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 ...

Janet of Washburn, TN December 29, 2008

I have a washer 7 years old and had maintenance agreement until DEC. 23, 2008. I called for service before agreement ran out. They came out on Dec. 24, 2008. And it is from wear and tear of machine and the rust is from dampness, and not from the leakeage. I am very ticked off. The warranty is not worth the paper they are on. The washer can't be fixed. If I don't get some satisfactionI will never buy Sears again.

Leroy of Mount Vernon, NY December 22, 2008

sear has failed to duer diligency- we have a Tv less than a year old that they have delayed servicing. the tv wnet out during Thanksgiving- we called they said they were going to order the part = a week later they tell us they first had to send a technician - he comes tells he will be back on the 23 of December- we have that in writing- now they tells on december 22, 2008 they can not come until January 1, 2009. this is unexceptable. we did speak with a supervisor name ke to no avail.

Tamara of Maytown, PA December 22, 2008

Purchased a refridgerator and range at our local Sears store. Had problems immediately with the refrigerator. We had purchased the extended warranty and contacted the repair people right away. It took lots of phone calls and an amazing amount of time until we could speak to a live person and finally get a repairman to our home. We were able to finally get a new/replacement fridge. That refrigerator as well was not working properly almost immediately. The freezer didn't freeze, but the refrigerator part did! We lost all the food that was in the appliance. Again it took tons of time and calls to reach a live person and get a repair person.

We then received a second replacement (this was our third refrigerator within a period of 2 months). This one seemed to work fine until about 6 months later when it started to hum whenever it ran. The noise was so loud and annoying that you could not be in the kitchen when the thing was running. At that point we again contacted the repair number. Again it took ages until we reached a live person and had the repair person come and look at the appliance. He did not know what was wrong and said to just see what happens. In between this time the ice maker needed to be replaced. We dealt with that as we did all the other problems.

We thought everything was finally fixed until about 2 months ago when the loud humming noise started again. It has been one thing after another. The time and calls neede for this one appliance is just too much to deal with. I have not contacted Sears about the new issue. I just don't have the time or energy at this point. The people on the phone (customer service people) are rude and condescending. (We found the repair people to be nice and courteous.) The run around that you must endure with this company is terrible.

We will never shop at Sears again, let alone purchase an appliance from them. We even limit our shopping at K-mart due to the connection. We did lose all the food that was in the second (or was it the third) refrigerator. We were reimbursed for part of that due to the extended warranty that we had purchased.

Linda of Batesburg, SC December 22, 2008

Called for repair 12/13 on Stove (under Warranty) was told they could't come out until the 22nd. I requested they at least order the part I need (I dealt with them 3 other times & they come out DO NOT have parts on thier truck, then have to order, when you receive parts THEN you have to make another appointment, so by this time it's 3 WEEKS since you had use of your applinace)Not to mention you're taking off 2-3 times for work for their service!

They called and told me to reschedule my appointment because the parts are on back order. I told them I did not want to reschedule I want them to come out to see if I need any other parts. Two CSR said they would be there. Then 8:30Am they call and say they will not be there because the parts will not be in until Jan. 8th! That is unexceptible! Not to mention they most likely will not fix it that day they will need more parts! Twice I requested a Manager to call me and as of the 22nd I have not received a call.

Can not have Christmas at my house since I do Not have an oven. Getting disconnted 3 times & getting frustruted with them. Paying for a Warranty and going though all this stress is not worth it.

Lourdes of Grapevine, TX December 22, 2008

I bought a Kenmore Elite Oasis HE washer and dryer and also bought the extended warranty, which expires April 2009. From day one, my washer does not work. When I put three medium size T-Shirts, the washer stops and indicated Over Load on the front panel. I called on Monday, 17 Dec 2008 to report my problem. I called the Irving Mall Sears Applicance Department and I was transferred to the Repairs section. The appointment was made for Wed, 17 Dec 2008, at the last minute tech called us to told us he was not able to make it until Friday: 19 Dec, 2008.

Tech showed up on that day and indicated that the problem was the water hose going from the washer to to drain on the wall, he pulled the water house out and stock it back in on the same hole. Tech told me his name was EZE and charged me 159.00 dollars and gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him at his personal cell number: 817-729-1480. An hours later I used my washer again, and I had the same problem, I called his cell, and he was instructed over the cell how to fix my problem, I was afraid of getting eloctrocuted, cut, and being hurt because I had no knowledge of what he was saying. I thought this was wrong from his part.

I contacted my husband at work, and he could not get an answer for the Irving Mall Sears Manager who went by the name of Jeff. Jeff was very unfriendly and uncoperative, he said he would call me back on Sat 20 Dec 2008, but never returned my call. My washer still does not work and don't know when the tech is coming over to fix my problem. This type of customer service from the technician (EZE) and the Sears Manager (Jeff) is unaccepable. I would appreciate a response as soon as possibble. Thank You.

