Sears Service is HORRIBLE!

[schallerp]

I am VERY displeased with the service I am getting from Sears on my central AC unit. I came home today to find that my unit was no longer working at all. In searching for the problem I discovered that the fuse on the circuit board was blown. I replaced the fuse and it blew again. I tried shutting it all down and replaced the fuse and then tried to just start the fan, blew the fuse. Seeing it looked like I was not going to be able to fix it, I called Sears Repair. I was told by Sears it would be 24 hours before someone called me back and then up to

3 days for repairs. Seeing that I live in FL and I had out of town guests I could not accept this type of answer or service.

After a bunch of calls to various Sears service groups I was finally given the local number of the company that services for Sears. When I called them they told me the earliest they could come out is Monday. That is 3 days with no AIR plus I would have to take off of work to be home for them.

This type of service thru Sears is absurd that they would make a customer go this long without air. I could only imagine those in the North that loose Heat during the winter being told it would take up to

3 days for repairs.

This is the worst service I have ever received form any company. Sears being a supposed name I can trust has just given me the shaft! How can you people treat others like this? Shame on you and your company! I used to buy exclusively from Sears for certain things becuase of the name and warranty, well not any more.

[JRanieri]

I'm no friend of Sears - but c'mon, it's Friday afternoon and they're saying they can't get to it until Monday. That doesn't sound so absurd. They'd also like someone to be home so they can get paid when they're done. That sounds pretty reasonable.

[tbasc]

We've used both GE & Sears service. They have both had moments of failure and of excellence. The organizations are large and sometimes unresponsive. The individual service men have all tried TB

[Travis Jordan]

Is your A/C under warranty?

[Norminn]

clipped

Pretty typical wait for AC in Florida in hot weather.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Many people are. Sears is the last place I'd buy anything that ever needs service.

You could hire a house sitter.

We lived for hundreds of centuries with no AC. Three more days won't kill you unless you happen to be a sick person with a heart or lung condition. Didn't Ponce de Leone hang around Florida? Did he have AC in his ships? Cold is more likely to kill and freeze thing that cuase lots of damage. It has gone out that long is places though. My neighbor wen 5 days last year.

This time of year m ost very AC service person is working long hours. You just get in line.

Shame on you and your company! I

Go to some other store then and for $88 you can buy a window shaker that will at least cool your bedroom. You need a good night's sleep.

[Matt]

Spot on, Ed.

Sears sucks, and I hate them.

But Jeezy Weezy. 3 days without AC and the world crumbles.

[Bert Byfield]

I like the *Die-Hard* batteries, but when I have them install one, they always find something else that NEEDS doing. They are worse than oil-change shops.

[lindy]

This is typical of a majority of HVAC people, many are hacks. in my humble opinion.

[SteveB]

No shit, Sherlock! They came out and gave me a bid for $5,000 for an AC unit. The "bid" was on half a sheet of torn legal sized yellow tablet.

I had the job done for a LOT less.

You can't even trust their tools much any more.

Steve

[JA]

Sears is terrible and I only buy from them when I have absolutely no other option--but come on. Three days for AC repair during the beginning of summer when everyone is discovering their AC isn't working isn't bad.

[lp13-30]

To the OP: one of the most common cause of control fuses blowing is shorted 24 volt wires between the inside and outside unit. Visibly inspect them first to see if they havent become the victim of a weedeater or critter. Ideally, they should be in conduit, but often they are not. If you cannot see any obvious damage, try disconnecting them at the circuit board. Should be two(assuming you do not have a heat pump) connected to Y and Common. Try another fuse. If the fan runs ok and the fuse does not blow, either the wires are bad where you cannot see them, or there is a problem inside the condensing unit. Disconnect the two wires at the cond unit and try it again. Check for shorts and grounds with an ohmeter if you have one. Otherwise, hook the wires back up inside. If the fuse blows again, you got a problem in the wires.If not, sounds like a problem inside the cond unitwhich should be left to pros. EMail me (tonight--gonna be away form the poormans computer tomorrow)if you got any questions. BTW-- totally agree about Sears A/C service. I know of 3 people who had service contracts with Sears, and finally gave up and told them to take a hike and had us replace their entire systems. On one, they had been screwing around with a gas furnace fan/limit control and had the limit bypassed and the blower not coming on-- the furnace got so hot it melted the plastic drain pan on the A coil and it dripped down through the heat exchanger and solidified into a glob in the bottom of the blower. How it kept from starting a fire I will never know. I got a brand new (2 day old) compressor out of one, and a brand new Acoil out of the latest one. Sears could not find the Freon leak, so they replaced the coil. When it kept on leaking, they told the lady it was in the lineset which was not covered. We replaced the whole 4 ton heat pump system including lineset-- got to looking at the old outside unit-- service valves with no caps spewing Freon. Larry PS We can almost always get to a customer that is completely down the same day they call-- at the very worst the next day, especially if they call in real late in the day. We try to schedule the routine M/A checkouts, and little minor stuff so that we have people available to handle breakdowns. Hopefully there are companies in your area that can do the same.

[Bob]

Why on earth wouldn't you just call any local reputable heating/Air conditioning business. Sears probably just contracts with one of them anyway.

Bob

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle

You have just been exposed to service and how it all works. When you buy a Speciality HVAC type equipment from a discount store. Do you really expect them to be set up to give 100% service when they only sell them and could care less after sale because they have no more need of you anymore as to fixing if it breaks. Never buy HVAC equipment from a store / company / who ever that only sells the equipment part time and is not 100% in the business of the Sales & repair of what you bought from them.

another secret here. Sears does not work on HVAC equipment that is out of warranty or they did not sell it. They may say so but if they do come out they will tell you to buy a new one because yours is burnt up and need a totally new one. Their service department is just a '' sales force '' doing business for service after the sale does not make very much money.

