Sears Maintenance Agreements

Sears Maintenance Agreements • Pro • Con --- •Sears Complaints

Sears and other retailers large and small are fond of selling extended warranties and maintenance agreements on appliances, lawn and garden equipment, home electronics and other big-ticket items.

The common view is that these amount to little more than additional profit for the retailer. The complaints we receive from Sears customers tend to support this view but, to be fair, there may be many others who have had a good experience with their Sears maintenance agreement.

Pro and Con

Don't take our word for it. Read the comments of two Sears employes, one current and one former, arguing the pros and cons of maintenance agreements:

• Sears Maintenance Agreements - Con "WW," a former Sears employee, argues that MAs are a waste of money.
• Sears Maintenance Agreements - Pro "Zeener," a veteran Sears employee, argues that MAs are a good buy for some customers.

The Company's Advice

To all authors regarding Sears repair service,

I am sorry to hear about your unsatisfactory experiences with Sears repair service. My name is David and I work for Sears. I would like to assist you in resolving any service issues. Please contact me at searscares@searshc.com and we can find a solution that meets your needs.

Thank you,

David V.
Senior Case Manager

Consumer Comments

And the customers? Well, here's what they think ...

Ali of Hull, MA August 26, 2006

We purchased the Kenmore H2 washer in Nov of '05.  7/28/06 the control board went out.  A technician came out on Aug 5, ordered parts, and returned on Aug 8 only to find that the part he needed hadn't arrived.  He reorded the part and rescheduled the repair.

We are now 4 weeks with no machine. The part is backed orded and "One Source", the Sears customer service center, doesn't know how long it will be before the part is avaiable. They will not replace the machine and will wait 45 days before further action for our situation (45 days!) even though it is under full warranty.

Their policy is that the repairman needs to be called and has to REPLACE parts 4 times before the machine will be replaced.

The One Source rep states they have no supervisors and the complaint goes no further than them..hence, One Source, I guess.

William B Davis of San Diego, CO August 7, 2006

In May of 2006 I received notice that the Protection Agreement for my refrigerator I bought and they installed on 07/08/2001 would expire in July. I sent in a check for 232.87 for a three year renewal on 05/22/06. I received the new agreement in June. Later that month I received a telephone call from SEARS asking that I renew the agreement. I told the unidentified questioner that it had been paid and that I had received the renewal agreement. He asked that I read the renewal certificate number to him which I did. He apoligized and I heard someone yelling at him in the background.

Today I received an URGENT: Your Sears Protection Agreement has Expired letter through the mail. When I called about it, after waiting 3 minutes for an operator, the woman told me that the agreement WAS extended and that they had sent out second notices on these accounts - implying that I was the one at fault for not sending it in sooner. I think that SEARS has (1) the most incompetent customer service reps in the business or (2) is deliberately trying to get me to pay them twice for the same services. Either way they are unlikely to ever get my business again.

Marge of Williamstown, NJ August 4, 2006

I called on Aug 7, scheduled a repair call on my Maytag dryer that I purchased at Sears for between 8 am and 5 pm Aug 11. At 10:44 am on Aug 11 I received a call that they did not have a serviceman in the area and would have to reschedule - for Aug 17. He said  I don't know what to tell you, there is no serviceman available in your area. What kind of service is that? Really makes me want to deal with Sears again!

Daisy of Birmingham, AL July 30, 2006

My service agreements states that I have 5 year warranty parts/labor today I called sears for service and was declined because they said that the store made a mistake on my policy I was told that I could not bring my TV in for service nor can they come out to fix it also customer service refused to give me a case number and tI was told that I had to spend 300 for another agreement since the system will not allow them to correct the mistake that the sale person made now I am stuck with a 32 inch JVC TV which is in warranty and sears refuses to fix it at my home and the service department told me it was to large for me to bring it in for service , I do not know what to do. Why is sears doing this to me.

Neal of North Pole, AK April 25, 2006

Another case of no service on their service policy. Called in 2 weeks ago and arranged service on my snowblower. No show on date of service. Rescheduled but snow will be gone by then so they will not be able to test. This happens over and over on Sears service contracts that I maintain. I will never buy another contract or extend any. I will never purchase anything from Sears in the future that has a contract available!

I lost a day of work awaiting their repair person. I will make it up so there is no money loss, just sleep as I had to get up at 8 AM to await their rep, after having got off work at 3 am

Alexander B. Kasdan of Pacific Palisades, CA April 18, 2006

We own a Maytag Neptune top-loader washing machine, one of the most expensive washers sold in Sears. At the time of purchase, Sears also talked us into buying the extended repair warranty. The washer keeps breaking incessantly. Every time we place a repair call to Sears Service, it is about a two-week wait for the repair person to show up, then another two weeks to order parts. The repair person leaves the washer in exactly the same condition -- BROKEN. At this point, this has been going on for two months plus. Sears service appointments are also scheduled in 4 hour intervals, which means that someone has to be at home all that time.

With a family of three young children, it is an impossibility living without a washer. Financial consequences are over 1,000 for a washer that does not work, 300 plus for extended service warranty, plus laundromat costs, which at this point are 400 plus.

Ruth of Lakewood, CA March 2, 2006

Sears Repair Service worked on our refrigerator on January 25, 2006. Repair done in our house and we did talk to customer service after about the repair bill. I was not present at time of service, but after talking to my husband and how labor is charged, believe it to be "unreasonable for the service performed".

I do not dispute the part charge of 58.43 (with tax) or 55 fee for minimum charge, but the 168.00 labor which after 55 is deducted is 113.00. The repairman only took 10 minutes to replace the part and said the charge is based on our unit.  

