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 ...

ronald of queensbury, NY June 10, 2009

I have a kenmore refridgerator and it is not workg right. I called the repair center sveral times to schedule an appointment before noon. but was informed that no one could be there before noon and no reason was given. rRachael hung up me during the call

helen of melfort, SK June 11, 2009

we bought a tv from sears 1 year ago. it broke down we tryed to contact prima several times but no answer or phone disconnected. read info on line about prima and they are not a very good product. i cant afford a new tv. i thought it would last a long time. im not a rich person i just want my tv fixed or repaired or my money back. no one can give me a straight answer its been out of order for some time now i paid almost 1000 dollars for this tv. i bought it on my sears card please reply to see if there is anything i can do. thank you very much

WILBUR of HAZLEHURST, GA June 7, 2009

I had a new AC unit installed in my home that was supposed to be a kenmore unit. I cannot find a brandname on the unit. I have tried serveral times to contact randy and home improvement. I have left messages but no one will returne my calls. Also the unit does not fit like it suppose to and there was not a vent installed. I dont think this is very good bussiness when i have paid this kind of money for a name brand unit and there is no name on it and does not fit as randy said it would.

Mary of Bogota, NJ June 3, 2009

My dryer stopped functioning on May 26,2009.It was purchased on March 2, 2008 with the extended warranty.First I called the number from the receipt.After finally getting to a department I needed I was on hold for almost 25 minutes.I was given a repair date of June 2, (7 days away). I explained I have 5 children and do between 4/6 loads of wash a day (due to their work, school and regular activity). There must be something sooner. NO! I asked for a supervisor, first told no, then hold on, then not in and last the supervisor would call me back. NEVER DID.

I spent an entire week at the laundry mat, and had to take a day off from work to wait for the repair man (he was a gentlemen). Received my confirmation call the night before he would be there between 8-12 a.m. At about 11:30 I began trying to call Sears to find out his whereabouts. For the next hour I was disconnected (hung up on) three times. When he finally came at 1:40 this was his assigned time slot according to his records. I was lied to over and over again. Regardless he is finally there and at about 2:30 tells me he does not have the "part" but he will order it and it will be delivered in about 5 days.

I was so upset I completely broke down. I demanded he call a Supervisor and let me speak with them. The "parts" were in a location less than 2 miles from my home, I offered to go get them. Told that is not our procedure. I asked him to get them, NOT OUR PROCEDURE. He calls a supervisor and gets no cooperation but does not let me speak to the man. I was irrate at him, he called again and another supervisor was on the line, he told her I wanted to speak with her and that I was very very upset.

He handed me the phone, she demanded that I put the "tech" back on the phone. I told her he was putting the dryer back together, which was scattered all over the place, she again "barked" put the tech back on. I repeated the dryer and asked if she would just listen to me. SHE HUNG UP ON ME! I handed Bernardo his phone, told him she hung up on me, and then completely broke down. The day before running back and forth from work to the laundry mat I managed to fracture two small bones in my left foot.

I am currently a cancer patient at Hackensach Hospital and both physically and emotionally this has been horrendous. I still do not have a functioning dryer and must wait for the parts. The biggest problem is the manner in which I have been dealt with. I have been lied to, hung up on, denied access to anyone in authority and left helpless with who to contact. Shame on Sears.

Martha of Indianapolis, IN June 4, 2009

Called about a flat screen tv my daughter had purchased, She asked for service after the tv fell from a shelf and broke. The service person was in the house kess than 15 minutes, told her the tv which she had owned less than 1 year couldn't be repaired as they didn't have parts for it. She was charged 9- dollars and the service man left.

The Tv was taken to an independant repair center after my doughter did some research on her own and determined that the service person had misled her. She was told by a slesperson at Sears, and by the independant repair person that an appliance sold in the US had to have parts available for at least 5 years.