TURTLE

[Jim B]

Here was my experience with Sears. I received three bids for a 4 tons HVAC; Carrier, York and Kenmore. I trusted Sears and I accepted Sears bid, $3K more than the other two lower bids. Sears subcontracted the installation to two contractors and it ended up in a leaky mess. Two years later, after the warranty expires, Sears had not done anything to remedies the problems. Finally, Sears service area manager and the contractor's manager came on their own time, during the weekend and fixed the leaks and other installation defects.

I promised NEVER to buy anything from Sears and I have since kept that promised. I was overjoyed when Kmart bought Sears and soon the Sears stores will be sold off like a piece of pizza.

[Dr. Hardcrab]

"Bob" wrote

(in the following "mini-rant", when I say "you", I don't mean you Bob, and when I say "me", I'm not nec talking about myself. I'm am speaking as if I am a contactor speaking to a homeowner)

You have to remember (or maybe you aren't that old?):

At one time, Sears was a name you could trust. As much as I hated them, I wore Toughskins almost my entire life before high school. Almost every thing my family bought was purchased through Sears. They knew that if they ever had a problem with something, you could take it back and get your money back or a replacement would be given to you. Hell! Kenmore appliances?? Top of the line stuff. Craftman products? Fuhgedaboutit!

Now you see the "info-mercial-like" ads on TV for Sears A/C, or Sears siding and windows, or Sears roofing. "Oooooo....ahhhhhhh. Isn't THAT pretty! And they did such a nice neat job and that nice man on the TV said we can finance it and...."

Sheeeeeeyat! As Bob said: Why would you call Sears and have them install (pick a product) when they are going to turn around and call ME to do it. Do they really think guys in Sears uniforms come out and do the work?? ("When you get back to the store, say hi to Ms. Cathy in the ladies shoe department!") and think about it:

You come to me, I give you a price to do the job. You go through Sears, who then comes to me, do you think it will still be the same price? Do you think I am going to LOWER my price just so Sears can make some money off of the deal? SURRRRRRREEEE I will................

Can you say "middleman"??

[Norminn]

We have a service contract, with the AC contractor, for most of our electrical appliances. It came with the house, as did the old appliances. We had a new AC/heat pump installed last year. Their service is timely, quality and cheap. Bought a nice used refrig from neighbor few years ago. When it froze up, it took two calls - regular guy and specialist - to fix it. Couple of hours time. Paid for the whole year's contract. They are straightforward, knowledgeable and up front about what they will or will not do. One day response EXCEPT for AC, because folks don't notice the AC is trash until hot weather when they go to use it. We survived a whole 24 hours last year without power due to hurricane. I admit to feeling irritatated, but I kept trying to figure out what it would be like if I lost power AND my house. I have a firm belief in contractors, support individuals and avoid the corporate contractors. Local contractors are a dying breed, like the corner hardware store. But, then, I like GM cars, too. :o)

Some of the folks in Florida who had damage from last year's hurricanes are probably still living under blue tarps, waiting for repairs or can't afford them. That is yesterday's news, and it's been forgotten. Hurricane season again, already.

[willshak]

On 6/11/2005 6:25 AM US(ET), Dr. Hardcrab took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

I don't know where you live, but where I live in NY state (not NYC), every Sears repairman came in a white Sears truck and wore a Sears work uniform.

[Curly Sue]

OK, I'll be on the other side :> In the past 5 years, I have replaced or installed all of the major appliances that in this house since I bought it. I bought all of them from Sears (Kenmore, JennAir, and Whirlpool). I can't comment on repair service because none of them have needed it (knock on wood!).

I know they use contractors for everything including the delivery and installation, which were -without exception- perfect. In fact, yesterday I took delivery of a Kenmore stove. One worries about stuff like that, but after it was all done, so smoothly and pleasantly, I thought (about delivery & installation) "that was the best thing thing that happened all week!" The guys were all so pleasant and helpful. In fact, earlier in the day I went to Sears to check on some feature of the new stove and the sales rep who sold it to me wasn't there. But I asked another and she took the time to answer my question even though I'd bought the unit from someone else. I picked up my glasses in the optical department and the guy there was very pleasant and helpful about another matter. Of course, I went at a time when it wasn't busy :>

One thing I have noticed is that Sear's contractors are aware that Sears checks up on them by phone calls afterwards. I get the impression that they like being associated with Sears- it keeps them busy.

The thing is, even if I buy from Sears, I am supporting local contractors. There's no guarantee that if I pulled someone out of the phone book, or even got a friends' recommendation (been there, done that) I'd do any better.

I do buy the service contracts for the appliances. Well, we'll see how I feel about Sears when the appliances get old.

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[Travis Jordan]

I don't think Sears contractors are any better, or any worse, than any other contractors.

The last major appliance I bought from Sears was a Kenmore washer and dryer set. The delivery / setup contractor was a dufus. They trundled the washer and dryer through my garage and into my laundry room. Unfortunately, after they set the washer in place the were a little too casual with their hand truck and they allowed it to drop on my brand new tile floor.

The cost of the tile repair was $275, just about the cost of the washer. I don't suppose Sears made much on THAT transaction, but at least they stood behind it. I didn't have to argue at all....just submit a estimate from my tile guy and they wrote me a check.