My husband also stated that the repairman already took off the part and was replacing it before he said, "Oh I better write up the estimate" and also took the estimate with him when he left ,so all we had was a receipt.

I believe that Sear''s Home Central Management needs to adjust this charge accordingly. I do not believe something that took such a small amount of time should be charged at such a high rate. The customer is trapped since the appliance is not working and warranty has run out and believe that where the product was purchased is the right place to call for repair also. I was told that since I no longer had the extended warranty that I more or less agree to accept charges. I do not..

Scott of South Jordan, UT February 23, 2006

On September 22, 2004, I purchased a Dyson Animal Vaccum Cleaner from the above mentioned store. My wife and I wanted to also purchase a warranty. We asked the sales clerk how much the two year and the five year warranties were. We were told that they were having a promotional sale on the 5 year warranty, and that it would only cost one cent.

On Thursday, February 23, 2006, I took the vaccum in to have it serviced. The store did not even have the purchase in their system, so I took my copy of the receipt and the warranty in with me. The service manager would not honor the warranty. He said that since it was not in the computer, he could not honor it. He went to get the store manager. The store manager said that there was a mistake, and that the cost of the 5 year warranty when we bought the vaccum, should have been 249. To get my vaccum serviced I needed to purchase that warranty.

I feel that if there was a mistake, it was the store's mistake, and not mine. I should not have to pay half of the cost of the vaccum a year and a half later to get my warranty honored. Plus the fact, that paying that 249 would only get the warranty until Sept. 2009 (the date the original warranty would have expired).

Irene of Chepachet, RI February 23, 2006

In fall of 2001 I purchased a Calypso washer from Sears.

Within the first year I received a letter from Sears stating the washers were being recalled due to injuries incurring when removing clothes. It was replaced with a second Calypso, which, within the first year began malfunctioning by not draining properly and various error codes displayed. Two separate services calls were made and after the second one the washer was replaced with a third.

This third washer is also exhibiting the very same problems as the previous one of not draining and error codes. In Sept. '04 a repairman came out and "repaired" it, and most recently another repairman came 2/20 to "repair" it, and the very next morning I went to do a load of laundry and the machine began displaying error codes during the wash cycle. Numerous calls were placed to speak to a person but only after contacting a local television station's consumer advocate did I receive a call from a Sears employee, who gave me the telephone number of Sear's One Source Dept, which I was told handles complaints and problems that are unresolved through conventional means.

I spoke with a woman and explained my history, she arranged for a technician to come to my house the next day. The technician deemed both computer heads were defective and advised me the Calypso had been pulled from the stores and a class action lawsuit had been filed regarding the numerous complaints on them. I was advised to contact One Source after the service call and discuss with them the need for a replacement washer and to refuse another Calypso as a replacement..

When I telephoned One Source I was advised they did not have any record of my having 3 different Calypso's and they would not replace the washer. I was also told I would need yet another technician to come out and because the machine was not under warranty I would be responsible for the cost of repairs.

Carl of Muskogee, OK February 23, 2006

We purchased a CRAFTSMAN 48" cut 20hp Kohler hydrostat riding mower from SEARS store on 11/21/2001. The carburetor failed 3 times in one year and they declared it a lemon. They convinced us to upgrade mowers with the purchase price of the old mower applied to the new mower plus buying the 3-year extended At-Home Warranty. The new mower, a CRAFTSMAN 48" cut 25hp Kohler hydrostat riding mower was purchased on 10/31/2003 and picked up on 11/5/2003. We paid 2,458.32 for the mower and the extended warranty costs.

When mowing season started in late spring the main deck drive belt was breaking and having carburation problems. The main drive belt from the engine to the deck and the carburetor problems have been a constant complaint with numerous and unmitigated inconvenience and stress. We bought this mower and the extended warranty to minimize and eliminate inconvenience and stress.

At one point, I called AB Electrolux, Sears' supplier of the unit. They called Sears' techs and decided the AB Electrolux engineer knew of some apparent engineering or design flaw. So, Sears sent 2 techs out who spent all day taking our whole mower apart and putting everything back on a new frame less a couple of lockwashers I found left in my driveway and a later discovery of a broken crankcase ventilation grommet, which allowed unfiltered air into the engine causing further wear on the internal engine parts.

Sears even changed the complete deck on the unit once. The main drive belt has been changed more than 6 times. (The spaces between frame and deck parts and the running belt are minimal in more than one place and still are after the deck and frame changeout.) The main drive belt continues to be a problem and we keep a spare around to minimize our down time. The carburetor has been changed out on the engine 3 times. It would always flood out under a load or on a little uneven rough ground. One tech finally discovered the choke setting was incorrect.

This seems to have solved that problem, but at the expense of compromising the life of the engine. Raw gas pouring through the engine has surely worn the cylinders, pistons and rings beyond the mowers' 100 +/- hours of operation. The oil turns dark soon after changing and is contaminated mandating the prudence of being changed along with the oil filter every 12 hrs rather than what is recommended in the maintenance book. We are nearing another season and we dread the start of this season expecting it to be the same unmitigated inconvenience and stress with the mower belt and compromised engine. Our 3-Year Extended At-Home Warranty expires 11/5/2006.

We have exhausted all possible phone calling to the store, (The store manager hung-up the phone on us on 11/5/03.), and corporate #s asking for a full refund. We have no intentions of using this or any other mower like it made by AB Electrolux and marketed under various names by various retailers. 

 It is our intention to file a suit in small claims for recovery of full purchase price, 3-year extentded warranty price included, and punitive damages.

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