When we called the Sears service center to ask for help with the repair bill of 9- dollars and some help with the repair due to being misled, (we felt it was possibly deliberate), they said it had been too long since the initial service had taken place and our request for consideration with this. thye stated they could do nothing. I wasn't satisfied with this and asked to speak to someone in charge. I never got that opportunity, they just returned to the line after putting me on hold and said they would investigate and get back to me. They refused to give me a time frame as to when they would get back in touch.

It's been 4 weeks and we haven't heard a word from them. We felt that the service man was hoping to take the TV and fix it himself, then sell it. But since my daughter didn't relinquish her "useless" tv, he didn't get that opportunity. We have no proof of that , but it seems reasonable as an explanatin after speaking with the indepenmdant repair person who stated that the repair wasn't difficult, just costly to a consumer in terms of labor.

Kelley of Moraga, CA June 17, 2009

I have never dealt with such an incompetent company in my life. They offer extended warranties yet the service is horrific. I have spent HOURS on the phone with their incompetent call centers and have lost connection so many times it becomes suspect. I would strongly urge consumers to back away from any SEARS'S PRODUCT'S and WARRANTY SERVICE offered.Do not buy a Kenmore appliance. This has been a nightmare. I am a consumer that has always purchased my appliances from reputable dealer's and I have NEVER purchased a SEAR'S APPLIANCE. It was only after moving and having the extended warranty placed in my name for the appliances in my new residence that I became aware of this service, rather lack of service.

I wasted time and a lot of energy.I stayed home for their 4 hour windows 6 times with no resolve. I do have other things to do and wasted my valuable time. I don't know of many people that can be at home for these large windows of time or pay for someone to be there.Please if you value your time and energy do not waste your money on cheap appliances or the warranties they offer. Kenmore is a bad appliance, a cheap appliance as is their extended warranties. Buyer caution here. Pay for the high end or stay in the low end and suffer.I have always purchased high end and now I know that I had been the wiser. SEAR'S NO, KENMORE NO, EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH SEAR'S NO!!!

sophia of hempstead, n.y., NY June 13, 2009

I have a relativly new water heater purchased from sears 11/09 and called for a service call . my water heater cut off and was unable to restart. I was given an appointment for june 16 exactly 8 days from the time I called.I have called everyday to inquire if any cancellation occurred without an answer informing me if there is one. I've spoken to supervisors and a mgr that repeats its the only apt available.

Robert of Vancouver, BC May 27, 2009

I have a Kenmore portable washer at a rental house that was making a noise while running. This is a relatively new machine - bought 2 or 3 years ago - and, now that I think about it, it's the 3rd or 4th identical one bought for the 2 apartments in this rental in the last 7 or 8 years (not too good a record). The tenants insisted that a repairman come to the house (my usual policy is replace, don't repair) and I reluctantly called Sears Repair. After looking at the machine, the technician phoned me to tell me that it was not worth repairing. He said that the transmission had a faulty bearing, or something like that, and that I should just buy a new washer. He asked for a credit card to bill the 82.50 service charge to, and I declined, saying I wanted to talk to customer service before paying. He subsequently told the tenants that the machine would go for a few months longer, and told them it was good to go (i.e., to go ahead and use it). Two days later, I got a call from the tenants telling me that they had just used the machine for the first time since the Sears repairman's visit, that the hose for waste water had not been reattached properly, and that there had been a flood with water going through the laminate kitchen floor onto the furnace below and into the downstairs apartment. I notified Sears immediately, then waited for a callback. It took several days for them to send someone over, and then all he did was photograph the washer, presumably to ascertain culpability.

