And I hate it when I buy something and the first thing they ask as I am PAYING for it - is if I want to buy a warranty! Good grief!

I want to scream over it too, Dinkie. We bought a gas grill from them, of course we had to put it together....NONE of the holes lined up. After 4 hours we put it back in the car and took it back, half assembled. The stockboy looked and just shook his head, he said that over half of them are that way. Made in China.

About a year ago, I went to Sears to buy a stacked washer and dryer. I SPECIFICALLY told the gal I had never had a stacked set and the home I was putting them in had previously had side by side--and what did I need to know.

Well, she was very enthusiastic about selling me the set, but conveniently left out the part where the dryer only has a 4' cord (my outlet was near the floor--it would have needed a 6' cord at least). So obviously, the pair couldn't be installed when delivered. The store was no help, and there is no way to get the longer cord (I scoured the internet). SO it ended up costing me a few hundred $$$ extra to have my laundry room rewired.

Had I known that ahead of time? Well, I probably still would have purchased the set, BUT I'd at least have had the electrical work done BEFORE the pair were delivered, rather than expecting my poor electrician to work around them.

And I HATE the warrantee thing, too--it's really just a surcharge so they can keep their prices lower. More often than not, the warrantee is sold to a third party, and it's like pulling teeth to try to get 'covered' work done (when you do need something repaired, it's either not covered by the warrantee, or it's pro-rated so you end up paying pretty much the entire cost, anyway.) When they ask me to buy one? I look them in the eye, and ask, "So you're telling me this item you've just told me was so good, is really a piece of junk and isn't likely to last?"

Love your reply

I look them in the eye, and ask, "So you're telling me this item you've just told me was so good, is really a piece of junk and isn't likely to last?"

Warranties are a money maker for the store.

Moni

I remember a time when Sears guaranteed satisfaction...or you got your money back. They certainly have gone downhill, especially since they hooked up with K-Mart.

I just had to have my Kenmore washer repaired the other day--a rubber thingamajig wore out, causing it to leak almost a cup of water on my laundry room floor. The repairman charged $74 for the service call, part and labor. This was the first repair for this washer...and it will be 28 years old next week!! The matching dryer has never been repaired.

DH keeps asking if I want a new washer and dryer, but I know whatever I would get now will not be as reliable as the one I have. So I intend to use this set until they die of old age!!

Don't get me started! On September 26, 2010, we purchased a new Samsung side by side refrigerator from Sears. It was delivered a few days later and installed. It immediately started leaking water all over the floor, on the new floor that had been installed just a few weeks earlier. Service couldn't get to the house for 3 days, so we had to unplug the refrigerator and alternate dry towels for the wet ones already around the appliance to sop up everything until they could get there. Thank goodness we hadn't had the old refrigerator carted away just yet. It was in the garage and we had to trek back and forth to retrieve refrigerated items. Service came out and "fixed" the leak and left. Of course, it was still leaking. Another call and Sears decided to deliver a new refrigerator and remove the defective one. Great. A week later, just as the delivery truck was coming down our street, Sears called to tell us that the refrigerator on the truck had a couple of very small dents on the door and if we chose to accept it, they would refund $100 of our purchase cost. Well, those dents turned out to be very visible and darn it, for the amount of money we paid for a new refrigerator, I would expect nothing less than perfection. Is that really too much to ask? We refused delivery. DH and DD went down to the store to talk to someone and it was revealed that this Sears store was no longer accepting Samsung refrigerators from the manufacturer (in China) because so many of them had defects. Well, gee, thanks for telling us now.

Sears offered to substitute a comparable Whirlpool, which actually cost a bit more, but DH gave them so much grief I think they were happy to do it and call it even. What a joke! It took them a couple of weeks to get the new refrigerator delivered. When they left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that our ordeal was finally over. NOT!