Washer and Dryer Technican by the name of EZE charged me 159.00 for removing the water house from the drain and the wall, that's all.

Karen L Turner of Mechanicsville, VA December 21, 2008

Purchased an extended warranty from Sears on my first machine which was a GE. The warranty stated that if the machine was unrepairable we would receive a 500 credit on a new one from Sears. Sounded like a bargain right? Wrong! Not only did it take two weeks to get a repairman to look at the machine, and any subsequent repair calls took just as long. When the repairman said the motor had blown, and we would need a new machine, it took almost a month, after e-mails and phone calls, to finally get a credit. We purchased a supposedly top of the line Kenmore Oasis.

Within 10 months, the circuit board went out and had to be replaced. Another two week wait, and when the repairman came he said he did not have that circuit board on his truck he would have to order it. Another two week wait, and when he came to replace it, he stated we might want to get an extended warranty because the circuit boards were 400 a piece and they had been having problems with this machine. Needless to say we did not purchase the warranty.

I now have washer approximately 3 years old. Its making a terrible noise during spin cycle and sometimes the machine will not cycle properly and it stops with a LF code on the display. When I called Sears, I was told to unplug the machine for 5 minutes and restart but not told what code means. I have to do this approximately every 5 or 6 washings. I am at the point that I no longer like Sears that I'm considering purchasing a new machine from a local appliance store just to get rid of the headache.

P.k.garg Md of Pace, FL December 16, 2008

I had warranty on my treadmill which I bought from sears. On 7-28-08. We must have made calls to get service countless times. It is still not fixed. Very poor service and a maze of departments and redundant employees on telephone. It they do such a good job, it will help in outsoursing the business out side USA. Nobody should cry then.

Mike of Roseburg, OR December 16, 2008

i bought a new 46 in. LCD tv on dec. 8. they delevered it on dec. 10. when i took it out of the box it was ice cold. bad start. LCD do not like cold. I let it set two hours befor plugging it in. smoke came out of the tv. a real bad smell. the picture was real fuzzy. i called the store and was told to call samsung for warranty. Samsung said they would take care of it. one week later i still don't have a tv.

i fell the store should have taken care of this problem. it appeared to me the tv had been opened before. i'm sure samsung doesn't send there tv with the battry in the remote control. the band was not on the cord as is usual. it appeares to me that all sears cares about is get the prodoct out the door, and let some one else take care of it.

Melissa of Manchester, NH December 7, 2008

9/08 original sales representative (who later quit) sold us a natural gas furnace (converted from oil) which didn't fit in our home and did not fill out paperwork correctly. Contractor could not put in due to size of furnace being too big. 10/3/08 Contractor installed smaller 85% efficiency furnace (Payne furnace model PGMAA036110) 10/7/08 received bill 5200. Called to received itemization in order to find out difference in price. Also, chimney liner was purchased by not installed. 11/7/08 had Crown Chimney and Tree, LLC come and clean chimney but they said they could not. said we needed to get a new liner. Charged us 250 for coming over. Were told that chimney liner is dangerous and needs replacement immediately.

11/ /08 Service call to Sears. Furnace shuts down. Contractor fixes. 11/26/08 Appointment for new chimney liner from Sears (which already charged for over a month ago and never received updated bill) Nobody shows up for the job. I called Sears and spoke with secretary Michelle, Ken Marshall, and Keith and got no answers as to why. NObody called. Were expected at 7 Am and called at 9 AM. Nobody called me back to straighten out the situation. I was told later by contractor that Sears never ordered the part we needed. 11/30/08 Cold air coming out of furnace.

Both my husband and myself made call to get emergency service. Both of us were disconnected. Called the contractor directly on cell phone. Could not get a work order number for him from Sears. He came over anyway and fixed it. 12/2/08 Another call made about my request for an itemized bill which I never received. Talked to receptionist Chris and left message with Troy who never called me back. 12/3/08 Talk to receptionist Chris and left a message with Ken. No return phone call was received. 12/4/08 11 AM appointment for chimney liner was rescheduled and installed by Mike.

Due to several delays on getting the job done properly, I feel that we the consumer should be compensated in some way. The job took almost 2 months to complete properly. We have had 2 service calls and no shows. We have lots time at our personal jobs as well. Also, I never received an itemized bill or reimbursed for any portion of the new furnace price.

Ronald of Rahway, NJ December 5, 2008

I purchased a service contract for a Calypso washer when I first bought it and it was serviced by a Sears authorized tech. I renewed the contract in July and today I had to have it serviced again. The tech that arrived was from a third party company called AE. When I purchased the contract I was never told it would be provided by a third party company. I scheduled for the hours of 8-12 and the tech did not show up till 2PM and of course did not have the part.

In the past, the service I received from Sears was provided when I scheduled it. The part that I needed was a belt for a Kenmore waher. I feel that Sears misrepresented their service contract by not telling me that it would be performed by a third party company.

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