I am PISSED OFF. Mostly at Sears, partly at myself for ordering from Sears.
On 5/17/2017 I ordered a steel storage rack. Sears had it for a bit cheaper than elsewhere. It was said to arrive on 5/19/2017, I guessed as part of their Shop Your Way MAX free 2-day shipping program.
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By 5/22 it hadn’t arrived so I contacted Sears customer support via chat. That’s all you can do, there’s no phone number or email address that I can find.
After they told me that I didn’t order from Sears, and that I should contact the 3rd party seller, even though the product page says Sears is the seller, I decided it was all too much. The item was late, and Sears’ support was aggravating. I didn’t want the product anymore so I requested cancellation. They said I’d receive email confirmation within 48 hours.
There was no email confirmation of the cancellation.
Since the item would delayed further, I decided to go in a different direction and the item was definitely no longer needed or wanted.
2 days later, I received a phone call telling me that the order was still on the way, and that I could refuse it or return it after it arrived.
It was left at the doorstep in the rain, when I was out, so I couldn’t refuse it.
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On 5/25, the day it arrived, I chatted with Sears and requested a return label and UPS pickup, since the item is too large and heavy to fit in my car.
I requested that it be expedited, and they assured me it would be.
On 5/30, I inquired again. 5 days and no return label or pickup appointment? They said it was still being worked on and that I needed to wait 48 business hours.
Oh, and they offered me a 10% credit since I’m a “valued member.” I declined. What do I need Sears credit for?
It’s 6/1, 48 hours after that check-in, and a full WEEK after making the return and pickup request. Nothing.
I know there was a holiday weekend in the middle of all that. But that still leaves 4 business days.
So at this point, I filed a credit card dispute, and emailed the chain of events to a general Sears email address I was given when they called to say the cancellation request wouldn’t be honored.
Update: The email address returns an error message, Whoops! You replied to an unmonitored email address, and tells me to contact them via chat.
Sears’ Lampert keeps emphasizing a member-centric business plan, but they’re failing horribly at it.
What possessed me to try ordering from Sears again?! All I know is that I won’t make this mistake again anytime soon. Ha, I thought I was taking a small risk of inconvenience to save some money. Instead all I’ve done is allow Sears to give me a huge headache that won’t go away.
What a lousy experience.
I could be more accommodating, but I don’t want to, nor should I have to. I want this large and 100+ pound box gone, and my money back.
On the other hand, the item was shipped direct from the manufacturer, which likely explains the shipping delay, and doesn’t appear to be too damaged, aside from being left out in the rain with some holes in the box.
Aside from being nearly a week late, compared to the ETA given when I placed the order, the transaction wasn’t all that bad.
It’s Sears’ customer service, and their complete lack of ability to do anything – and this has happened before – that led to all this frustration.
They couldn’t cancel or recall an order after it was shipped out. I can understand that. But telling me that I should contact a 3rd party when Sears was the seller? And then not being able to get me a shipping label or schedule a UPS pickup? I get it that they couldn’t do it same-day when I inquired, but a week later and nothing?!
Sears keeps trying to be Amazon, but they’re failing horribly at it.
If I had ordered from Amazon, the item would have been gone 6 days ago and I’d have my money back by now. Or it would have arrived when they said it would.
Adam g
Filing a better business bureau complaint has worked wonders for me in the past with a major cell service provider and an electronics company.
Stuart
A few years ago Sears had a special team that responded to BBB complaints. They were able to do the kinds of things that Amazon’s first level customer service agents could do. But I don’t know if they care enough any more to do that, and it’s more work on my end.
tim
BBB is the 90’s version of Yelp. It has absolutely no power whatsoever. It is not a government agency like they want you to believe. You got lucky that it helped you out.
Chance
I just had a similarly unpleasant experience with sears. The large aluminum base to my porter cable biscuit jointer broke, and since I use it frequently and need it for a large dining room table job I ordered the part right away. I had a 15% off coupon from searsPartsDirect.com so I thought I would give them a try. The part was listed as “in stock”, and surprisingly the regular price was cheaper than other places even before my coupon. So I decided to placed the order, despite the overpriced shipping charge. I received an email on May 27 saying my “in stock” part would ship June 6, what?? Now I just received an email saying the part will not ship until June 12 because it’s backordered, again, what?!?! I was planning on canceling the order and buying elsewhere where it actually is in stock since I need my biscuit jointer up and running now, but after hearing your story I’m a bit hesitant to try to go through that process. The whole thing is just frustrating. . . . .