Within days the ice maker (in the door) jammed and we couldn't free it up or remove it, which is supposed to be a simple thing to do. Had to call for service. They came out and messed around with it and ended up breaking it because they had to man-handle it to get it off. They ordered another one and told us it would arrive in about a week. Then, as I was moving things from the old refrigerator to the new, one of the door shelves just came apart and spilled its contents (jelly, mustard, ketchup, etc.) onto the floor. Called service. They ordered another one.

The icemaker came and was installed. The replacement shelf arrived with absolutely NO packing in the box and of course that shelf was cracked and was actually in worse shape than the original shelf. Called Sears and told them about that. They said they'd send another and would be sure to tell them to at least put some packing in the box. The shelf arrived, with no packing, but by some miracle it was intact.

The icemaker jammed again. This time it was a problem with the motor. Another service call. Another fix.

A couple of weeks later, another jam. And we couldn't remove the receptacle to empty it. The garden hose was employed to melt ice so it could be removed, but we still couldn't remove it. Another service call. That man was sweating by the time he got it removed. Told us that we should remove it every couple of weeks and empty it to prevent it from sticking again. Seriously? I want to go through this every two weeks? The manual said nothing about this. But, we resigned ourselves to doing it.

Two weeks later, you guessed it. Couldn't remove the receptacle. Another service call. The guy that came out said that there was air coming in through the openings on the door where the ice and water came out and that was causing the problem. So he sealed it and said there would be no more problems.

Guess what? A service tech is coming out today because WE CAN'T GET THE RECEPTACLE OFF - AGAIN!

It is just under a year and we have had more service calls than I've ever had for an appliance. Never had a fridge with ice maker on the door and never will again.

DH has contacted an attorney to inquire about the lemon law. We may be requesting a new fridge.

Earlier this year we needed service on our Sears lawn tractor, now keep in mind that we cut nearly 5 acres of grass. The technician was scheduled to come out but that day the service department called to tell me he was ill and not able to come, they would reschedule and he would be here in 4 weeks. 4 WEEKS! We had just waited 2 weeks! I told then that soon I would be losing pets and small children in our yard! That afternoon who showed up? The technician! He had no idea why they had called, he was not ill. IDIOTS!! The call center is in heaven knows where.

Now my ex and I both worked at Sears Service and I knew this tech, he is as disgusted as the customers are. His van doesn't even say Sears because he is one of the 'swing' employees, he also services for Home Depot and Lowes, which Sears handles. Anyway we needed parts....6 WEEKS!!! Six WEEKS!!! That night we drove to the John Deer store and bought a new tractor, we still have the Sears, it was repaired so we now have two.

When I worked at the service department they would have sent an emergency call out to you Donna but I understand they no longer have ANY emergency service, even for no heat calls. I was shocked when the technician told me that. What a shame, that is what used to sell their appliances.

Our old refrigerator has been showning its age for the last 6 months and we knew it was only a matter of time before it would die. With both of us on fixed income pensions we examined our budget and decided it it would last another couple months we would buy a new one at Xmas time. Well, as luck would have it, two weeks ago our refrigerator went out on Saturday night. I immediately took all the frozen food and put it in our small deepfreezer, then I put the refrigerated stuff in ice chests.

Jan had formerly had an account with Sears, so she thought we could go there, get her account updated and get the new fridge. They told her that since she had not used the account in over two years it was cancelled and that she would have to re-apply for a new account, which she did, only to be told it would take two weeks to get approval.

We then went to two or three other stores and at each one we were told it would take anywhere from a week to ten days to get financing approved. One store actually told us that they will not approve financing for ppl on Social Security because they don't trust the government. (what a crock, but that is another discussion entirely).

Now we were only looking for a plain jane 18cuft upright, with no bells and whistles, but the moment we related our desires the sales people all began turning a cold shoulder.

We then sat down and took another hard look at our budget. We had about $700 in cash reserve so we decided to see if we could find a simple machine in that price range.