My upstairs tenants (both professionals) were with him while he looked around. They said it was obvious when he looked at the machine that a hose had not been clamped on properly. That was the end of Sears' involvement. I tried calling customer service a few times and was told that their insurance company would contact me immediately. No one called and I was told not to call customer service again, as they could not help me. In the meantime, I had 2 apartments with wet flooring and other damage to contend with. Ultimately, I called a restoration company, which directed me to call my insurance company first. I was told to deal with the water damage asap before it precipitated further damage. My insurance company took over immediately, saying they had to beat the clock on mold formation. They had water extracted from carpets, removed underlay, removed the ruined laminate flooring, tested walls and cabinets, placed dehumidifiers and fans throughout the apartments, etc. Nine days later, an insurance company representing Sears contacted me, but indicated they knew nothing about the problem and would wait for information from Sears. That was 17 days ago, and though I tried calling them again, there has been no action on their part. Because I went through my insurer, I have now paid a 500 deductible, and will no doubt get a rate increase. I will also have to pay my tenants' deductibles for damaged property, and am facing a kitchen redo that will take up a good chunk of my time. Sears has been completely absent during this process concerning a problem that was obviously caused by their negligence. All I have received from them is a bill for the repairman's visit which I had initially refused to pay (luckily).

Interestingly, as I do not live in this city, and don't have my records here, I don't have my original purchase receipt for this Sears house brand washer which may still be under warranty. Sears mysteriously has no record of the purchase, telling me only that it was manufactured in 2005. However, based on the tenant it was purchased for, I know it was bought in 2007 or 2006, most likely with a gold card that would have doubled the warranty. I am apalled at Sears' lack of concern concerning a problem caused by one of their employees [I had asked him when he called me if he was a contractor or worked for Sears, and he said he worked for Sears], and that they would leave me to deal with the fallout with no guidance whatsoever. My upstairs tenants, whose living space is small, have been using a pulled-apart kitchen for almost a month, and have had to put up with workers coming in, loud fans running continuously, etc. Additionally, my insurance company has told me that it may be impossible to get compensation from Sears, and that claims between insurance companies can drag out for years. Though I have bought many appliances at Sears, I will no longer deal with them. Frankly I don't care if they join other retailers that have been victims of this economy.

Buck of Eads, TN May 27, 2009

We have a warranty through Sears Home Services. They scheduled an appointment ONE WEEK after our dryer broke. They will not honor the warranty even though they could not come for a week. They assured us they would be here at 5 PM and call us when they were on their way. I called at 3 and was told they had been in touch with the technician and he would be there by 5. I called again at 4 to confirm he was coming and was told dispatch would call us. They did not. At 5, no technician. I called again and was told he would still be there. At 5:45, he called and said he was on his way. He was a half hour away. At 7:24, he is still not here. The technician said he had never been contacted by the company. Every single person I talked to at Sears lied. They cut me off on the phone three times. I wasted all afternoon and over an hour on the phone and they never showed up. DO NOT DEAL WITH SEARS HOME REPAIR! One week without a dryer. One day sitting at home waiting. Multiple calls and being cut off multiple times.

Cathie of Fair Oaks, CA May 29, 2009

We bought a large TV in Dec 2007. Just over a year ago. We also bought a 5 year maintenance agreement. The TV cost about 1700 but after buying the wall mounting device and service agreement it came to 2900. The TV stopped working on 5/10/2009. We called service and they diagnosed the problem over the phone and ordered the part. The tech came to our home about 10 days later and said he could not take the TV off the wall. The phone advisor failed to tell us that! So we had to call someone else to take it off the wall for 90.

The repairman said the phone tech should have asked us specific questions about the red blinking lite, because they ordered the wrong part. A new part was ordered. We called to find out where the part is since it was supposed to be here on Monday May 25. They gave us a tracking # for the old part. We just get put on hold. WE called the Sears store manager and found no satisfaction.

It is going on a month and we have a 2900 TV on our guest bed, waiting for parts. What good does a 5 year agreement do when the store manager says she can't help us and the warranty phone number is not good...unless you want to be put on hold for 45 minutes to be given an old tracking number. My husband is 80 years old and would like to see his tv working. He spent 2900 (with an expensive 5 year maintenance agreement) a little over a year ago. We can't get any answers.

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