Stuart
My cancellation request wasn’t honored because the item already shipped.
Although, I’ve had problems with items not being cancelled before shipping out too.
pete
all i read was “i shot my self in the foot and it hurts”…. lol but seriously i’d rather pay MORE to ensure i have the ease of returns/exchanges.
fred
My wife has a 15 year old Kenmore sewing machine that was their top model at the time and it works fine for her needs – but she somehow lost the little plate that covers the bobbin compartment. Being old school – she went to a Sears store – machine in hand – chatted with someone – who examined the machine then looked things up on their computer and declared that the part was no longer made – suggesting duct tape as a replacement. She came home – went online and chatted with a representative – ordered a part – and received something that wasn’t even close in terms of size and shape. Mercifully the part was cheap. Next I did a bit of sleuthing starting over with the model number – found a parts diagram and ordered 2 (still cheap) to spread out the $6 shipping cost. The parts arrived in a few days and were an exact fit. My take on all of this is that Sears has some employees who either don’t care or are incompetent. At one level the company is great having parts in stock for a 15 year old sewing machine – but useless at another level in that their employees could not figure out how to find them or sell them.
Nate
Incompetence is spreading at an alarming rate and people in the know are incompetent to fix it.
Ann
For anyone else who finds themselves in this situation and can’t acquire the replacement cover, the Sears employee suggesting duct tape sounds like a terrible idea. The bobbin compartment has to be opened frequently, every time the user changes thread color, and duct tape will get frayed edges and leave nasty adhesive gunk. Not the kind of thing to have around nice fabric.
If needing a substitute for the real part, I’d instead try some clear package sealing tape stuck to itself (so that both exposed surfaces are the non-sticky side), add more layers of tape till desired thickness/stiffness is reached, trim to appropriate shape/size, and hold in place with small pieces of blue painter’s tape. Replace the painter’s tape pieces as soon as they start having the edges not fully stick down after a few removals/reuses.
Royesses
I only purchase from Sears if all the following apply:
1: I need it now
2: It is in the local Sears store on display
3: Sears is the only local vendor that has it
4: I don’t have to order it online
The people in my local Sears are really pretty good and helpful but the online Sears is a cluster of trouble. They shipped a package to an address that I moved from 5 years previous. They had the correct address in the database. No one could explain the screw up.
Rock Hound
My last order with Sears, I purchased a router table that was more money on their website, but I was supposed to get 30% back with a shopyourway special, which would make it about 12% less expensive. The item took forever to get to me, and I wasn’t credited with my shop your way points. I was told that the points would be credited in 30 days because it was a special. They were never credited, despite numerous correspondences with both Sears and shopyourway stating that they would be. After the 30 days, they told me that it was too late to credit the points and I had used the item so they would not take the return. So, apparently I should buy a tool from them, and sit on it for 30 days to see if they honor their advertised deal before deciding to return it or not. Never again.
I honestly have better service and faster shipping with Aliexpress than I do with Sears. Better service despite the much longer shipping distance and language barrier.
P.S. Stuart, I sent you some pictures of our science club final project a couple weeks back (thanks again for helping us). If you need anything resent or would like to see some of the other projects you helped make happen, let me know!
RKA
I’ve had numerous experiences with brick and mortars that decided they needed an online presence over the years and with rare exception, they all fail in comparison to Amazon. In fact that’s a red flag for me if they started as a long standing B&M chain then expanded to online. Home Depot has done reasonably well until yesterday. I received a bare M12 tool in the factory box (small) with the UPS label slapped on the side. Amazon isnt known for their packaging either, so this isn’t a huge advantage for Amazon.
I haven’t had to send stuff back with sears, but I have had to “deal” with in store staff that are trained to treat the online business as another entity. Management isn’t smart enough to figure out how bad that is for business. At least Home Depot acknowledges that the cross shopping experience needs to be seamless.
Jonathan
I had a recent issue w/a HD online purcahse but it was drop shipped from the Manufacturer. I bought some Proflex hardscape edging for a job I bid on.
