I ordered an oven, and all I got was burned
Q
I ordered a GE wall oven with installation and delivery from Sears. com. The company promised an email or phone call within 24 hours to schedule the installation. I never heard from them.
The Sears iPhone app says the company delivered my oven to the Sears store in Amarillo, Texas. When I called the store, the appliance salesperson said he didn’t have access to the Sears.com system and could not tell if my oven was there or not.
I called customer service many times over the next several weeks. All the calls went to India, and they couldn’t tell me what was going on. Finally, one representative said my installation was scheduled for June 1, so I waited until that day passed, then canceled the order. A Sears representative told me I would receive an email confirmation of the cancellation within 24 to 48 hours. I did not receive any email from Sears.
I called back daily after 48 hours had passed, and each representative said to wait. It’s now been a week since I canceled and still no email or credit. I want a full refund of $1,328. Can you help?
— David Nelson, Dimmitt, Texas
A
If Sears.com failed to send a technician to install your new oven, you should have been notified.
You experienced so many customer-service breakdowns on so many levels, it’s hard to know where to start. Why didn’t Sears set up an appointment? Why didn’t anyone know where your oven was? Why didn’t the store have access to the company’s own internal system? Why couldn’t you get a timely refund when you finally gave up?
I asked Sears to explain. Sears says that when you place an order online, it assumes that an installer is available. But there are areas — a Sears representative described them as “small pockets in less populated areas” — where the company doesn’t have an installer under contract.
And guess what? That’s where you live. In those cases, Sears has to hire an installer. If it can’t, it cancels the order.
In your case, an installer who was under contract with Sears had agreed to pick up your oven, but then didn’t. Reading between the lines, the contractor probably ended his relationship with Sears, leaving your oven in limbo.
Keeping a thorough paper trail is critical to fixing a problem like this. I see you asked for transcripts of your online chat with Sears. com. Nice work! Remember, you can always forward the transcript to a manager or someone higher up. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the Sears customer-service executives on my consumer-advocacy site: http://elliott.org/companycontacts/sears.
I note that you spent a considerable amount of time on the phone, talking with the Sears offshore call center. In your case, that’s just a waste of time. After the first few broken promises, you needed to get everything in writing. And eventually, you did.
I contacted Sears on your behalf. A representative, noting that at Sears “our top priority is the satisfaction of our members,” processed a full refund.