Sears Elliptical Update: They Don't Stand Behind Their Products and Their Customer Service Stinks

Ok, now I'm on a mission. A mission to persuade whoever may be reading this (approximately 1,800 people a day -- so hopefully I'll influence more than a handful of readers) to NOT buy ANYTHING of value at Sears. In the past, Sears has been our preferred retail location for items like stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers and the like -- and all of those have been good purchases for us. Their Kenmore brand is solid and they usually have decent prices (especially if you wait for the right time to buy). But my most recent experience with buying an elliptical machine from them -- and the ensuing product and customer service failures associated with this piece of exercise equipment -- has soured me so much on the company that they'll be lucky if I ever step foot in one again. And I'm expanding that philosophy to Kmart too (which is owned by Sears). I simply do not want to give that company another dollar.

To catch those of you new to the issue up with the rest of us, read Sears Elliptical Update: It's Not Good and Elliptical Wars: My On-going Struggle with Sears (as well as the posts those are linked to) and you can get the whole, ugly story. But the bottom line is that I bought a junky elliptical machine from Sears in February and have had problems with it ever since. I bought the extended warranty, so servicing this thing is costing Sears a fortune and leaving me and my wife without a working machine for periods of time and having to deal with the frustration of working with their service people again and again.

On my last update, a reader commented:

Can't you just return it at this point? Sounds worth giving up on Sears.

Duh! Why didn't I consider that option? I'm not sure if I thought we'd get nowhere with the local management (they weren't too helpful at first when the initial machine died) or if I thought I'd get a brush off from the national customer service people, but for some reason I really hadn't considered it. But now I did, and here's what happened: 

• On August 22, I emailed their national customer service group detailing the story and asking to simply return the machine (saving me the hassle and them the cost).

• That same day, I received an automated email saying they had received my note and would be in touch with me soon.

• On August 23, they called us at home and left a message (I was traveling and my wife was out).

• On August 24 (yesterday), my wife called them back and all Sears said was that they could expedite service to get our elliptical fixed faster than the currently scheduled time they gave us before (since we set the service time, the console, which was on back order until September 12, was sent to us). My wife declined for now, saying she wanted them to talk to me (I had asked her not to agree to anything other than a return of the product and a full refund.)

• When I got home from my trip that night, I called Sears. After waiting 5 minutes on hold (all customer service people were helping someone else -- yeah, right), I got frustrated and hung up.

• I called them today, August 25, at 9:30 am Eastern time. I gave them our case number (that the rep called up on her screen) so she could be familiar with our issues. Now note at this point -- we're talking to a different person every time -- someone who knows very little about our problem and the history behind it. How could they be? They have just seen it for 15 seconds and are now expected to talk to me about the situation and solve my problem. I knew this wasn't going to turn out well.

• I gave her the short summary of what the problems have been and asked that we just call it a day and return the elliptical exercise machine. Nope, she couldn't do that. Even though it's costing them a fortune to service this machine (see my post Elliptical Wars: My On-going Struggle with Sears for details on their costs) -- probably much more than I spent on it in the first place -- she couldn't/wouldn't accept a return. All she could do is "expedite" service to get it fixed now that we had all the parts at our house (they sent them to us -- the technician will install them when he visits). I told her that Sears wasn't getting good press on Free Money Finance (a few thousand people have seen how upset I am with Sears and what a horrendous job they are doing) and she couldn't have cared less (or maybe she wasn't empowered to do anything else). So I told her my wife would call and set up a time.

• My wife did call and set up an appointment for August 29 -- just a bit over a month from when we first called them with this current problem. Now get this: because it's "expedited" service, they don't tell you when they'll be there -- they just give you a range -- 8 am to 5 pm! Unbelievable! Now my wife has to be home all day waiting for the repairman. Is this service? Is this what you'd expect/want from a company you did business with? I'm telling you, folks, if you deal with Sears, this is what you're going to face. (In the interest of full disclosure, my wife could have narrowed the time gap a bit -- selecting a service time of either 8 am thru noon or 1 pm thru 5 pm -- if she wanted to wait to have it fixed until September 8. Unbelievable! How can companies offering this type of service stay in business?)

