I would like to give you a conical of events on a Food Loss Claim that I have tried to get resolved since September 10, 2008. Please see below question I have to you and would like to receive answers to. Please take the time to look them over and get back to me. After all I have taken the time to write this letter to you.
Tuesday September 9, 2008
8:30 PM - Came home from work to hear the freezer making loud noises and the side was very warm to touch. I opened the door to find that all the food was defrosted and warm. I emptied most of the contents from it as it was starting to smell. See attached photo. I left some food in freezer to see if would refreeze during the night.
Wednesday September 10, 2008
5:25 AM - Checked freezer and there was no change in the food that was left there overnight. It was not frozen and it was still making noise and very warm to touch. Packed three large industrial garbage bags with destroyed food and took photos, see attached.
5:30 AM - Called Sears service department to report this problem. I was told that they would try to set up an emergency service call for later that day. I clearly stated to the woman on the phone that no one would be home until 4:00PM. I told her that twice. She said she would make a note it.
6:30 AM – Threw out three large industrial garbage bags of destroyed food at work.
6:40 AM – Arrived at work and called Sears service department to update my new cell phone number. I quickly told the lady on the phone the problems I was having. I told her I was calling to update with my new number. She said that service does not come out after 4:00 PM and that I should make an appointment just in case I don’t get service that day. I tried to make an appointment for a night call and was told that night calls are only done once a week in my area and the next time would be Tuesday September 23, 2008, 13 days later. We scheduled a service call for Saturday September 13 between 8 AM and 4 PM.
10:26 AM – Received a call on my cell phone from a service technician saying that he was at my house and no one was answering the door. I explained to him, as I told both ladies earlier in the mooring, the problem I was having with the freezer. I told him that it was making a load noise, was very warm on the side and not freezing. I told him that the noise was so loud that we could hear it all night five floors away. I told him that I was very concerned about the heat from the freezer and was not sure that it might catch on fire or cause a short. He said that “if no service person was not going to come out until Saturday, then I should unplug the unit so not to burn out the motor.”
4:00 PM – Arrived home to hear the freezer still making noise, warm and not frozen. I emptied the rest of the destroyed food out of the freezer so I could throw it out the next day at work. As per the instructions from the service technician, I turned the freezer off.
Saturday September 13, 2008
A service technician came to look at the freezer. I showed him the photos I took of the food that was destroyed. He asked why it was not turned on. I told him the problem and what the service technician said for me to do when he called my cell phone on September 10th. He said that by turning the freezer off and then back on it just reset the problem. He said that “this is what some service technicians say to the customers so they don’t have to look for problems.” My son was there with me when he told me this. He said that he would turn the freezer on and would check a few items, but could not really do anything until the freezer is in a complete freezer state – 24 hours. He was in my house for about an hour checking a few things, but again said that he could not find anything wrong with the freezer because it was turned off and that reset the problem. He told me to wait until Wednesday September 17 before I started using it again. I asked about the food loss coverage policy. He said that since he could not find anything wrong with the freezer he could not leave me the form to fill out. He was the one that advised me to “call Corporate Customer Service and make a complaint about the tech that told me to turn off the freezer”. He gave me the phone number. Again, my son was there with me all the time as he is thinking about going into the service trade and thought it would be good to watch.
Monday September 15, 2008
1:15PM – Called Corporate Customer Service and was talking to a Niki. I explained the whole issue and problems that I had to her. She said that she would mark my comments on a complaint file. She told me that “she would make sure that a food loss coverage form would be mailed out to me later that day”.
Friday September 19, 2008
7:30 PM -Arrived home from work to find a message on my answering machine from an unnamed male person saying that he was calling from Sears and that I was not going to receive a food loss coverage claim because of what the tech said and because I was not home for the first service call on September 10, 2008. No name or return phone number was left.
