few choice scans from the Sears Wishbooks of '79 to '87. More »
Penny Arcade called up to cancel the Sears "payment protection plan" they never ordered. More »
—>When you're out of job and aiming to repay a loan, the chances of you reaching a sympathetic representative is like finding a needle in a pit of jagged, used syringes. More »
Some of you were pretty rough on Kaje when he wrote in, telling us he was given a better Sears lawnmower by mistake. Would he give it back? Or would they have to pry the new mower out of his cold, dead hands? More »
—>There is something supremely satisfying about sticking it to a company when they make a mistake. Oh, we're all human — as an Apple sales rep explained to me the other day, his voice pregnant with the sorrow of a heavy heart, "We're not perfect." And yes, capitalizing on an employee's mistake is a bit petty: an employee who just wants to help you may lose their job over it. More »
—>"I needed to buy a new water filter for my GE Refrigerator," Bruce writes The Consumerist. "Although I could find better prices from internet merchants, my immediate desire for fresh water made me seek out a local source, and that was Sears." More »
If you've got a fat problem, have cheer. You can now, in the year 1902, eliminate it with a powder. More »
—>Cam needed a wet-dry vac and decided to shop Sears, as he's had agreeable shopping experiences with them in the past. He went online and found they had a 9 gallon vacuum on sale for $49.99, which was $10 down from the regular price. Blithe confidence in the retailer's ability to honor the same price, he waltzed on over (if you've never seen 6 cylinders doing 3/4 time, it's truly a sight to behold) to his local Sear's store. He writes: More »
—> The nearly once-a-year savings for frames and glasses are here. They're $99 at Sears Optical, along with $100 and under frame, until Feb 18 and $96 at JC Penney Optical, along with $150 and under frames until Feb 26. However, some people look unfavorably on budget Sears and J.C. Penney eyewear, a phenomenon known as department store stigmatism. More »