Normally I just order it on Amazon for jobs, but this was advertised in the Pro AD and was about 1/3rd cheaper. Apparently the promo was too popular and Dimex wasn’t prepared and oversold it.
When only 1 of 2 packages showed up, I 1st thought the UPS driver forgot the 2nd one on the truck.
Despite it not even shipping till the day before the expected delivery date, it was still shipped ground. Ordered May 18th, expected on the 25th and 1/2 delivered on the 30th.
Dimex printed UPS label, so I only had tracking info.
That said I had to buy full retail off the shelf from HD to the job.
Spent over an hour with HD chat, they kinda of made it right, but I still lost more than an hour of billable time. Crazy thing is same stuff ordered from Amazon on 15th delivered 18th Amazon must get next day or 2day for ground rates, because of being UPS’s biggest client.
I still order online from some B&M mainly BB/HD/Lowe’s because of free shipping and easier in store returns. But BB only has a 15 day window.
But my local HD manager is awesome, and has made me whole on more than one occassion when a team member screwed up an order or a delivery. So I rarely shop Lowe’s unless it’s my only option.
firefly
The local manager can definitely make or break the shopping experience. Luckily for one of my local HD also have great managers.
Raoul
I had the same problem with a DeWalt drill from HD. Ordered one for a gift for someone and they just stuck a crap load of labels on DeWalt packaging and sent it out. Not only was it all stickered up, it looked like it had been in transit for months. I was embarrassed to give it as a gift so I asked HD to send another or order another but put it in a shipping box. They couldn’t do it. They thought maybe it would be better if I had it shippe to store so I tried that. Same condition. I gave up.
Adam
Local Hometown Town Sears has great employees, at least mine. Sears customer service is the exact flip side. I don’t think companies should be allowed to have customer service reps that have never shopped or used that companies services, or least the ability to. Calling someone abroad that has never been in a Sears, or even contemplated using their website, should not be handling a Sears call.
I had to call TiVo customer service. I got someone abroad, doesn’t matter where other than they didn’t have cable. So they had never even used a TiVo, just troubleshooting guides on a ‘puter. Nothing more fustrating.
Ann
Probably helps that Sears Hometown stores are a franchise system of locally-owned stores, not part of Sears corporate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Hometown_and_Outlet_Stores
RC WARD
Dude, Sears is going belly up, they are a dead company, have to blame you on this one, made a good story though so there is that.
Cameron
The only thing I use Sears online ordering for is purchases for pickup at the local Sears Hardware and Appliance store. I’ve discovered that a LOT of merch is priced on the shelf about 10% higher than at the full Sears store and online. If I pay online I get the better price. They must think it’s odd when they have to pull an order for a single socket or screwdriver.
R Dogg
How did you even navigate their website to even place the order?
They seem to “update” it constantly and it just keeps getting worse and worse.
Mike47
Bottom line: Was the cost savings worth the headache?
toolPathy
Amazon has raised our expectations of good service to virtually unmatchable levels. Walmart may be the only brick and mortar operation to succeed in building a competitive internet operation.
Paul
Except, to pick up an order at my local Walmart I have to walk to the farthest corner of the Super, Super Walley world to pick it up. It’s a huge waste of my time.
Raoul
Walmart has seriously upped their game with ship to store. They moved the pickup to the front and have someone working there all the time. I avoided it for quite a while and the out of necessity I tried it again after the changes and was quite pleased. Not sure if it is nationwide.
As for Sears, well, sometimes you need to be hit in the head so many times before you realize it hurts. I get tool deal alerts from slickdeals, and whenever an alert pops up for Sears, I cringe. No matter how good the deal is it is not worth it.
Ann
And now Walmart is starting a program for store employees to get a little extra pay to drop off orders at customers’ homes that are on their way home from work! https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/06/01/walmart-tests-employee-delivery-its-battle-amazon/102382666/
Chris
Walmart bought jet.com.
Joey
Seems you cant let go of that marriage with Sears. TIME TO TAKE THE HIGH ROAD GIVE SEARS A GOOD BYE KISS! No more ordering their goodies. MOVE ON
Jim Felt
Stuart. I’m glad you had this experience.
Not that I’d wish it on anyone but rather so none of us, your loyal readers, get the joy of experiencing it ourselves. So thanks!