Figuring we might save a bit we went to the local Sears scratch & dent discount center and looked around. Out of nearly 50 refrigerators they only had one that was the size we were looking for, and it was marked $810, not to mention that it had a broken shelf bracket and a huge scratch on the door.

AS you can imagine, by now I was thoroughly fed up with the whole idea, but we needed a fridge so I said, "Jan, I have a silly idea. Why don't we lease a machine for a couple months until we can afford to buy the new one?"

She agreed with one exception, she said she would not even entertain the idea of leasing from "Rent-a-Center." Having had that experience once I was in complete agreement on that point however I have a close friend in PA that has bought a Fridge, range, apt size deepfreezer, 3 computers, a big screen TV and a nice audio system from "Aarons" and she always got a fair deal, so we decided to check them out, especially since it was on the way home anyway.

We stopped in to look and there it was, an 18cuft GE (brand new), just what we had been looking for, and it was only $703. I thought for a moment, we could afford to pay cash for that one right now, or we could lease it and keep a bit of our cash reserve.

The sales guy said it was $710 cash & carry or $72mo for 12 months. That means if we leased it for 12 months it would be $864 total. Even at that price it was competive with what we had been seeing at the other stores so we agreed to lease it.

When they started writing the lease agreement the guy says, by the way, that is the last one of that model we have and since that one is our floor display, I will knock off another $100 and oh yes, I forgot to tell you, if you pay it off before Jan 12, you get it at the floor sale price and we will credit in any interest you pay in the mean time. That sounded great too, so we signed the agreement and made schedule it for delivery at 9am the next morning.

About 5pm that day I got a call from the store and they said the warehouse guys had dropped our fridge while moving it to the loading dock and they damaged the coils on the back. Immeditely a red flag went up in my mind, "here comes the bait & switch", I thought.

The guy says, "I can get you another machine just like it from another store, but it will take a couple days or I think I have a better deal for you. I have a 21cuft Frigidaire that is the exact same cabinet width but its about 7" taller. This is also a new machine, but it is a discontinued model in our stores and I can let you have that one for $525 instead of the $710" then he say, "With the $200 you put down, the balance is only $325 cash or $35 a month for 12 months for a total of $420 on your finance agreement, but keep this in mind also. If you take it cash & carry it comes with the manufacturers 90 day warranty, but if you finance it with us for the full 12 months, if it should fail, we just bring you another fridge, without questions. Can anyone guess what my answer was?

Here's my reiterated rant.

Seventy years ago ... horse-drawn wagons hauled bread, milk and ice down city streets, the ice to feed ice boxes in most kitchens, as refrigerators were unheard of.

Sixty years ago ... they started building fridges.

Fifity years ago ... many of the fridges that they built lasted for forty years.

Now, the engineers having become so much more stupid over the years ... that many of the fridges last for about ten years.

I've told this story a number of times in recent months, in various locations ...

... and about here, you'd be surprised how many people enter the conversation, and well over half of them have said just three words: "If you're lucky!" (exclamation point included, in most cases).

Which means - that we've been, in the main, paying about 4 times too much for fridges.

ole joyful

I always heard stay away from warranties useless.

Bulldinkie, I think if you brought the lights back, Sears would replace or refund your money.

Both my mother and I had Frigidaire refrigerators which lasted about 35 years. I wanted mine to break because it was avocado. It didn't so I sold it . I had my Sears washer from the week my son was born till a few years after he was married. Stuff lasted back then. Not so today. My daughter had a kitchen renovation and went thru three stainless Sears side by sides. They all had to be replaced. She now has an LG which she loves.

I don't know that this really belongs in this thread, but you know what else I hate about new refrigerators? I've bought two of them, for two different houses...same issue. You buy this MONSTER size refrigerator, all energy efficient and all, and there is NO ROOM IN IT! The old ones had plenty of room. I think the energy efficient thing is great, but as a result they make the walls so thick that they use up all the space you might have had!

