Sears
Sears repair and service on dishwashers

July 23rd, 2009

My Sears Disaster Story:

I have always purchased my appliances at Sears because in the past, they have been decent products, and they were always good about their word and warranties.

So when we built our dream home, I purchased a DCS Gas range, range hood with heating lamps, and 2 Kenmore Elite dishwashers. I wanted the best products out there, as we are avid cooks and we really have a dislike to washing dishes. So we bought 2 dishwashers, and had them installed in our dream kitchen. We spent over $20, 000 on the Sears products I mentioned.

From day 1 the dishwashers haven't been working the best. So I called Sears. They blamed it on our water..perhaps our water wasn't hot enough. So we had our Plumber come out. Paid for him to make an assessment that it wasn't our water. It was good and hot. It had to be the dishwashers. I called Sears again... and they took a look. At first they thought it was the soap dispenser. They replaced that. Still no luck. In the meantime, the service repair man (Mr. Appliance) forgot to reconnect a hose and when I turned on the dishwasher before bed, I woke up to a large pool of water all over my custom, hand carved maple floors. My entire first floor of the home is done in maple, and is open concept. So you can imagine!? When I called the guy about the leak... he was worried, as he knew my floors would be difficult to repair and would not be cheap to replace. I told him, I knew he didn't purposely do this to me, and that I would have my Contractor take a look and release one of the planks in the floor, so the rest could dry properly. I didn't send a complaint or bill the company for anything.

Of course the dishwashers still weren't working properly. Dishes were dirty, etc. I called again. The same man came to try and repair. He wasn't sure what the problem was. This happened several times. Trial and error with parts with both dishwashers.

This continued on and off. I kept my warranty up to date, as I knew these dishwashers weren't good.

A year later, still trying to repair these things, a different company tried to repair them (Sears was no longer using Mr. Appliance in our area) I do not remember the name of this company, but they did similar things and nothing worked. This time, someone forgot to connect my drain properly and when I filled my sink all of the water gushed underneath the sink, and down to my basement. My house was flooded. I was expecting company at this time as well. Lovely. Fortunately, our basement isn't finished and I was able to get it cleaned up without TOO much damage. Again, I let it go.

Finally, after several more months of living with faulty dishwashers... I put in another service call and realized Sears was now dealing with Atek Appliance repair. I got to know Stacy quite well. She read my past history and problems and couldn't believe all that I have been though. She said she was going to do her best to get these things working for me.

The appliance technicians came. Again, but things got worse. Now the heating element keeps breaking down on the one and the other one had a door issue. It would fly open in mid-cycle, BANG, and hit my dog and child once! It is a very heavy stainless steel door. The hinges were broken, so we had to put a chair up next to it when it was operating so no one would get HURT!

They tried to fix it. Then I get told that my warranty on them has expired. I knew I wouldn't have allowed them to expire, so I proved it by faxing my protection agreement forms. For some shady reason or another... Sears would NOT acknowledge my extended warranty anymore. Stating that I was making this up, and just renewed it after I knew they needed servicing.( Since the dishwashers are now 3 yrs old, I have had to renew them over the years)

I tried to explain that these 2 dishwashers have ALWAYS needed servicing, and there was no way I was going to allow them to expire, as I knew they were lemons. I didn't think it was my fault that I needed to call the service people on a weekly basis, and that it happened to be just a day before I renewed my extended warranty. They thought I was suspicious. Unbelievable!? if they had read the history I have had, they would have realized that I haven't had a week with them working. I called the lady that sold me the machines. Cindy Alton at the Sears in Owen Sound. She told me there was nothing she could do. She said I should have " waited a week" after they broke down again to make the service call, so I wouldn't look suspicious! Imagine that? Then Sears might have believed me. But no, I was honest and called right when it happened, and now I get told I am lying.

So after weeks of anger... and frustration, Sears finally agreed that the protection warranty was good on the one with the hinge problem, but that the one with the main heating element wasn't. ( Obviously this one was the expensive part)

I couldn't take it anymore, life is too short to remain this angry and frustrated, so I decided to just PAY for the part and service myself. $300 and get on with life. I needed to let go, as it was affecting my life. BUT, in exchange, I wanted them to give me a letter in writing that from now on they will honour my Protection agreement, as the forms they mail to you with your payment obviously wasn't enough. I never did see that letter, but I do have copies of my Protection Agreements, and payments for what they are worth?

Then the heating element broke down AGAIN. They wanted me to pay for the replacement, again. Finally, after several phone-calls and hours on hold. They realized that the part had a 60 day warranty, and so they would send back that heater and try another one.

They put in a new heater. It worked a few cycles, and then the machine broke down again and wouldn't even turn on. Then the other dishwasher (the one with the door problem) completely broke down as well. Nothing will turn on with either of them.

I put more calls in - October 2008.

I went through all of the holidays without any working dishwashers. February, the repair people finally took the one dishwasher with the heating element problems. They kept it in their shop until May. 4 months! No word, and finally the machine came back. It worked one cycle and broke again. Nothing working. I made the call. On hold, sent to several different people, explaining the story over and over again. No action.

So here I sit. July 2009 and neither one of these dishwashers work. I have quoted Sears on the NO LEMON protection policy and I have been told there is nothing they can do for me. I am not eligible for a replacement. I spoke with Bill at Customer Service (no one will give me their last name) Ext 6732. at the 1-800-214-4842. But when you call that number, you can not get the option of an extension or Bill. This has happened to me a few times now. People give me their first name, give me promises that they will get to the bottom of this, and if not, they tell me to call them back and guess what? I can't get them.

Next I heard from Mona 1-800-567-4842 ext 233. She told me I do NOT qualify for a buy-out of my machines. I don't understand this? She also told me that the Repair people have been trying to repair my machines, but I won't allow them in my home? I laughed at that, as that is completely untrue. I know the repair people on a personal basis at this point and I even allow them to walk into my home when I am not around. I have had decent relations with them and they have been doing all that they can to help me in my situation, and are frustrated as well. These machines are uneconomical, and unrepairable- obviously. So why do I still have them?

This has been a FULL-TIME job for me, but I am not going to give up, and I will not allow my protection agreement to expire (which is what I am thinking Sears is hoping for)

Sincerely;

Stephanie

Company: Sears
Country: Canada
Province: Ontario

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