So, that's where we stand. We'll see how it goes, but I don't have much hope for my elliptical machine lasting very long or Sears's willingness to make it right. But I'm not going to give up. If I have to have them come out to my house 100 times in the next 2 1/2 years before the service agreement expires, I'm going to do that. I'm going to make it cost them a fortune -- and I'm going to keep blogging about it -- hoping to cost them as many customers as possible (and saving people from having to deal with what I've had to face). Also, to note, my service agreement says that if they have to come out to my house three times within a one-year time period to fix the elliptical, they have to give me a new one. I'm on two visits already, so I'm sure we'll hit three within a year. And, yes, I'll make them bring out (and assemble) a new one if/when that occurs.

On a final, more positive note, I want to repeat my advice that all of us do business with companies we trust -- companies that stand behind their products and services. Here's my list of those who really know what it means to serve customers:

• Bed Bath and Beyond

• Vanguard

• Amazon

• Olympus

• Costco

Update: To read the next post in this saga, see Sears Elliptical Update: Don't Buy Exercise Equipment from Sears.

Comments

[Isaac]

I have to agree about Sears, especially since they joined with KMart. Their service used to be great but has diminished especially with appliances. My friend has a Kenmore refrigerator which quit on him suddenly and he called for service under his extended warranty. They told him it would be 10-14 days before they could come out to look at it. What's he suppossed to do in the mean time. His food is spoiling and his daughter's insulin is becoming useless. I can see making someone wait for a convenience item such as a washer, or a TV, but a refrigerator is essential. Not to mention that my parent's TV has a weird purple spot in the upper left corner that Sears technicians claim to be unable to see. 3 times into the shop 2 weeks at a time and no repair completed. Sears Sucks, and so does Kragen auto parts.

[Blaine Moore (First Time Homeowner)]

I will also vouch for Bed Bath and Beyond, having had a great experience recently using their bridal registry. Amazon I have also had mostly good experiences with. I haven't used Vanguard, Olympus or Costco, but if I ever have need or inclination I'll lean more towards them than competitors off of the good recommendation.

[Joe]

I also have to say that Sears is horrible. I had an expensive dryer I bought there. It died at 2 years, 2 months. For a $400 dryer. To me, that is unbelievable. Then, I called for sears to come fix it, on my dollars. The repair person NEVER showed up. I had to call them to find out that they canceled my service appointment, without telling me. I will never buy another product at Sears or Kmart.

[jldude]

my god. what a f'ing nightmare for you. my limited dealings with Sears was not great either. I had them give me an estimate for a/c and installation. After several calls and miscommunications later, they came and gave me an overpriced quote.

It's so sad good customer service is so rare and we are amazed when we encounter it. Please add Michaels and Home Depot to the Sucky List. Why do you think customer service is so bad? Employees do not care (are they paid too low, no training?). Where's the pride? Managers don't care, and are just clocking time?

[GHoosdum]

I have to say I'm convinced about Sears.

I'm going to also put in my two cents and stand behind Costco being a winner due to great customer service. That might have something to do with the fact that the company's CEO actually cares about his employees (at all levels of the organization).

[SB]

How about contacting Media Relations?
Here is there info:

from: http://www.searsmedia.com/tools/inquires/index.htm

Media Inquiries
The contact information below is provided for journalists only. Customers are asked to call the appropriate Customer Service number.

Sears Holdings Media Relations
3333 Beverly Road, B6-277B
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
Phone - (847) 286-8371
Fax - (847) 286-5500
E-mail - Feedback

For other inquiries, please call Sears Holdings at (847) 286-2500

IMO, bloggers qualify as journalists, right?

Good Luck!!

[Kim]

Sorry the idea didn't work, at least it was worth a try. I think Media Relations and even perhaps the Better Business Bureau are worth a try in this case.

We're planning to purchase a home soon - as of now Sears is definitely out.

[FMF]

Thanks all. Maybe I will give the media people a try. ;-)

[Bill]

I abandoned Sears long ago. If you encountered quality and customer service problems only recently, you've been lucky!
If you are considering K-Mart avoidance, what about other retailers Sears owns? One I run hot and cold on is Lands End. At one time, Lands End was at the top of my list for quality and customer service; then Sears bought this mail order retailer. Quality seems to be slipping to reach a point where retail sales through Sears stores matches other store clothing lines.
Good luck with your exercise machine!

PS. I consider Vanguard an excellent choice for investing.