Monday September 22, 2008
10:40AM – Called Corporate Customer Service and asked to speak with a supervisor. I again explained the whole issue I had from day one. I was now complaining about the freezer and about the call from an unnamed person from Sears. The person said she would have to look into this issue and said she would have to get back to me. I asked for her name or employee number and was told that she could not give it out. I again asked for her name. She hung up the phone on me at 11:04 AM.
12:12PM - Called Corporate Customer Service. When the person answered I asked for his name before I was going to give him any information. He said his name was Philip, a corporate customer service supervisor from Bellville. I asked if he could check to see who I was speaking to on the last call I made at 10:40AM. He said her name was Marie, also from Bellville. I again explained the issues I was having with the freezer and now with customer service. He put me on hold for a few minutes while he checked the notes on my file. When he retuned he said that he looked at my file and it was noted that I did make my first call on September 10th and it was noted in the file that customer would not be home until 4:00 PM. It was also noted that customer called a t 6:40 AM to update new cell phone number. It was noted that customer was told that no service calls are done after 4:00 PM and would have to schedule a normal service call. I explained to him that if someone told me that there was no service calls after 4:00 PM when I first called, then I would have made arrangement to have someone stay home during that day, September 10th. He told me that looking at the chain of events that it was clearly not my fault and that he was going to put in a food loss coverage claim for me. He was the most helpful customer service person I have spoken to since this issue started. He said that I should contact parts customer service to follow up with this issue at 1-800-214-6751.
Thursday September 25, 2008
I called parts customer service to check up with this issue. I spoke with a Stephanie. I was told to make a list of the items that were in the freezer at the time it stopped working and fax it to parts customer service, attention food loss claims. I asked why no one called to tell me this since Monday. She could not give me an answer. The fax number is 416-747-4806.
Monday September 29, 2008
I tried to fax a completed list of the items that were in the freezer. I was not able to do so, as the number was not in service. My wife finally called Bellville at 613-391-3900 and spoke with the receptionist. She told me wife to fax it to her and she would make sure it would get sent to food loss claims. My wife did fax it to her.
Tuesday September 30, 2008
I called parts customer service to see if they received the fax. They said there was nothing on file and that we should try to refax the list again. We did so again.
Wednesday October 1, 2008
9:40 AM - Called parts customer service and spoke to a Michelle about the fax. She checked the file and faxes and said that no fax was received. I told her the whole issue I was having with Sears since the first day back on September 10th. She asked me for the amount of food loss. I told her it was $485.00. She said that my loss would only be covered for $200.00. She put me on hold for a few minutes. When she retuned I was told that no fax was received and that I should try again. She gave me the same fax number. She said that she would start the process of the food claim loss pending the list of the items loss. She told me that she would get back to me with in an hour. I gave her my cell phone number.
2:45 PM- Called parts customer service and asked for Michelle and was told that she was gone for the day. I asked for the name of the person I was talking to. He said his name was Jim. I told him the problems I was having. He looked into file and told me that they again would not cover the food loss. I was asked why no one called to tell me that. He could not tell me why except that it was noted in my file at 1:54 PM. I asked to speak with a manager. Jim said that he could only take down my information and have a manager get back to me. He refused to let me speak to a manager. He also hung up on me.
2:55 PM – Called customer service to put in a complaint about Jim. I asked for a manager and was told the same thing. Give me your name and number and a manager will get back to me. The woman I was speaking to was Dianne from Montreal.
3:00 PM – Called parts customer service. I started talking to Jim again. I asked for a detailed description of the fax I sent to them. He told me that he could no longer discuss my account and that he was not available to give me the details of the fax. He said he could not confirm who he was talking to. All I asked for was a few items I had placed on the fax. I told him that I did not think they even looked at the fax or received it. They only new the amount I said was lost when I was speaking to Michelle at 9:40 that morning. He again hung up on me.
4:10 PM – Called corporate customer service to again make a complaint. I was quickly passed on to Brianna from US customer service, who could not even pull up any information using my home phone number. After being passed around from Texas to Montreal back to Texas, I finally gave up and waited for a customer service manager to return my call.