As for fred’s experience I think that’s the only option for Sears Kenmore parts in the future.
All pretty sad.
Thanks Eddie. Good job. Not.
Nathan
The local Sears isn’t too bad in terms of staff and service, but it’s hard to want to buy most of the junk they have in the tools department these days. Now i always head for HD instead.
I’ve had some issues with HD online orders, especially when i opt for in-store pickup. First off, i can count on it taking forever to pick up, but then again i usually shop at what two different in-store 3rd-party product reps have told me is the busiest HD in the world (it’s the one nearest downtown Miami). Once they delivered the wrong m12 part (only available online for a sale), and that took more than a month to resolve, but it was resolved as an upgrade, so i was a satisfied customer. I have found that the feature to email you a receipt when you check out in-store is very helpful (for billing expenses) and appreciate that they switched to chip readers before anyone else around (not too surprising as that was one of the first places people would go with stolen cards–including when someone cloned my card a few years ago).
By far my most unpleasant online shopping experience was with Amazon. While they are USUALLY more agile at responding to issues, if you live in an area with iffy delivery services or end up with a “lemon” order, you can end up wasting a lot of time finding the buried link to report a package missing or on the phone, and get a load of frustration. I was outright lied to several times in the course of one order. I bought a monitor on a cyber Monday deal that was a special listing introduced just for that sale and the run-up to Christmas. This was an Amazon fulfilled purchase, not some third-party vendor. I saw the listing appear, i saw the number in stock listed, and with many left still, i ordered it for the usual Prime free two day delivery. However, even though the webpage said it had shipped, it did not give a tracking number. Two days later and it had not arrived, so i called. The rep told me there had been a little inventory problem but that it was going out the next morning. The original product page was still up and still listed in stock. At that point the online system updated to show a new delivery date for my order in three more days. However, there was still no tracking number. Shortly after noon on the third day, i called again and was assured by the rep that if it said it would be delivered that day, it would be delivered that day. When i asked about the tracking number, he said that no tracking number was assigned until the package entered the freight system. “So that means the product is sitting in a local warehouse waiting to be picked up and delivered today?” i asked.
“Yes.”
Of course, the next morning i received an update email from Amazon notifying me that the item had been delayed. The product page still listed it as available and in stock.
To make a long story slightly shorter: they finally shipped out my monitor more than two weeks after it was supposed to have been. To add insult to injury, the UPS guy didn’t even bother knocking the day i was waiting for delivery. He left a note directing me to a local business that served as a pick-up center and it was closed for the weekend by the time i got the note. I had to pick it up after i came back from Christmas with the family. All in all it was more than a month after the original order, and never once was the product page changed to reflect it being out of stock or backordered. I understand that late November is a terrible time to be in retail, but it was the deception and outright lies by support that really singed my lashes.
I’ve tried to patronize the local Ace and True Value and the places really creep me out. At one, there are SOO many sales associates waiting around that swoop down on you the second you walk in and don’t let you out of their sight. It’s worse than a shady car dealer. If they were more helpful it would be less of an issue. About half the time i’ve tried to pick up something there, they didn’t have the product i wanted. The other place is so run-down and unkempt and seedy that i feel like there ought to be a double swinging front door, and a horse hitching post out front. Last time i went in the two staff were so engrossed in a ball game on TV they would barely give me a monosyllable when i had a question.
So as much as i want to “shop local” (whatever that means these days), Amazon has its advantages and i use it often, and as much as i want to dislike HD as a small-business-eating big box store, i can’t really fault their selection, price or service.
RobertW
My local ACE must be an exception to the rule. For such a tiny store compared to big box, it seems like I can always find that one thing that I just spent 30mins combing big box for. Then I get to laugh and ask myself for the hundredth time: how many times am I gonna do this before I just go there to find it next time.. lol
Nathan
I’ve been in Ace or True Value stores that were much better (although i tend to convolve the two so i can’t say which). It’s just the ones nearest my residence that are so extreme. I think that small town editions of the stores are probably better as a rule.
