Why won’t Sears help repair my refrigerator?
I’m willing to pay for the work but the retailer still won’t help.
Q
I have a Kenmore Elite refrigerator, which I purchased in 2013 from Sears. It still works well, but the mechanism that allows you to dispense water and ice is broken.
I have a Sears warranty, so I called the company to arrange for a repair. Sears sent a technician, who reviewed the problem and ordered a part. The following Monday, a Sears representative called to tell me the part had been discontinued and that Sears wouldn’t be able to repair the refrigerator. I asked where I could find it, and he suggested contacting Kenmore.
But every number and website for Kenmore refers me back to Sears. The Sears parts department referred me to its home warranty division, which referred me back to its parts division. There was a lot of back and forth. Then I contacted the consumer solutions department. We had several email exchanges, and I left messages about my problem. But so far, no solution.
I’ve tried searching the Sears and Kenmore websites, and I’ve checked Google and eBay for replacement parts. I’ve had no success. So is my final outcome a refrigerator that does not function? Since the part is not covered by warranty, am I stuck with buying a new refrigerator? Does Sears have no obligation?
— Donica Harris, South Holland, Illinois A
Sears should have helped you. Your appliance was still under warranty. And you purchased the Kenmore refrigerator from the company with an expectation that it would be there to service the appliance if something went wrong. Sears Holdings also controls the Kenmore brand.
I can understand your frustration. You paid a Sears technician $75 for a service call, and the representative promised a fix. Now the company wants to keep your money and leave you with a half-working refrigerator. That’s unacceptable.
A brief, polite email to a Sears executive might have moved things along. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of Sears customer-service executives on my consumer-advocacy site: http://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/sears/.
The interesting thing about your case is that you weren’t asking for any special favors. You were willing to pay Sears for the spare part and the repair. You simply asked for help with an appliance that the company had sold you and which was still under warranty. Most companies will assist former customers as a courtesy, even if it means contacting a manufacturer on your behalf.
A possible explanation: As of last year, manufacturers such as Electrolux, LG and Whirlpool build the appliances like your refrigerator under the Kenmore brand. That shift may have made it difficult to secure a replacement part.
Difficult, but not impossible. I contacted Sears on your behalf and asked it to review your case. But this time, fortunately, with a different outcome.
“Our member services team has reviewed Ms. Harris’ situation, and while this repair is not covered under her warranty, the member services team is working with the manufacturer to have the necessary part manufactured and delivered,” a representative assured me. “As a courtesy, we will install it at no cost to her.”