Several days ago, my parents discovered that their washing machine was leaking. The machine was over six years old so they decided it was easier and more cost effective to buy a new one. So, they went to the store they always go to when buying a major appaliance: Sears.
I told my mom right away that they shuldn’t go to Sears…especially after my ordeal with them last year (read here & here). They went anyway and left with a washer that my mom really didn’t like…but settled for. The washer was going to be delivered today, and that’s where the problem started. This is the part where I’d go into detail, but it’s not my story to tell. Instead, I turn it over to my dad…or rather his email:
“I am writing this in the hope that someone will actually read this and be concerned by it. So far no one that I have spoken to on the phone does, but here goes anyway.
I just canceled an order for a washing machine that I purchsed last week at your store in Mesquite, TX. I cancelled it because the delivery department is unable to tell me what time it was to be delivered until the night before. Since I travel for business and my wife works varying hours, we need more notice than that in order to assure that we can be home to receive it. The people thet we spoke to in delivery were totally unwilling to do anything to help resolve this issue and just said “sorry” when we had no choice but to cancel the order.
When I called you customer care line, I received the same complacent response. “Thats the way it works, sorry. I thought “can Sears be doing so well that they can afford to let $600 in sales slip away without even attempting to resolve this in their favor?”
So I called the manager at the Mesquite store, explained what had happened and to my utter disbelief I got the same story from her. When I called her attitude apathetic, she protested that “she had already forght the battles and lost”. I guess I know now that the manager really does set the tone for the store.
I have worked in retalil for 35 years and I never thought I would see such behavior from Sears.
Wow, this is sad. Our family has been trading with Sears for over 60 years because of their reliability and customer service. I guess thats all out the window now.
So I went over to my local Lowe’s and picked up a better quality machine for less than I paid at Sears, saved $50 on the service contract and the clerk was able to make a delivery appointment that suited my schedule right in their POS terminal, just like Sears used to do. Thanks Sears! you saved me almost $75 bucks.
Oh and by the way, I need a new lawn tractor and my truck needs new tires this spring. You can kiss that $2500 good bye too, bringing the total sales lost due to poor customer service to $3100.
Bye Sears, sad to have to watch you in your declining years. “
Horrid customer service strikes again. I’m waiting to find out if he gets a reply from an actual person, or just the auto-response one to tells you to call the 800 number. Either way, he wont be happy until he knows for sure that the charge has been removed from his card…which I predict won’t happen anytime soon. In any event, I’ll keep you all posted.
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