I tend to have a very specific idea what i want and it’s pretty hard for a tiny store to compete with a warehouse like HD in sheer volume of options. In some cases neither has it and i have to order. One example is moldicidal paint. You’d think one of them would carry a reputable product but all the local stores i called had sketchy also-rans to the product i was looking for, including the local paint specialty stores.
ktash
I love my local Ace and the True Value store is even better. I don’t have to spend an hour combing through their merchandise like I do at the big box stores. They will find the specialized fasteners for me in a flash and I’m out the door. They know me and are always pleasant to deal with. The True Value is further, but they have sooo many things that are specialized. Also they will tell you how to do things and their employees are somewhat specialized/expert at it. I go to these places first.
The main guy in the local Lowe’s tool/hardware department seems to have a problem, like he has a constant raging headache and you are bothering him. I rarely go there. I’ve liked them in the past.
The Home Depot is pretty good, but for items shipped to store, it can take forever to pick them up. Home Depot has good tools and I’ll still go to Lowe’s for something I can’t get at Home Depot. I do like Home Depot’s products. I think they have replaced Sears in the tools. The local sears is somewhat pathetic.
It’s sad to see Sears die. They have a fascinating history and helped build this country. Literally. They used to ship whole house kits. Those houses were better built than many houses today. Of course there was no super-fast shipping, but I bet they were more dependable. Perhaps a person back then would have had less trouble than you did with your order, Stuart.
firefly
My experience with Amazon customer service has been mostly positive. I do know what you mean about being lied to. That usually ticked me off badly. As much as I hated it I would definitely would called out the rep to give them a chance to be honest with me. I don’t like to play game so I usually cut to the chase if I sense there is some deception going on. If they still feel that lying to me is the best way to get rid of me then I would follow up the chain to do everything I can to get them fire or at the very least put something permanent on their record.
With that said, if we put ourselves in the customer support shoe. There are certain issue that is just out of their hands. So instead of asking the impossible. It’s always worth while to ask for what’s possible such as a reasonable discount to make up for the inconvenience.
Ann
I try to choose third-party sellers when ordering from Amazon, as much as practical. That way at least you’re still supporting a local business, although not local to you. 🙂
Austin
Just ignore them till they go away.
Also, dispute the charge with your credit card company and stop wasting time with Sears.
johnny bright light
they all be bad
went to a big box because they had the drill press I wanted. there she be…. 9.00 am sunday morn two clowns talkin wouldn’t help me. load it on a cart to check out.
so;s I sez @#$% this. left the joint gone to harbor freight got a better drill press almost the same. much better customer service… go figure…
Steve S
Stuart, your experience does not surprise me.
A few year ago, I ordered a Gladiator cabinet on sale from Sears because they had the lowest price. Having read many complaints about the ordering process and problems with shipments, I figured it was probably safe to order an item that was listed as being in stock at my local store for in person pickup. The local store is in an upscale Tier 1 mall. I went through the online ordering process and was eventually able to complete the transaction.
When I arrived at the store the next day, I went to the customer pickup desk and found it had been replaced with a computer kiosk. Prominent signage indicated the kiosk was to be used for pickup items. I approached and saw it was displaying a Windows blue screen of death.
There were no employees to be seen. It was like a ghost town. After waiting a decent amount of time, I knocked on and entered the door for the stockroom. An stockroom employee ultimately appeared to confront me, and I explained that I was there to pick up an online order. She helpfully ushered me back to the sales floor and pointed out the kiosk, which I then explained wasn’t functioning. She went up to the kiosk, sighed, remarked “this always happens”, and momentarily unplugged it from a nearby receptacle (I presume in order to reboot the computer). She then took the printout I gave her from my online order and eventually was able to locate and retrieve a cabinet. The entire process took over 40 minutes.
The employee I dealt with was commendably helpful, but it seemed the entire store was in a state of neglect and disarray. I can only begin to imagine what it’s like now, with employee morale at rock bottom.
That was my first and last online ordering experience from Sears. As a reminder of my experience, since I was stupid enough to provide them with an email address, I have ever since continued to receive ridiculous daily “Shop Your Way” spam. Surely there’s a way to opt out of these online, but I figure the way Sears is going I won’t have to worry about it for very much longer.
firefly
I, too, get the numerous email spam from Sears. I thought the same about opting out then something in me wanted to hold back to see how much longer before it all goes away on its own…
RobertW
Related to online ordering, I hope I’m not chastised for this too bad but I have had a couple of great experiences with Walmart. Sure some is still third party offers, and not the place for tools so much, but I recently bought an in-wall secure cabinet for my tool cave. Not only the cheapest price, but then had the added discount for pickup at my local store. That gave me a chance to inspect the shipment and that was it… in and out! Gotta say, I found this to be an acceptable alternative to just giving my all my online bucks to Amazon.