Jel, I've noticed that too. Sometimes I'll check out the new fridges if I'm in a store that sells appliances. I love checking out the new gas stoves too.

I've said that to hubby as well.....they look huge on the outside, but I don't find they are spacious inside at all!!! I thought it was just me...

Manufacturers just cannot make a machine that lasts for the low prices consumers have become used to paying. Of course now even the 'cheap' appliances aren't very cheap to buy which makes it even worse.

I don't understand the OP's point. When the lights failed the first time they should have been returned. End of problem.

Most of these complaints are about service. Sears used to have it's own service dept. Now they contract with an out source the same one that most other larger stores do. I agree the service is awful.

But to blame the manufacturer is erroneous. It's the contractor that messes up. They are parts switchers. They are not skilled repair techs as they would have you believe. You might lucky with one who actually knows what they are doing but is is rare. Like an above poster said the good ones are frustrated also. They don't even carry basic parts on the trucks any longer.

Retailers sell stuff. The sales staff are just that. Put on the floor to sell. If the customer want to know if a cord is long enough to fit their installation they should do their homework and look at the specs. Why anyone would expect a salesperson to state the length of a cord boggles my mind.

I see this just like those reviews you see on credit card companies etc. It's always the fault the the mean old bank, never mind I didn't do my homework, read the contract, forgot to send in my payment and ovr-exceded my limit. They didn't hold my hand through the process and they victimized me.

Consumers have more information available to them today about the products they intend to purchase than ever before. From customer review (taken with a grain of salt due to the above) to online spec sheets and installation instructions.

Sears was sold out to K-Mart, which formed a parent company that operates both KMart and Sears.

I would never buy any large purchase from KMart - no matter what name they put on the store.

Here is a link that might be useful: News: Kmart buys Sears in

Now, where do I buy. I had bad experiences with Best Buy and major purchases and thought I would go to Sears (Old reliable). Who is left?

Sears was sold out to K-Mart, which formed a parent company that operates both KMart and Sears.

I would never buy any large purchase from KMart - no matter what name they put on the store.

People have to let go of the idea that the stores they buy at have anything to do with the product itself. There are only a handful of appliance manufacturers out there no matter what the label says. There are only a handful or less carpet mills no matter what the label says.

The RETAILER IS NOT the MANUFACTURER.

You are not walking into a car dealership. You are buying a re-badged item made by 3 or 4 companies. Home Depot's carpet is not inferior to Mohawk's. The installation on the other hand may be. It depends.

It doesn't matter where you buy. The MANUFACTURER'S warranty is the same. What most of you are looking for is service. Therein lies the rub. Regional service companies have replaced the independent repairmen because people want the extended warranty which is basically an insurance policy, nothing more and nothing less.

People have to know their limitations and do the math for themselves on whether service contracts are worth it. For us a service contract on a washer or fridge is. A dishwasher or dryer isn't. Too easy to fix or replace. I don't buy expensive DWs. Certainly not for a garbage disposal.

I have a large gas range. Bought it online. It is probably no longer under warranty. The manufacturer has sold the name to a "Higher End" badge. Doesn't matter. I chose one with no bells or whistles in the way of electronics. No timers, not even a clock. The only electrical is the thermostat are the thermostats and the ignitors. Simple plumbing. 80 years from now someone can fix it or even build a part if needed just like they do grandmas' stoves and old classic cars.

Quality control has indeed gone way down. That is true. But if it isn't right you do w something about it right then and there. If it means choosing another product that is what you do.

We regulary void the warranty on most stuff anyway because I am always wanting to make it better. We rebuild stuff to fit so I don't have to pay for custom. Most recently it was a heavy duty wire basket for our deep pantry. bought it online and had to redo the brackets since it was intended for a closet system.

If one is not good at do it your self perhaps the answer is to have a good plumber and electrician. or a good independent appliance guy. They are still around and be happy to give good service. Keep your parts list and know what you are buying.