It is now October 12, 2008 and I am still waiting for a manager to call me back. In the meantime, I have taken the time to write this lengthy letter to you, the President of Sears Canada. At this point in time, I have some questions that I would like answered.
1. Why should you offer an extended warranty with all the bells and whistles when Sear will not honour it?
2. Why was I not told that I would have to wait for a service tech all day when I first called back on September 10, 2008 at 5:30 AM? Again, if I was told that, I would have made sure someone stayed home waiting for a technician to come.
3. Why when I called at 6:40 AM to update my cell number, I was told that I could not schedule a night appointment until September 23, 2008?
4. Why did the technician come to my house when I clearly told the first woman that no one would be home until 4:00 PM that day?
5. Why did the service technician tell me to turn off the freezer knowing that by doing so it would reset the problem?
6. Why was I told by the service technician that came on Saturday to look at the freezer to call the corporate customer service and complain about the technician that told me to turn of the freezer on September 10, 2008? Does this happen on a regular basis? Do your technicians really know what the problems are?
7. Why was I told be Niki that I would be receiving a food loss claim form?
8. Why did I receive a call on my home phone answering machine saying that I would not be getting a food loss claim form? Is it Sears’s policy to leave messages without a call back number or a contact person’s name? Sears had my cell number on file and I left it with everyone I had spoken to.
9. Is Sears customer service centre (corporate or parts) there to help solve the problems or are they there to create more?
10. Why aren’t all your employees on the same playing field? It all starts with the salesman selling the freezer and extended warranty, to calling for service, to talking with a service technician on the phone to having an honest services technician come out to look at the problem, to finally dealing with customer service. Everyone I have dealt with has flipped-flopped on these issues.
I could ask more questions, however I have spent enough time on this. I will leave you with this to think about.
I have had a Sears account since 1984. I began purchasing items before I was even married. My wife and I have purchased furniture, clothing, children’s clothing, suits and appliances, to just name a few from Sears. Just looking at my purchases, since I have kept track of them on my computer, I can tell you that I have spent over $10, 000.00 since 2002. This has all stopped now.
We will no longer purchase anything from Sears and will no longer recommend Sears to anyone. All this trouble over a $200.00 food loss claim. I have closed our Sears account and am returning my Sears cards.
Update Feb 28, 2009
The attached letter, photos and audio recording were mailed to Sears Canada on December 11, 2008. I know the letter was received as a message from unnamed female was left on my home phone on February 11, 2009. The message said to call 1-800-214-6751 regarding the letter.
I called on February 12, 2009 at 9:25 am and spoke with Debra. She told me that another customer service person was looking after this issue and that she would email her to contact me on my cell phone. I again called on February 17, 2009 as I had not received a call. I was told again by a customer service person (Jack) that another person was looking after the case and again I was told that he would email her to get back to me. Nothing again. I called on February 20, 2009 and insisted on getting the customer service representative’s name. I was told that it was Shawna Montgomery from the Bellville office that was looking after my case. She said she saw notes in my file that emails were sent to her and she would email her again.
I called Sears again on February 24, 26, and 27 and all customer service representatives said they would email her. I still have not received a call from her.
I took the time to gather my information, write a letter and enclose photos and copies of voice messages. It is unbelievable that I don't even get the common courtesy of Sears acknowledging my letter or having someone contact me in person.
What kind of customer service does Sears have?
The following is an update on what has happened since sending the letter on
December 11 2008.
We used your Sears flyer and purchased a bedroom set from Leons. Leons matched the price; $2, 956.35 after taxes.
We opened accounts at The Bay, Walmart and other retail stores and purchased holiday gifts. That’s $750.00 of items that could have been purchased at Sears.
I have posted this letter on various websites, listing complaints against major retail stores. I have also sent emails asking others to pass it along.
/link removed/
Again, a written response from Sears Canada is expected immediately.
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