Side note about Sears… I stopped into one of the more well known locations in my Metro for the first time in years. Not only was it a ghost town, but nearly half the shelves were empty around the power tools– not just missing merchandise but entire aisles. The rest of the areas were a mess or organized like no one cares. That was the most depressing store stop in quite some time. Has all the hallmarks of “we sent all the good stuff outta here – closing soon”.
Russ
And now you know why Sears is almost out of business and gone…
I use to really like Sears and am sorry to see what’s left.
A W
It’s amazing how much good will Sears has squandered. 5 years ago, Sears was the only place I’d go when I needed to buy a tool, and Craftsman was the brand I wanted.
Toolfreak
Yeah, it’s generally a good idea to avoid buying anything off Sears.com or ShopYouWay that isn’t actually sold and shipped firsthand by Sears itself, either for store pickup or delivery if it’s over the minimum for free shipping.
Thing is, it isn’t always clear to a lot of people what is and isn’t fulfulled directly by Sears and what is fufilled by a third party (though you can usually tell on the item page or in checkout if it’s sold by “Sears Authorized Supplier” or some other company name).
The whole point behind ShopYourWay and the Sears “marketplace” (i.e. third party sellers and stuff Sears sells but has drop shipped by the manufacturer) is to take advantage of this and have people by lots of things, just like Amazon, but, as you experienced, with a marked difference in service and satisfaction.
Given what Eddie Lampert has done to Sears and it’s customers, I’ll be glad if ShopYouWay turns into a massive failure and torpedoes his future plans to sell off Sears’ brands and their real estate and keep Shop Your Way as a customer database and Amazon competitor. Even if Sears is doomed, I’d rather the jerk that intentionally drove it into the ground doesn’t get to see his long term plan succeed.
firefly
Great post Stuart! I don’t know whether to laugh or cried 😀
As far as ship to store experience I have good experience with Walmart, Home Depot and Northern Tool. One thing that annoyed me about Northern Tool is that the required me to get an RMA via phone or online to return anything that was placed online.
Morgs
It’s easy to see that many, if not most folks dealing with Sears have similar experiences. Myself included. You have spotlighted quite a few issues regarding legacy brand names like Craftsman, and all your work is greatly appreciated. This site is directly responsible for my new set of Armstrong ratchets after gaining the knowledge of that brand’s demise, (best set I’ve had, rivals S/O any day). Moreover, because of your work and experience I’ve gained hope in the Craftsman name after B/D acquired the name, in that they will be branded with American flags on their packaging, and the product will be that which is commensurate of it’s legacy.
Growing up, there was a store that was THE place to go, called Cranston’s that had everything! I mean.. any sized fastener, to obscure specialized tools for specific model cars.. It was awesome! Now I have to go three or four places to get a project done, or continue to build my box. With Craftsman being more readily available, I’m hoping to circumnavigate Sears for good. Ace is great, however limited in stock. Fingers crossed.
Always sad to see a legacy fall victim to poor management and decision making, but it’s those who do the work that build this country, not those who sell the tools.
Ron
I’ve had good and bad experiences with both Sears (I had a farting Sears mattress salesman a few years ago) and Amazon. I just ordered from Sears online a Craftsman variable speed angle grinder which was cheaper than any other comparable angle grinder I could find at Amazon or elsewhere. I picked it up at the store (free shipping). No waiting.
I can find replacement parts at Sears Parts Direct which are difficult to locate anywhere else. And Sears Parts Direct usually has a schematic to help determine what part is required. Amazon is not doing this. On the other hand, if something goes wrong its much harder to fix at Sears as it requires a call to customer service and we know what that means.
I have had problems with Amazon vendors who send items not as advertised/pictured (especially things like batteries and printer ink cartridges) or come in unmarked boxes (brand name unknown) or items who’s shipping date keeps being extended indefinitely. The thing with Amazon is that they will make good on any customer complaints and it can be done completely online.
anode
Last year I had very similar experience with Sears. Their customer rep was also clueless and lost several hours to deal with the aftermath. After weeks of frustration I finally got my refund. I decided to never shop there again.