[Jeff Hunsaker]

Sears won't see any more of my money. I've been attempting for two months now to receive a refund on a part I returned. Highlights:

-Ordered $50 part
-Realized the next day I didn't need part
-Called to cancel part
-Sears: our system doesn't handle cancellations (what?!). Send it back to us when you receive it.
-I received and returned the part a few days later
-I've held 6+ conversations with their 800 call centers--no resolution

My advice: don't shop at Sears. If anything goes wrong, they will drown you in bureaucracy betting that they'll outlast you.

[ex-sears]

I've had similar problems with the Sears Ellipticals. We bought the most expensive model at around $500. Out of the box it had: at least one bad weld, a stripped bolt, a poorly fitting (probably badly drilled) hole. And that's all I discovered so far. I should have brought it back immediately, but I figured I could keep it running cheaper than buying one for 10x the price. I'm handy, but I'm starting to wonder if it is worth the time.

Many years back, I worked at sears - including a stint fixing/building exercise equipment under maintenance agreements as well as in sales. Things you should know: sales people have a M/A quota. M/A are pretty much free money to sears, so sales people get bullied, miss out on bonuses if they don't hit their quota. The guys servicing the M/A vary widely from store to store, but since sears typically doesn't pay well, you usually don't get great service. (caveat: info is prior to K-Mart "merger", but most likely still true)

[ex-sears]

I should have mentioned that the darned Elliptical (Pro-Form XP 110, if anyone's interested) is creaking again, from somewhere above the flywheel this time. I'm going to have to take it apart and see what's wrong this time.

It used to be that sears had "Satisfaction Guaranteed Or Your Money Back", much like REI and EMS have. Is it still printed on the back of the receipts? If so, you might have luck marching down to the customer service department, with the broken machine in one hand and receipt in the other, and politely ask them to refund your money. I've seen it work before, although again it depends who's on the other side of the desk.

[Disgruntled Sears Shopper]

I feel like a complete idiot for not researching before buying an elliptical at Sears recently. Frankly, I figured that Sears would stand behind their products....at least they used to. Unfortunately, we bought the first Freespirit elliptical a couple months ago and after our son spent well over an hour putting it together, we found out it was faulty and had to be returned right away (a major pain in the ass). We then decided to give the product another try and the second one seemed to be fine until a few weeks ago when it started making some bad noises in vital areas....our big mistake was not returning it IMMEDIATELY upon hearing the funny noises because when we finally contacted them about the product, it was already over 30 days. Soooooo, we are in the situation from hell with them now!!!! Man I wish we looked for these kinds of reviews first......I actually thought Sears had the best customer service and that they would never screw over a customer like they are with us (and obviously countless others).
We were reluctantly given the option of getting our money back if we agreed to paying the 20% re-stocking fee...which is more than $80. The fact that the item is faulty and we have spent so much time and energy dealing with the matter already, the last thing I think we should have to do is pay them any money!!!
Well, I guess it is certainly a harsh lesson learned. We are telling everyone to avoid buying exercise equipment from Sears. We are also wondering if we should bother making ANY major purchases from there any more! We have spent THOUSANDS of dollars at Sears over the years and they certainly don't seem to care if they lose us as customers. Man, we are some choked!!!!
Thanks for this venue for speaking out.....

Good luck to you!

[str]

next time read the return/repair policies before buying. if you don't like them, then don't buy the product peabrain.

[FMF]

STR --

Read the whole series, peabrain. I DID read all the policies -- Sears just won't do what they said they would do.

[Lisa O]

I would like to add The Great Indoors to the list of 'don't buy from this company'. They are part of the Sears group. My issue started when a 3rd party company, employed by the Sears group- to deliver a washing machine/dryer that was purchased at The Great Indoors, was installed. Negligence on the part of the 3rd party resulted in thousands of dollars of water damage to my home.
I bought from The Great Indoors, thinking that as a Sears company, they would provide the customer service and installation, and stand behind their product. That has all changed!
No one knows who is doing what, and I am now stuck trying to get the 3rd party to pay for the damages. The Great Indoors isn't liable because they used Sears delivery, and Sears delivery isn't liable because they employed someone else to do the job! Exhasperating! And I will NEVER again purchase from Sears, The GReat Indoors or Kmart, EVER! Before you buy anything from these companies and get it installed, make sure you know who is doing what-otherwise you will be screwed when something goes wrong, and it will! It's bound to, with so many hands in the pot!