John
I have had a similar experience with Sears online chat support. Tried to buy a stove in store at a hometown store, they said it needed to be done online due to online only pricing. Purchased at the kiosk in store, chat set it up, sent it to the wrong store for pickup and I couldn’t change it to the hometown store, so ended up driving an hour each way, it was a mess but at least I got the stove for cheaper than Lowes, though without free delivery.
So next purchase I made at Lowes online, for pick up in store due to online only coupon. The total was $340 or so, Lowes charged me 3x, and said a refund takes 30 days to process and wouldn’t budge from that, talking to store, and it was on a Lowes CC so they were of no help either. Eventually got the refund but it was a worse experience than Sears by far.
Basically, it’s not just Sears with the issue with online ordering. I have had other good experiences with Sears, instore pickup and shipping orders in the past, but it’s frustrating when customer service people are unable to resolve the issues.
fred
Sears just announced a closing of 72 more stores (Kmart and Sears)
Jim Felt
Part of Eddie’s well conceived and brilliantly executed plan to Make Sears Great Again no doubt.
AKA suck the husk dry.
loup68
Western Forge just told Sears that they will not ship anything to them anymore, even
current orders.
Stuart
Where did you hear/see that? I’m not surprised. Someone informed me via Facebook that all Western Forge-made pliers are now at clearance pricing.
I saw the new imported Sears Craftsman pliers, and the first thought that came to mind was that they must be screwing their supplier of USA-made pliers.
loup68
Stuart, I just joined the Craftsman club, and there were news items on one page. The Chicago News (might have a different name) said that Sears settled with TTI. But it stated that Sears was suing Western Forge. Their contract was up in April and they were suppose to transition out for six months. They instead have stopped all shipments to Sears. Lou.
Stuart
Hmm, so maybe Sears started clearance pricing out the seemingly Western Forge-made pliers because of the contract dispute.
loup68
From what I read, Western Forge did not renew their contract to Sears in April. They let Sears think that they were going to, and then did not. The contract had a clause that they would wind down after April for six months. But they told Sears that they would not ship anything to them.
This is killing me, Stuart. When I got out of the Army in 1969, I bought a small tool box with tools from Sears. I was in maintenance at the original Modern Tool & Die company in Cleveland, Ohio for 34 years. All of my tools are Craftsman, except electric hand tools. They made our plant all automotive parts and it was closed in 2007, and I had to retire a little early. MTD is the world’s largest maker of lawn mowers and outdoor power equipment. MTD makes lawn mowers for everyone else, except Sears. So most of their products have a different company name on them, and so no one knows about them. They bought Yard Man, Cub Cadet, Bolens, and Troy-Bilt. Also MTD yard machines.
Chris K
Unfortunately Sears, shopyourway, Kmart has been plagued with poor management for years. I worked for Sears back in 2005 through 2008 and it really seems like nothing much has changed. I was earning points from shopyourway for years and had no idea because the wrong email address was on file. When I called them to retrieve my points they told me that all of them expired and after being on the phone for 15 minutes, they eventually gave me half of my points back. Well that’s where the bad dream only get started. I have probably placed about 15 orders with shopyourway and I would say 12:00 out of the 15 orders has issues or problems: points not applying, check out not working right, customer service issues, being disconnected on the phone, getting sent the wrong size clothing twice, email responses that have nothing to do with the problem, multiple items being ” not available for your ZIP code”. The list goes on. And JUST NOW, I received a package from them, opened it up and sure enough the size is wrong. I ordered 34/32 pants and they sent me 34/29. I’m not sure how this error can be made since not only does the price tag have the size on it in pretty decent sized font, but also the tag on the pants have the size on them as well. I don’t know if it’s apathetic employees, managers with poor communication skills or a little of both. the Outsource customer service doesn’t work as well as they seem to speak like robots. I hate to say that but it’s the truth. And then when you get frustrated, they get frustrated and you can hear them sigh on the phone. The whole experience just really stinks! it’s not like I didn’t give him a chance. I’ve placed many many orders. it’s getting to the point where it’s not even worth the effort even though you’re getting a good deal. But it’s not a good deal if it takes up 3 hours of your day…